[amsat-bb] Re: [aprssig] Ham radio (and FRS) at Camp

[Bob Bruninga <bruninga@xxxxxxxx>]

Having been to camp this week, I have a new perspective on:

> SHACKS-FOR-PACKS (and troops and posts) is a program to encourage the
> permanent installation of HAM Shacks at all camps.  These... simple
> pre-fab 8x8' sheds... provide a gathering place for kids to learn about
> radio from any camper, Mom or Dad that has brought his HAM equipment...

As a Dad, on arrival at camp for my one night tour of duty, I was told
that my job was to sit in the campsite (rules require 2 adults present).
THus, setting up a demo station in a central location (the mess hall) was
out for the evening I was there...

As I was schelping my equipment down the trail to our campsite, I saw a
suspiciious white rope going into the trees at a nearby campsite and
followed it to a dipole, coax and another HAM!  But no one outside of his
troop knew it was there.

So here is the new cheap alternative to SHACKS-4-PACKS to give visibility
to HAM radio in camp with greater flexibility.  Simply prepare a permanent
big sign in a central location that says something like:

+--------------------------+
|  HAM Station this week   |
|                          |
|     ***************      |
|     * ON THE AIR  *      |
|     ***************      |
| is operating at campsite |
+-------*---------*--------+
        *         *
    +---*---------*---+
    |  Davey Crocket  |
    +-----------------+

Actually it would also have a place for the operator to put his QSL card
to identify who he is and it would also probably have a little note that
says the HAM station is montoring 146.52 and FRS channel 7 tone 3 and an
invitation to "come on down"...

Thus, everyone at camp will konw if HAM radio is currently being
demonstrated and where.  ALso, since an FRS radio is less than $20 these
days, I would make the ON-AIR sign be RED and BACKLIT and hooked to the
FRS squelch and a 15 minute one-shot timer so that I could trigger it to
be ON remotely whenever I am on the air.  Thus saving a hike to the
mess-hall at the start and stop of each operating session...

The advantage here is that each HAM can do his thing WITH HIS TROOP in
place at his campsite, yet still give the overall camp the visibility of
operations.  A problem with the shacks-4-packs concept is that the
operator there must be independent of any other collateral duties since he
is stuck at a central location.

I would make the sign about 1' by 2' and use a router to make it permanent
on thick wood.  The individual campsite plaques would hang below it...
The sign should probably have a place on the back to keep all the unused
campsite boards when not in use...  Now, where to find the back-lit ON-AIR
piece of red glass..?

See the design http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/shacksign.jpg

So anyway, I just thought I would post this ON-THE-AIR sign idea as a
cheap and simple alternative to the SHACKS-4-PACKS idea....

de WB4APR, Bob



----
Via the amsat-bb mailing list at AMSAT.ORG courtesy of AMSAT-NA.
To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe amsat-bb" to Majordomo@amsat.org