The North Fulton Amateur Radio League just made history — and the future of this hobby looks very bright indeed.
Our 2026 Ham Cram class has wrapped up, and we couldn't be more thrilled with the results: an 88% pass rate on the first attempt. But the numbers only tell part of the story.
How We Built Our Model
When planning this event, we looked to proven results. The Georgia Tech Bootcamp, using materials from KB6NU (Dan Romanchik), achieved a remarkable 39 out of 40 students passing. We adopted the same approach, and it delivered.
I taught the first two sections myself and found that Dan's specific sequencing of material gave students a noticeably stronger foundation before tackling the more technical content later in the course. The pedagogy isn't just memorization — it builds genuine understanding, and that makes a real difference when students sit down for the exam.
Keeping It Fun: Kahoot Quizzes After Every Section
One of our best decisions was integrating Kahoot — a rapid-fire, on-screen competitive quiz game — after each section of the material. The leaderboard, the countdown timers, the friendly trash talk: it transformed review sessions into something everyone actually looked forward to.
The younger students loved it. So did the adults, though most won't admit it.
The Highlight: Half the Class Was 13 Years Old
Here's what made this Ham Cram truly special: half of our nine-person class consisted of 13-year-old students.
Watching that spark of curiosity ignite in a room full of teenagers is exactly why we do this. Amateur radio offers young people something increasingly rare — a hands-on, technical hobby that connects them to the world in a real and tangible way. These students didn't just pass a test. They joined a community.
Beyond the License: Getting on the Air
A license sitting in a drawer helps no one. From the start, our Ham Cram was designed as the launchpad for our broader "Getting on the Air" initiative. Every student who passed received:
- 📻 A preprogrammed handheld transceiver (HT) loaded with the new 63-channel NFARL Metro Atlanta Frequency Plan — ready to use from day one.
- 🎟️ A complimentary one-year NFARL membership — so they're already part of the club.
- 🔧 An invitation to an upcoming hands-on workshop where they'll build their own ladder-line J-pole antennas and learn operating fundamentals.
We want these new operators making contacts, not wondering where to start.
What's Next
Our next Ham Cram will be held in October, and we plan to run the event every six months going forward.
If you know someone who's been curious about amateur radio — a neighbor, a student, a coworker — point them our way. The entry point has never been more welcoming, and NFARL is committed to making sure every new licensee has a real path into the hobby.
Help us spread the word. The adventure is just getting started.
73, Lee Johnson, N4WYE President, North Fulton Amateur Radio League
