HAM Radio Operators Boy Scout Merit Badge Help

[3boymthr]

To anyone who has any knowledge of Radio Communications, I am a Boy Scout using my mother's account to find the answers to questions for which My Radio Merit Badge Pamphlet of information is no help. I have tried search engines to no avail, If you have knowledge of the subject or know of any place (besides library: tried) that might have information, PLEASE HELP!!!
THX in advance.

 

[Handbag Lady]

To anyone who has any knowledge of Radio Communications, I am a Boy Scout using my mother's account to find the answers to questions for which My Radio Merit Badge Pamphlet of information is no help. I have tried search engines to no avail, If you have knowledge of the subject or know of any place (besides library: tried) that might have information, PLEASE HELP!!!
THX in advance.

I don't know myself but is there a HAM Radio club in your town that you can look up on Google? Perhaps their president or club secretary can point you in the right direction or grant you an interview with one of their members?

 

[3boymthr]

none sorry, the closest one is 20 miles away in Providence, RI

 

[Hannathy]

Do you have a specific question? there are a lot of engineers and spouses of engineers on here that may have the answer or if they know what you need to know will be able to point you in the right direction.

Have you tried the adviser for that merit badge in your troop? I know each badge has to have a troop adviser for each badge in order for you to do it and to have it signed off.



My DH used to be a ham operator so if you have a question I can ask him.

 

[pls5286]

Go to www.meritbadge.org. It has all the merit badge for scots flus downloadable worksheets to print off. It is a great resource that we use. My son is a Star, so not much further.l

 

[clori]

My dh is a ham radio operator. If you post a specific question he can try to help. Otherwise he recommends going to arrl.org to look for info. Arrl has a listing of local clubs. We are in MA but near Boston. If you want to pm me your location he may have a local contact person for you rather than a club.

 

[3boymthr]

i have that worksheet and am the same rank, and my counselor is moving to D.C. soon and only home on weekends packing. The questions are as follows:
1. answered
2. a. Explain how the broadcast radio stations, WWV and WWVH can be used to help determine what you will hear when you listen to a shortwave radio?
a. Explain the difference between a DX (not a clue as to what this is) and a local station.
3. answered
4. Explain how radio waves carry information including how transceivers, transmitters, amplifiers, and antennas are used.
5. answered
6. answered
7. answered
8. answered
9. answered

 

[Hannathy]

I think you just need to do some googling and reading for some of those. I found this in Wiki (I know not the best source but ok for getting an idea where to go)

DXing is the hobby of tuning in and identifying distant radio or television signals, or making two way radio contact with distant stations in amateur radio, citizens' band radio or other two way radio communications. Many DXers also attempt to receive written verifications of reception (sometimes referred to as "QSLs" or "veries") from the stations heard. The name of the hobby comes from DX, telegraphic shorthand for "distance" or "distant".[1]

same for #2

number 4 is the gist of the badge. You need to do some reading. What have you read on the subject? because that is just doing some research and understanding how it works.

I'm not trying to be mean I have a Scout myself but it seems like you haven't invested a lot of time in this yet, sorry.

 

[Jennasis]

i have that worksheet and am the same rank, and my counselor is moving to D.C. soon and only home on weekends packing. The questions are as follows:
1. answered
2. a. Explain how the broadcast radio stations, WWV and WWVH can be used to help determine what you will hear when you listen to a shortwave radio?
a. Explain the difference between a DX (not a clue as to what this is) and a local station.
3. answered
4. Explain how radio waves carry information including how transceivers, transmitters, amplifiers, and antennas are used.
5. answered
6. answered
7. answered
8. answered
9. answered

You've come to the right place! My DH has his license (some sort of advanced one...he says highest possible licensing one can get...and he has turne dmy computer room into his ham HQ and run antennas all over our home and yard. When the zombie apocolypse comes, we'll be able to contactthe survivors.) here are your answers....

2a. WWV is broadcast on specific frequencies at the same time (5mhz/10mhz etc) and if you can hear them then you know what band propagation is open to at least Colorado where the base is at. You can determine the max usable frequency (MUF) by just tuning in to those frequencies where the station always is. Also at 18 minutes on the hour there is a propagation report that they give which gives you important solar data including sunspots, magnetic flux and all that can be used to help determine propagation. he says look more up on wikipedia!

a. DX means DISTANCE....DX travels by refracting off the ionosphere, as opposed to ground wave propagation which just travels via normal conduction.

4. Radio waves carry info because they are an electromagnetic wave that travels in the air and a transceiver transduces that information into something we can hear. A transmitter converts a wave of information (audio etc), mixes with a local oscillator to transduce that signal into a radio wave, that is amplified ("boosted") by the amplifier which is radiated by the antenna

Anyy questions? Just Pm me. DH LOVES this stuff.

 

[3boymthr]

You guys are amazing. DS was getting sooo frustrated. It's been so hard because DS got all the legwork done; did the actual radio work - talking to people all over the world, but following up on questions has been hard because his counselor has just not been available, our library had nothing and the internet led to answers that were contradictory to what he knew or to lots of ads.

 

[Geoff_M]

I'm a Ham and a Scoutmaster, but it looks like others mostly have it covered.

For #4, I'd also add that, other than when using Morse Code (CW), in order to use radio waves to transmit information the waves must be "modulated" in some manner to be able to able to convene the message/voice. The two most common forms of modulation are amplitude modulation (AM) where the signal strength is altered over time and frequency modulation (FM) where the frequency of the radio waves shifts slightly over time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amplitude_modulation

Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[3boymthr]

@ Hannathy:
I take offense to that comment as I have spent much of 8 months searching 5 libraries(not including all the ones that are connected to the SAILS library network), Numerous websites, And Reading my MB handbook issued on application of badge 4 times

 

[3boymthr]

@ all others:
Thank you all very much for the information, it is very hard to get info from a first hand account when the only local HAM is moving to D.C. and spends his only time @ home packing.

 

[Hannathy]

@ Hannathy:
I take offense to that comment as I have spent much of 8 months searching 5 libraries(not including all the ones that are connected to the SAILS library network), Numerous websites, And Reading my MB handbook issued on application of badge 4 times

That's fine you can take offense I still stand by what I said that a bit of reading and researching would have given you the answers. Seeing that I found many of the answers in about 2 minutes and didn't look for the rest. So I find it hard to believe you looked for 8 months and couldn't find anything on radio waves and how antennas work.

And that is exactly what my DH who is the electronic/communication/radio adviser for my DS's troop said.

He said some of that is pretty basic and could be found pretty easily. to earn these badges you are supposed to understand the topic not just fill out the form.

Are you going to be able to discuss these topics with your adviser when he quizzes you to pass you?

 

[momrek06]

You all are soooo awesome to help out this young Scout!! I stopped by this thread because I saw Boy Scout in the title.

My two DS' are Eagles. Some of the requirements for the merit badges can be grueling.

And I will tell all of you that my DS' received their Eagles in 2001 & 2003, so it has been a while but what I do know is that these requirements for each of the merit badges are getting HARDER and HARDER.

Good luck to you, young man as you complete this merit badge!