Now in it's eleventh year, Kid's Day is sponsored by ARRL -- the national association for Amateur Radio. Kids will even be operating at the W1AW station at the national headquarters of the ARRL itself.
Many of today's scientists, radio engineers, astronauts and Amateur Radio enthusiasts got involved with the technology in their youth, sometimes through a relative or a neighbor in town. During the event, licensed Amateur Radio operators will encourage their children, young people from the neighborhood or even a local scout troop to experience the enjoyment of ham radio firsthand.
"Getting kids on the air is an enjoyable experience for everyone involved." says Mark Spencer, WA8SME, of the ARRL's Field and Educational Services. According to Spencer, "To make it a productive experience we try to keep it simple. Contacting rare foreign locations is fun, but local, quality contacts often work better and in most cases make a more lasting impression."
Today there are nearly 680,000 Amateur Radio operators in the United States and more than 2.5 million worldwide. Information on how to become involved in Amateur Radio is available from ARRL at: http://www.arrl.org
From an ARRL News Release
