[AReU] 6 year old gets general ticket

[w4tas]

HOLY SMOKES BATMAN!!!!!!!!!



From: ARRL Letter Mailing List <letter-dlvy@arrl.org>
To: w4tas@gte.net <w4tas@gte.net>
Subject: The ARRL Letter, Vol 22, No 06
Date: Saturday, February 08, 2003 8:59 AM

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The ARRL Letter
Vol. 22, No. 06
February 7, 2003
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==>SIX-YEAR-OLD OREGON GIRL GETS GENERAL TICKET

A six-year-old girl from Roseburg, Oregon, has upgraded from Technician to
General. Mattie Clauson, KD7TYN--a fourth-generation Amateur Radio
operator in her family--could be the youngest General-class operator in
the US. Her new ticket was granted January 13.

Mattie allowed that the Element 3 test "was pretty hard" and she had to
study for a long time before passing it on her third attempt. "The Element
3 test was a lot harder than the Tech test," she said. She was ambivalent
about the 5 WPM Element 1 Morse code exam, characterizing it as "not too
hard, just a little, but kind of easy too."

Her parents, Tim and Charlotte Clauson, AC7SP and KD7QZB, say Mattie
became interested in Amateur Radio when she was five. The Clausons
discovered "a kid-friendly study book," Ride the Airwaves with Alpha and
Zulu by John Abbott, K6YPB (no longer in print--Ed). The Clausons say
Mattie, who already knew how to read, dove into it right away. Her mom and
dad helped her to study, explained the "hard questions" and encouraged her
to take practice tests at various Web sites. She obtained her Technician
license last July and became KD7SDF.

The Clausons said Mattie learned Morse code using several different
computer programs, and they helped her practice by tapping out
letters--and later words--for her. In the end, she passed her code exam on
the very first try. For the time being, Mattie says, she's sticking with
phone operation but plans to give CW a try in the future. Mattie says she
prefers HF over VHF "because I can talk to people in other countries."

Homeschooled with her sisters, Mattie loves to read, and that may
contribute to her precocity. Among her favorites books are those by
Cynthia Wall, KA7ITT, Encyclopedia Brown, and Nancy Drew. Her parents say
ham radio has been a very useful tool in homeschooling--in terms of letter
recognition, spelling, science, geography and other subjects.

The Clausons say Mattie doesn't consider herself "someone special" since
passing her General test, and neither do they. "We do not feel that Mattie
has any abilities above any other child," Charlotte Clauson said.

For her part, Mattie says she hopes that she can be an inspiration to
other youngsters her age to get involved with Amateur Radio. "I think that
since I got my license, whether Tech or higher, other kids can do it
also," she said. Mattie's late great grandfather, S.A. "Sam" Sullivan, was
W6WXU; his daughter, Joan Brady--Mattie's grandmother--now holds his
former call sign.

"The ham community has also been very supportive, especially in the
Roseburg area," said Charlotte Clauson. "Their enthusiasm has made
Mattie's experience with ham radio very positive." A article on Mattie
Clauson appeared February 3 in the Statesman Journal of Salem, Oregon
<http://news.statesmanjournal.com/article.cfm?i=56021>.

Tim, Charlotte and Mattie Clauson all are ARRL members. Mattie and her mom
now are working on their Amateur Extra tickets.