Spend a few minutes with Max Freedman, N4ML, and you’ll walk away with the good feeling that the future of amateur radio is in very capable hands. OnAllBands met up with Max, ARRL Education and Learning Support Specialist, at Dayton Hamvention® 2026 for a chat about his time as the youngest operator on the Bouvet Island 3Y0K team, which recorded more than 100,000 QSOs in February/March 2026; his fondest memories from the adventure; and what each of us can do to bring the excitement of amateur radio to new generations of hams.
Could you talk a little bit about what it meant being on Bouvet Island, and also what it meant to represent the youth of ham radio?
“It was really the adventure of a lifetime. It was my first DXpedition, which isn’t a thing a lot of people get to say about a place like Bouvet, and yes, it broke a lot of barriers. I was the youngest person to ever step foot on Bouvet Island, youngest ham to go to Bouvet as well, and the youngest ham to go on a top-ten DXpedition.
“A lot of people will say, ‘Well, how do you actually go on a DXpedition? How do you do this thing?’ If you want to do it, it’s something that’s more than possible, and I hope I showed that to everybody.”
Tim Duffy, K3LR, DX Engineering CEO, interviewed Max and the 3Y0K team live from Bouvet Island. “I’ve done a little bit of everything,” Max said from the island. “Putting up antennas, putting up radios…I’ve been totally integrated into the team, and that’s something I’ve been really gracious for.”
You can watch the video below:
If you had to pick your best memory from the Bouvet DXpedition, what would that be?
“I’m lucky in so many ways, and one of them is to be able to contribute to the future of amateur radio working at the ARRL. We’re full of active hams. So, I get a text from my boss Steve Goodgame (K5ATA), and he says, ‘Well, I know you guys are on the air. Where are you so we can make something happen from Newington HQ?’ I hear his call sign and he gets in the log. It was nice to be able to get back home and talk to those guys at work. Then it was also nice to work my dad, who was a big reason I stayed in the hobby, stuck around, and made things happen. So to work my dad from Bouvet—and with him back at home in Chicago—was really neat.”
Can you talk a little bit about the future of amateur radio? What can people do as regular ham operators to foster the future of this hobby?
“The future is very bright in my view, and the best thing you can do is to just be active, be open, and do what you can to help people that come to you. The only way things get done is by showing people that you can go do something.
So, answer that e-mail from that random address you get sent. Support programs like ARRL Teachers Institute, the NCDXF Youth Grant Fund, and INDEXA’s Youth Fund.
“If you’re on a contest station, bring some youth in for your contest. You’ll be surprised at what they’re able to achieve at their age, and you’ll hopefully spark something that sticks with them for the rest of their life.”
You’re also now on the board of the Northern California DX Foundation. Can you tell us about that?
“I was shocked and amazed when I got that phone call saying I was potentially going to be on the board and then even more shocked and amazed that they decided to vote me on. It’s a true honor to be amongst board members like Don (N1DG), Kevin (K6TD), Gregg (W6IZT), and Craig (K9CT), and all these amazing, storied, legendary DXpedition figures. To just sit on that board and provide my input where I can and even be able to talk back and forth with these guys about the inside baseball of DXpeditioning is a privilege. I’m gracious for the opportunity.”
Is there anything else you’d like to add about amateur radio in general and its future?
“Amateur radio is the best hobby in the world. It has a lot of things that no other hobby has today. The more we can get people on the air of all ages, youth and otherwise, it’s the best thing we can do to make sure it’s alive for our kids, grandkids, and everybody else.”
Read Max’s OnAllBands article on DXpedition funding here.
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