(31.7.2021)

Since a long time my son Lars wanted to have his own amateur radio callsign.
Unfortunately, you can’t get it for free. You can’t either buy it.
Even children don’t get anything for free, on the contrary: They have to pass an exam in the fields of „operating technology“, „electrical engineering“ and „legal knowledge“ in front of the Federal Network Agency. (Bundenetzagentur)
For children, the following applies: Same questions, same exam conditions – equal rights for all.

Lars started in October 2019 with a 1-week training course in the training center of the DARC (German Amateur Radio Club) local association Luckenwalde (Y35) in Jüterbog.
I took also part to take notes digitally for Lars. He also sporadically took notes on paper….

first experiences with ohm’s law

One of the recommendations of the course instructor was the website of Emil Obermayr (DD3AH).
Here I could get also mentally some things back from my archives.
His script „Mathematische Grundlagen – Rechnen für Funkamateure“ (mathematical basics – calculation for radio amateurs) offers most interested (including me) new and old familiar.

Then came the electrical engineering basics.

Parallel connection and series connection of resistors, capacitors and coils. Not easy fare for a child, but still basics.

In the evenings (after the end of the daily training sessions) Lars got practice experiences at the club station:

Lars writing the log

The course is great fun for me also, because I see Lars learning something and refresh my own knowledge in the process.
I took the exam „back then“ (1990) in front of a commission of the Bundespost.

The DARC reports about the course

Later I noticed that the DARC (German Amateur Radio Club) even reported about the course:

Intensive course for class E and A has started
02.10.2019 Created by Heiko – DL1RTL – by Info DV
On Monday, September 30, started in Jüterbog, Brandenburg, at the local association „Luckenwalde“ Y35, the third edition of the amateur radio course to obtain the amateur radio license class E and the technology upgrade to class A.

The team of trainers and trainees

9 participants each are being prepared this week for the exam next Monday in Berlin. 
Not only the participants, but also the instructors have traveled from all over Germany.
The youngest participant is Lars. He has been infected with the amateur radio virus for a long time.
Now he wants to close last knowledge gaps and finally take the exam. 

Also we have 3 participants of the Federal Network Agency in the course. They will be trained as new examiners for amateur radio, says Ronny JerkeDG2RON, district chairman in Brandenburg and organizer of the course. 

Thomas – DL1TKI, club station manager in Jüterbog says, „It will be 5 hard days again but we are confident to prepare all participants so they all can pass the exam successfully.“

The week passes quickly. Lars and me used the weekend to practice intensively.

For this we use the absolutely ingenious and also free software „Ham Radio Trainer“ made by Oliver Saal (DM1OLI). (www.hamradiotrainer.de)

The software is way more than a question-and-answer collection. Rather, it recognizes wrong answers and then asks these questions again. So you can practice all questions from all parts of the exam individually or in a jumble and then also simulate exams.

When evaluating the exams, the program not only shows the correct solution, it even explains the solution path.

The first examn date…

takes place directly on Monday after the training week at the BNetzA in Berlin.
Lars is 10 years old.
All the material and the exam itself are quite ambitious for a child.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t work out…(completely), but Lars at least passed the operating technology part. This will be recognized in the repeat examination.

As a small consolation we visited McDonalds…

Covid-19 and no further examns

The Corona infections that have been occurring in Germany since January 2020 are massively changing not only private but also public life.
Among other things, the Bundesnetzagentur did no more examinations for (future) radio amateurs.

Lars keeps on learning (sometimes more sometimes just a little less).

In June 2021, by random read on the website of BNetzA that exams will held again. Unfortunately they are not in Berlin.
But I think to myself, „doesn’t matter“. I register Lars for the exam in Erfurt on July 31, 2021.


We are taking the Christel and stay overnight at beautiful Weimar. So we are rested and on time for the exam in Erfurt.

The APRS recording of the trip to Erfurt and back. (DL7JU-9)

Thought – done. On Friday we leave around 16:30 towards Weimar. After visiting some construction sites at the Autobahn, we finally arrived. To relax we took a little snack at the famous „Schnitzel Oase“ downtown Weimar.
Thanks god, they had Schnitzel 🙂

Examn day

We arrive at Zeppelinstr. in Erfurt well rested and excited.
I don’t have to wish Lars luck, because he has practiced more than diligently and passed quite a few exam simulations.

I did wish him success.
Due to strict Corona rules, I am not allowed in the building.
I don’t manage my plan to chill and wait. I distracted myself with reading.

About 40 minutes after the exam starts, Lars comes out of the building accompanied by an examiner.
I almost burst. Lars grins…
The examiner tells me that there was someone who passed the exam in 30 minutes the other day. (The time frame is 3 hours)

Lars is his youngest examinee ever and passed the exam with only 2 mistakes in total using only 35 minutes.
(Allowed are up to 9 faults per part of the exam).

I am close to tears

Wow!

The license certificate and his call sign will be sent to him in writing in the next few days. It will be the callsign DO6LR.

The rest of the story is quite short: We drove home and 1 1/2 days later (on Monday!) Lars got the official certificate that he passed all the examns.

One more Radio Amateur: All time good contacs!

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