Scouting's major Amateur Radio event--Jamboree On The Air--is the weekend of October 20-21. It's a great opportunity for amateurs to expose young people to ham radio.

Logo and patch design of the 2001 Jamboree On The Air

Amateur Radio operators, clubs, scout groups (Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, Brownies and all other scout groups around the globe) and thousands of youth not yet involved in scouting are gearing up for Amateur Radio's best opportunity to expose our awesome hobby to the younger generations! This all takes place in an event called Jamboree On The Air--or JOTA.

The purpose of Jamboree On The Air is to teach youth all about Amateur Radio through fun activities, including allowing them to contact other young people all over the world on the various bands and modes we enjoy. Ultimately, I believe this event should leave younger participants wanting to study and get their own Amateur Radio license!

Jamboree On The Air 2001 always takes place on the third weekend of October. This year's event will begin at 0001 local time on Saturday, October 20, and continue through 2359 local time Sunday, October 21. As many as 400,000 Scouts, Scout leaders and other young people took to the bands during the 2000 Jamboree On The Air, and more are bound to do the same this year!

We need to point out that JOTA is not a contest. There are no points, no scorekeeping--JOTA is just a fun, educational and relaxed weekend experience. Stations participating should call "CQ Jamboree" (or "CQ JOTA" on CW) and answer stations doing the same. JOTA calling frequencies have been established (see JOTA calling frequencies, below), and activity tends to cluster around those frequencies, but any frequency for which the control operator has privileges will work too.

If you do make contact on or very close to one of the JOTA calling frequencies, however, you should move off to another clear frequency to continue your QSO. Please be courteous and lead by example!

Youth Participants Needed for JOTA

Jamboree On The Air is the perfect opportunity to expose youth to our hobby. Mark your calendar now.

Whether or not you are a Scout or a licensed ham radio operator, you are encouraged to participate in JOTA. Imagine spending time during a weekend learning about ham radio and what it has to offer in the way of fun and enjoyment. Imagine talking to another Scout or young person a world away and sharing ideas and stories with him or her. Imagine meeting new and interesting people who will help you get your ham radio license afterwards, or if you are already licensed, your upgrade.

This is what Jamboree On The Air has to offer every October. You can get involved with JOTA in your area by first calling either your Scout council office (or equivalent) or nearby ham radio club and asking if they are planning on hosting JOTA in your area. If they aren't, tell them about Jamboree On The Air and ask them if they would be willing to put together a JOTA program for the community. If they are planning to take part in JOTA, bring along all of your friends, and get ready for a great time.

For those who collect and trade patches, the traditional JOTA patch is available for ordering only within the United States from the Boy Scouts of America. Each patch is $3.25 (plus applicable sales tax) and must be ordered after the event by sending a request and a check to Jamboree On The Air Patches, S221, 1325 West Walnut Hill Ln, PO Box 152079, Irving, TX 75015-2079. You and your friends or fellow scouts will certainly enjoy them for their memories.

I look forward to seeing you on the air during JOTA 2001.

Amateurs and Amateur Radio Clubs Needed for JOTA

JOTA Calling Frequencies
Band	SSB (Voice)	CW (Morse code)
80 meters	3.740/3.940 MHz	3.590 MHz
40 meters	7.270 MHz	7.030 MHz
20 meters	14.290 MHz	14.070 MHz
17 meters	18.140 MHz	18.080 MHz
15 meters	21.360 MHz	21.140 MHz
12 meters	24.960 MHz	24.910 MHz
10 meters	28.390 MHz	28.190 MHz

We all know that Amateur Radio needs more young operators within its ranks. As the average age of radio operators continues to creep upward, it's becoming more and more important to get youth involved in our hobby. Every ham and every ham club should consider this one of their priorities, and JOTA is a perfect opportunity to follow through.

The idea behind JOTA is to give youth a positive experience with ham radio. For this to happen, those young folks need a place to go to get on the air. This is where all hams and especially ham clubs everywhere can play a part.

