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 Previous: ARRL In Action: What Have We Been Up To Lately? |  Next: FCC Warns Unlicensed Operators, Rescinds Automatic Authority for Repeater |
 Enjoying her new General ticket: Six-year-old Mattie Clauson, KD7TYN. [Tim Clauson, AC7SP, Photos] |
NEWINGTON, CT, Jan 31, 2003--A six-year-old girl from Roseburg, Oregon, upgraded earlier this month 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.
"The Element 3 test was pretty hard," Mattie said, recalling the January 8 ARRL VEC test session in Myrtle Creek. "I studied for it a long time. I tried a total of three times and passed it on my last try. The Element 3 test was a lot harder than the Tech test." Mattie 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." Mattie is already working on her Extra ticket, which she expects to be a whole lot tougher than the General.
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, K6YB (this book is 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. (She says she
liked her old call sign well enough but requested a new when she upgraded
because it was "exciting.")
 Jane Bieberman, W3OVV, of Pennsylvania made the front cover of QST for getting her General in 1948 at the age of 10. |
The Clausons said Mattie learned Morse code for her General using several different computer programs. 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.
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Mattie says she prefers HF over VHF "because I can talk to people in other countries." She also enjoys sending packet messages to her friend Kevin Forbes, VK3UKF, in Australia, and has sent packet messages via RS0ISS aboard the International Space Station. "That is a lot of fun," she said. "I really want to talk to an astronaut someday." So far, she's been unsuccessful--the ISS crews have been extremely busy with little time for casual QSOs--but she did manage a recent contact with W4MNL via the UO-14 satellite.
Homeschooled with her sisters--Caitlin, 3, and Hannah, 10 months--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. Other activities she enjoys include bicycling, swimming visiting (and learning from) the NASA and FEMA Web sites for youngsters, and, of course, getting on HF.
Her parents say Mattie doesn't consider herself "someone special" since passing her General test. "As her parents, we feel that she is special--to us--just as we feel that every child and person is special," they said. "We do not feel that Mattie has any abilities above any other child."
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.
Her family ham radio heritage could have been a big plus. Tim Clauson points out that Mattie's late great grandfather, S.A. "Sam" Sullivan, was W6WXU; his daughter, Joan Brady--Mattie's grandmother--now holds his former call sign. "Mattie is happy to have one of Sam Sullivan's ICOM radios that she used as a packet radio for a while," he said.
The Clausons expressed their appreciation to the ARRL VEC volunteer examiners--especially Dick Wolfe, AA7GC; Anne Wolfe, AA7GD and Mel Trammell, AB7DC, for their help with testing. "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 newspaper article on Mattie Clauson appeared February 3 in the Statesman Journal of Salem, Oregon.
Tim, Charlotte and Mattie Clauson all are ARRL members.
| Previous: ARRL In Action: What Have We Been Up To Lately? | Next: FCC Warns Unlicensed Operators, Rescinds Automatic Authority for Repeater |
