Young Ladies Radio League
Encyclopedia
The Young Ladies Radio League (YLRL) is an international non-profit organization
of women
amateur radio
enthusiasts. It was founded in 1939 and is affiliated with the American Radio Relay League
. The term "Young Lady" derives from a Morse code
abbreviation, YL, that is used to refer to female amateur radio operator
s, regardless of age. (As male operators of any age are addressed as OM or "old man", the spouse of a married OM is often called an XYL.)
The Young Ladies' Radio League welcomes both married and unmarried women as members. The YLRL is organized into 10 districts in the United States
(that correspond to the 10 amateur radio call sign
districts), a district for Canada
, and a "DX" district that covers the rest of the world. The YLRL holds an annual convention
at various locations where members live.
, YL Harmonics. It also provides an audio tape version of YL Harmonics for sight-impaired members. There are also two scholarship
s granted to worthy YLs to continue their higher education
with priority given for students whose majors are in communications and electronics
or related arts and sciences.
throughout the year. Among these are the YL-OM Contest in February, DX YL to North America Contest in April, Howdy Days in September, and the Anniversary Party in October.
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
of women
Woman
A woman , pl: women is a female human. The term woman is usually reserved for an adult, with the term girl being the usual term for a female child or adolescent...
amateur radio
Amateur radio
Amateur radio is the use of designated radio frequency spectrum for purposes of private recreation, non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, and emergency communication...
enthusiasts. It was founded in 1939 and is affiliated with the American Radio Relay League
American Radio Relay League
The American Radio Relay League is the largest membership association of amateur radio enthusiasts in the USA. ARRL is a non-profit organization, and was founded in May 1914 by Hiram Percy Maxim of Hartford, Connecticut...
. The term "Young Lady" derives from a Morse code
Morse code
Morse code is a method of transmitting textual information as a series of on-off tones, lights, or clicks that can be directly understood by a skilled listener or observer without special equipment...
abbreviation, YL, that is used to refer to female amateur radio operator
Amateur radio operator
An amateur radio operator is an individual who typically uses equipment at an amateur radio station to engage in two-way personal communications with other similar individuals on radio frequencies assigned to the amateur radio service. Amateur radio operators have been granted an amateur radio...
s, regardless of age. (As male operators of any age are addressed as OM or "old man", the spouse of a married OM is often called an XYL.)
The Young Ladies' Radio League welcomes both married and unmarried women as members. The YLRL is organized into 10 districts in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(that correspond to the 10 amateur radio call sign
Call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...
districts), a district for Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and a "DX" district that covers the rest of the world. The YLRL holds an annual convention
Convention (meeting)
A convention, in the sense of a meeting, is a gathering of individuals who meet at an arranged place and time in order to discuss or engage in some common interest. The most common conventions are based upon industry, profession, and fandom...
at various locations where members live.
Services
The YLRL provides many services for its members including publishing a bimonthly newsletterNewsletter
A newsletter is a regularly distributed publication generally about one main topic that is of interest to its subscribers. Newspapers and leaflets are types of newsletters. Additionally, newsletters delivered electronically via email have gained rapid acceptance for the same reasons email in...
, YL Harmonics. It also provides an audio tape version of YL Harmonics for sight-impaired members. There are also two scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
s granted to worthy YLs to continue their higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
with priority given for students whose majors are in communications and electronics
Electronics
Electronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
or related arts and sciences.
Contests
The YLRL sponsors several amateur radio contestsContesting
Contesting is a competitive activity pursued by amateur radio operators. In a contest, an amateur radio station, which may be operated by an individual or a team, seeks to contact as many other amateur radio stations as possible in a given period of time and exchange information...
throughout the year. Among these are the YL-OM Contest in February, DX YL to North America Contest in April, Howdy Days in September, and the Anniversary Party in October.