Abbreviation YLRL Purpose Advocacy, Education Membership 800 | Formation 1939 Region served Worldwide | |
Type Non-profit organization | ||
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 operators, 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.)
Contents
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.
Services
The YLRL provides many services for its members including publishing a bimonthly newsletter, YL Harmonics. It also provides an audio tape version of YL Harmonics for sight-impaired members. There are also two scholarships 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.
Contests
The YLRL sponsors several amateur radio contests 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.