One of the trade-offs for having access to the Allegheny Reservoir at the base of Camp Olmsted and a beautiful view of it from high above at the opening campfire site, is that communications at the camp have always been problematic.

This year, Venturing Crew 73 had that handled.

With a communications shed next to the forges near the middle of the camp, the crew set up everything the council and camp leaders would need to keep in touch.

“They can talk pretty much anywhere,” Associate Advisor Lisa Bush said. “We have two repeaters in here.”

A repeater receives and retransmits radio signals, boosting the range of the sending equipment.

“One is for camp communications,” Bush said. “Within a couple of minutes, we can alert the whole camp” of incidents from missing campers to weather alerts. “It’s very easy for us to get everybody on the same page.”

There was also a two-meter repeater for Scouts interested in amateur radio operations.

“We can use this area to do radio merit badge,” she said.

The communications trailer comes with its own power supply.

“We’re powered completely green,” Bush said. “We have two solar panels.” And they are working on a windmill to add more power.

The crew is hoping to expand its capabilities at future camps.

Some connectivity through a wide-area network would allow campers to reach more radio operators in far-flung places.

The crew has made contacts world-wide — from Scouts at the Brazilian Jamboree to the King of Spain — Bush said.

Having internet for the program does not mean giving it away.

“We are not offering any WiFi to any of the kids,” Bush said. “Any WiFi we bring here is for camp safety.”

“Most of the gear is provided by the crew or the adults,” she said. “We’re always looking for donations.”

This story was among a series written this week by Brian Ferry week on Scout camp.