Hi,

Chelmsford-ScARF have been taking part in the Essex International Jamboree for 3 days now and will be there for the rest of the week.

Some of the pictures taken so far show that the home construction projects are underway and the young people there are learning to solder, build their own radios and experience the thrill of receiving stations on something they made themselves.

Who said home construction was dead?

One Amateur Radio HF station GB2EIJ is up and running on the site and a second HF station, the RSGB GB4FUN van will be operating from today.

Some 40 scouts previously trained to Foundation and Intermediate level by Chelmsford-ScARF are actively promoting our hobby to the thousands of Scouts who are at the week long camp.

Pictures from the Essex Jamboree have been uploaded to:

http://www.radio-scouting.org.uk/php-cgi/gallery/gb2eij

Through my work, I travel widely around the country and I always try to visit local clubs in the area I'm visiting. One thing that has struck me has been the number of times I've heard Amateurs say "the young just aren't interested in
radio anymore" and the same comment about electronic construction.

Now of course that is absolute rubbish. If it's properly introduced to them, young people are very keen on Amateur Radio and equally as enthusiastic about home construction.

The Chelmsford Scout Amateur Radio Fellowship (ScARF), have been teaching Amateur Radio courses to Scouts and Scout Leaders in the town. To date some 45 now have Foundation licences and another 18 have got Intermediate. Not bad going in one town in just a few years!

Chelmsford-ScARF have also successfully run "kit construction" sessions at Jamborees which have introduced hundreds of young people to the joys of soldering.

At the end of July, and first week in August they will be active at the Essex International Jamboree, where they plan to have some 1500 (yes 1500) young people constructing Medium Wave radios. What is good to see is that it's the
newly licenced Scouts who will themselves be promoting the hobby to others.

Below is a link to an email I received from the Chair of Chelmsford-ScARF Geoff Blake G8GNZ which summarises some of the activities they'll be carrying out. Geoff did ask me to point out that the bulk of the considerable organisational effort required for this event was carried-out by his predecessor Christopher Chapman G0IPU, who retired from the post a couple of months ago. In addition to his activities with ScARF Christopher, has also been the driving force behind the Chelmsford ARS Training Courses.

Chelmsford-ScARF have a very hard working and dedicated committee who I'm sure you will agree have disproved the myth that the young aren't interested in radio. Coming up in 2007 is the World Jamboree which will be held in
Chelmsford. It will be attended by over 50000 young people from around the globe, ScARF are already planning for that event.

If you hear GB2EIJ on the air please give them a call.

73

Trevor M5AKA
Deputy RSGB Regional Manager District 123 (Essex)

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