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A boy's passport to the world
Charlotte Observer ^ | 6/1/08 | Joe DePreist

Posted on 07/06/2008 9:19:40 AM PDT by mylife

Posted on Sun, Jun. 01, 2008 A boy's passport to the world

Six-year-old Cameron Hasson's world just got a little larger.

The amateur radio license he recently earned puts him in touch with folks from all over.

He's a bona fide “ham” – probably the youngest in North Carolina and maybe the U.S., according to his instructor, Joe Hullender with the Gastonia Area Amateur Radio Club.

All that talk going on out in radio land – endless conversations about the weather and gas prices and whatever – Cameron takes it all in.

The world has opened up. He feels more connected. And he also feels closer to his parents: Eric, a computer consultant, and Beverly, a physical therapist at Gaston Memorial Hospital. Studying in the same class, they all earned their amateur radio licenses together.

Ham radio, like fishing, is something I've always admired, but never had much luck with.

Eric Hasson, 46, got the radio bug as a kid in St. Louis. It came from his dad, Jack, who was into citizens band radio during the CB craze of the 1970s – the “Smokey and the Bandit” days.

Eric decided to study for his ham license, but the FCC's requirement of testing for proficiency in Morse code was a brick wall for him.

His interest in electronics and computers grew as visions of being an amateur radio operator faded.

Until the brick wall collapsed. In late 2006, the FCC did away with the Morse code requirement and Hasson started thinking about ham radio again.

The idea kicked around in his mind for a while. Then, in March, he enrolled in a six-week class sponsored by the Gastonia Area Amateur Radio Club. On the first day, Hasson asked Hullender if a 6-year-old could learn the material. The answer was yes. Hasson asked Cameron if he'd like to try for a license. Cameron was game.

Two-way radio had already captured his imagination. He had a CB, a General Mobile Service and Dick Tracy-style Family Radio Service, complete with a Tracy wrist radio.

These radio services, which didn't require a license, gave his son a little more freedom, Eric Hasson said. His parents could check on him when he was out of sight and feel a greater sense of security.

When her husband and son signed up for the class, Beverly Hasson decided she'd join them.

The radio class was held at the Gaston County Police Community Room. Ages ranged from 6 to 76.

The final exam had 35 multiple choice questions; to pass, you had to get 26 right.

Cameron wanted a technician class license – the beginner's level. Hullender remembers his youngest student as “kind of quiet and serious.”

A kid, maybe, but one who was really into the subject.

Every night at home, Cameron was tutored by his dad. They did research together on the computer. They waded through technical material.

“It was hard,” Cameron recalled.

Test day rolled around. Eric Hasson wasn't sure his son would pass.

But he did.

Cameron wants to go up another notch and get a general radio license. He's a smart kid and will probably make it. But even if he doesn't, he's learned about focus and hard work and family togetherness. At 6, he's way ahead of the game.


TOPICS: Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; US: North Carolina
KEYWORDS: dx; ham; radio; swl
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To: mylife

Gees...I couldn’t even spell “can’t” right!


21 posted on 07/06/2008 9:48:39 AM PDT by econjack (Some people are as dumb as soup.)
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To: nnn0jeh

ping


22 posted on 07/06/2008 9:48:43 AM PDT by kalee
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To: Bobalu

Yeah... that could be against ordinances LoL


23 posted on 07/06/2008 9:48:53 AM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: Hawthorn
I leave a HT tuned to 52.525 and turned on 24/7. I haven't heard anything. But I've got crap for an antenna, too. :(

/johnny

24 posted on 07/06/2008 9:49:32 AM PDT by JRandomFreeper (Bless us all, each, and every one.)
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To: Bobalu

My guess is that he’s single...


25 posted on 07/06/2008 9:49:37 AM PDT by econjack (Some people are as dumb as soup.)
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To: Bobalu
Its so cool that you can pick off Satcom.

NASA is using this SDQ-14 with a bank of those to listen to the Mars Rover.

Choose yer own frontend

26 posted on 07/06/2008 9:52:45 AM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: mylife; Grammy

Thanks for posting this mylife.

Grammy, this ping is for Mr. G, can’t remember his posting name right now.

Neat story.


27 posted on 07/06/2008 9:53:18 AM PDT by girlangler (Fish Fear Me)
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To: econjack

I knew what ya meant L0L


28 posted on 07/06/2008 9:54:04 AM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: girlangler

My pleasure.


29 posted on 07/06/2008 9:54:37 AM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: JRandomFreeper

> I leave a HT tuned to 52.525 and turned on 24/7. <

That’s in the FM part of six meters. The DX is almost all down in the CW portion(below 50.100) and SSB portion (below 50.300) of the band.


30 posted on 07/06/2008 9:54:52 AM PDT by Hawthorn
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To: girlangler

Check out the associated Iraq Field day story


31 posted on 07/06/2008 9:55:50 AM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: r_barton

Perchance you can join this grumpy old man for the Technician class I will be teaching starting on the 14th that will have two sub teens and several future grumpy old men as students. I have contributed to about 100 hams and upgrades since the code went away....

GRUMP GRUMP GRUMP

W5VEX, Belton Texas...


32 posted on 07/06/2008 9:58:31 AM PDT by CenTex (Texas has a governor for sale... Make an offer...)
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To: CenTex

Love yer tagline


33 posted on 07/06/2008 10:00:48 AM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: CenTex

Oh I for got...

Grump grump grump ;)


34 posted on 07/06/2008 10:01:50 AM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: econjack
I bet you are right...he is most likely single LOL :-) You can phase lock a microwave oven's magnetron and drop it's usual frequency of 2.450GHz down a bit into the ham allocation at 2.39 - 2.45 GHz and use it with a dish for a powerful cw signal for moonbounce. Can put a decent signal on the surface of Mars with a big dish and 1kw at the feed point but nobody has yet heard an echo back from Mars although they keep trying. You could do it with this 110mtr x 110mtr dish at Greenbank though... 7 watts at the feed point of this monster gives you 1 megawatt erp...but hams have not yet been allowed to use it.

Here is a 50 foot dish built entirely from scratch...uses a 5" gun mount rotor...bet this guy is single as well!

35 posted on 07/06/2008 10:14:13 AM PDT by Bobalu (What do I know, I'm a Typical White Guy)
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To: mylife; All

This is a great story of a boy & his DAD together to get a common goal. Way to go DAD...


36 posted on 07/06/2008 10:14:18 AM PDT by TMSuchman (If you strike me down, I'll become more powerful than you'll ever imagine!)
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To: TMSuchman

The key here is that Dad has this kid understanding FOCUS at a very early age


37 posted on 07/06/2008 10:17:03 AM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: TMSuchman

Moms a Ham too!


38 posted on 07/06/2008 10:17:36 AM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: dfwgator

aaaahhh yes the good old days, built many a kit from allied radio and their Knight kits. still have QSLs from around the world during my SWL days. Actually worked one of the SWL cards when I got my ticket have both framed in my shack. Our radio club been having field day at my place going on 14 years still enjoying it. And still use CW.


39 posted on 07/06/2008 10:19:16 AM PDT by bikerman (_ _ . /_ _ _ /_ . . / / . . . . / . / . _ . . / . _ _ . / / . . _ / . . . //)
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To: Bobalu
Hokie smokes!! I wonder what my neighborhood association would say if I tried to put up one of these babies!
40 posted on 07/06/2008 10:34:34 AM PDT by econjack (Some people are as dumb as soup.)
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