My subscription to Life expired, but I still have a subscription to Mad.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Surfin': Netting A Radio Merit Badge
"Netting A Radio Merit Badge," as in Boy Scout merit badges, is the title of this week's installment of Surfin'. Read it here, then come back here to post your comments, if any.
The biggest issue I see why the Radio Merit badge is not popular is that it's not a required badge for any rank advancement.
It could be an optional one used to fill out the requirements, but there are many merit badges. See http://www.meritbadge.com
I'm in the process of signing up as a merit badge counselor. My 1' list are required merit badges. I'll submit to do the radio merit badge as an addendum.
If we make ourselves available to scouts, perhaps give a short talk at a Troop meeting or at a Scouting Roundtable (a monthly meeting of Scouters), we should see more interest in the Radio merit badge.
Generally, each District within a Council has a monthly Roundtable where Scouters (Adult scouts/leaders/volunteers) at the Cub Scout, Boy Scout, and Venturing levels of the program meet to learn. Perhaps as a Merit Badge councelor, we could setup a table and put out a presentation on the Radio Merit Badge and have contact info for Radio Merit Badge councelors in the District.
The Boy Scout radio merit badge was my first step toward becoming a ham -- and also the first merit badge I earned as an 11 year old scout. This was in 1954. It took me two years more to be ready to get my first license.
In those days the scouts did a lot to encourage boys to get into radio, including plans for building a crystal radio in the Cub Scout manuals, several radio kits available from the same stores where uniforms and other scout equipment were available, and encouragement in articles in Boys' Life magazine. Boys' Life even provided several short wave listening awards and ran an annual short wave listening contest.
Great article on the Radio Merit badge website.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest issue I see why the Radio Merit badge is not popular
is that it's not a required badge for any rank advancement.
It could be an optional one used to fill out the requirements, but there
are many merit badges. See http://www.meritbadge.com
I'm in the process of signing up as a merit badge counselor. My 1' list are required merit badges. I'll submit to do the radio merit badge as an addendum.
If we make ourselves available to scouts, perhaps give a short talk at a Troop meeting or at a Scouting Roundtable (a monthly meeting of Scouters), we should see more interest in the Radio merit badge.
Generally, each District within a Council has a monthly Roundtable where Scouters (Adult scouts/leaders/volunteers) at the Cub Scout, Boy Scout, and Venturing levels of the program meet to learn. Perhaps as a Merit Badge councelor, we could setup a table and put out a presentation on the Radio Merit Badge and have contact info for Radio Merit Badge councelors in the District.
Yours in Scouting,
Peter Grace
KB1CVH
The Boy Scout radio merit badge was my first step toward becoming a ham -- and also the first merit badge I earned as an 11 year old scout. This was in 1954. It took me two years more to be ready to get my first license.
ReplyDeleteIn those days the scouts did a lot to encourage boys to get into radio, including plans for building a crystal radio in the Cub Scout manuals,
several radio kits available from the same stores where uniforms and other scout equipment were available, and encouragement in articles in Boys' Life magazine. Boys' Life even provided several short wave listening awards and ran an annual short wave listening contest.
Thanks for the article, it brought back memories.
73, Al N1AW