Category Archives: Scouting

Scouts at 1939 World’s Fair

1939JulyBLCoverThe cover of the July 1939 issue of Boys’ Life, shows U.S. Boy Scouts at the 1939 New York World’s Fair.  Scouting at the Fair consisted of a camp in the “Government Zone,” near the pavilions of the various countries represented.  The camp would accommodate four troops of 33 scouts and 4 leaders.

At any given time, a third of the scouts were sightseeing at the fair, a third were on duty at the camp itself, and the other third were performing service for the Fair.

During the fair, a citizenship ceremony, officiated by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Owen Roberts, was held for a group of former scouts who had just turned 21 years old and were being naturalized as U.S. citizens.



KFI “On The Scouting Trail” 1944

1944Jul17BCSeventy-five years ago today, KFI Los Angeles ran this ad in the July 17, 1944, issue of Broadcasting, touting its public service in the form of the program “On the Scouting Trail.”  The show served the 60,000 Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts in the region by dramatizing experiences of former scouts and how they were relevant in wartime.

If you look carefully at the shoulder of the scout lighting the fire, you’ll see that the patch has the station’s call letters at the bottom.  The text on the top appears to be “COMMANDO.”  This patch was given to scouts appearing in the show’s studio audience each Saturday morning.  You can see specimens of this and other patches at this page on the Crescent Bay Council website.  The scout here appears to be wearing the “late 1940s” version of the patch.



On The Radio, Nobody Knows You’re a Dog: 1939

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Thumbnail for version as of 15:43, 14 February 2014

1993 New Yorker cartoon, via Wikipedia.

According to the familiar adage, on the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.  But as shown by the photo above, the general concept predates the Internet by decades.  The photo, from the July 1939 issue of Boys’ Life, shows Maud, an English Bulldog, at the controls of W2KBA, the station owned by Vincent S. Barker, who had written a feature about Amateur Radio for the magazine’s April issue.

Maud appears to prefer operating CW, and is busy putting a weak DX station in the log.



1949 Two Tube Superheterodyne Portable

1949JunePM11949JunePM2The scouts shown above are taking a break from their campout to pull in some local broadcast stations on the two-tube superheterodyne receiver they constructing from the plans in the June 1949 issue of Popular Mechanics. The set used a 1R5 and a 1U5 tube and a 15 foot antenna to get good volume on the local stations. According to the magazine, the set rivaled any regenerative receiver, without the possibility of an annoying squeal.

According to the magazine, the rugged little set was ideal for camping or other knockabut use. It could be transported in a small cardboard container, or, if the builder preferred, in a cabinet.

The filaments ran off two flashlight batteries in parallel, with a 67.5 volt B battery.  For strong stations, a 45 volt battery could be substituted.

1949JunePMschematic



Boys’ Life SWL’ing, 1969

1969MayBLFifty years ago this month, the May 1969 issue of Boys’ Life carried a one-page primer on shortwave listening. It coached scouts on the basics of the hobby. The article noted that you could get started with a portable or table radio, but for the best experience, it recommended a communications receiver in the $100 price range. The bandspread was identified as the most important feature.

The article noted that the lower frequency bands up to 25 meters were best at night, with the higher frequencies being best during daylight hours.

It noted that it was possible to listen in on both U.S. and Soviet space shots, and noted that the frequencies of 17,655 and 20,186 kHz were the most likely.



Henry L. Carter, Jr., W8FTB

1934AprSWcraftShown here in the April 1934 issue of Short Wave Craft magazine is the well equipped station of Henry L. Carter, Jr., W8FTB, 45 Sheldon Terrace, Rochester, N.Y., at the time, the youngest licensed amateur in the United States. Carter was first licensed at the age of 10 on January 14, 1932. He got his first station set up with the assistance of his father, ex-8BOW, who had been licensed in 1923. The transmitter was a crystal controlled three tubes on 3530 and 3840 kHz. Carter reported that he could copy “20 per, and send ‘plenty fast.'”

He had worked stations throughout the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, and held an Army Amateur Radio Station appointment. He was also the youngest member of the Scout Amateur Radio Net, and as you can see from the uniform, he kept himself busy with Scout work. His troop had organized a radio club consisting of sixteen members.

According to a Sept. 27, 1939, article in the Rochester Times Union contained in this scrapbook,
Carter, then residing at 297 Plymouth Ave. S., joined the Army Signal Corps at the age of 18.

I wasn’t able to find any reference to Carter after the War.  If he had gone back to Rochester, his call would have become W2FTB, but I wasn’t able to find any reference to him holding that call.  He would be about 97 today, so if Mr. Carter or a relative is out there, we would enjoy very much hearing from you to follow up.



How to Make a Rope Ladder

1959MarBL3If you ever need to make a rope ladder, the March 1959 issue of Boys’ Life magazine shows you exactly how to do it. This design has two great advantages. First of all, no steps are required, since the rope itself is used. And once you’re done with the ladder, you can easily undo it and have your rope back in its full length.

An even number of steps ensures that you have an even number of ends of the rope when you’re finished.



1959 Boys’ Life Code Oscillator

1959MarBL1959MarBL2Sixty years ago this month, the March 1959 issue of Boys’ Life showed scouts how to put together this two-transistor code practice oscillator. Powered by six penlight cells, one 2N107 transistor served as oscillator, with the other as an audio amplifier. So chances are, the output was both clean and loud. The set featured both tone and volume controls, and had provision for headphones or a built-in speaker.



1944 Expedient Winter Clothing

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Seventy-five years ago this month, the February 1944 issue of Boys’ Life gave some pointers on how to keep warm on a budget. The burlap foot coverings are the same general idea as what we previously offered for expedient winter footwear. And if your jacket isn’t quite warm enough, then lining it with a few layers of newspaper will surely do the trick.



1959 Hamming Is Fun

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Sixty years ago this month, amateur radio made the cover of Boys’ Life magazine’s January 1959 issue, which featured an article entitled “Hamming is Fun” by long time ARRL staffer Perry Williams, W1UED.

The article featured the radio adventures of a number of young hams, including Jules Madey, K2KGJ, of Clark, NJ, who apparently inspired the cover. Madey, a high school student, put in as many as 49 hours a week running phone patches for men at the McMurdo base in Antarctica. Since the best conditions were in the middle of the night, Madey made a habit of going to bed right after supper and setting the alarm for 10:30 PM.

1959JanBL2The magazine contains two more radio features.  First of all, the Tracy Twins comic shows the boys receiving a radio control airplane that Grandpa insists on operating without a license.  Of course, he gets busted as an FCC helicopter and car swoop in.  Fortunately, he gets off with a warning.

Finally, the Boys’ Life Radio Club had three offerings.  For just 20 cents, they would send out the Radio reprint book containing reprints of earlier articles, along with a free log book.  One dollar would get 60 QSL cards.  And for no cost, the club would send any licensed ham operator scout or scouter a card identifying the bearer as an emergency service ham.

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