Jamboree on the Air

[N2RBJ]

Are there any Scout leaders out there who have or are going to do JOTA? After many years as a ham and Scout leader, I thought I would finally combine the two and organize a JOTA station for our troop.

For those who don't know what I'm talking about:

http://www.arrl.org/scouts/jota/

http://scouting.org (http://scouting.org/nav/enter.jsp?s=xx&c=ds&terms=jota)

Thx, Jim

[KC2QXE]

We will be having one in Haniball, NY look for N2Y.

I hope to have a satellite station up too.

[AB3EO]

Troop 461 - WW3TI - Will be putting a station on the air. Nothing fancy, a portable setup behind our meeting place. The scouts will erect the antenna. We are meeting at 10:00 AM Saturday, and plan to be operating by 11:00, maybe sooner. Predominate operation on will be on 20M and 40M using Scout Camp calling protocol frequencies. (14.290 & 7.190)

Hopefully we can work each other.

Rich
Scoutmaster Troop 461
AB3EO

[kr2c]

I put the word out to the guys at my sons pack that I will make my station available if they have an interest.

If they do then I would like to set up some pre scheduled QSO's so we don't lose the kids attention span. They're only cub scouts.

[KA3CTQ]

Have talked to our pack leadership. They have some interest.

Is there going to be any sked page or spotting going on? If so, where?

Mine are Cub Scouts and may not be together long. Maybe an hour or two, not the whole 50 hours.

Would like to get something set up so they have some time on the air.

[KU0DM]

Im not a scoutmaster...just a scout.
I am organizing the radio operations for our entire district. We will have at 2 stations on the air, working on a getting a high altitude balloon launch, and some EmComm trailer(s).
JOTA is a lot of fun not just for the scouts but also the hams.
GL w/ JOTA, hope to hear your troop/club on the air!

[N2RBJ]

Sounds great! We will be operating as Troop 104 at my house with 2 stations in different areas. One will be for HF (20M and up) and another for 2M FM. Boys will start on 2M and when they feel comfortable they will move to HF.

I will also be working with any boys wishing to earn the Radio Merit Badge.

[PA5COR]

As one of the organising Ham's doing the work here in Holland for an group in Joure.
H.F up to and 70 cm's all mode, morse included of course

[KC2RRT]

Troop 60 in Brick, NJ will be participating most of the weekend. We will be camping and operating a portable station. Hopefully we will be on the air most of the time. HF operations will be limited by the leader's stamina (2 General and 1 Tech Plus) and the boys' admittedly limited attention spans, but about half of our boys have Technician licenses so they can have fun on VHF when we peter out. It will be interesting - I am recently licensed and don't have a radio so I haven't even been on the air myself yet.

[KB3LIX]

The club is setting up for JOTA this year for a group of about 150-200 at a local Boy Scout Camp. We plan on 2 stations on HF. Setting up around 0700 (local) on Saturday morning and running to around 6-7pm (local).
The scouts only want to do one day, and THEY want to do it as a contest.
I have explained that the purpose of JOTA is for scouts to communicate, rather than contest, but they have their own way of doing things.
So who am I to argue http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif

We will do it their way, and see what happens.
Call will be the club call. WA3COM

See you on the 20th.

[N2RJ]

Our club is setting up for JOTA, but only for a few hours. Our call is WA2SNA.

[KC2QXE]

I forgot to mention, this will be at our districts camporee so we will have all the troops from our district there, plus some cubscouts. since I am the Tiger leader I would hope all three of my kids show up http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

We may also have our RACES van there for tours.

[KU0DM]

Same here...district camporee, plenty of scouts and plenty of time...we will be on the air October 20 (saturday) from 10 AM-4 PM

[WA9SVD]

Not a scout leader (although my dad was an Assistant ScoutMaster, then Explorer Advisor for 15 years) but I usually operate our club station for JOTA on Saturday morning (Left Coast time) to make contacts; some very local, some DX. (A couple of years, managed a QSO with the Geneva, Switzerland Scout station; not sure of propagation this year.) But I'll put in at least 3-4 hours talking to the scouts. It's a lot of fun, particularly when they realize it's a club station. Double bonus for them, and I'm always glad to talk to Scouts or other groups of young people. Hopefully, at least some of them will go on to become licensed.

I'll be looking for all the Scouts on JOTA! Have fun!

Added: I'll especially be looking for Troop/Post 120, West Suburban Council in Illinois.

[K8YZK]

I am not a Scout or a Scout Leader, but I will be setting up a station for a friend who is a leader, and will be operating for his cub den. Nothing fancy at a portable setup we have planned.
Keeping my fingers crossed that the bands are half-way decent.

73
Kurt
K8YZK

[k0cmh]

RBJ:

I have a question, and please do not take it as criticism. It is not.

When I first heard of JOTA I tried to work many of the stations. However, it appeared to me that they really are interested in "scout-to-scout" contacts, and not very interested in just any station answering their call.

My question is: did I misunderstand what JOTA was designed to do, and should I stay out of the way? That would not be any problem for me.

