Emily Lukacs with the No. 1 Redcliff Girl Guides and Natasha Crozier with the No. 1 Redcliff Pathfinders, learned how to use a ham radio Saturday at the Medicine Hat Airport as their units participated in the "Guides on the Air" challenge. The girls were in contact with their fellow girl guides from around the world. The challenge is a lead up to Scout/Guide Week which runs this week, and "Thinking Day"on Wednesday, celebrations marked by Girl Guides and Boy Scouts all around the globe. -- NEWS PHOTO PEGGY REVELL

PEGGY REVELL
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Local Girl Guides were "hamming it up" on Saturday, as they connected with their Girl Guide sisters around the world through ham radio.
"We've talked to people from Australia, from Victoria, B.C. It's been hard to find them but we are locating them in the world," said Joyce Braumberger, the Area Commissioner for Cypress Hills area, about the "Guides on the Air" Challenge that Redcliff Guides and Pathfinders undertook Saturday at the Medicine Hat Airport.
Ham operators from local clubs volunteered their time to show the girls how the radios work, and navigate them through connecting with Girl Guides around the globe, who were also participating in the challenge that's part of the lead up to Scout/Guide week this February 19 26 and "Thinking Day" on the 22nd.
"Getting to talk to people all over the world, that was fun," said Robyn Schneider, a member of the No. 1 Redcliff Pathfinder Unit. "It's interesting to learn about people and hear from people that you wouldn't meet walking across the street."
They've talked about hobbies, if they've gone camping, said Schneider, about the topics they've connected over.
"We actually got to talk to a Guider who was in Vancouver, and we got to talk about what she does over there and what she does in Guiding," said fellow pathfinder, Natasha Crozier.
Crozier said she just liked learning how to use the radios, how they connect up with others — and even how each radio has its own special number and code that it goes by.
"It's fun, and anyone can do it if they get a ham license," said Schneider.
"It's just a good time for everybody," Braumberger said about the opportunity for the girls to speak with other guides — and of course, to earn a crest.