[Troop139] Amateur Radio and other Technology Activities for Troop 139 & Venture Crew 7373

Sun Nov 2 13:59:35 EST 2014

Hi Folks!

In the next month or so we will have several Amateur Radio activities
planned including our licensing classes, part of our Holiday Flea
Market/HamFest and a really fun activity on Long Island called "Ham Radio
University".  We also have some operating activities that every Scout,
Scouter and other member of the Amateur Radio Community can enjoy!

Please let me know if your Scout, you or another family member or friend are
interested in these activities.

1.       I will be running weekly (mostly) training sessions during part of
our Troop meetings and if there is interest, on Sunday evenings for the next
few weeks.   We will review what you can do with Amateur Radio and questions
from the tests.   Free informational and online study materials for Amateur
Radio are available via email.  Please drop a note to me, Gordon Beattie at
W2TTT at ARRL.NET <mailto:W2TTT at ARRL.NET>  if you would like to receive them..

2.       If there is interest, we will pursue the Electricity, Electronics,
Radio, Computers, Digital Technology, Inventing and Robotics Merit Badges
including the building of some basic kits.  FYI, the Computer Merit Badge is
being discontinued at the end of this year and will be replaced by the
Digital Technology Merit Badge.  It might be nice to have each Scout earn
this soon to be "legacy" merit badge.  In the future, we can also consider
adding other exciting  badges to their "technology" portfolio.

3.       Our Flea Market on features a "HamFest" section on Saturday,
December 13th in Conlon Hall.  Not only is this an enjoyable fundraiser for
the Troop, but there will be several brief (30 minute) technical sessions on
"Getting your License", "How to Get Started", "Exploring Possibilities on
the Air", "Mesh Networking" and more! 

4.       There will be a one day review class and evening test session on
Friday, December 26th in the Lower Church of St. John the Evangelist Church
in Bergenfield.  We will start at 8:00 AM and and finish at 6:00 PM.
Testing will be at 7:00 PM.  I have free study resources available online
for anyone who wishes to study for the test.  Please email Gordon Beattie at
W2TTT at ARRL.NET <mailto:W2TTT at ARRL.NET>  if you need the materials.  Two
forms of ID are needed and the candidate will need to know their Social
Security Number.    The Troop roster functions as one form of ID for our
Scouts.  Food will be provided for Troop members and their immediate family
members.  Outsiders are asked to donate $20 to support our Troop's Amateur
Radio activities.  

5.       This annual event is an exciting opportunity, open to all, licensed
or unlicensed!  It is called Ham Radio University and is being held on
Sunday January 4th on Long Island.  This is a day of fun with interesting
displays, activity sessions and interaction with EXPERTS in a broad range of
areas.    See this link for more information.
http://hamradiouniversity.org/  Don't register yet, as we will need to work
out the logistics for the day.

6.       In 2015, we will kick off two Radio Scouting Awards from Venture
Crew 7373.  

The first is the "Venture Crew 7373 Amateur Radio Clubs Operating Award"
where a Scout or Scouter can operate from each of our Council camps and
facilities using a unique callsign for that location.  Prior permission to
use the callsign of the camp or facility can be obtained by contacting
Gordon Beattie, W2TTT at W2TTT at ARRL.NET <mailto:W2TTT at ARRL.NET>  or by
calling or texting Gordon at 201.314.6964.  Any licensed Radio Amateur with
a use or camping permit from the Northern New Jersey Council, BSA for their
unit may request use of the call during their stay.   After the event, each
authorized operator will submit a log of each contact containing the
following information: callsign of the station worked, date, time,
frequency, mode, power output and power source (battery, solar, vehicle or
AC power).   Logs showing at least one contact from each of our seven
Council camps or facilities will be granted the Operating Award.
Certificates will be either emailed to the recipient or presented in person
if possible.

There will also be a "Worked All Venture Crew 7373 Amateur Radio Clubs
Award" for Amateur Radio Operators contacting each of our Council camps and
facilities.  For this award,  submit a log of each of the seven contacts
containing the following information: callsign of the station worked, date,
time, frequency, mode, power output and power source (battery, solar,
vehicle or AC power).  Logs showing the seven contacts for the award may be
submitted to W2TTT at ARRL.NET <mailto:W2TTT at ARRL.NET>  or via mail to Northern
New Jersey Council, BSA 25 Ramapo Valley Rd, Oakland, NJ 07436 Attn: Gordon
Beattie.  A certificate will be emailed to the applicant, or presented in
person, if possible, once the contacts have been verified.

Club callsigns for the camps and facilities are as follows:

Callsign                Location

NJ2CO                   NNJ Council Office or other designated Council event
location

NJ2CA                   Camp Alpine

NJ2CL                    Camp Lewis

NJ2CN                   Camp NoBeBoSco

NY2CT                   Camp Turrell

NJ2CY                    Camp YawPaw

W2FMR                Floodwood Mountain Scout Reservation

Bonuses:

K2BSA                   Boy Scouts of America Amateur Radio Club

NJ2BS                    Venture Crew 7373 Amateur Radio Club

There are bonuses for working or operating K2BSA, the callsign of the BSA
Amateur Radio Club, and NJ2BS, the callsign of the Venture Crew 7373 Amateur
Radio Club.   Additional bonuses may be incorporated into future
endorsements, so this information may be helpful.  Awarding of these bonuses
will likely involve a modest expense to cover the costs of materials and
shipping.  As we qualify recipients for these "bonused" awards, we will
identify the costs and publish them.  

If you have any suggestions for further activities, please let me know.  We
are always seeking to expand technology knowledge in our young men and those
who support them!

Yours in Scouting & 73,

Gordon Beattie, W2TTT

201.314.6964

W2TTT at ARRL.NET <mailto:W2TTT at ARRL.NET> 