Meet Ella-Raye: One of the UK’s Youngest Licensed Amateur Radio Operators

Mastering radio theory and operating procedures would be a challenge for most adults - but eight year old Ella-Raye has made it look like child’s play.

By successfully completing her UK Foundation Amateur Licence, Ella-Raye has earned her place as one of the country's youngest licensed operators and the youngest female to achieve a pass in recent years.

Ella-Raye’s interest in Amateur radio began with her dad, Ricky, who would operate HF bands and look up distant contacts on the QRZ database while she observed.

Fascinated by the magic of contacting people thousands of miles away, Ella-Raye spent time watching her dad on the airwaves before wanting to have a go herself and eventually deciding it was time to get her own licence.

Ella-Ray’s dad, Ricky, said: “She worked really hard learning everything she needed for the Foundation exam, so seeing how pleased she was when she found out she'd passed was a very proud dad moment!”

Now that she has her own callsign (M7RXE) Ella-Raye is already on the air, making contacts of her own and seeing how far around the world she can reach.

Once she has built up her confidence, Ricky hopes to introduce her to satellite communications, with a goal to make a contact through the International Space Station.

A huge congratulations to Ella-Raye from all of us at Icom UK - her achievement is paving the way for a whole new generation of young women in radio and we wish her the absolute best of luck with every contact, satellite pass and new adventure ahead.

Keep an ear out for M7RXE on the bands - you might just catch one of the UK’s brightest young operators on your next QSO!

Icom UK Marketing - marketing@icomuk.co.uk