Making YOTA Work: Hamvention's Ham of the Year Neil Rapp WB9VPG

Neil Rapp WB9VPG is amateur radio’s original prodigy—and one of its most effective modern mentors. At age five, Neil became the youngest person ever to earn an FCC ham license, a novelty that landed him in the National Enquirer and on the cover of international ham radio magazines. But celebrity wasn’t the point. The point was code, conversation, and community. And Neil has spent a lifetime making sure the next generation of hams can find all three.

As a high school chemistry teacher, Neil infused radio into the curriculum, making the electromagnetic spectrum tangible—and contagious. He also built a thriving afterschool program where kids spun the dial, called CQ, and taught each other. That peer-to-peer ethos now defines Youth on the Air (YOTA) in the Americas, where Neil serves as camp director. Instead of lectures, campers lead. Instead of stars, YOTA cultivates satellites—young operators who can teach, inspire, and run the show.

This episode covers the origins of YOTA in North America, how camps rotate between countries like Canada, the U.S., and potentially Argentina, and what it costs (spoiler: $100). We also meet the backbone of the organization: former campers now running ops, building websites, managing QSL cards, and even directing the camp’s future. “I'm working hard to put myself out of a job,” Neil says. He means it. And it shows.

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Thanks to DX Engineering for supporting operators young and old, and for fueling the spirit of ham radio through contesting, Parks on the Air, and so much more.