[K3CAL] Assistance with the Scout's Radio Merit Badge on 8/9

[Shawn Donley]

Mike,

Looks like you already have volunteers to help on-site.  I'll be available on VHF/UHF as well as HF (any band should work as I'm only 3.3 miles from the church).

Shawn
N3AE


> On 07/31/2026 7:55 PM EDT Mike Nasitka, AL3G via K3CAL <k3cal at mailman.qth.net> wrote:
> 
>  
> Good Afternoon,
> 
> I’ll be teaching the Radio Merit Badge to the Scouts on the afternoon from 1-5P on Sunday, 9 August.  It will be held at Trinity United Methodist Church (90 Church St, Prince Frederick).   One of the requirements is that they complete a QSO. I am looking from some assistance from the club in helping the Scouts the meet that requirement. 
> 
> I plan on setting up at least a portable VHF/UHF Station, and a Portable HF Station.  At a minimum, I'm requesting one or 2 folks be listening on the repeater, or a given HF Freq after about 3p and talk to a group of scouts.  Right now, I have 20 kids signed up for the merit badge, and they all need a QSO.  I just got back from the Scout’s National Jamboree at Summit Bechtel Scout Reserve, and talked to a bunch of scouts that were working on their radio merit badge.  The “script” they were given on the repeater was for them to call CQ, and when someone answers, tell their first name, troop, and ask the other op their name, and at least one or 2 questions (We mostly talked about the Jamboree, or radio)  Some of the questions they came up with were pretty insightful.  Each QSO was pretty short.  They asked their couple questions, have a short QSO, and hand it over to the next Scout- the licensed OP at the K2BSA would do the station ID after all the Scouts would be done.  I’m pretty sure that was the same basic script they were following on HF as well. 
> 
> In addition, I request 1 or 2 folks assist at the church to operate either / both the VHF and HF stations and help the Scouts make their QSOs.  If I can get someone to assist, I can open up the class to more Scouts- I already have a waiting list of 4 Scouts. Without another OP, I don’t think I can get more than 20 Scouts through the merit badge in the allotted time.  If a couple folks are able to operate the station, I think I can all the Scouts through the initial requirements so they understand what a radio is, what callsigns are, what constitutes a QSO, RF Safety, etc. And then break the Scouts into 2 (or more groups) and I can teach the rest of the requirements, and the other OPs can run the Scouts thru QSOs.  It may also allow the Scouts to have QSO w/ someone out there in HF land.  
> 
> If anyone is interested in splitting the teaching with me, let me know….
> 
> Please let me know if you’re going to be available to help either at the church, or talk to Scouts on the radio.
> 
> Thanks, and 73’s 
> Mike / AL3G
> 
> (Hopefully this makes it out on the reflector….)
> ______________________________________________________________
> K3CAL mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/k3cal
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:K3CAL at mailman.qth.net
> Unsubscribe: mailto:k3cal-request at mailman.qth.net?subject=unsubscribe
> 
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html