[AARA] JOTA This Weekend

[Herman Campbell]

    Get Ready for JOTA This Weekend

*TAGS:* amateur radio 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/search/Tag.name:amateur%20radio>, amateur 
radio clubs 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/search/Tag.name:amateur%20radio%20clubs>, 
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arrl <http://www.arrl.org/news/search/Tag.name:arrl>, boy scouts 
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station 
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JOTA <http://www.arrl.org/news/search/Tag.name:JOTA>, local time 
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Scouting Museum 
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scouts <http://www.arrl.org/news/search/Tag.name:scouts>, world scout 
bureau <http://www.arrl.org/news/search/Tag.name:world%20scout%20bureau>
10/16/2012

The 55th annual Jamboree on the Air (*JOTA* 
<http://www.scout.org/en/information_events/events/jota/the_55th_jota_2012>) 
is October 20-21. This 48-hour event runs from 0000 (local time) on 
Saturday, October 20 (right at midnight Friday) through midnight (local 
time) on Sunday, October 21. JOTA is an *opportunity* 
<http://www.arrl.org/news/scouts-and-scouters-take-to-the-airwaves-for-the-55th-jamboree-on-the-air> 
for Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and Girl Guides from all over 
the world to experience the magic and excitement of Amateur Radio.

According to Boy Scouts of America JOTA Organizer Jim Wilson, K5ND, more 
than 250 JOTA stations have *registered* 
<http://www.scouting.org/jota/registered_stations.aspx> with the BSA. 
"We estimate that there will be nearly 17,000 Scouts in 45 states, 
Puerto Rico and a few countries on the air for JOTA," Wilson told the 
ARRL. "We have compiled a *spreadsheet* 
<http://www.scouting.org/filestore/jota/xls/registered_stations.xls> 
that lists locations, call signs, detailed contact information, bands 
and modes for these stations. We invite hams to use this information in 
their JOTA activities."

Wilson is the trustee for K2BSA, the Amateur Radio station for the Boy 
Scouts of America. "K2BSA, the Boy Scouts of America National Council 
station, will be on the air from several Scouting locations around the 
USA," Wilson noted. "K2BSA/0 will be on from Marysville, Kansas; K2BSA/3 
will be on from Elizabethville, Pennsylvania; K2BSA/4 will be on from 
Minnesott Beach, North Carolina; K2BSA/6 will be on from Camp Herms, 
California; K2BSA/9 will be on from Potato Creek State Park, Indiana; 
and K2BSA/5 will be on from the National Scouting Museum in Irving, Texas."

On Saturday, October 20 at 1:32 CDT (1832 UTC), the K2BSA/5 operation 
has a scheduled contact via the *ARISS Program* 
<http://ariss.rac.ca/oindex.htm> with Sunita Williams, KD5PLB, aboard 
the International Space Station. The contact will be *streamed live* 
<http://www.ustream.tv/channel/dallasjota> over the Internet.

In addition to the six K2BSA stations, other National Scouting 
Organizations will also be on the air for JOTA. "*HB9S* 
<http://www.scout.org/en/information_events/events/jota/hb9s>, the 
station at the World Scout Bureau in Geneva, Switzerland, has a big 
operation planned, as does *GB2GP* <http://www.gb2gp.org.uk/> at Gilwell 
Park in London," Wilson told the ARRL. "Others, such as *JA1YSS* 
<http://www.ja1yss.org/> in Japan, 5Z4KSA in Kenya, VK1BP in Australia 
and *PA6JAM* 
<http://jota-joti.scouting.nl/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=48&Itemid=74> 
in the Netherlands, might be on the air, too."

In the Houston, Texas area, members of local Amateur Radio clubs have 
offered their time, talents and equipment to bring Amateur Radio to new 
Cub Scouts and Webelos. Each autumn, the Sam Houston Area Council holds 
its "*Fun with Son* 
<http://www.samhoustonbsa.org/camping_and_events/activities/fun_with_son>" 
event at *Camp Strake* <http://www.samhoustonbsa.org/camp_strake.php> in 
Conroe and at the Bovay Scout Ranch 
<http://www.samhoustonbsa.org/bovay.php> in Navasota. "New Scout 
families attend overnight campouts and experience their first Scout 
camping experience," Fun with Son Chairman Caroline Rudisill told the 
ARRL. "Activities include archery, crafts, rocket building and 
launching, attending a campfire and sleeping under the stars. This year 
for the first time, Scouts and their families will take part in JOTA, 
through the generosity and cooperation of ARRL members who are also 
Scouters. For many Scouts and their parents, it is the first time they 
have seen or used a ham radio. Introducing the Scouts to this technology 
is an exciting addition to our program."

Radio amateurs do not have to be registered to get on the air during 
JOTA. In addition to the *World Scout Frequencies* 
<http://www.scout.org/en/information_events/events/jota/world_scout_frequencies>, 
the BSA has listed a *US frequency guide* 
<http://www.scouting.org/jota/operators_guides.aspx> that includes 
frequencies for 80-6 meters (SSB, CW and PSK31), 2 meters, 70 cm and 
D-STAR, as well as dedicated IRLP and EchoLink nodes.

"We encourage hams to get on the air and hand out QSOs," Wilson said. 
"Remember that JOTA is about conversations, not the number of contacts. 
Have conversations with Scouts that introduce them to the technology, 
fun and magic of Amateur Radio. Sometimes you can actually 'hear' their 
eyes light up with a new discovery. Get on the air and mentor the next 
generation of hams."


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