SOMETIMES "THANK YOU" IS JUST NOT ENOUTH !!!! THE STORY OF HAMS DONATING TO BOY SCOUTING....... YES ....SOMETIMES JUST NOT ADEQUATE.....THE STORY FOLLOWS THE STORY: I HAVE BEEN DOING RADIO MERIT BADGE FOR SEVERAL YEARS AT OUR LOCAL BOY SCOUT CAMP, CAMP GEIGER LOCATED NEAR SAINT JOSEPH, MO WHEN I TOOK OVER THE CLASSES I HAD THE ABILITY TO INTRODUCE SCOUTS TO CW.....FOLLOW ME HERE.... THE FIRST TWO DAYS OF THE HOUR 5 DAY CLASS ANOTHER STAFF MEMBER DOES A SCRIPTED GENERAL OVERVIEW EDUCATION HOW RADIO WORKS . ON THE THIRD DAY "HAM RADIO" IS INTRODUCED. WE GIVE THEM SOME HISTORY ABOUT "HAMS" AND THEN WE SET UP OUR CW SOUNDERS. THE MFJ 455 UNITS AND INTRODUCE THE SCOUTS TO CW... WE START OFF WITH JUST ....E I S H 5 AND T M O 0. WE GIVE THEM JUST ENOUGH TO 'HOOK THEM'. THEY ARE AMAZED WHAT THEY DAN DO ......"WE HAVE THEM HOOKED" THE LAST TWO DAYS WE PUT THE SCOUTS ON AIR FOR A TEN MINUTE QSO. WHILE NOT NO THE AIR THE OTHERS HAVE CW TO KEEP THEM BUSY... ALL THE WHILE THEY ARE BEING BRAINWASHED ABOUT ALL THE DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF HAM RADIO ......THEY KNOW WHAT IT IS AND WHAT THEY CAN DO. WE HAD THREE SOUNDERS DONATED YEARS AGO AND I BORROWED A COUPLE BUT THOSE WERE GETTING 'SQUEAKEY' AND NEED UPGRADED OR REPLACED. I PUT A POST ON QRZ AND EHAM ASKING THAT ANYONE HAD THE SOUNDER LYING AROUND THAT THEY CONSIDER SENDING TO MYSELF FOR USE AT CAMP....... I NOW HAVE 15 YES FIFTEEN BRAND NEW MFJ-455 SOUNDER UNITS! SIMPLY AMAZING THE RESPONCE I GOT FROM HAMS AROUND THE COUNTRY. BELOW IS THE LIST OF FOLKS THAT DONATED..... N9GC USA Thomas W McGrath, III 15319 Shamrock Ln Woodstock, IL 60098 USA CHRISTINE @ MAIN TRADING COMPANY 2707 LAMAR AVENEW PARIS, TX 75460 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- N4PEG USA MARGARET E KENNEDY 6645 FOUNDERS ST Zephyrhills, FL 33542-1828 USA N4ESS USARICHARD E KENNEDY 6645 Founders St Zephyrhills, FL 33542-1828 USA ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- W1SO USA Bruce R Kerrigan PO BOX 982 Pelham, NH 03076 USA --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- N9AGC USA GREG L SMITH 7670 MOUNTAIN ASH MENTOR, OH 44060 USA MFJ ENTERPIRSES 300 Industrial Park Rd, Starkville, MS 39759 USA AMAZING FOLKS............NOW A REQUEST......IF YOU ALL READING THIS WOULD EMAIL OR NTS A THANK YOU TO THESE FOLKS FOR MYSELF AND THE BOY SCOUTS OF CAMP GEIGER IT WOULD BE REALLY GREAT......HAMS ARE SOME OF THE GREATEST..... I AM ALMOST SURE SOME OF THESE 'KIDS' WILL FOLLOW UP AND MOST LIKELY BE LICENSED. THANK YOU ALL FOR READING AND LETTING THIS OLD SCOUT HAVE SO MUCH FUN WITH HAM RADIO 73 WD0BC