WB4SA Telegraph Encrypt/Decrypt Game

So how could I get our very active Radio Scouting program involved… bring in the the Telegraph and teach the scouts Morse code, through osmosis. Most of the Cubs already learned SOS, as we taught it to 12,300 scouts last year as part of our monthly events at council.

A fun game where Scouts have to transcribe a message and get it to their partner via telegraph. Their partner has to write it out, then send an answer back. They work as teams and the fastest teams of the day win prizes. They can repeat the game as many times as they like, getting a new phrase each time. Each station SET involves two Morse code straight keys a good distance form each so that a pair of scouts can communicate with each other. We can do two teams at a time.  The phrases they use are simple one line Scout jokes, one sentence each way. The first couple times take a while, but they slowly learn/memorize each letters ‘dit-da code’ so they start transcribing the sentence to Morse much faster the more times they do it.

Example phrases… #1 sends it to #2…#2 decodes it, then replys with #2 answer…#1 decodes and shows judge/time keeper.

Cub 1: How can you tell if a buffalo is under your sleeping bag?
Cub 2: The ceiling of your tent is very close.

Cub 1: What do you find between the hooves of buffaloes?
Cub 2: Slow buffalo hunters.

Cub 1: What do you get when you cross peanut butter with a buffalo?
Cub 2: You either get peanut butter that roams the range or a buffalo that sticks to the roof of your mouth.

Cub 1: How can you tell a buffalo from a field mouse?
Cub 2: Try to pick it up. If you can’t, it’s either a buffalo or a very overweight mouse.

Cub 1: What time is it when a buffalo sits in your canoe?
Cub 2: Time to get a new canoe.