Communicating w/o screaming, whistles, smoke signals

[KoreaScouter]

How many times on camps/outings have leaders been split up by necessity due to bus parking, split activities, bathrooms, stragglers, what have you? For us, I'm almost never within voice range of the other leader on an outing. What we've started doing to save shoe leather and sanity is carrying those little FRS 2-way radios for instant leader communication. They've saved our bacon more than once, and more hours than I can count...and, they work in the middle of nowhere where there's no cell phone towers, too.

 

I know, I know, some of you guys are purists who wear campaign hats and absolutely detest using anything B-P didn't have himself on Brownsea Island (just teasing!). But I'm telling you, one camporee and you won't know how you lived without 'em. They're also handy for troop emergency drills when you're working on E-Prep...

 

They're not expensive either, I got a pair of Motorolas for $40 including shipping.

[le Voyageur]

I'm with you on this one...

 

Those little radios on the river combined with hand and paddle signals between the lead boat and the sweep makes for a safer run...

[eisely]

The use of walkie talkies on treks came up on an unrelated thread about a year ago. Most of the regulars thought that walkie talkies should be available, but left turned off on treks and outings. My attitude is that I see these as another safety device that is relatively cheap and easy to carry. I would rather have one available.

[hops_scout]

I have two FR50 two way radios which I take when I go hiking. As a leader of the trail I hike a lot, I have one and the person at the end has the other. This is because my mom, who is in charge of the Girl Scout day camp puts way too many in each group for the hike. Also, the Girl Scout day camp now owns about 6 2 way radios to keep in touch.

[hops_scout]

OOOOps.... I meant to say that I usually lead the hike when we are on that trail... not that I am in charge of it or anything. I could see the replies coming so I thought I better make that clear

[OldGreyEagle]

Our troop takes multiple walkies with us on events especially hikes to keep in communication.

 

I realize B-P didnt have walkies, then again, he didnt have Gore-tex shells, fleece vests, Polyester/whatever tents or windproof back packing stoves. He didnt have GPS, or Cellphones but I think if they were available, he would think very little of scoutmasters who didnt use available technlogy (just my guess)

[Dan Williamson]

Old Grey Eagle,

Since I am a retired Army officer, Command and General Staff College graduate, War College graduate and closet military historian I have been forced, forced mind you, to read and study Baden-Powell's exploits in South Africa...before he invented Boy Scouts (actually I picked him as a subject for further research). They are a great example of the innovative use of all available assets to accomplish a task. He was ahead of his time and a master in his use of deception, camoflage and down right sneaky tricks to keep his enemy guessing and off balance while surviving a seige against an overwhelming force. Not only would he have used radios, GPS, fish finders, cell phones, palm pilots, microwave ovens, light sabers, transporter beams, photon torpedoes, vegamatics, ginsu knives, the all powerful thermos bottle or anything else he could have gotten his hands on at the time...he would have figured out a way to use them that no body else had...and used them to stay alive, win and overcome. It is a great story and I recommend a little bit of research into his life in the military...which was his chosen profession and first love. I believe that you will find, as I have, that some of the stuff people talk about on theses pages is beyond silly when you fully understand B-P, what he was grounded in, how he thought and what was important to him.

[buffalo2]

Hi Dan - can you recommend anything particularly interesting on the topic of BP and his military exploits? There's sure to be some good material out there but I've not taken the time to research it... Thanks

[Dan Williamson]

Buffalo2,

You are lucky. In 1985 at the Staff College and 1993 at the War College we had to do this the old fashioned way. In fact, some of these books about B-P I have only been able to find in these very extensive military libraries....but go to pinetreeweb.com and you can read most of them on-line. Some are by B-P himself and others, The Great Boer War by Arthur Conan Doyle (famous as the creator of Sherlock Holmes) and the short piece in Great Contemporaries by Winston Churchill are pretty good as starters. He was a man of the Victorian Era, very popular in England during his lifetime and a very innovative soldier. Hope this helps.

Dan Williamson

 

[hops_scout]

I took mine with me on our campout last weekend. We kept one in the cabin( expected temps. of below freezing) and one on the hikes when we were out. The range wasnt the greatest, but they did keep us in contact for the most part.