Contact:
Scott Roberts, KK4ECR
kk4ecr@gmail.com
(904) 759-7812

BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA, THE NORTH FLORIDA COUNCIL CHARTERS AMATEUR RADIO STATION KB4SA – INAUGURAL EVENT ON MAY 12, 2012.

Clay County, Florida (April 12, 2012) – Boy Scouts of America, The North Florida Council announces the charter of amateur radio station, KB4SA. KB4SA encourages, equips and prepares young people to be vibrant citizens and dynamic community leaders through the use of amateur radio and the practice of emergency communication guided by the Scout Oath and Scout Law.

The inaugural event of KB4SA is scheduled for May 12, 2012 at Camp Echockotee, 2513 Doctors Lake Drive, Orange Park, FL 32073. Scouts will see local amateur operators in action and also communicate, via radio, with other amateur radio operators, local and around the world.

During future events, Scouts will earn merit badges related to radio, communications and science; receive a FCC Amateur Radio license; participate in local emergency communications drills; and provide communication support for community charity events such as bike-a-thons.

Peter Duzant, founder of the KB4SA said, “Amateur radio is a rewarding hobby that allows Scouts to learn, not only about radio and electronics, but also that it goes hand-in-hand with duty to country and community.”

Chuck Courson, Director at Camp Echockotee adds his support, “The starting of Amateur Radio Club, KB4SA, will allow us to be able to help scouts be better prepared to give back to their community in a very meaningful way. We are excited about the opportunities that this will provide for the scouts.”

Sponsors for the Amateur Radio Club KB4SA include Clay County Amateur Radio Emergency Service and Journey Church.

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Boy Scouts of America was founded in February of 1910 with the purpose of providing programs for young people that build character, and trains them in the responsibilities of citizenship and giving back to the community. The Boy Scouts of America now has a membership of 2,723,869 youth.

More information about the Amateur Radio Club KB4SA and other events scheduled with the Boy Scouts of America can be found on the club web site at http://www.kb4sa.org. To schedule an interview, or your attendance at the event, please contact Scott Roberts at (904) 759-7812 or by email at kk4ecr@gmail.com.

This is really a fun event that lets you get out and explore some of North Florida that you might not otherwise see. Take a moment to visit the registration page and join us in the fight against diabetes!

This morning around 10:30 am Duval County ARES and the Jacksonville amateur radio community lost a dear friend and colleague. William T. Sander, Jr., KA4OBP, known to us all as Bill, passed away while under the care of Hospice. Bill fought a long and difficult battle with leukemia though he never let on that anything was wrong. While undergoing treatment for that disease and other ailments Bill kept a smile on his face and worked harder than any person I know. Please continue to keep Bill’s wife, Anna Rae, and the rest of the Sander family in your thoughts and prayers.

Viewing
Sunday, April 15
6pm – 8pm
Hardage-Giddens Chapel Hills Funeral Home
850 St. Johns Bluff Rd. N.

Service
Monday, April 16
10 am at Chapel Hills
Internment will follow immediately at the Chapel Hill Cemetery.

During the River Run we truly faced a needle in a haystack challenge. A young, deaf child had been running with his mother when they became separated. The call went out to all agencies to try to locate the child. Imagine the difficulty of finding one person in what was literally a sea of thousands. JSO, JFRD, event staff, and ARES were all searching. ARES succeeded and the boy was taken back to his parents.

In the early minutes of the St. Johns River Celebration and Cleanup a teenager was injured in a fall. Immediately net control was notified, JFRD was dispatched, and the patient was transported to the hospital to receive some stitches. All of this was taken care of by ARES and not the event staff.

When critical events and requests occur Duval County ARES steps up and delivers. Both of these incidents reflect very highly upon the professionalism our operators bring to the table and I can assure you that it puts a great spotlight on us as an organization. This spotlight makes us shine to the agencies and organizations we serve and to the partners we work beside.

My hat’s off to all of you that invest so much of your time and energy in support of these events.

Cary Beuershausen/N4CDB
Emergency Coordinator

We do have an alternate solution in place, however. From this point forward we will be using Twitter in place of Jott. Please keep in mind that this does not require you to have a Twitter account. You can follow or leave the groups at any time. Just as we had with Jott, we have two Twitter groups: DuvalARES and DuvalARES_911. Please follow the instructions below from your phone to begin receiving notifications.

Following a Group

1. Send a text message to 40404.
2. In the message body send “follow group_name” [no quotes] (eg follow DuvalARES)

Leaving a Group

1. Send a text message to 40404.
2. In the message body send “leave group_name” [no quotes] (eg leave DuvalARES)

When following the general group you will also receive notices about website updates when information like this is added. This should help ensure you always have the latest information.