Category Archives: Youth Activities

Articles and other information about Ham Radio activities for young people. Our youth activities include GOTA events, our High Altitude Balloon project, help getting licensed and more.

Featured, General, Space, Youth Activities

BIG E Space Chat is a Go!

The BIG E Space Chat is a go!  The pre-contact program for our upcoming ISS contact at the BIG E will begin at 1:20 pm ET on Tuesday, September 27. Our astronaut will be Bob Hines, KI5RQT. Our ground station for this contact will be ON4ISS in Belgium.Parking and the walk to The BIG E arena will take some time so be sure to get there early. Remember to bring a printed official copy of your Amateur Radio license and you and up to 3 family and friends will get free admission to The BIG E on contact day.

BIG E Map
BIG E Map

The arena will hold well over 1,000 people. The BIG E is helping us to publicize the event and arrange for TV coverage for the program and the contact. We would appreciate everyone’s help in getting the word out!

Stage at the BIG E Arena
Stage at the BIG E Arena

Our pre-contact program will begin with a series of videos about space, NASA, ARISS, going to Mars, and more. Our pre-contact program speakers will include:

We hope to see you and many folks across the New England and Hudson Divisions at the BIG E Space Chat next Tuesday!

If you cannot make it to The BIG E to see our contact in person, you can watch it via a live stream on YouTube. Our contact program will begin at 1:20 pm and is available on YouTube via this link.

Anita, AB1QB

Featured, Youth Activities

Space Chat @ The BIG E! – Free Admission

A select group of youths at The BIG E in West Springfield will soon have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to chat with an astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) orbiting 260 miles above the earth.

Along with them, hundreds of Big E attendees and spectators will be able to watch the live contact as it occurs from The BIG E Arena. The exact time and date of the contact will be posted soon at key locations throughout The BIG E, or visit the Amateur radio booth (#103) inside Door 6 of the Better Living Center.

BIG NEWS from The BIG E! Hams who show up on the day of The BIG E Space Chat will receive free admission for themselves and three more people. Spread the word to your friends and fellow radio club members. Help us fill the stands!

If you present an official copy of your FCC license at the gate, you and up to three family members or friends can enter The BIG E fairgrounds free of charge.

The BIG E Space Chat - Talking to the ISS
Talking to an Astronaut on the ISS via Amateur Radio
  • The Big E free admission for amateur radio operators and up to three guests (maximum 4 people) good on Space Chat Day only. The actual date will be announced soon.
  • Official copy of FCC license to be presented to Gate Captain at Big E pedestrian gates 1A, 1B, 4, 5, 7, or 9A to receive free admission on Space Chat Day.
  • Parking is not included.
  • The BIG E is at 1305 Memorial Ave, West Springfield, MA.

As with all ARISS school contacts, the actual day and time for the scheduled contact won’t be known until approximately one week prior to the Contact. Currently, the Space Chat “window” is September 27-29, 2022. Check The BIG E Space Chat web page for up-to-date information. Or, fill out our survey and we’ll contact you with the date and time when it’s known.

Stop by the Ham Radio Booth #103, inside Door 6 of the Better Living Center—then be part of and witness the exciting, live ARISS space station contact and astronaut Q&A in The BIG E Arena via Amateur Radio.

Visit this ARRL webpage for instructions on downloading a copy of your FCC license.

Download and print at home the 2022 Big E Brochure or 2022 Fairgrounds Map. Both are sized to fit letter-sized paper.

Map of the BIG E Grounds
Map of the BIG E Grounds
Education and Training, Featured, General, Space, Youth Activities

Scouts in Long Island, NY Contact the ISS via Amateur Radio

Long Island Scouts ISS

I once again had the pleasure to help a group of young people make contact with an Astronaut on the International Space Station this past week. Scouts from the Matinecock District in Long Island, NY, made a contact wi…

Source: Scouts on Long Island Contact the ISS via Amateur Radio

It was a lot of fun helping the Scouts of Sussex County, NY, talk to an astronaut on the International Space Station (ISS) this weekend. You can read all about the contact and see a video via the link above.

Fred, AB1OC

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