*Shortwave is Old News!

At 47 I am just old enough to have experienced some of the older
crowds heritage and been around for this  "Boomer" season of
nostalgia..

*What I'm getting at is a "Pre-TV" culture<G> and later a "Pre Computer"
culture<G> Represented by the Heritage of Boy Scouts and Royal Rangers..

Radio was a great part of that era.. i.e. the "Theater of the mind"....

Radio then had "networks" and "shows" and families could gather
around the front room where big wooden Radios would boom out
sound effects,music  and voices!  AoG featured REVIVALTIME
with Bro.C.M.Ward!

We used to construct "crystal radios" and receive local commercial radio.
We used to dress in army clothes and "play WW2!"

I used to spend hours with steel "tonka trucks" plastic soldiers and
cowboys and indians.. packed a toy single action Colt and a plastic
Thomson machine gun<G> The kids on my block would watch John
Wayne in "sands of Iwo Jima" and would say: "Call me Striker-
Sergeant Striker!" and we would raise the flag over the local dirt pile<G>

*Lately-  It would seem strange for a boy to do these things<G>

I don't see baseball in the street or wreckage's of play forts in the woods
around the houses.. I don't have kids selling newspaper subscriptions or
fundraisers.  I don't see baseball gloves on bike handlebars like I used too..

I'm not saying there is something wrong...or mayby I am<G>
However- the contempt of "Hobbies" "Puttering" "Building something" or
even "Exploring" seems low on the list of Y2k boys!

In Rangers it is even rare that a merit would be started for shear fun or
intrest!

*This flys in the face of the fact that many Men started careers based on an
enjoyable experience with a scout merit...

(*Big Thought)

So what is our heritage of these merits and activities?

*I think it is no more than points and topics of interest that MEN desire
to share with boys.. It may lead to something, but often it don't..

I've spent some time thinking about what the boys want and it seems they want
to be Rock Stars, Millionaires, and "Authoritarian rulers" like Saddam Hussien!

They easliy "tune-out" "turn-off" with quick judgements... that may be more
valid than what we give them..

*Shortwave listening requires time dedicated to figuring out what,where and who

you are listening too.. As the "world shrinks" and we all drink Coca Cola and
eat at Mc Donald's... the mystery of "far-far away" is removed..

Today we all use Microsoft windows, receive DVD from Space, and meet
anywhere we want on the Internet!  Look out the window and observe the
common look of baggy cargo pants floppy T-shirt and low profile ballcap<G>

*Just thinking out loud, and remaining "Challenged"...

-=A=-


Spirit Rider wrote:

> > FCC license to transmit. I think Spirit Rider was suggesting more of a
> short wave listening (SWL) merit. That could involve listening to and
> logging broadcasts from at least 4 different countries and writing to get a
> > QSL card from at least one of them.
>
> Soaring,
> You hit the nail on the head.;-)
> >From my understanding, some countries take any where
> from a few weeks, to months to a few years.
>
> Later,
> Noel"Spirit Rider"Bell
>
> _______
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>  "Eat the hay & spit out the sticks! - A#1's mule"     RTKB&G4JC!
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