Which is precisely what 14-year-old Andrea Hartlage of Lawrenceville does in the male-dominated world of ham radio operators. "I'm no fool. I know fun when I see it," wrote Andrea in her first column as youth editor for the Web site (www.arrl.org.) of the American Radio Relay League, a nationwide network of ham radio enthusiasts. Andrea, better known as KG4IUM in the ham world, was selected for her post from among hundreds of applicants from around the country. She had to demonstrate writing skills, plus a track record of involvement in ham radio community events.
Her starting two youth clubs for ham operators helped qualify her in the latter category. She's also participating in the Field Day Weekend of the Gwinnett Amateur Radio Emergency Service, which ends today at the county's emergency operations center. The serious side of the ham world is that these operators form a communications network that assists government agencies during events such as natural disasters. Special Andrea Hartlage of Lawrenceville is at home in the male-dominated world of ham radio operators. Also, she writes a column as youth editor for the Web site of the American Radio Relay League, a nationwide network of ham radio enthusiasts. "It's a good opportunity for community service," Andrea said. "Plus, you get to meet a lot of really neat people."
On any regular day, Andrea can have fun by talking to fellow hams on the other side of the world. She and her dad, Scott, aka KF4PWI, sometimes talk together on his car unit. However, Andrea is not a typically chatty teenager when she gets on her radio. Said Dennis Womack, assistant emergency coordinator for GARES, "When we're working a net and Andrea is the net controller, she's just about the coolest operator we've got." Lisa Hartlage, Andrea's mother, said the family sometimes teases Andrea about the time she spends talking to older men in foreign lands. But the world of ham operators does not have the foreboding undercurrents of Internet chat rooms, she said. Besides, Andrea's radio time -- usually a couple of hours two or three evenings a week -- comes second to her schoolwork, she said. Still, that's plenty of time for high-frequency good times, she said. "Andrea loves her ham radio," her mother said.
Andrea is a member of both the Alford Memorial Radio Club and the Gwinnett Amateur Radio Society. Congratulations Andrea, We are all very proud of you. Direct Link to Andrea's Article at the ARRL.