The camp for young amateur radio operators in North, Central, and 
South America will operate special event station WØY while camp is in session from June 15-20, 2025 in Thornton, Colorado, USA. The group will also contact the International Space Station; complete portable & mobile activations for Summits on the Air (SOTA), Parks on the Air (POTA), Buc-ee’s on the Air & from WWV; and livestream the ARISS contact & opening and closing ceremonies on YouTube.
COLUMBIANA, Ohio, June 1, 2025—Youth on the Air Americas Camp 2025 being held in suburban Denver, Colorado will operate from the Bob Heil, K9EID Memorial YOTA Camp Amateur Radio Shack in person and remotely as the campers finish projects, between sessions, and during free time.
Activation of the WØY callsign from the camp will begin the evening of
Sunday, June 15th and conclude at 1800Z on Friday, June 20th.
In addition, campers will have the opportunity to operate during the
following dedicated times:
- Monday, June 16th UTC (Sunday, June 15th MDT): 0200Z to 0400Z
- Tuesday, June 17th UTC (Monday, June 16th MDT): 0000Z to 0500Z
- Wednesday, June 18th UTC (Tuesday, June 17th MDT): 0300Z to 0500Z
- Thursday, June 19th UTC (Wednesday, June 18th MDT): 0300Z to
0500Z - Friday, June 20th UTC (Thursday, June 19th MDT): 0000Z to 0500Z
Campers will also have dedicated satellite operating times on Tuesday,
June 17th from 1600Z to 1900Z.
A highlight of the camp will be several portable and mobile activations,
including Summits On The Air, Parks On The Air, Buc-ee’s On The Air, and from WWV.
- WØY/WWV will be active on Wednesday, June 18th from 1615Z to
2100Z from NIST radio station WWV in Fort Collins, CO. - WØY/B mobile will be active on Wednesday, June 18th from 2200Z to 0030Z from Buc-ee’s. Stations will be able to earn a special downloadable Buc-ee’s On The Air certificate for working WØY/B. Stations wishing to contact WØY/B from another Buc-ee’s location should be advised that the business has not allowed antennas to be installed on their grounds. All operations should be from your vehicle and not interfere with their business.
- WØY plans to be active for SOTA on Thursday, June 19th from Genesee Mountain (WØC/FR-194) between 1930Z and 2300Z.
- WØY plans to be active for POTA on Thursday, June 19th from Two Ponds National Wildlife Refuge (US-0227) between 2000Z and 2230Z.
Campers will be able to ask questions to astronaut Nichole Ayers, KJ5GWI, who calls Colorado Springs as home, on the International Space Station during the camp as well. The ARISS contact is currently scheduled to takeplace on Thursday, June 19th at 1725Z. The ARISS contact will be conducted using a satellite station built by one of the campers, Lyle Strachan, KEØZNV.
The opening and closing ceremonies and the International Space Station contact (ARISS) will be streamed live on the Youth on the Air YouTube channel. The opening ceremony is Sunday, June 15th from 2300Z to 0200Z. The closing ceremony is Friday, June 20th from 1600Z to 1700Z. The channel will also feature a daily highlight video spotlighting the activities of the previous day.
Finally, camper Jack McElroy, KM4ZIA is partnering with Edge of Space
Sciences to launch a high-altitude balloon to near space and two pico
balloons which will hopefully circumnavigate the Earth. The high-altitude balloon will launch either on Monday evening, June 16 or Tuesday morning, June 17 depending on the weather. For tracking of the high-altitude balloon, follow W4SDR-11 on APRS.fi. A voice beacon will also be on 146.550 MHz. The pico balloons will be launched on the afternoon of Tuesday, June 17 and can be tracked on WSPR.net as KM4ZIA or via APRS.fi at WØY-1 and WØY-11.
For more details about this camp, visit YouthOnTheAir.org/denver2025.
For additional information about YOTA Americas, please contact Public
Relations at pr@youthontheair.org or Camp Director Neil Rapp, WB9VPG at director@youthontheair.org.
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