Good ideas deserve repeating. Christian OE8AGV, a teacher at HTL Villach, has once again brought amateur radio into school as part of the activity days and shown students what our hobby is really all about. The result: two wonderful days on 7 and 8 July, with everything that goes with it: emergency radio, SOTA, a bit of homebrewing, and plenty of operating.
We had already announced this in advance. Those who are interested can read the original call for the activity days. Here is how it actually went:
Day 1: Emergency Radio, Projects and the First QSO
On Tuesday, 7 July, ÖVSV-LV8 emergency radio officer Daniel OE8OPT, BOS-ARSA-ADL820-ÖVSV president Wolfgang OE8GWQ, together with Karl OE8JHK, Sergio OE8CXC, and Christian OE8CLQ, set up two stations and introduced the students to amateur radio. Emergency radio — crisis and disaster communications — was particularly well received. Karl OE8JHK’s projects and digital operating modes also drew great interest, not only from the young people but from teachers as well.
We have also written about why amateur radio matters in a crisis: What the new emergency radio recommendation ITU-R M.1042-4 means for us.
Day 2: From the SOTA Summit Down to 40 Metres
So that the young people would not only listen but could actually get on the air themselves, we had organised a special operating permission in advance. The students were allowed to operate under supervision and even send a greeting message.
On Wednesday, 8 July, it was time for full-on operating. On shortwave and VHF, SOTA stations and many others were worked. OE8DLE was QRV as a SOTA contact station at Hochbirkach, first providing solid operating on 2 m, then later on 40 m as well.
Special thanks go to Michal HF9MJ. He was actually on holiday at the Weissensee and spontaneously made himself available as a “DX local station, hi”. The students were visibly delighted.
Antennas, Equipment and Plenty of Tech
For antennas on the second day, a multiband antenna was used. Daniel OE8OPT had already put it up on the first day, and the team simply continued using it. In addition, a 2 m dipole, oriented vertically and mounted on four fibreglass poles (Polokal).
On the equipment side, an FT-991A, an FT-817, a few 2 m/70 cm handhelds, and plenty of PMR radios were on hand. At the very latest when cabling up, it becomes clear: without proper coax, nothing works. We have summarised which coaxial cable suits which situation in a dedicated article.
FunkParcours, Homebrewing and Outdoor Radio
With the PMR radios, the students played a good long session of FunkParcours under the guidance of Christina OE8YYY. A playful introduction through which you learn, almost without noticing, to operate cleanly and in a disciplined way. How the tool works exactly and how to run radio games with it yourself — even licence-free with PMR — is described in our detailed article FunkParcours: Radio Games for Everyone.
Sergio OE8CXC gave a thorough explanation of frequencies and propagation conditions. Michi OE8YML talked about his homebrewing projects, including the kv4p HT (2 m radio from an old smartphone), WebRX, and digital operating modes. Christina contributed plenty on outdoor radio, and Christian OE8AGV together with Christian OE8CLQ handled the moderation. And because operating radio is famously hungry work, Christina also kept the supply of sweets topped up to keep everyone in good spirits.
Conclusion
To wrap things up, the drum was well and truly beaten for amateur radio licensing courses — from ÖVSV to BOS-ARSA and Kärnten funkt. This club-independent project was a complete success.
For us, these were two truly wonderful days. We hope we sparked the radio bug in at least a few participants, and we are already looking forward to next year.
A heartfelt thank-you to all contact stations and everyone who gave it a try. You are what made these two days come alive! And a special thank-you to Christian OE8AGV for organising everything — without him, none of this would have been possible.
vy 73, the HTL Radio Crew
Radio Recordings
To finish up, here are a few recordings straight from the radios, from the FT-991A on 40 m to the little FT-817. Worth turning the sound on. 😉
