A Stroudsburg teens’ passion for radio

STROUDSBURG, MONROE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — In this week’s Here’s to You Kid segment, 28/22 News met a young ham radio operator. It’s not only his hobby, what he does also involves helping save lives.

28/22 News Reporter Iyee Jagne met up with Samuel Thrall and gave us a look at the Monroe County Public Safety Center and the teen’s role there.

14-year-old Samuel Thrall is a member of the Eastern Pennsylvania Amateur Radio Association (EPARA.)

He passed three levels of the FCC Amateur Radio Licensing exam and now helps at the Monroe County Public Safety Center.

“In the event of an emergency situation, so say a blizzard happened, we would be deployed to various Red Cross centers through the county to establish communications and there for relay any needs that the stations might need,” said Samuel.

What interested him in ham radio in the first place is simple.

“The scientific aspect of it the sense is very interesting because it’s a technology we use on a daily basis. Our phones are all powered by radio just with computers built into them,” Samuel explained.

Samuel says his start in this field was an interesting one.

“I failed my swimming test at Boy Scout camp one year, so I had to replace it and I replaced swimming with the Radio Mariott Badge,” Samuel continued.

From there his passion for radio grew.

“Then I got my technician license, then I kept going and in February I got my general and then last April I got my amateur,” Samuel added.

Getting all those certifications was not an easy process but Samuel says.

“It is a fun process, and it is rewarding at the end when you get to play with you know these technologies and it’s a fun experience and you meet a lot of people along the way,” said Samuel.

When Samuel grows up, he plans to join the armed services.

“Going to a service academy I’m going to apply for the Air Force Academy and hopefully West Point Army Academy. I plan to go into Tela communications or something involving radio technology because that’s just a field that interests me,” Samuel stated.

Samuel is also a Boy Scout in Troop 99 in Effort and is a member of the Pleasant Valley Middle School baseball team.

Samuel is also working toward several Eagle Scout awards.

Here’s to you Samuel!

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