There's Still Time to Get Ready!

During JOTA 2000, Donald Village, K6PBQ, in San Diego, California, entertained both Boy Scouts and these Girl Scouts at his shack, including these representatives from Girl Scout troop 1025.

Start today (there's still time) to plan a Jamboree On The Air weekend (either one or both days) for the Scouts and youth in your area. Decide on a convenient location for the event, which can either be at your ham shack or your club station--even outdoors. Then begin putting together activities that will be held during JOTA. These activities can include teaching the youth about ham radio, what its uses are for fun and during times of need, letting the participants get on the ham bands to make contacts, showing off satellite operations, transmitter hunts, ATV, APRS and digital modes, and more.

If a Scout leader is on hand, let him sign off Radio merit badge requirements for any Boy scouts on hand, as appropriate. To take it all a step further, offer a weekend ham radio class sometime shortly after JOTA, so those fired-up youth can learn what they need to know to get their own Amateur Radio licenses.

No matter what you or your club decides to do, keep in mind that the youth are looking for nonstop fun and excitement. Try to limit the lengthy lectures, and make sure that the youth are the ones actually getting on the air. You are there to help them make the best of their unique Amateur Radio event and to be a guide. (Remember that international third-party traffic agreements apply when unlicensed individuals speak with individuals in other countries. Visit the ARRL Web site for a list of countries with which the US has a third-party agreement. Step in as needed, but for the most part you can simply sit back and enjoy it along with your young guests. You are watching members of the future generation of ham radio operators have the time of their lives.

The Jackson Amateur Radio Club, Jackson, Mississippi, operated in 1998's JOTA as W5PFC from the Camporee site of the Eastern District, Andrew Jackson Council. The picture shows KC5ZJE at left helping a group of Scouts work other Scouts around the country.

The next step is to promote, promote, promote. Extend an invitation to any young person you know (everyone reading this knows at least one young person). Visit scouting units and other youth groups in your area and tell them about the fun they'll have at JOTA. You may have planned an excellent JOTA program, but nobody will show up without good promotion.

You or your club can obtain an excellent Jamboree On The Air information packet from ARRL. Send a request to JOTA, ARRL Field and Educational Services, 225 Main St, Newington CT, 06111-1494 USA; 860-594-0200; jota@arrl.org. Some of this information is available on the ARRL Web site.

Have Fun During JOTA!

Whether you are a young person looking forward to learning about the wonders of ham radio, or an adult getting ready to host a fun weekend for the youth, have a great time during Jamboree On The Air! Some 400,000 others certainly will.

After JOTA 2001 has come and gone, please send the ARRL any photos and a small report of the fun you and your group had. These go to Jean Wolfgang, WB3IOS, ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 0611; wb3ios@arrl.org. Some of your pictures might show up in a future issue of QST or on the Web site. In addition, I'd enjoy seeing your pictures and notes about your experience and I'll pick one or most to post in next month's Youth@HamRadio.Fun column.

Please e-mail me with your topic ideas and suggestions. I'm eager to have them. Now, I know I promised you a column on preparing a youth forum for your club or hamfest, and I have not forgotten.

Until next time, 73.

Editor's note: ARRL Life Member Brian Mileshosky, N5ZGT, hails from Albuquerque, New Mexico. A 21-year-old senior in electrical engineering at the University of New Mexico, he was the 1999 ARRL Hiram Percy Maxim Award winner as well as the 1997 winner of the Newsline Young Ham of the Year Award. He was first licensed in 1992 at age 12 and holds an Amateur Extra class license. Brian enjoys CW, QRP transmitter hunting, satellite operation, digital modes and, of course, just speaking into the microphone. He's active in the Boy Scouts of America as an assistant scoutmaster and a Vigil Honor member of the Order of the Arrow. Brian welcomes visitors to his Web site. Readers may contact him via e-mail, n5zgt@arrl.net.

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