[KB3LIX]

Quote[/b] (k0cmh @ Oct. 02 2007,08:33)]RBJ:

I have a question, and please do not take it as criticism. #It is not.

When I first heard of JOTA I tried to work many of the stations. #However, it appeared to me that they really are interested in "scout-to-scout" contacts, and not very interested in just any station answering their call. #

My question is: #did I misunderstand what JOTA was designed to do, and should I stay out of the way? #That would not be any problem for me.
According to what I have read on the international scout website, it appears that the intent of JOTA is for scouts to contact other scout councils around the globe and exchange ideas amd information.

The group that my club is working with, wants to do JOTA as a contest, so I guess there are many ways to look at JOTA. In my case, I would have preferred that they go along with the international plan, but it is not my or the clubs call to tell them how to do JOTA.

It will be interesting to see just how many contacts they will be able to make.

[N2RBJ]

Quote[/b] ]According to what I have read on the international scout website, it appears that the intent of JOTA is for scouts to contact other scout councils around the globe and exchange ideas amd information.

The group that my club is working with, wants to do JOTA as a contest, so I guess there are many ways to look at JOTA. In my case, I would have preferred that they go along with the international plan, but it is not my or the clubs call to tell them how to do JOTA.

You are correct, JOTA is not a contest. A Jamboree is an event where scouts from around a nation or around the world gather, meet and share the Scouting experience. JOTA is just a radio based variation of the Jambo Spirit. There is also a JOTI (Jamboree on the Internet) the same weekend.

I think of JOTA as a gathering of many Special Event Stations to exchange Scouting related information. We will be keeping a log to exchange QSL cards with the more exotic or interesting Scout units.

Personally I will be glad to have a QSO exchange with non-scouting hams. However it would be a shame if a pileup for coveted stations (e.g. K2BSA, HB95 or GB2GP) was even more crowded with non-scout stations. I hope the word gets out that JOTA is primarily for the boys!

A good exchange for a ham station not affiliated with a Scouting unit might be:

Call (obviously!)
First Name
QTH (city/town, state, country, etc.)
Youth scout rank (if applicable)

For youth rank it would be something like: "I was a First Class Scout in 1972" or words to that effect. I think the boys would get a kick out of hearing from former scouts of years gone by.

Jim

[N3ATS]

What rocket scientist picked 14.070 for JOTA CW operations, or is the JOTA crowd going to be playing PSK too?

[KB3LIX]

From what I understand, all modes are going to be active.
However, the choice of 14.070 for CW is certainly a poor decision.
But WE don't make the rules, we just have to try and accomodate them.
Remember too, that decisions on frequencies etc may not have been made by well rounded amateurs. (and I don't mean FAT)
They may not realize that 14.070 is the recognized PSK-31 frequency.

[N2RBJ]

Quote[/b] (N3ATS @ Oct. 02 2007,17:12)]What rocket scientist picked 14.070 for JOTA CW operations, or is the JOTA crowd going to be playing PSK too?
Don't believe everything you see on the Web!

The ARRL JOTA page is out of date. The World Scout Frequency table was updated July 1, 2007. Both the BSA and WOSM sites are updated:

http://home.tiscali.nl/worldscout/Jota/frequencies.htm

http://www.scouting.org/international/highlights/22-218.html

The new CW frequency for 20M is 14.060, 10 KHz below PSK.

Jim

[KU0DM]

Quote[/b] (N3ATS @ Oct. 02 2007,17:12)]What rocket scientist picked 14.070 for JOTA CW operations, or is the JOTA crowd going to be playing PSK too?
I will...er, the operations I am planning will.

[WA9SVD]

Is there still a Merit Badge requirement for a scout to hold a QSO with another station for a certain amount of time?

While our club station isn't in a position to be open to the entire general public (except under very limited circumstances, due to being located in an admission required situation) we have always been ready, willing, and able to provide contacts with JOTA stations, and indeed, even been requested to make schedules, dependant upon staff and propagation. (I remember one year, making almost 100 scout contacts in a 4 hour period...)
HAve the JOTA requirements or directives changed?

[AB3EO]

Under the Amateur Radio option for the Radio Merit Badge there is a requirement to hold a 10 minute QSO using proper procedure including logging.

There are no real requirements for JOTA. The basic directive is for scouts to contact other scouts using ham radio, learn something, and have fun.

As far as I'm concerned, that last word is the most important part of this. If the scouts enjoy themselves, everything else follows through.

Rich

[kl7aj]

We need to really get behind this event. Scouts are still one of the best "mass sources" of new hams. And JOTA CAN be one of the highest visibility venues for ham radio.

I remember a Scout-0-Rama in Silicon Valley when I was in Scouts....one of the troops built a 30 foot semaphore tower with a homebrew quad up there...complete with a rope rotator...very Gilligan's Island....very cool.

Eric

[WA9SVD]

Quote[/b] (AB3EO @ Oct. 03 2007,10:49)]Under the Amateur Radio option for the Radio Merit Badge there is a requirement to hold a 10 minute QSO using proper procedure including logging.

