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 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.

Return to OCARG home page.

© 2003 by Otschodela Council Amateur Radio Group KZ2BSA
************************************************************************************

INDEX FOR MAY 2003

Late edition this month
Troop 485, Spokane Valley, WA Service Event
Field Day Preparations and Scouting
JOTA Countdown
ARRL Website For Youth
Update On JOTA Frequency Conflict And Commentary
Jon Seeley, KC2LEA, New Tech
Upcoming VE Sessions
OCARG Quote Of The Month

********************************************************

LATE EDITION THIS MONTH

I apologize for the lateness of the OCARG EAGLE this month. As most know, my father died on Mothers' Day 11 May turning my whole family upside down. On behalf of my family and myself, I thank all for the letters, cards, and messages of condolence, and further thank everyone for their patience.

this May edition is gonna be quick and dirty to make up for lost time.

Yours In Scouting and 73 de Fred K2FRD

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

TROOP 485, SPOKANE VALLEY, WA SERVICE EVENT

Troop 485, Inland Northwest Council, Grizzly District, City of Spokane Valley, WA.

Members of Troop 485, Inland Northwest Council, Grizzly District, City of Spokane Valley, WA, recently participated in 2003 Bloomsday, one of the largest road races in the country.  Jay Martin, KD7PCQ, SPL, David Carey, KD7OYX, ASPL, Robbie Calvert, KD7OMS,Eagle Candidtate, and Michael Carey, KD7GHZ, ScoutMaster participated with Spokane County ARES.  There were over 39,000 runners in this years race.  We were there with about 30 other members of ARES to provide communications through out the race.  Though there were no serious incidents the members of Troop 485 were commended for their preparedness and professionalism in this year's event.

de Michael Carey KD7GHZ

™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™™

FIELD DAY PREPARATIONS AND SCOUTING

Field Day Weekend is 27-29 June 2003 with radio clubs and other ham organizations all over the Western Hemisphere preparing for this annual event. Hamming Scouts and Scouters are no exception as this letter from the Scoutradio Group testifies
( http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scoutradio/ ):
 

This year our troop is planning a Field Day outing, and inviting
other troops from our council to join us. We'll be operating from the
Rim of the World High School at Lake Arrowhead, California.

We will be offering a Radio Merit Badge course the weekend preceding,
and having the Scouts get their "on-the-air" requirement during Field
Day.

We plan to operate one station on the standard US JOTA frequencies,
and would like to set up a schedule with any other Scouts
participating in Field Day.

The call signs will be W6MOT, and KF6QED for the GOTA station.

73's
Michael Grow ˆ KD6OJV
Scoutmaster, Troop 89
Lake Arrowhead, CA

œœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœ

JOTA COUNTDOWN

Jamboree On the Air 2003 is rapidly approaching - only five months away on 17-19 October 2003. Preparations are being made already as Jean WB3IOS submits this information:
 

We had a great deal of JOTA success in 2002 as a result of hams who
registered their JOTA event.  I would like to encourage you to do it
again.  Creating this database makes it much easier for others to
find JOTA activities near them. 

Please register your JOTA activity at
http://www.arrl.org/FandES/ead/youthskeds/   Click on "add a sked
listing."  Click "JOTA" and enter your information.
 
 As I get requests, I will point them to that page so please register
ASAP.   (You can set the expiration for the day after JOTA (October
20. (Don't forget to change the year to 2003)   Please consider
inviting  boy scouts and girl scouts. I know this will help many more
scouting groups participate in JOTA 2003.
 
Thanks for your help.
 

Jean Wolfgang,  WB3IOS
ARRL Field & Educational Services

££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££

ARRL WEB SITE FOR YOUTH

Jean Wolfgang WB3IOS is requesting help from Scouting hams via the Scoutradio list:
 

ARRL is planning to create web pages that will appeal to young people
pertaining to ham radio.  This would be people who are not hams and
just "surfing" around on the web and maybe looking for something to
tell (or show) just why they should be interested in ham radio.

