One of the end-of-summer highlights for my family is the Huntsville Hamfest. Held every August in Huntsville, Alabama, it is one of the best of the larger hamfests for families because of its strong youth presence. From a dedicated Youth Lounge to the booths and groups devoted to supporting youth in amateur radio, the Huntsville Hamfest is a great event to attend if you are a young ham looking to get started with the hobby or learn about available resources and opportunities.
The Youth Lounge
The hamfest has something to offer for every age, starting with sessions for very young operators in the Youth Lounge. Those interested in getting started with amateur radio or even just finding out what the hobby is can participate in activities such as building simple kits or making Morse code bracelets throughout the weekend.
The past few years, the kit build has been a Morse code straight key, which is perfect for those new to soldering. For the slightly older age group, there are typically a few Scouting groups putting on the activities, which helps attendees discover how Scouting and amateur radio can be incorporated.
This year the Youth Lounge offered opportunities to learn about and control a robot vehicle, discover how a 3D printer works, participate in a youth foxhunt, complete a scavenger hunt around the hamfest, take part in a basic electronics course with guided hands projects, and attend an introductory Arduino programming session. There was even a station where you could get on the air and operate. An Elmer was there to help operators make their first contacts if they had never operated before.
FlexRadio (sponsor of the 2025 Youth Lounge) hosted a table that let hams learn about the Remote Ham Radio (RHR) Youth Network, which provides free access to a number of remote stations around the world. This allows young hams to get on the air without a taxing financial investment. Further, there was a prize drawing all weekend exclusively for young hams who visited the Youth Lounge. As always, the lounge was a perfect place to meet new hams in the same age range and make friends who have similar interests.
Youth Organizations
The Huntsville Hamfest hosts many youth-focused and supporting organizations including Youth On The Air (YOTA) and the Long Island CW Club (LICW), as well as presentations from DXpedition groups for youth and high school amateur radio clubs.
At the YOTA booth, young hams find information about the annual YOTA summer camps, December YOTA month, scholarships, and other groups for young hams. At the LICW booth, young hams learn about Morse code, try some keys, and get information on youth-specific classes they offer.
While the forums and presentations that are held differ every year, there are typically a few of them dedicated to young hams. The 2024 edition included a presentation from a high school amateur radio club detailing their experiences with a weather balloon launch. They discussed lessons they learned along the way and presented ideas and examples of projects for school amateur radio clubs.
Additionally, there was a presentation from Gregg Marco, W6IZT, of the Pacific Island DX Group about “The Future of DXpeditioning.” W6IZT discussed how the group is coordinating youth-focused DXpeditions and offered insights into future operations.
Editor’s Note: Look for OnAllBands articles on the group’s October 2025 PJ6Y activation of Saba Island, featuring nine on-island and 40 remote youth operators from around the world in collaboration with YOTA.
On Saturday, the annual Young Ham of the Year Award is presented. The ceremony typically consists of an introduction of the young ham, some words from those who know the recipient, and the official presentation of the award.
It’s pretty clear that the Huntsville Hamfest is a perfect place for young hams of any skill level to learn a lot and make some new friends and memories!
Editor’s Note: While you’re in Huntsville for next year’s hamfest, be sure to check out the Signals Museum. The museum details the history of electronic communications in the U.S. and features amateur radio station K4MIE. Read more about it in this OnAllBands article.
Here are some photos from past Huntsville Hamfests courtesy of DX Engineering:
