Cub Scouts and Ham Radio
from
Mike and Matt Tyler,wa8ywo & Kc8sdn
on
August 22, 2005
View comments about this article!
I received my Novice ticket in 1966 at the ripe old age of 14. I started a journey that is still exciting to this day. I have never been a big Contester or even a "moonbouncer." But I have always been interested in QRP. Trying to see what least amount of power, or circuitry I had to use to "make that contact". After a lifetime of working in Electronics and the last 25 years as an Electronics Instructor, I still enjoy the hobby.
This past summer I received a telephone call from a lady that is a Cub Scout Den mother. She stated that they were going to have a week long Cub Scout Camp at the County 4H Camp/Fairgrounds. She wanted to know if I would be willing to come and give a talk about Ham Radio to about 70 Kids. Now being a former Cub Scout myself, I knew that the Group would be in the 6 to 7 year old range. So I told her I would bring by my 16-year-old son who is also a Ham Operator with me and we would be there the following Monday.
That Monday we arrived with a cardboard box that contained a couple HTs, a mobile rig, and a Morse code practice set. I began by explaining what Ham Radio is and how it could be used for fun and in case of emergencies and that you had to have a license. We then talked about Repeaters, Packet and Space Communications.
The real surprise came when we finished up and asked if there were any questions. The questions that came from the group were very interesting. They were the same questions that any adult would ask. Where can I go to take a class to get a license and is there an age limit, etc?
In this day of Cellphones and Internet we don't or at least I did not expect this age group to show this kind of interest. Maybe that is the problem with getting new blood into the ranks. Maybe we wait to long to expose people to the idea of Ham Radio. Get them interested at an earlier age!
What am I going to do now? This fall my son and I are going to teach a Ham Radio Class at the Vocational Technical Center as an evening Class one night a week. How about you? Ya wanna Help? :)
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Cub Scouts and Ham Radio
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by KZ1X on August 22, 2005
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Since the demise of the Novice license, I have found it VERY hard to teach kids younger than about 12.
The Tech class ticket is just too complicated (on the written side) for them. The old Novice was ideal. For youngsters, learning Morse is a cakewalk, they can do it in a few weeks.
We really screwed up when we lost the Novice.
Good luck. You can do this! But speaking from experience: take it slowly, and DON'T use "Now You're Talking" as the courseware. You really have to go it on your own.
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Cub Scouts and Ham Radio
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by NA4IT on August 22, 2005
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Kids and Amateur Radio go together like peanut butter and jelly. We have a local ham who does CW, voice, and digital, is a General op, and 11 years old. And she is a auxilary member of the TN Army MARS program!
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Cub Scouts and Ham Radio
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by NA4IT on August 22, 2005
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Kids and Amateur Radio go together like peanut butter and jelly. We have a local ham who does CW, voice, and digital, is a General op, and 11 years old. And she is a auxilary member of the TN Army MARS program!
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Cub Scouts and Ham Radio
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by WA0SAP on August 22, 2005
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That's great! I went to two Scout Troops here in the local area, and the kids were excited about ham radio. The problem is, they wanted to learn Morse Code. Since 70% of our club are No Code Techs, who's going to teach them, when they know more than US.
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Cub Scouts and Ham Radio
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by N0AH on August 22, 2005
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Just don't go to jail if your third party works a country not on the 3rd party treaty agreements with other countries. This is stupid law and to put it perspective, I think only 2-3 countries in Europe are even on this list. Visit:
http://wireless.fcc.gov/services/amateur/about/intoperating.html
Lids-
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RE: Cub Scouts and Ham Radio
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by KX8N on August 22, 2005
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Why bother? As soon as the kids are told on the air that they aren't "real hams" because they didn't pay their dues, they're just going to get out of amateur radio anyway.
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RE: Cub Scouts and Ham Radio
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by K0BG on August 22, 2005
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I agree with Steve Jackson, KZ1X. The elimination of the Novice license has as much to do with the ups and downs of the numbers of amateur radio licenses than any other cause I can think of.
Why the ARRL and the FCC don't realize this, is beyond me. I have commented to both on this issue. If and when the FCC (at the apparent direction of the ARRL) restructure the no code hierarchy, the Novice license should be reinstated; with or without code.
Alan, KØBG
www.k0bg.com
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by W5SO on August 22, 2005
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Go for it and get as many as you can!
The Bear handbook (9 yr old / 3rd grade) has an elective for Radio - they make a crystal set(can be from a kit).
We have several scouts interested in getting a license. At the last two campouts we set up a table with an HF station and dipole and let the kids talk. Had 7 get the JOTA patch.
It does not take much to get them interested...
We will probably have a class this spring in the Pack.
Good luck!
Steve
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Cub Scouts and Ham Radio
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by K2JVI on August 22, 2005
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To: Mike and Matt:
Great post! I've been hosting JOTA for ten years for our Cub and Boy Scout pack and troop. I've also taught the Radio and electricity merit badges as well,and brought ham gear to a few camps. I feel we need to get the Novice class license back. It was a good intro to the hobby. I will be working JOTA again this year and making a Cub,Boy,and Girl Scout event.(I've always done this to some extent-I don't like to exclude anyone!!). Hope to hear you guys this year!!
73's and hope to her you on the bands!!
K2JVI..
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by KD5TLC on August 22, 2005
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This is the world's greatest hobby... last year my 10 yo was working on her code with me, she got it going pretty fair for a couple of weeks, then softball started, etc. it got put away... this post has me motivated to get her interest up again. I think a practice set between her room and the shack is in order. It'll be lots of fun.
73's
CW forever
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by KD5TLC on August 22, 2005
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This is the world's greatest hobby... last year my 10 yo was working on her code with me, she got it going pretty fair for a couple of weeks, then softball started, etc. it got put away... this post has me motivated to get her interest up again. I think a practice set between her room and the shack is in order. It'll be lots of fun.
73's
CW Forever
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RE: Cub Scouts and Ham Radio
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by W9WHE-II on August 22, 2005
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"She stated that they were going to have a week long Cub Scout Camp at the County 4H Camp/Fairgrounds"
Wow...
How long will it be before Liberals and the ACLU sue to prevent the Scouts from using the County fairgrounds? After all, they already sued when the Scouts were using millitary facillities. They argued that allowing the Scouts to use "government" property violated the establishment clause in the constitution.
W9WHE
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RE: Cub Scouts and Ham Radio
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by W6TH on August 22, 2005
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.
I see nothing of the girl scouts. Will there be a coming event?
.:
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Cub Scouts and Ham Radio
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by N8BOA on August 22, 2005
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I became a HAM at age 14 1n 1972, my scout master WA8HAA (AA4RV) Thanks Jim. We need to get the novice band going again I say let the Techs operate there without a code test so what if they can't copy 5 wpm there are a lot of Generals Advance and dare I say Extras who can't. I bet if we let them they won't be able to resist and a least try it out. We could sweeten it up by allowing data modes as well in the novice band.
Sean
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by K5LBU on August 22, 2005
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Good for you. Go for it.Just because some old guys live in the past and have learned the last seven words to everything"We have never done it like that before"
they will be the ones who run off any new commers to our great Hobby.
I teach in a middle school(K50MS) and the problem is the princpal that will not support me in this part. The kids do get exposed to ham radio and my next thing is to get the science teachers on my side. I want to set up a place where the weather Sat's can be seen on a computer. That is one thing that will hold them also. There are so many things such as PSK and rtty and slow scan. Also get your school into the SCR contest each year.
My students get to playing sports and then discover the girls.
I will be trying to do a after school club this year once more. I have found that they like to do contest and chase DX because it is like playing games trying to out do the others.
I also started in ham radio in Boy Scouts many years ago.
Charles Frost K5LBU/3DA0CF
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RE: Cub Scouts and Ham Radio
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by WA6BFH on August 22, 2005
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Since those Harry Potter news stories came out a few weeks ago, about how younger kids have better reading and comprehension skills than teenagers in High School, I have been reflecting on the prospects of younger kids becoming involved in Ham radio.
I don’t see any terribly bad prospects in involving younger kids in Ham radio. The conversational content of this younger generation might be a little strange for us old codgers but, it might be interesting. On the whole I think it would be a good idea to involve younger people in Ham radio, especially those of an age where they will not be distracted too much by other concerns of life. This may well yield a group, which as they grow older, values the memory of their early experiences. This group may come to cherish Ham radio in the same way some of us older folks do!
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Great time to introduce ham radio
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by WB4M on August 22, 2005
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Back in the stone ages when I was a Boy Scout, we learned Morse Code by using either one or two flags, sound, and by flashing lights. All of this and we got a "Signaling" merit badge, nothing more.
A lot of enthusiam for a small cloth badge.. imagine the enthusiams for a ham radio license! I think you are very much on track to introduce ham radio to young scouts. Anyone who is against this idea is against ham radio, period.
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Cub Scouts and Ham Radio
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by FGOODWIN on August 23, 2005
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I'm not a ham radio operator, but I saw a mention of JOTA (Jamboree on the Air) and thought I would post this for those members who aren't familiar with it.
This year, JOTA is scheduled for Oct 15-16; its a great way to enjoy your hobby and support Scouting at the same time:
http://www.scouting.org/international/jota.html
http://www.arrl.org/FandES/ead/jota.html
There was also an old thread on eHam about JOTA:
http://www.eham.net/articles/6778
Fred Goodwin
Alamo Area Council, BSA
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Cub Scouts and Ham Radio
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by W5AOX on August 23, 2005
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I agree with Alan K0BG and others about the Novice license. A few years ago K5MAT, W5GL, and I taught ham radio classes at the Los Alamos Middle School (about 12 to 14 year olds). We found the kids picked up Morse Code very easily. Literally dozens could pass the code test but would have to study harder to pass the written element. The FCC looked at the number of Novice exams being administered vs. the number of Tech exams and reached the conclusion that the Tech license was the "entry license of choice" but I doubt they looked at the ages of the applicants for those 2 license classes. Administrators tend to "fix things that ain't broke", and eliminating the Novice license may well be one of the bigger factors in the down turn of youngsters entering the hobby.
We also taught and elmered ham classes at the Los Alamos High School, and found those kids were interested but were so pressed for time (of course it's even worse now) and heavily involved in other school and sports activities that very few, compared to the younger middle school students, ever did more than enjoy the lessons and demonstrations and actually study for a ham exam. I would suspect grade school ager groups, such as these cub scouts, is an even better age to expose them to this hobby. The younger the better!
I didn't get a ham license until I was 16 (42 short years ago), but I cannot recall from my earliest memories when I was not INTERESTED in radio and electronics. Ham radio was not well advertised in the 1950's and 1960's either, perhaps even less so than now. I would have undoubtedly become a ham at a much younger age had I had any exposure to it at all.
My first exposure to ham radio was about age 12 when I had a junk AM radio I'd gotten to work from my uncle's basement treasure trove (AKA junkbox). It was mis-tuned and sometimes when tuning close to the upper end of the AM broadcast band I could hear voices chatting back and forth to each other, no news or music. My Dad happened to be in my room once when I was listening to them, and I told him I knew something was wrong with my radio, these guys just talked, and he explained to me they were ham radio operators, who could get licenses to "just talk." The idea fascinated me from then on.....
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by WA6BFH on August 23, 2005
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I would have to say that it is naïve to not realize what was afoot when the demise of the Novice license was proposed.
If there is such strong feeling within the Ham community that this license should be reinstated, there is no time like the present to make this known. The ARRL and more importantly the FCC need to realize that this license is the only fundamental step to provide for a progressive Amateur radio avocation. Further restrictive rules regarding the Novice sub-bands will only make this more difficult!
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RE: Cub Scouts and Ham Radio
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by K7VO on August 23, 2005
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W6TH, thank you for mentioning Girl Scouts. Brownies are the girl's equivalent of Cub Scouts and deserve mention too.
One of my prized QSL cards is from a Girl Scouts station in Texas. The gentleman who had setup the station had me stick around and talk to a bunch of the girls, many of whom were very interested in getting licensed. I think he wanted to make sure they talked to women and girls on the air if possible so that they could hear that the hobby was for them too. Don't assume that girls aren't just as interested in the boys.
A sad but true story when I was in North Carolina: our local club wanted to do a JOTA event and had been approached by the local Boy Scouts troop. I asked about Girl Scouts and everyone agreed that this was a great idea and we should contact them as well. The woman who ran the local Girl Scouts said that "she didn't think the girls would be interested" and that was it. Translation: she wasn't interested.
How many of you were at Dayton this year? How many of you met the young woman at the Icom booth? She had her Extra at, if I remember correctly, age 9. Let's hook the young girls as well as the young boys.
BTW, I agree about the Novice license, but I also think bright youngsters can pass the Technician.
The ARRL, to its credit, proposed a new Novice ticket. The FCC shot it down.
73,
Caity
K7VO
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Cub Scouts and Ham Radio
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by K9NYO on August 24, 2005
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Jamboree On The Air (JOTA) is one of the best ways to bring amateur radio to youth. We started the club in our town in part to bring ham radio to kids, and we've participated in JOTA every year since. One year we were at a U.S. Army facility during the local Fall Camporee, operating from the field with the Army's generators. This was great fun for us, too. Another year we invited exclusively Cub Scouts. The Cub Scouts LOVED taking group photos that we used in SSTV QSOs on 20m. They really dug seeing their picture sent back in the return frame.
I agree that the Novice license was a big loss, but it's water under the bridge. We need to take the Tech license as is and make it accessible to kids. My 8 year old is learning the theory--you just have to teach it properly.
Rather than complaining about the lack of Novice license, we should be prodding the ARRL to create a "Now You're Talking"-style book and course material for KIDS!!! It's criminal that the league hasn't done so already. How about a new comic book, too...get the kids where they live with "Yugi-Oh", Pokemon or something similar...my kids don't know who the heck Archie is. You see where I'm going with this.
Kids really eat this stuff up when we show it to them, but then it falls flat when we don't have the material to follow through.
73,
Rob/K9NYO
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by WA6BFH on August 24, 2005
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When I wrote the Harry Potter article, I wondered if anyone would chime in with the idea of an appropriate style of writing for the target age kids. You make me wince at the idea of pokeman etc. I’m hoping for kids that are interested in science, and can speak and think in complete sentences. Is that unrealistic at say age 9? I’m clueless in this area, and have little patience with kidlets!
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RE: Cub Scouts and Ham Radio
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by K8MHZ on August 25, 2005
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"Good luck. You can do this! But speaking from experience: take it slowly, and DON'T use "Now You're Talking" as the courseware. You really have to go it on your own."
I agree. When classes are given using Now You're Talking we usually have a 60 percent failure rate. I am now working on a class for those that took the Now You're Talking tech class and failed the test.
"Why bother? As soon as the kids are told on the air that they aren't "real hams" because they didn't pay their dues, they're just going to get out of amateur radio anyway."
Good logic if you are looking for an easy way out of teaching a class. My 12 year old Tech Plus, K0LEY, has not encountered what you speak of. Nor did I, spending ten years as a NCT before I upgraded to General.
"The problem is, they wanted to learn Morse Code. Since 70% of our club are No Code Techs, who's going to teach them, when they know more than US."
Uhh....the remaining 30%? Or how about you?
If you really want to get the interest of young folks, such as the Scouts, here is a suggestion. Spiff up your shack and get all the gear up and running. Even in this day of cell phones, when any youngster is brought into a shack with a couple rows of radios, a computer or two, weather monitoring gear, police scanners, surveillance equipment (I watch the driveway on one camera and the backyard on another from my shack in the basement) and multiple TVs (for CATV and the cameras) their jaws will hit the ground!
Also, the older hams that look down upon the younger hams are not members of the Michigan Chapter of the QCWA. Those hams, with up to 73 years ham experience EACH, were very, very gracious to my 12 year old as we joined them at their yearly picnic. I say 'their' because with only 10 years of licensing under my belt, I was a guest as well.
There is no reason not to teach ham radio to kids.
I would hazard to guess that every person that posts negatively toward a subject such as this probably has the same negative attitude toward everything in life.
Pity.
73,
Mark K8MHZ
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RE: Cub Scouts and Ham Radio
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by K8MHZ on August 25, 2005
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"In this day of cellphones"
Cell phones are no comparison to ham radio. The proof is in the pudding. Just ask a teenager with a cell phone to call someone in Austraila. Most will find out that they can't, as some plans require additional fees to activate international calling. More will find out that they don't know how. And, who are they going to call?? Now let's say, for arguments sake, that the teenager is very tenacious and pulls it off...he makes that call to Austrailia. Get back to him next month and see if he or she still has the phone! If they do, I will bet they won't call Austrailia on it again!
Then brandish your HT, hit an IRLP or EchoLink repeater, punch in an Austrailian node and call CQ. Even if no one answers, most repeaters will announce their location on the air. Let them know that this is a free call...
Now tell me that a Scout would not think that is cool!
