The Merit Badge Counselor and the Scout

The merit badge plan is based on the concept that a counselor working closely with a Scout acquaints the boy with an adult knowledgeable in one or more fields. The counselor introduces the Scout to subjects that may lead to a career choice or to a lifetime hobby.

From astronauts to high-tech patent holders to corporate officers in the electronics industry, many people's careers grew out of their early involvement in Amateur Radio. Today's youngsters need a chance to expand their horizons both intellectually and socially through wholesome, challenging and constructive activities.

The millions of boys who can now be exposed to Amateur Radio through Scouting may not have that opportunity in years to come. Though we can't realistically expect "Radio" to compete with required badges such as cooking, camping and first aid with active counselors, we have the opportunity to reach thousands of 11- to 14-year-old Scouts. We're betting that with your experience and enthusiasm for Amateur Radio, many of those Scouts will quickly outgrow the limitations of the Radio Merit Badge and seek your help in earning their tickets. Though earning the badge represents a significant achievement to a Scout, he still can't transmit with it.

Scouts must complete each step of the Radio Merit Badge requirements even though they may already hold an Amateur Radio License.

Do You Qualify?

What's the first step? Get the approval of your regional BSA Council. They'll explain the merit badge counselor's role. Start with a local Boy Scout troop. If you're a newcomer to Scouting, simply call your local Council office; most are listed in the white pages of the telephone book under "Boy Scouts of America." Tell them you want to register as a counselor for the Radio Merit Badge and they'll put you in touch with the right person at the District or Council level.

"Merit badge counselors must meet the Scouting membership requirements. Hams must become a registered adult Scout. (The registration fee is waived.) They must be men and women of good character over age 18, recognized as having the skills and education in the subjects for which they are to serve as merit badge counselors, as well as having the ability to work with Scout-age boys."

They'll want your name, address and phone number, and permission to release them in a listing of the Council's merit badge counselors. The list is distributed annually to all Scout troops in your area. They'll also want to know why you're interested in becoming a radio merit badge counselor and what your qualifications are. The fact that you're an FCC-licensed radio amateur and an adult who knows the importance of a youngster's developing an interest in the sciences, a familiarity with modern technology, a first-hand appreciation of other cultures and a personal sense of citizenship in the world should be sufficient.

Don't forget to pick up a copy of the revised Radio Merit Badge pamphlet that should be available through your Council office or local Scouting supplier.

By Steve Place, WB1EYI
Steve Place is an Eagle Scout and a lifelong Scouter.
-Adapted from QST, February, 1988. Updated November, 1999

Radio Merit Badge

Requirements for the Radio Merit Badge
Revised by BSA January 2002

1. Explain what radio is. Include in your explanation: the differences between broadcast radio and hobby radio, and the differences between broadcasting and two-way communicating. Also discuss broadcast radio and amateur radio call signs and using phonetics.
2. Sketch a diagram showing how radio waves travel locally and around the world. How do the broadcast radio stations, WWV and WWVH, help determine what you will hear when you listen to a radio?
3. Do the following:
   1. a. Draw a chart of the electromagnetic spectrum covering 100 kilohertz (kHz) to 1000 megahertz (Mhz).
   2. b. Label the LF, MF, HF, VHF, UHF, and microwave portions of the spectrum on your diagram.
   3. c. Locate on your chart at least eight radio services such as AM and FM commercial broadcast, citizens band (CB), television, amateur radio (at least four ham radio bands), and police.
   4. d. Discuss why some radio stations are called DX and others are called local. Explain what the FCC and the ITU are.
4. Explain how radio waves carry information. Include in your explanation: transceiver, transmitter, amplifier, and antenna.
5. Learn the safety precautions for working with radio gear, particularly DC and RF grounding.
6. Do the following:
   1. a. Explain the differences between a block diagram and a schematic diagram.
   2. b. Draw a block diagram that includes a transceiver, amplifier, microphone, antenna, and feedline.
   3. c. Explain the differences between an open circuit, a closed circuit, and a short circuit.
   4. d. Draw eight schematic symbols. Explain what three of the represented parts do. Find three electrical components to match to three of these symbols.
7. Do ONE of the following (a, b, or c):
   1. a. Amateur Radio
      1. 1. Describe some of the activities that amateur radio operators can do on the air, once they have earned an amateur radio license.
      2. 2. Carry on a 10-minute real or simulated ham radio contact using voice or Morse code; use proper call signs, Q signals, and abbreviations. (Licensed ham radio operators may substitute five QSL cards as evidence of contacts with amateur radio operators from at least three different call districts.)
      3. 3. Explain at least five Q signals or amateur radio terms you hear while listening.
      4. 4. Explain some of the Technician Class license requirements and privileges. Explain who gives amateur radio exams.
      5. 5. Explain how you would make an emergency call on voice or Morse code. Tell why the FCC has an amateur radio service.
      6. 6. Discuss handheld transceivers versus home "base" stations. Explain the uses of about mobile amateur radios and amateur radio repeaters.
   2. b. Broadcast Radio
      1. 1. Prepare a program schedule for radio station "KBSA" of exactly one-half hour, including music, news, commercials, and proper station identification. Record your program on audio tape using proper techniques.
      2. 2. Listen to and properly log 15 broadcast stations; determine for five of these, their transmitting power and general areas served.
      3. 3. Explain at least eight terms used in commercial broadcasting such as segue, cut, and fade.
      4. 4. Discuss the educational and licensing requirements and career opportunities in broadcast radio.
   3. c. Shortwave Listening
      1. 1. Listen across several shortwave bands for two four-hour periods, one in the early morning, the other in the early evening. Log the stations properly and locate them geographically on a globe.
      2. 2. For several major foreign stations (BBC in Great Britain or HCJB in Ecuador, for example), list several frequency bands used by each.
      3. 3. Compare your morning and evening logs, noting the frequencies on which your selected stations were loudest during each session. Explain the differences in signal strength from one period to the next.
      4. 4. Discuss the purpose of and careers in shortwave communications.
      5. 8. Visit a radio installation approved in advance by your counselor (ham radio station, broadcast station, or public service communications center, for example). Discuss what types of equipment you saw in use, how it was used, what types of licenses required to operate and maintain the equipment, and the purpose of the station.