Enthusiastic little amateur radio operators establish international radio contacts and hunt for radio beacons.
On 3 October, our amateur radio club Vlotho N52 once again opened its doors for the annual ‘Mouse Day’. On this special day, children across Germany are given the opportunity to take a look behind the scenes at companies and clubs. This year, the motto of the event was ‘Doing things together’ – what could be more fitting than amateur radio?
Our club offered exciting insights into the world of amateur radio for children with a passion for technology. Under supervision, the young visitors were able to use a training callsign and make connections with stations all over Germany via VHF. Two children even managed to talk to radio stations in Israel and Turkey via shortwave. The children were taught the basics of radio technology and radio operation in simple language – from the meaning of callsigns to the use of the international spelling alphabet.
Another highlight was the subsequent ‘fox hunt’ in the nearby forest, during which two hidden direction finder beacons were hunted. The children, as well as some parents and grandparents, set off on the hunt with a special direction finder – a challenge that was not easy even for experienced radio operators.
The parents were also very enthusiastic: one mum was also on the radio with a station in Turkey, and the fathers and grandparents were just as fascinated by the fox hunt for the hidden direction finders as the children.
Children aged 9 to 12 were also able to take part in exciting soldering projects. They built digital cubes or LED flashing lights and gained their first experience with soldering technology, voltage, current and resistance.
At the end, each child received a gift set from Mouse Day, including a mouse pin, a radio kit and a small soldering set. The fastest trackers in the fox hunt received a special first prize: A radio set (PMR) from Baofeng incl. charging cradles – ideal for getting started in free radio communication – without exam and amateur radio licence.
The event was organised by booking two-hour time slots per child.
This meant that one child could be supervised on the radio while the other child hunted foxes with the direction finder during this time. One hour was enough to track down the direction finders, while the other hour offered enough time to introduce the club station, give an introduction to the international spelling alphabet, answer all questions on the subject of radio and enable practical radio operation with training signals. On site, 4 club members and members YLs looked after the young guests and their companions.
The event attracted a total of 17 visitors – children, parents and grandparents – and was a complete success. We are already looking forward to the next Mouse Day!
What is mouse day?
If you’re not from Germany, you’re probably wondering what Mouse Day is. Here is a short explanation.
The ‘Sendung mit der Maus’ is an extremely popular television programme for children in Germany. The educational programme investigates all sorts of interesting things, such as how certain products are made, what processes take place in nature and what it’s like in space. All of this is presented in language suitable for children, giving them an insight into everyday life, science and industry that they would otherwise never get. The programme is therefore also popular with many adults. Mouse Day is a day of action, organised and coordinated by the makers of the programme.
Across Germany, there were 770 so-called Mouse Doors in 2024, where children could take a look behind the scenes at companies, associations or authorities.
