BULLETIN OF THE

Otschodela Council Amateur Radio Group (OCARG) is dedicated to the enhancement of the Scouting program through amateur radio and to the advancement of amateur radio in Boy Scouting.  Membership is open to any and all Scouters, amateur radio operators, and Scouting and ham clubs with an interest in the Boy Scouts of America, particularly within, but not exclusive of Otschodela Council, BSA, Oneonta, NY. There are no membership dues, no officers, no constitution, no newsletter charges, and no organized meetings. All communications are via email or ham radio. All that's required to join is an interest in Ham-Scouting and an email to the above Sender. OCARG is an FCC-licensed Amateur Radio Club Station with the callsign KZ2BSA.

Copies of the OCARG EAGLE are sent to many interested persons in addition to OCARG members. If you feel that you have received this bulletin in error and no longer wish to receive it, please send a message so stating to the above Sender k2frd@arrl.net.

This newsletter is brought to you in Living Color, compliments of Eudora Pro 5.1.3 emailer. If you have Rich Text Format (RTF) or stylized text capability and want to see everything as it was sent, make sure your RTF or styled text Preference/Option/Control Panel/Setting is turned ON or set. If you want to see it only in black typeface, turn it off.  Fonts are Comic Sans MS, Capital, and Mishiwaka Bold (with the slashed zero), available from Editor if desired. Note:  not all emailer clients can display both RTF/Styled Text (including images) and hyperlinks.

The online edition of the OCARG EAGLE may be found at:
http://homepage.mac.com/k2frd/ocarg.htm.

The OCARG EAGLE is mailed only via Blind CC to cut down on your header's size and to avoid providing a ready-made list to spammers.

© 2003 by Otschodela Council Amateur Radio Group KZ2BSA
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INDEX TO JUNE 2003:

EAGLE To Suspend Publication For Summer
OCARG Helps Canoe Regatta Scout Races
Tr 59 Masonville, NY Ham-Scouter Gives Aid
Countdown To JOTA
JOTA frequency Conflict Still Not Yet Fixed
Upcoming VE Sessions
FWIW: OCARG EAGLE Subscribers All Around
Quotes For Future Eagle Ham-Scouts

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EAGLE TO SUSPEND PUBLICATION FOR SUMMER

The OCARG EAGLE will suspend publication for the summer months of July and August, resuming publication in September. There's just too much going on, Scouting-wise and ham radio-wise, and the weather's just too nice to stay inside. This edition will be abbreviated for this reason.

I hope that everyone has a GREAT summer! And that we'll hear all about your ham-Scouting adventures in the fall!

73 de Fred K2FRD

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OCARG HELPS CANOE REGATTA SCOUT RACES

The Otschodela Council Amateur Radio Group was well-represented at the 41st Annual General Clinton Canoe Regatta during the Scout races on Saturday 24 May 2003. The Clinton Regatta is sponsored by the Bainbridge, NY Chamber of Commerce and attracts hundreds of canoeists from around North America and upwards of 50,000 spectators. It's 70-mile run down the Susquehanna River from Cooperstown (Otsego Lake, the river's source) to Clinton Park in Bainbridge is the longest single-leg canoe race in the United States.

The Chenango Valley Amateur Radio Association of Chenango County (CVARA), NY annually provides safety checkpoints along the 10-mile length of the Unadilla River during the Scout races on Saturday afternoon. The Scout races includes junior and senior categories for both Girl and Boy Scouts in thirteen race classes. Participating with CVARA were OCARG members Bob Benton N2RXK, Kevin Kiel KB2EZR, Jon Seeley KC2LEA, and Fred Stevens K2FRD. OCARG members who were racing participants or coaches included ham-Scout Conner Hornbeck KC2JJY and Troop 99 Assistant Scoutmaster Jim LeBaron WA2IAX. Special mention should be made of Kevin KB2EZR who, as Scoutmaster of Troop 99, Sidney, NY took a few seconds off from his monitoring duties to cheer on his Troop members as each passed by his checkpoint. And honorable mention should be made of Jennifer LeBaron, daughter of Jim WA2IAX and her fiance Greg Michels KC2GXV who operated the riverbank part of the East Guilford checkpoint. In all, some 15 amateur radio operators, all associated with CVARA operated the five checkpoints along the Scout race route.

A special bonus: OCARG ham-Scout Connor Hornbeck KC2JJY placed a close fourth (time:  2 hrs, 9 min, 36 sec; 1st place was 2:06:07) with his Troop 99 in the 4-Person Relay. Connor also was a fourth place finisher with his father Jeffrey Hornbeck in Sunday's Rec 2 Generation Gap race with a time of 0:28:27, closely behind the first's time of 0:25:50. Congratulations are due to Connor!

CVARA's repeater on 146.685 located on Shumway Hill in the Town of Guilford was utilized during the four hours of the Scout Races. CVARA has participated in the General Clinton Canoe Regatta for as long as anyone can remember; 25 years is a nominal guess. Ray Darling K2DAR is the Chairman of the CVARA Regatta Communications Committee.
 

