News

Covid Modifications for Rank Requirements and Merit Badge Requirements to Be Rolled Back 

As of March 01, 2022, all temporary changes made to Scouts BSA advancement requirements to address the COVID-19 pandemic will expire, and there will be a return to the standard rules for Scouts BSA advancement. This includes deferment of some swimming requirements for First and Second class, virtual activities for Tenderfoot, Second and First Class, and requirement 9b of the Camping merit badge. 

In 2020, the BSA instituted several modifications to rank requirements and merit badge requirements (“advancement modifications”) to accommodate activity restrictions necessitated by COVID-19. Effective March 01, 2022, those modifications will be removed, and the standard rules for advancement and merit badges will again become effective. These requirements are published athttps://www.scouting.org/programs/scouts-bsa/advancement-and-awards/ and in the Requirements Guidebook.  

Specifically, these modifications related to the swimming requirements for Second and First class ranks, virtual activities for Tenderfoot, Second and First Class, and requirement 9b of the Camping merit badge.  

The Guide to Advancement, section 10.2.2.0, states that “Members must meet current advancement requirements as written for merit badges, all ranks, and Eagle Palms—no more and no less—and they are to do exactly what is stated.” 

Transistors, LEDs, printed circuit boards, and soldering took on new meanings for Scouts gathered for an electronics seminar in Vinita on October 30th, and in Bartlesville on November 6th.

The seminar in Vinita was sponsored by Northeast Oklahoma Electric Coop and BOLT Fiber Services. The seminar in Bartlesville was sponsored by Siemens. Thanks to these sponsors for furnishing practice and project materials. The Scouts enjoyed a pizza lunch also provided by the sponsors.

Ten Scouts in Vinita and 14 Scouts in Bartlesville earned the Electronics Merit Badge. Three Scouts in Vinita who had already earned the merit badge built advanced electronics projects.

The merit badge groups learned and practiced soldering safety and techniques. Component functions, schematic drawings, basic electronics principles, and career paths were reviewed. The Scouts also learned how to use their new multimeters to measure voltage, resistance, and current.

They then completed a printed circuit board assembly. The project had 32 soldering points involving transistors, capacitors, resistors, batteries, and LEDs. Scouts learned how transistors are used as switches in electronic control circuits. The parts formed a blinking LED light circuit with a robot design on a printed circuit board mounted in a clear plastic case. The Scouts 100% successfully completed their projects.

The Scouts in Vinita in the advanced group completed projects which included a digital alarm clock and a micro-bug that followed a moving light beam. Two DC motors were driven by transistor switching supervised by photocells. Both involved soldering integrated circuit components to PC boards.

The electronics workshop in Vinita was conducted by volunteer Scouters: Tom Hopkins, Shane Smith, Jeremy Hines, Jerry Wells, and Carl Reichert. In Bartlesville, volunteer Scouters Tom Hopkins, Jerry Wells, and Carl Reichert conducted the workshop.

The electronics seminars were a beneficiary of a special grant from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Tulsa Section.  Each participating Scout received a soldering tool kit and multimeter to use in the classroom and then take home for further experimenting.