This weekend, some new — and younger — voices will be on the air from the K3LR Superstation, an 11-acre antenna farm of 13 towers owned by Tim Duffy, K3LR. Duffy reports that “Team Exuberance” members will operate  from the station in the two-transmitter, multioperator (M2) category for the CQ World Wide WPX Contest (phone), March 30 – 31 UTC. The operators will be NN1C, HA9T, VE7DZO, K6JO, KG5HVO, and KM4ATT, a team with an average age of about 16.

Fourteen-year-old team member Kat, KM4ATT, and David, VE7DZO, sparked the idea, and soon a plan was put in motion to create an all-youth team to operate K3LR. Funds for transportation, hotels, and other logistical expenses were raised through a GoFundMe appeal. Kat and David had both participated in the 2018 Dave Kalter Memorial Youth DX Adventure to Curacao. 

While young, Team Exuberance members boast a combined record of more than 10 contest wins. Two WRTC 2018 competitors are on the list, and several have operated at other prominent stations around the world. “We believe we are the first all-youth serious contest operation in North America,” said Marty Sullaway, NN1C. The Youth Amateurs Radio Club (YARC) Young Contesting Program (YCP) solicited team members for the CQ WW WPX operation and will continue the trend of recruiting young operators to contest from Big Gun stations.