8-year-old becomes youngest ham radio operator in Montour County

By Justin Strawser jstrawser@dailyitem.com

DANVILLE — An 8-year-old Cub Scout became the youngest licensed ham radio operator in Montour County, claiming the title away from his friend who claimed it last year.

Vincent Kahler, a third-grade student at Liberty Valley Intermediate School in Danville, earlier this month passed his Federal Communications Commission (FCC) amateur radio operator technician license certificate exam, pulling the milestone away from Abbi Smith. Vincent and Abbi, who was 11 in February 2020 when she became the youngest, are friends from their time together in Cub Scouts Pack 30 and he will join her in Boy Scout Troop 4077 once he’s old enough and has completed the rest of his Cub Scout years.

“I love that you can basically talk to anyone in the world,” said Vincent, who wants to be a spacecraft designer and astronaut at NASA when he grows up.

In order to become certified, Vincent was coached by Abbi’s dad Thomas Smith and studied for 28 weeks through American Radio Relay League (ARRL) for training. The test was administered by the Central Susquehanna Technical Group and requires at least three volunteer exam coordinators to administer the test — Vincent had five.

“Being stuck inside in a pandemic it’s a perfect way to channel that energy into something positive,” said Vincent’s father Lee Kahler, who is also licensed….READ MORE