JOTA 2009
11/12/2009 |
W9LQI
Troop 504, Woodland Hills Presby Church, Las Colinas District, West Los Angeles County Council, hosted JOTA-52 for the San Fernando Valley. We camped out at Sage Ranch Park near the Rockedyne Proving Grounds a top the Santa Susana Mountains and operated purely field day style. We built our own antennas for HF, vertical ground planes for 20 and 17 meters and an end fed wire antenna for 40 meters. Handheld transceivers for 2 meters were utilized. We had two licensed boys operators, Warren Hutchinson, Life Scout Troop 504 (KI6FWO) and Henry Willauer, 1st Class Scout, Troop 22 (KJ6FLO), both Technican Class operators and both operating their own FT-60R handheld transceivers.
Warren and Henry were responsible for helping unlicensed and new boys learn the virtues of amateur radio and enjoy talking to other hams in the area. They also, provided a demonstration of the usefulness ham radio by having Henry, KJ6FLO, operate on the five mile planned hike and keep in contact with Warren at the base camp. Later, the boys found that their radios worked best while sitting atop Table Rock, a land mark. They slept a top Table Rock as part of their requirements for Wilderness Survival Merit Badge. I know they slept up there all night because I could hear the jokes and stories up that way all night long. Justin Fielding, a 2nd CLass Scout in Troop 504, who is thinking about getting a ham license, was up there too, telling his endless supply of "Red neck" jokes most of the night.
As Scoutmaster, I operated the HF radio, gave boys a chance to talk to DX stations, I also operated CW and showed the boys how that was done. There was great interest in CW. I managed to work several Pacific stations including Guam and Midway Island DXpedition. While operating I provided Radio Merit Badge opportunities as a Radio Merit Badge Counselor. A couple of boys were able to complete their worksheets, do the requirements and learn a lot about radio from a practical stand point of being there operating.
None the least, the boys had all voted to serve up a Mexican style dinner of carne ascada and all the trimmings, cooked out of doors by the boys of course. It was a huge hit and there were no left overs.
After dark we heard noises and quickly determined that a snipe hunt was in order. New boys got their first opportunity at the time tested practice of after dark snipe hunting. None were caught but lots of noises were heard and stories to be told at later camp fires about the snipe that got away.
All in all, it was a great camp out and loads of fun operating ham radio. This is Scouting at it's best.
R.F. Hutchinson, Scoutmaster
Troop 504 Woodland Hills Presby Church
Woodbadge 2004
O.A. 2009 -- W9LQI
Warren and Henry were responsible for helping unlicensed and new boys learn the virtues of amateur radio and enjoy talking to other hams in the area. They also, provided a demonstration of the usefulness ham radio by having Henry, KJ6FLO, operate on the five mile planned hike and keep in contact with Warren at the base camp. Later, the boys found that their radios worked best while sitting atop Table Rock, a land mark. They slept a top Table Rock as part of their requirements for Wilderness Survival Merit Badge. I know they slept up there all night because I could hear the jokes and stories up that way all night long. Justin Fielding, a 2nd CLass Scout in Troop 504, who is thinking about getting a ham license, was up there too, telling his endless supply of "Red neck" jokes most of the night.
As Scoutmaster, I operated the HF radio, gave boys a chance to talk to DX stations, I also operated CW and showed the boys how that was done. There was great interest in CW. I managed to work several Pacific stations including Guam and Midway Island DXpedition. While operating I provided Radio Merit Badge opportunities as a Radio Merit Badge Counselor. A couple of boys were able to complete their worksheets, do the requirements and learn a lot about radio from a practical stand point of being there operating.
None the least, the boys had all voted to serve up a Mexican style dinner of carne ascada and all the trimmings, cooked out of doors by the boys of course. It was a huge hit and there were no left overs.
After dark we heard noises and quickly determined that a snipe hunt was in order. New boys got their first opportunity at the time tested practice of after dark snipe hunting. None were caught but lots of noises were heard and stories to be told at later camp fires about the snipe that got away.
All in all, it was a great camp out and loads of fun operating ham radio. This is Scouting at it's best.
R.F. Hutchinson, Scoutmaster
Troop 504 Woodland Hills Presby Church
Woodbadge 2004
O.A. 2009 -- W9LQI
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