Hello world, this is St Peter’s calling – children at St Peter’s Juniors in Broadstairs have been chatting with young people around Europe and beyond as part of the Youngsters on the Air initiative.
Set up by the International Amateur Radio Union, it encourages young people to transmit on radio waves via a special call sign GB23YOTA that is available throughout December for UK participants.
St Peter’s took part over two days with 70 children enjoying the experience that included learning their names using the phonetic alphabet together with the call sign information.
Hilderstone Radio Society members John Hislop, Matt and Kadriye Payne took their professional equipment in to school and shared their expertise with the pupils.
They transmitted on the amateur radio frequencies, just as they did in October when the school contacted astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli as she flew thousands of miles overhead in the International Space Station.
The children made contact with amateur radio in the UK and across Europe and around the world in 12 different time zones including India, America and Australia.
Head Teacher Tim Whitehouse said: “This was a fascinating and exciting experience for our children and a brilliant educational opportunity for them to broaden their horizons and enjoy talking to others around the globe via radio.”