Frederike DH9FD - Germany's Youngest Class A radio amateur
/Germany's DARC reports Frederike Dötsch, DH9FD, from Amberg has achieved her class A (HAREC equiv) license making her the youngest holder of a class A license in DARC e.V.
Frederike Dötsch from Amberg is the youngest radio amateur with a class A radio license in the German Amateur Radio Club (DARC) e.V. The 13-year-old successfully passed the license exam at the Federal Network Agency in January and proved: girls and technology, that works great!
She was supported by her family – a real amateur radio family. From now on she can be heard on the radio frequencies under the callsign Delta-Hotel-9-Foxtrot-Delta.
Frederike's enthusiasm for amateur radio began two years ago. The fascination with radio has existed in her family for several generations. Both her grandfather and her parents are active radio amateurs. Since October 2021, Frederike has been a DARC member and participant in the DARC radio competitions. On 29th January 2022 she passed the amateur radio exam for the A-class and is thus the youngest radio amateur in the DARC. The so-called A class describes the advanced category of amateur radio approval and allows operation on all amateur radio frequencies approved in Germany.
“I’m very proud of passing the exam and I’m looking forward to many radio calls and contact with other people.”
Together with her older brother, the now 13-year-old first learned in an online course for the amateur radio test for beginners, which asks about basic knowledge about radio technology and operation. In order to be able to use even more possibilities in amateur radio, the student set herself the goal of the higher license class immediately afterwards.
If you want to take part in the amateur radio service in Germany, you need proof of a successfully passed amateur radio test from the competent authority – the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA). With this receipt, participation in the amateur radio service can be applied for and the BNetzA will assign a corresponding call sign. The Amateur Radio Ordinance regulates the amateur radio certificate classes E (beginners) and A (advanced) that are valid in Germany.
As radio amateurs, predominantly young men come into intensive contact with this type of message transmission, which arouses their interest in technology and encourages it through amateur radio. Industry and research value these qualified young people very much.
The aim of the DARC e. V. is to introduce more and more young girls and women to this fascinating hobby and to offer them the chance to choose a technical profession when they later choose a career and to stand out from the crowd of applicants. Thus, by engaging in amateur radio, young technical and scientific talent is recruited and promoted - true to the motto "From radio amateur to engineer".