TR 59 MASONVILLE, NY HAM-SCOUTER GIVES AID

From Jon Seeley KC2LEA, Scoutmaster of Troop 59, Masonville, NY (Foothills District, Otschodela Council, Oneonta, NY):

Thought you might like to hear how hams helped out again. Troop 59, Masonville, NY went to the "other" closer (Deerslayer) district spring camporee in Unadilla, NY instead of the Foothills District Camporee. I had made plans with Jim LeBaron WA2IAX, Assistant SM of Troop 99, Sidney, NY to try to pass traffic between Troop 99 at the Foothills Camporee and and  Troop 59 at the Deerslayer camporee. We made contact while Jim was still mobile.
 
One of my Scouts came to me a short time after we arrived in Unadilla and said he forgot his medication and jacket. I was trying to decide on the best way of getting word back to his parents when he said his grandfather was a ham. I asked the Scout if he knew his callsign and he gave it to me. I called on the local repeater and his grandfather came right back to me. I told him of the Scout's need and he said he would get in touch with his mother and they would be right up.
 
This all was done BEFORE my HT crashed on me! We were going to try to reach Troop 99 again on Saturday night but could not with my HT out of order.

de Jon Seeley KC2LEA

Editor's note:  Jon KC2LEA is a new Tech who has long-since known the value of ham radio in emergencies and its value in Scouting. He is opening all sorts of new ham-Scouting possibilities in Masonville since he is the first ham-Scouter in that area of rural upstate New York.

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COUNTDOWN TO JOTA: SIX-WEEK DEADLINE

Clubs or other organizations planning to conduct a Special Event as part of the 2003 Jamboree On The Air operations (17-19 October 2003) should submit their announcements to QST not later than 1 August 2003 (that's less than SIX WEEKS!) in order to have the S/E listed in the October QST per instructions in QST. Announcements may be submitted via three methods:  postal mail (forms obtained by info@arrl.org), online at  http://www.arrl.org/contests/spevform.html , or to events@arrl.org .

The ARRL has more information about JOTA brochures and other details at:
 http://www.arrl.org/FandES/ead/ideas.html .

Keep up to date with Scouting plans and information for JOTA patches:
http://www.scouting.org/international/jota.html .

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JOTA FREQUENCY CONFLICT STILL NOT YET FIXED

As of this writing, there still has been no word from either the World Organization of Scouting Movement (WOSM) nor the Boy Scouts of America on resolution of the frequency conflict between the 20-meter JOTA CW calling frequency and the international PSK-31 frequency (band, actually) on 14.070mhz. From offline sources, there are indications that something might be done soon at the WOSM level, but there are some non-Scouting and non-amateur radio issues which need to be resolved first.

de K2FRD

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UPCOMING VE SESSIONS

23 June 2003, 7PM, Middleburgh, NY St. Catherine's Church, (518)827-4800.

30 June 2003, 7PM, Vestal, NY Public Library, (607)754-7940.

12 July 2003, 1:30PM, Endicott, NY Central Fire Station, (607)797-5777.

19 July 2003, 2PM, Margaretville, NY Telephone Co, (607)363-7617.

28 July 2003, 6PM, Oneonta, NY Telecenter, (607)746-2777.

9 August 2003, 1:30PM, Endicott, NY Central Fire Station, (607)797-5777.

25 August 2003, 7PM, Middleburgh, NY St. Catherine's Church, (518)827-4800.

25 August 2003, 7PM, Vestal, NY Public Library, (607)754-7940.

9 September 2003, 6 PM, Cooperswtown, NY Otsego Co. EMO, 607-746-2777.

13 September 2003, 1:30PM, Endicott, NY Central Fire Station, (607)797-5777.

29 September 2003, 7PM, Vestal, NY Public Library, (607)754-7940.

These are the only VE Sessions listed by ARRL for this area. If someone knows of unlisted sessions, please send us an email K2FRD@stny.rr.com.  More details are in:

 http://www2.arrl.org/arrlvec/examsearch.phtml

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FWIW:  OCARG EAGLE SUBSCRIBERS ALL AROUND

We presently have subscribers to the OCARG EAGLE from 12 States and six nations. We've come a long way!

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QUOTES FOR FUTURE EAGLE HAM-SCOUTS

"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants."

--Isaac Newton

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"The heights by great men reached kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night."

-- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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The OCARG EAGLE is published monthly on or about the 15th. If you feel you have received this newsletter in error, please send an email to K2FRD@stny.rr.com.
Subscriptions are free; there is no spam, no ads.  Each edition is addressed via Blind CC to reduce the size of recipients' headers and to prevent spammers from receiving a ready-made spam list. Copies of the OCARG membership lists are available by application to the subscription address. Subscribe to: K2FRD@stny.rr.com.

Permission is hereby granted to copy, re-publish, and/or quote any part of this newsletter if credit is given to OCARG™ KZ2BSA and W. Frederick Stevens K2FRD.

OCARG's mailing list is NEVER sold nor otherwise made available to spammers.

All email and URL links are hyperlinks and may be directly accessed by double-clicking onto the appropriate link in certain emailer clients.

Further information regarding Otschodela Council Amateur Radio Group may be found at:  http://home.stny.rr.com/k2frd/ocarg.htm .

©2003 by OCARG™ KZ2BSA and W. Frederick Stevens K2FRD