Seems there has been much buzz lately in the Council regarding the WD9BSA station. That’s an especially good thing when it’s of a positive nature. There have been several requests made of the station regarding potential amateur radio exposure to Scouts and the public.
We’ve been offered a chance to setup a station at the Indiana State Fair this summer. I know the Council has a display/presentation area there every year. This would be an excellent PR opportunity for bringing the ham radio message to both Scouts and the public. At this point I don’t know details of how many days we would be obligated to attend or how many hours each day. This is an item definitely worth discussing among the members and other friends of the station. Of chief importance would be having Scouts participating and operating there, not just adults. I believe logistics would be another concern. Many of us are still working full time jobs and may not have days off available then. Scout volunteers would also need parents to transport them to the fairgrounds if they’re not driving yet.
A second request had been made to support two different BSA summer camps. Another opportunity to show off the capabilities of amateur radio as a public service, emergency preparation tool, intro to technology, and a hobby. Again, I can’t offer specifics regarding how many days we would be obligated to. Same concerns as before, I would think. Although this would probably be mostly adult presenters as the Scouts would actually be attending camps, etc.
So, give this some thought. This info has also been posted over on the WD9BSA Facebook Group and there’s already been some suggestions and discussion. I think this could be a real PR gift for the station, but we need all-in participation commitments to pull it off.