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Local Scouts Reach Out To World

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By YVETTE C. HAMMETT, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 27, 2007

Updated: 10/25/2007 07:55 pm

BRANDON - Before noon, Boy Scout Reid Larsen had spoken with fellow Scouts in several states.

Traffic on the portable ham radio he was using got so heavy, he had to switch to another channel.

'If the pitch is too high, you bring the dial down,' instructed Tony DeAngelo, a member of the Mid Florida DX Association, who recently set up a ham radio at Saladino Park to help Scouts connect with others around the world.

'If it's low, you go up on the dial,' DeAngelo said.

The Scouts participated in the annual Jamboree-on-the-Air. The theme for this year's 50th anniversary jamboree over the airwaves was Scouts Go Around the World in 50 Hours. So starting Oct. 12, Scouts around the globe began trying to make contact via ham radio.

About a dozen Scouts stopped by Saladino Park on Bryan Road to make use of DeAngelo's radio and garner expertise from members of the Brandon Amateur Radio Society.

'I got to talk to Scouts in New Jersey and Colorado,' said Reid, 12, of Troop 61. 'Last time I did this, I got to talk to people in Europe and Africa.

'You get kind of nervous, knowing that whatever you say can be heard around the world.'

Mostly, the Scouts spent time sharing their names, ages, Scout ranks and locations, all of which was documented. Boy Scouts can use the information to earn credits toward their radio, communication, citizenship of the world or computer merit badges.

Ian Fournier, 9, also of Troop 61, connected with Scouts in New Jersey. Bud Aydelotte, Mike Dumond and Dave Welty - members of the amateur radio society - worked to set up an antenna on park grounds. The antenna established an 'echo link' that helped the Scouts better communicate with others far away.

Brandon Buchanan, a 9-year-old Cub Scout, was eager to use a hand-held walkie-talkie and make contact with his dad, a Hillsborough County sheriff's deputy.

'I'm surrounded by ham radio people. I feel scared, Dad,' Brandon said with a laugh into the small radio. He quickly switched gears, trying his luck at the portable ham radio.

'I hope to get my technical ham radio license before I'm 10, to tell you the truth,' the precocious youngster said.

Before long, Brandon was in contact with Scouts in southeastern Pennsylvania.

Next to him, Welty worked on a laptop computer collecting data from a satellite.

'Last time we did this, the International Space Station came by, and we got to talk to them.'

Reporter Yvette C. Hammett can be reached at (813) 657-4532 or at yhammett@tampatrib.com.

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