K8MHZ
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by WA6BFH on August 25, 2005
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Mark, I have given quite a bit of serious thought to engaging younger kids toward getting them involved in Ham radio. My rational is, somewhat older kids (even at age 13) are probably more interested in girls, drugs, or other things that make the idea of sitting down to study and learn something “just soooo boring”
My recent thought is that the younger kids may have seen and be aware of what losers their older brothers and sisters have become. Have you seen that show “Brat Camp” -- like I would want to have those kids in my home! The tack I have taken before is when I am camping, or at Field Day etc, -- to extend a welcome to other families with kids in their group.
At a FD a few years ago there was a Girl Scout troop camping a couple of sites away. After we policed up the majority of beer cans, and made the place presentable, we invited the group to come over later on if they wanted to. We told them that they could even get on the radio. A while before sunset about a dozen girls and three of their leaders came over. Most were too “Mic Shy” to get on the radio but, three of them did. I am hopeful that they will pursue this further. We gave them the name and web site information for the ARRL etc, and also our e-mail address for specific questions. Never heard anything back!
I have also done this when we go camping up in the mountains. If anyone asks what all those antennas are for, we invite them to come over and find out. Also when I’m out walking my dog, she usually helps break the ice when people want to come over and pet her and say “oh what a nice dog”. I mention that we are in campsite number X, that we are Ham radio operators, and to come on over if they want to maybe get on the radio, or listen to the short-wave bands etc.
My thought and hope is for younger kids! Even like I said, 13 year olds, as I was when I got licensed seem to be lost these days. Drugs, girls, boys, skateboards whatever seem to be more interesting to them than Ham radio. I’m hopeful the younger ones can be snared before this happens!
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RE: Cub Scouts and Ham Radio
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by N7ZSD on August 25, 2005
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If you are interested, here are some suggestions of fun things that another ham Scoutmaster and I have done with the Cub/Boy Scouts.
Try to pre-arrange a QSO with someone who knows you are going to have the Scouts in the shack. Have him ask the Scouts some questions about Scouting. Let the boys answer the questions themsevles...they get a real kick out of it!
When showing CW, be sure to explain to them how it works, and how you can do it with very little equipment and very low power. A portable QRP CW rig really gets their attention.
Show them all the other neat little goodies in your shack. i.e. Tuners, O-scope, freq counter, etc. My Scouts were really bossed out by the CW frequency counter built in an Altoids can (freq-mite).
Try to schedule the visit when the Space Station is making a close pass. I like to bounce my APRS position off of it, then show them how it showed up on the APRS locator website, then run them outside to see if you can get a visual sighting. One time we just mentioned something about showing the Scouts how APRS via ISS works as an APRS message, and a ham/Cub Scout leader replied...way cool!
PSK, RTTY, Hellschreiber, and other digital modes are usually a big hit. They enjoy comparing the different sounds and how they look on the waterfall display.
And my favorite...
A friend of mine, (who belongs to most of these ideas and a Scoutmaster), and I like to have our boys to our respective shacks at the same time. Then we take a picture of the boys sitting around the radios, and send it to eachother via SSTV. The boys get a real kick out of seeing other boys doing the same thing. Copy the pictures and print them out so they can take it home with them. They take it to school and show all their friends and explain what the callsigns and RST's on the SSTV pictures mean. And I have one hanging in a frame on the wall of my shack.
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RE: Cub Scouts and Ham Radio
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by WA6BFH on August 26, 2005
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I will try a variant of this when we are camping in the mountains, or better the desert! I have seen MIR pass over, as well as the ISS. We often look for Iridium flares, and can operate all bands (well, 14 at least if I don’t bring the transverters) and nearly all modes. I don’t have APRS as yet but, that is sure a reason to gear up!
It would be I think quite inspiring to show what Ham radio can do with such other science in contrast! I might even see if I can schedule such a trip when the Cub Scouts are planning a campout. We happened across a pack one time when we camped near Cuddeback Dry Lake in the Mojave Desert. I will need to see what contacts I might make with local scout troops.
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Cub Scouts and Ham Radio
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by K2GW on August 30, 2005
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For those of you who would like free materials and advice on teaching Amateur Radio to Scouts, please join us in ScoutRadio on Yahoo Groups. Over 300 Hams who are active Scouters share information there on JOTA, teaching Radio Merit Badge, etc.
There's lots of free materials to download, including a set of PowerPoint slides that lets you teach Radio Merit Badge in three one hour classes.
The URL is http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ScoutRadio/
73
Gary Wilson, K2GW
Radio MB Counselor
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