At this point I am taking any ideas from coloring pages and games to
fill in the blank or crossword puzzles.  The major thing is to appeal
to young people.

When we say young people, I mean ranging from early grade school to
high school.  I am taking any suggestions at this point, but I
realize eventually we will have to break down the pages into age
categories.  (If you have something you want to send me in the mail,
feel free.  I will be glad to give you my address.

Also, I am looking to make a list of ham/scout activities.  This
would be something like would be set up for a camporee as one of the
events.  I'm not sure how to explain it but it would be something
like a competition, or timed event.  But remember the scouts would
only be there for maybe 15 minutes.  I don't see how actually talking
on the radio could be one because the scouts may come in groups so it
should be something they can all work on together to get to one
goal.  For instance.....putting the antenna up.  Any ideas? 

Jean Wolfgang WB3IOS
jwolfgang@arrl.org

***********************************************************************

UPDATE ON JOTA FREQUENCY CONFLICT AND COMMENTARY

Despite a flurry of email messages this past month between and among the ARRL, World Organization of Scouting Movement (WOSM), the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), and a number of concerned ham-Scouters, no resolution to the conflict between the JOTA CW 20 meter calling frequency and the recently-established (three years) international PSK-31 spectrum on 14.070 megahertz has been accomplished. WOSM and BSA have continued to state that it is the responsibility of the operator to determine that the frequency is not already in use while others have pointed out that PSK-31 is a weak-signal operation (usually 10 to 25 watts) which often cannot be heard by CW operators. A single CW signal can obliterate several or many PSK-31 QSOs.

It is the position of a number of operators from various locations around the world that both WOSM and BSA are opening themselves and Scouting in general to accusations of frequency abuse and deliberate interference if they continue to knowingly publish the 20-meter JOTA CW frequency on top of the now-established PSK-31 frequency.

While the problem was minimal during JOTA 2002, there still WERE at least two instances of JOTA CW disrupting PSK-31 conversations (ironically, most ongoing PSK QSOs were by JOTA stations). Propagation was reasonably good in 2002, but as Cycle 23 winds down, propagation on the upper bands will be poor or non-existent in 2003, driving even more operators onto 20 meters. October is also the beginning of the DXpedition season and PSK is becoming more popular on these DXpeditions. It will take only one instance of a JOTA CW operator interfering with a major DXpedition's pileup on JOTA weekend to give Scouting a black eye; BSA in particular has taken some serious "hits" within the past couple years. It would be intolerable for BSA to take yet more criticism, especially from within its own ham-Scouting ranks, when the problem could be so easily resolved: change the JOTA CW 20-meter frequency.

Comments and opinions may be made to BSA JOTA Coordinator RMoyer@netbsa.org  and/or WOSM JOTA Coordinator RMiddelkoop@world.scout.org . Please CC us at K2FRD@stny.rr.com.

de K2FRD

§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§

JON SEELEY, KC2LEA NEW TECH

Jon Seeley, Troop 59, Masonvile, NY Scoutmaster has (at long last) taken the plunge and earned his Technician Class license and is now KC2LEA. Jon has been a lifelong Scouter, is very active at the Foothills District level and with the Onteroraus Lodge #402 of the Order of the Arrow. He's been talking about getting his license for some time and finally took the test last month and passed with no problems as we knew he would. He's been a strong supporter of ham radio in Scouting for many years and now has joined the ranks. Congratulatory notes may be sent to Jon at  lil_turtle@frontiernet.net .

¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶

UPCOMING VE SESSIONS

3 June 2003, 6PM, Cooperstown, NY Otsego Co. EOC, (607)746-2777.

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

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.

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

¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼¼

OCARG QUOTE OF THE MONTH

Thanks to Tom Mathewson KA2MYD for this one:

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things
that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the
bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade
winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

Mark Twain

®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®