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Radio Scouting Activities - RSA

Using a transmitter for which you do not have a licence unless it is exempt from licencing requirements (I.E. FRS / GMRS) is contrary to the Canadian Radiocommunication Act and Canadian Radiocommunication Regulations. It isn't that hard to get a licence, scroll to the bottom for more details.

September 2024 Radio Scouting Activities

Amateur Radio has been part of Scouting since 1918. The opportunity has centered around communicating between Scouts during events like Jamboree on the Air (JOTA). There is also a growing initiative called Radio Scouting which leverages Amateur Radio to explore STEM learning in a fun engaging way with opportunities for critical thinking, decision making, leadership skills development and increased self-confidence.

Here is a list of activities that you can deliver on your own or with the help of local Amateur Radio enthusiasts, many of whom are also Scouters.

Fox Hunting:

Hunt for a radio signal (that might be stationary or moving, using a handheld radio receiver and directional antenna (and optionally a map and compass)

Application: Search and Rescue, Wildlife or Asset Tracking, locating a source of radio interference that might be coming from an unpredictable source like a faulty Christmas Light set. Adding map and compass to the challenge allows you to have the youth plot their location on a map. Much more challenging than putting a pin on your phone map.

Geocaching:

Looking for items that have been hidden and are described by their GPS coordinates, visual landmarks and clues such as "look north and walk 30 steps. Now look for a pile of rocks or a hole in a tree where the cache is hiding".

Application: Following instructions, working as a team, critical thinking, problem solving, map reading, using a GPS device.

Using 2-Way Radios for Emergency Communications:

Coordinate a Radio Communications Activity using unlicensed FRS Radios to simulate a public service event. This can be done outside or inside if the weather is bad. pplication: Amateur Radio groups are often called upon to provide Emergency Communications when the public are involved in activities where they may need help and where there is no Cellular Phone Service. This could include events like CN Cycle, MS Bike, Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour or the Rideau Challenge Journey where large numbers of youth are hiking in small groups navigating their way through the forest and we need to keep them safe.

Using 2-Way Radios to Learn How to Communicate more Effectively:

Separate individuals or teams so they cannot see each other, but must explain what needs to be done to accomplish a task, this requires participants to think about how to explain very clearly so the other will understand.

Application: We can do this with LEGO building blocks where one individual or team builds an object from a kit and then tries to walk through how to build it to another individual or team who are on the other side of a wall and then the individuals get together to see if they built two identical objects and if not, what they could do to provide better instructions and then they switch roles and try again to build a different object. You can also play BattleShips in this way but at a distance.

Learning Morse Code:

Morse Code uses a combination of dots and dashes to represent letters, numbers and symbols. Anyone can learn to listen and interpret groups of dots and dashes into letters and words in order to send messages over long distances using very basic equipment which could include a flashlight, a mirror, blinking your eyes or banging on a pot with a stone. In the case of amateur radio, we send tones over the air but you don't need to have a radio to learn Morse Code.

Application: When you need to get a message to someone that could be 1, 10, 100 or even thousands of miles away and you have very basic equipment , then having the ability to send and receive and understand Morse Code is very useful.

Build, Launch and Track a High Altitude Balloon (HAB):

High Altitude Balloons are used every day to collect weather and other data from our atmosphere and this information is sent back to earth receiving stations using radio technology. The cost of building, launching and tracking these balloons has become so inexpensive that literally anybody (with an amateur radio licence) can oversee the building of an HAB.

Application: The opportunities abound for Scouts. You can learn about HABs, acquire all the parts and build the payload and then schedule a launch, fill the balloon with Helium, launch it and then track it on the Internet to see where it goes. Sometimes a single HAB can stay aloft for days or even weeks and will circumnavigate the earth multiple times while reporting temperature, altitude, GPS coordinates, battery voltage and some can even send back pictures.

Get on the Air (GOTA):

under the supervision of a licensed Amateur Radio operator, youth can make contacts around the world (such as JOTA) using sophisticated Amateur Radio equipment that is located at Scout Headquarters or may also be set up near where you have your meetings to learn more about how radio waves propagate and the sorts of things that can affect how far your signal travels. Participants will also learn the basics of talking on the radio in terms of radio etiquette. It is even possible to have out of this world contact with the International Space Station (ISS) who try to have a licensed Amateur Radio operator on their crew at all times. They often get on the radio during their spare time.

Obtain your Amateur Radio License:

Scouters who want to introduce Amateur Radio activities to their groups, should consider obtaining their amateur radio license. A basic Amateur Radio course (12 weeks) is offered beginning in September and in February each year. This course provides participants with the knowledge to pass the Canadian Basic Amateur Radio License Exam. See https://oarc.net/courses/ for details.

Program ideas:

Here is our program activities guide for JOTA JOTI at Scout HQ this year. Some of this events you can do without the assistance of a licenced Radio Amateur. Have some fun.

JOTA_JOTI_2024_Activities.pdf

Page last modified on September 21, 2024, at 03:04 PM