Weingarten (dpa / lsw) – Due to the declining number of members, the radio amateurs in the southwest are relying on talks with the international space station ISS when recruiting new technology fans. “Of course, you can hardly reach young people with Morse code these days,” said Ernst Steinhauser, board member of the German Amateur Radio Club (DARC), in Weingarten, Upper Swabia. “But if you come with the ISS, then suddenly everyone is there.”
The Ravensburger local association was also able to inspire schoolchildren in Weingarten in Upper Swabia to do radio communication with a radio conversation with the German astronaut Alexander Gerst. “The students asked if you could also see Weingarten from the space station,” said Steinhauser. “It was a moment I will never forget.”
The DARC currently has around 33,000 members, which corresponds to just over half of the active radio amateurs in the country. In the southwest, the DARC has around 2,600 members in two districts. According to Steinhauser, the association is struggling with young talent. “We see that in other associations and clubs too. We mustn’t sugarcoat it.”