Teenage Amateur Radio Operators Featured on NBC's TODAY Show

Harry Smith from NBC's TODAY show tells the story of teenage ham radio operators who made a successful contact with the International Space Station.
Clip used with permission from NBCUniversal.
Help things like this happen: www.arrl.org/GiveToSTEM
From ARRL News:
www.arrl.org/n...
A student-led contact with astronauts through the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program was a great success that earned significant media attention. On Monday, December 11, 2023, students at Harbor Creek High School in Harborcreek, Pennsylvania, used amateur radio to talk with Astronaut Andreas Mogensen, KG5GCZ.
The students are part of the Advanced Technologies Group, KC3SGV, an after-school club at Harbor Creek. Fifteen of the students are licensed radio amateurs. Their faculty advisor, Assistant Principal Drew Mortensen, AC3DS, is a graduate of the Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology, a professional development program led by ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio (www.arrl.org/te.... Mortensen utilized what he learned in the program and brought it back to the school. The ARISS contact is just one of the many successes the program has had.
ARRL Education and Learning Manager Steve Goodgame, K5ATA, was on hand for the contact, and he was impressed by the skills demonstrated by the students.
Goodgame recalled, "From antenna assembly and installation to the actual control operator function of the radio during the contact itself, students were at the helm. Every student who asked a question of Commander Mogensen was a licensed amateur radio operator. When I asked what they had planned next, the response was, 'Well, the logical step would be to build and get a CubeSat launched.' This is exactly the type of program we hope to help create as an outcome of the Teachers Institute," said Goodgame.
Local, regional, and national media took note of the students' success. Local television newscasts featured the event, and NBC Journalist Harry Smith and a crew from NBC's TODAY were at the event to tell the story about the young hams.
This type of exposure for amateur radio is key to growing the hobby, according to ARRL Public Relations and Outreach Manager Sierra Harrop, W5DX. "The passion of these teenage operators led to this success story. Who doesn't love the story of young minds doing extraordinary things in STEM through amateur radio?" she exclaimed. ARRL Director of Development Kevin Beal, K8EAL, mentioned that the media coverage demonstrates the impact that the donors who have funded the Teachers Institute have on the future of amateur radio. Beal said, "The reach goes far beyond the one-week training institute and ripples out farther than we can see."
The ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology is funded by the ARRL Education and Technology Fund. If you are interested in supporting STEM education through the Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology, visit www.arrl.org/G....
ARISS is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the ISS. In the US, participating organizations include NASA's Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program, the ISS National Laboratory -- Space Station Explorers, ARRL, and AMSAT.
LINKS
ARISS -- Amateur Radio on the International Space Station
www.ariss.org/
ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology
www.arrl.org/t...
What is Ham Radio (Amateur Radio)
www.arrl.org/w...
The ARRL Ham Radio License Manual 5th Edition -- Get your Amateur Radio License!
home.arrl.org/...
Support the ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology
www.arrl.org/G...
Join ARRL
www.arrl.org/join
ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio
www.arrl.org

[@EJ42955]

I understand the smile on that youngster's face. Just recently made my first 10M contact. And, I'm 68 years old. Congrats to the student and their teacher. They'll be hooked now.

[@hamradiobasics]

Ham Radio is alive and well ! God Bless these young men and women and their teachers !

[@JulietNovember9]

That's the kind of teacher I wish I had! Bravo, all!!!!!!

[@radioman4321]

Great job! The kids were so enthusiastic and proud of their accomplishment! I obtained my ham radio license when I was 13 years old which led me to pursue a career in Electrical Engineering. 48 years later I'm still active in this wonderful hobby 🙂

[@BradSnyder1]

Great stuff! Hard work paid off for those students and they got rewarded nicely. Glad to see more young people involved in the hobby.

[@rpgiuliani]

Amateur-Radio is a wonderful hobby.

[@237130]

What an outstanding program for these kids and what an outstanding accomplishment!

[@Wa3ypx]

God bless those kids! Great! I got my start in HS Amateur radio club 50 years ago. It reminds me of working OSCAR back in the day.

[@wattsupaz]

I’ll never forget my QSO with NA1SS, using only a 5 watt radio and partially built antenna. Best therapy ever! Congrats to staff and students!

[@digital.rancher]

How can you not just absolutely love this? Well done to all involved! Congrats!

[@r2dtxradiobushcrafting]

Wow! This is great. HAM's all over the world proud of you.

[@thecarys563]

Gnarly! In front of the whole student body with success or failure on the line.

[@FjHenderson]

Yeah it is definitely a great feeling when you capture that station. I captured 5 of the 12 pictures transmitted from the station a few years ago during an event.