There are no real requirements for JOTA. The basic directive is for scouts to contact other scouts using ham radio, learn something, and have fun.

As far as I'm concerned, that last word is the most important part of this. If the scouts enjoy themselves, everything else follows through.

Rich
So are you saying that since our club station is NOT sponsoring a Scout unit on site, we should ignore JOTA? If it's of no use or disuse to the scouts, then we'll just not bother contacting any scout-related stations.

Just want to know to let the other operators on duty know.

[KB3LIX]

Quote[/b] (wa9svd @ Oct. 03 2007,14:29)]Quote[/b] (AB3EO @ Oct. 03 2007,10:49)]Under the Amateur Radio option for the Radio Merit Badge there is a requirement to hold a 10 minute QSO using proper procedure including logging.

There are no real requirements for JOTA. The basic directive is for scouts to contact other scouts using ham radio, learn something, and have fun.

As far as I'm concerned, that last word is the most important part of this. If the scouts enjoy themselves, everything else follows through.

Rich
So are you saying that since our club station is NOT sponsoring a Scout unit on site, we should ignore JOTA? #If it's of no use or disuse to the scouts, then we'll just not bother contacting any scout-related stations.

# #Just want to know to let the other operators on duty know.
Scout councils like the one we are working with are just interested in making contacts, not just other scout units, but contacts with anyone.
The trainers that handle the radio merit badge have not said anything about a time requirement for a contact to be valid for the badge. It is my understanding that a contact is a contact for their merit badge purposes, so the more activity, both scout and non-scout.....
The better !!!


Another point that I forgot to make,
they are dividing the 150-200 scouts into groups of 10, and will be rotating them to our station setup every 15-20 minutes. We are setting up 2 stations, so it works out to 5 per station.
With only 15-20 minutes for each group, the possibility of a 10 minute Q is unrealistic.

I said this earlier, I do not like the way the local scout leaders have set this program up, and I vigorously encouraged them to look at, and follow the direction that the international scouting organization had laid out,
but it is NOT my place, or the clubs place to tell them how to run their activity.
We are just facilitators.

[KB3LIX]

Quote[/b] (wa9svd @ Oct. 03 2007,14:29)]Quote[/b] (AB3EO @ Oct. 03 2007,10:49)]Under the Amateur Radio option for the Radio Merit Badge there is a requirement to hold a 10 minute QSO using proper procedure including logging.

There are no real requirements for JOTA. The basic directive is for scouts to contact other scouts using ham radio, learn something, and have fun.

As far as I'm concerned, that last word is the most important part of this. If the scouts enjoy themselves, everything else follows through.

Rich
So are you saying that since our club station is NOT sponsoring a Scout unit on site, we should ignore JOTA? #If it's of no use or disuse to the scouts, then we'll just not bother contacting any scout-related stations.

# #Just want to know to let the other operators on duty know.
Scout councils like the one we are working with are just interested in making contacts, not just other scout units, but contacts with anyone.
The trainers that handle the radio merit badge have not said anything about a time requirement for a contact to be valid for the badge. It is my understanding that a contact is a contact for their merit badge purposes, so the more activity, both scout and non-scout.....
The better !!!

[KB3LIX]

Is there an LDE here http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif

[AB3EO]

SVD

I believe the “official” position is scouts to scouts, however I will not turn down a contact and I think most other JOTA stations will operate the same way. Other hams should just be aware of who they are talking to. These will be inexperienced operators who are excited about using the radio. They will be looking for something more than a callsign / signal report exchange.

LIX

I was quoting the requirement from the book., but I agree a contact is a contact, and not to be timed with a watch.
So, yes, as you said:
“the more activity, both scout and non-scout.....
The better !!! “

Hope to work your group that Saturday.

Rich

[k0cmh]

Thanks for the information. I now understand.

[WA9SVD]

Quote[/b] (AB3EO @ Oct. 03 2007,13:04)]SVD

I believe the “official” position is scouts to scouts, however I will not turn down a contact and I think most other JOTA stations will operate the same way. Other hams should just be aware of who they are talking to. These will be inexperienced operators who are excited about using the radio. They will be looking for something more than a callsign / signal report exchange.

LIX

I was quoting the requirement from the book., but I agree a contact is a contact, and not to be timed with a watch.
So, yes, as you said:
“the more activity, both scout and non-scout.....
The better !!! “

Hope to work your group that Saturday.

Rich
In the past few years, I've made a point of operating our club station to work JOTA stations, and have always encouraged scouts to at least say a few words; they have ranged from the very shy to the very outgoing individuals. The scout leaders have usually been the limiting factor in wanting to give as many scouts a chance to at least say "hello" as possible. Few if any of the contacts with an individual scout have lasted more than a minute or two, but there have been times I've been on the air with the same station for well over a half hour, going through as many scouts as the JOTA station wished to accomodate. Especially nice was working the Geneva Switzerland Scout station (HB1S, if I remember correctly) a few years ago.

I'll be looking for scouts on that Saturday morning. Hope the propagation gods are smiling...