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Icknield Scouts GB2IDS – On air, at home and staying safe

Date: 28th Apr 2020 Author: Gerald Law

Icknield Scouts GB2IDS – On air, at home and staying safe


As part of the celebrations for St Georges day in Icknield District we had planned to have a radio station for the youngsters and parents to be able to send a message over the radio. A special radio callsign had been obtained for the day so that everybody could take part. Of course the way we do scouting has changed a lot in the last couple of months and it looked like that would be the end of that idea. However with support from Ofcom we were able to operate the station without visitors and let the world know that Icknield Scouts were still celebrating our patron St George.
The station was operated on Sunday 26th April from the home of two members of the radio team. A trailer mounted tower enabled an antenna to raised well into the sky. Contacts were made around the globe from Russia, to Europe, to the Middle East and to the USA and scouting featured in many of the conversations. There was a pause in activity at 3pm so that the operators could join the rest of the town to renew their scout promise.
One station in the USA recollected a previous Jamboree on the Air when he exchanged individual messages with a whole group of scouts in Canada. The last station contacted was in rural New York state where the operator told us that it had just started snowing as dusk fell. Rather unusual for late April – that should help encourage people to stay at home!
Brendan Owen

Put your phone down and what are you left with? Just teamwork, courage and the skills to succeed.’
Bear Grylls, Chief Scout Bear Grylls