[@wa7jnjradio]

What an amazing video highlighting a great students in a radio club, great teacher, connecting with the space station, and letting others in the audience (and us watching) be excited to them. Great opp to share about our hobby!

[@Roddy1965]

Congratulations to these very fine young radio amateurs!

[@W6IWN_Radio]

Epic work, these kids have a bright future!

[@HAUNTED-HAM]

This is what the hobby is all about! Great job all, KB2LMN

[@marks.3798]

Good job, guys!! So proud of you.

[@dgthill]

Fantastic work and great success ! HAM radio can do what cellphones can't do ...reach out and have a nice QSO with an astronaut or other operators...BRAVO ❤

[@jojom3740]

Great production! It inspires the best ham skills we have

[@patman3764]

CQ OM, thanks for the QSO. So heartwarming! Wb9orv

[@loueckert4970]

WOW that was so cool. I bet the crowd went wild. Very happy for you guys. Gud DX es 73 de KT1R Lou in WV

[@turkeyslayer63]

We didi this on a deadend road and made our contacts. But to do rhis in front of the whole school had to take some real nerves that could have been a complete failure instead it was an awesome success nice job!

[@jameswebb80]

Congratulations from WPa Kc3EQP 73

[@Runtothemusic]

Love it. Great job to the students!!!!!

[@itzgametimevip1111]

Great to see kids getting involved. Al Roker mentioned he once had a " first class FCC license ". There is no such category.

[@briangohl2547]

Yes, the FCC 1st Class is a commercial license.

[@patman3764]

Even radio DJs needed to have a third class radio telephone license so Al went above and beyond. Maybe that makes up for his poor performance at the New Year's Day Parade, or explains his nerdy jokes

[@domingocaba2411]

Beautiful 73 from KC3-MYU

[@ku4uv]

I have been a ham radio operator for 31 years now. When people ask me about my ham radio hobby, I always tell them that the coolest aspect of this hobby is the opportunity to talk with an astronaut that is orbiting the earth. I haven't been able to make a QSO with an astronaut just yet, still waiting on purchasing the right equipment. I have spoken in person with at least 3 astronauts that once flew on the space shuttle. I have made contacts through the ISS repeater, which was really neat. Just an aside, Harry Smith came to speak at Eastern Kentucky University about 28 years ago, when I was a broadcast major at the school. He was less than cordial, but maybe just having a bad day. He is a good reporter, I'll give him that much. 73 to all!

[@applejacks971]

What do you mean 'still waiting on purchasing the right equipment'? Nothing special needed and you would know this, especially if you've made contacts via the ISS repeater.

[@ku4uv]

Yeah. but ideally I would be like to purchase something like a sat controller or buy a M squared satellite antenna. I am currently using just a Baofeng UV-5R into a homemade 1/4 2 meter ground plane antenna. So yeah, could you talk to the astronauts with that setup? Sure, but it's far from the ideal station that is needed to do those sort of things. @@applejacks971

[@patman3764]

I think you need a circularly polarized yagi antenna and rotors and maybe some preamps and at least a good hundred Watts

[@cjespers]

When all else fails. Thanks for the video!

[@raymondmartin6737]

Very good working the ISS, NA1SS. We need new younger amateur radio operators, being licensed since 1962, nearly 62 years, while in High School, at age 17. I am almost 80 now, 50 plus years since being an Officer in SAC, USAF, 1969 to 1974. I met Senator Goldwater, K7UGA, in NYC, at the 1964 American Radio Relay League 50th anniversary Convention, when I was 20. 😊 73 de W2CH Ray New Hampshire.

[@mikegianfrancesco9431]

Awesome DE W2MGF BRONX NY

[@TangoOscarMikeN3WS]

Hey that's Drew from www.youtube.com/@transmittinguntilrobotsrep1045 Great to see those kids so excited.

[@K5ATA]

Good eye! Drew, AC3DS, is a great dude... he came through TI-1. This is exactly the kind of program we are looking to build in schools across the country.

[@marcdowns8347]

Love it. 73s to all at that school. KD9PDE

[@AndersonChao-vs3zf]

Nice and good quality Radio made in Japan but headquarters in Seattle Washington

[@thomasmansfield1558]

Great

[@rhudnut]

Very cool, that is one QSO I don't have, 73's. K6YHF

[@charlescassidy1496]

Great job! de W2CSI

[@DE2TRF]

das ist ein wunder schön video weiter hin so viel spass am hobby 73 de DE2TRF

[@tim66214]

Grads from N0SZE tim