A simple idea ended up introducing 25 youth and their parents to ham radio.

Paul Ridley N5PR, reviewing proper operation on HF before a Scout takes to the airwaves for the first time!

Nestled in the small town of Belen, New Mexico, the Valencia County Amateur Radio Association is always looking for new things to do for the betterment of our hobby. One such event happened with a bang in January 2004, when VCARA hosted a "Get Your Radio Merit Badge" day for Scouts from the surrounding area.

The motivation behind this event was threefold. First, the club recognized the need for youth in our aging hobby, and this would be one way to interest them in ham radio. The source would be Scouts, who are enthusiastic, have a desire to learn new things and could enjoy ham radio in the backcountry. Second, the club wanted to give back to their community by reaching out and helping others. And third, they just wanted to have a great time trying something new themselves!

The idea was simple--teach the Boy Scouts everything they needed to know for their Radio merit badge, and do it in a fun and constructive way. Preparations began months in advance through announcing the idea to the club membership and soliciting volunteers who wanted to get involved. Ralph Clark, NM5RC, and I helped promote the idea to the El Valle Manzano District of the Great Southwest Council, Boy Scouts of America. They welcomed it with open arms, and in turn helped us promote it to the Troops around the Belen area as well as to those up in Albuquerque. As the event approached, a program was formulated to teach the various requirements in a way that maximized the fun yet minimized the lecturing. Hands-on and group discussions were key for an all day event involving youth.

The author teaches a group of Scouts basic electronic components, their operation, schematic symbols and electrical safety.

By the time "Get Your Radio Merit Badge" day arrived, 21 VCARA members volunteered to lead the event. Tasks related to the various merit badge requirements were then given out. Little did they know that 23 Boy Scouts, one Girl Scout and another interested girl would attend, enthused about what they were about to learn!

The event started early in the morning with a welcome by Ralph Clark, the organizer of the event, who set the stage for what the youth (and their accompanying parents) were about to learn. As an Assistant Scoutmaster, I then talked about how ham radio complements Scouting perfectly. I explained that Scout groups can use ham radio in the backcountry as a source of fun communications, but more importantly, as a source of emergency communications should the group need help. After all, the multi-million dollar cellular phone industry and all of their infrastructure doesn't work deep within the wilderness--yet a $150 handheld radio can do the job through a mountaintop repeater in a heartbeat!

Felipe Gallegos, N5YGE, and Chris Gillespie, W5CSG, help a Scout generate questions and topics for his first QSO as part of the Radio merit badge requirements.

I gave many other examples, including the ability for Troops to use ham radio while in transit, often in a convoy, to and from their outing. The Patrol Leader Council, a group of youth leadership within a Troop, could use ham radio to take care of last minute planning for the trip, or the Scoutmasters can just chew the rag as the miles pass.

After the introductory session, the 25 participants were split up into four groups to begin the Radio Merit Badge through visiting "stations" for 10 mini-classes that were manned by club members who would teach a certain set of requirements. One station taught electronic components, schematic symbols, electrical and RF safety, and block diagrams. A second introduced radio waves, how they propagate and how radios work. A third station taught the Scouts how to use a radio properly.

Family Radio Service radios allowed Scouts to practice eliminating "mike fright" before they were actually placed on the ham bands to make QSOs on HF as well as on the club's 2 meter repeater. About 15 hams from around the nation and Canada gladly visited with the Scouts so they could satisfy their 10 minute QSO requirement. The fourth station taught Scouts about ham radio's license structure, what it takes to get a license, what kinds of activities hams enjoy within the hobby, and other general information. As each group finished with their respective station, they rotated to the next.

One of 22 Scouts studies for the final review session at the conclusion of the program. All passed!

Lunch was provided by the club, too, which was appreciated by those growing Scouts. The day was wrapped up by reviewing the requirements with the youth one-on-one to ensure that they had indeed learned what was called for in the Radio Merit Badge requirements. Much to our surprise, 22 of them passed with flying colors! We attribute this mainly to the enthusiastic youth, but also to the club members for teaching in such a fun and productive way. Few of the participating youth and parents knew what ham radio was before the class, and by the end of the day, most wanted to pursue ham radio further, even through getting their own ham licenses! In the following weeks, club members worked with the other three youth (two of whom had not been able to attend the full day) to complete the remaining merit badge requirements.

The VCARA volunteers did a superb job, considering this was the first event of its kind within the club. Now our eyes are on organizing a second "Get Your Radio Merit Badge" day and helping other clubs organize their own events for their own Scouting community. If your club has such an interest, head on over to the VCARA Web site, where you are welcome to download the course material, syllabi and notes for your own use.

Many thanks to the folks who helped make this event such a great success: Paul Ridley (N5PR), Pat Libertell (KA5PAT), Chris Gillespie (W5CSG), Felipe Gallegos (N5YGE), Laura Simmons (W5ZIG), Keith Pfefferie (N5ZGM, now a SK), Ralph Clark (NM5RC), Les King (KD5ZMH), Elvira Hunt (KD5UJQ), Russell Hunt (KD5UJR), John Eldridge (KB5ENN), Terri Cresap (KD5NGI), Everett (Goose) Gaussoin (K5EMH), Joyce Rumschlag (KD5IAI), Dave Kirk (KN0LMO), Grace Barreras (KC5RGS), Charlotte Gaussoin (KD5OHZ), Brian Richardson (KD5RPO), Richard Gorby (KD5NTL) and Mary Cresap (no call sign yet).

Those of us who call ourselves hams aren't getting any younger, but an enthusiastic club can sure make a difference in many youths' lives by introducing them to ham radio in a fun way. "Get Your Radio Merit Badge" day was our way of accomplishing this, and the VCARA had just as much fun as the youth.

First licensed in 1992 at age 12, Brian Mileshosky, N5ZGT, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, recently began his first term as ARRL Vice Director from the Rocky Mountain Division. He was the 1999 winner of the ARRL Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Award. You can reach the author at 1021 Dakota SE, Albuquerque, NM 87108; n5zgt@arrl.net.

Previous: Surfin': It's Greek To Me!

Next: FCC Amateur Radio Enforcement Letters for the Period Ending February 5, 2005