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On the weekend of Oct. 16 and 17, the Atchafalaya Amateur DX Association will be participating in Jamboree on the Air.  Scouts from around the Morgan City area will converge upon Kemper Williams Park to communicate with fellow scouts from around the world!
 

What is JOTA?

When Scouts want to meet young people from another country, they usually think of attending a World Jamboree.  But few people realize that each year more than 400,000 Scouts and Guides "get together" over the airwaves for the annual Jamboree-on-the-Air (JOTA).  Modern technology offers Scouts the exciting opportunity to make friends in other countries without leaving home.

JOTA is an annual event in which Boy and Girl Scouts and Guides from all over the world speak to each other by means of Amateur (ham) Radio.  Scouting experiences are exchanged and ideas are shared via radio waves.  Since 1958 when the first Jamboree-on-the-Air was held, millions of Scouts have met each other through this event.  Many contacts made during JOTA have resulted in pen pals and links between Scout troops that have lasted many years.

With no restrictions on age or on the number of participants, and at little or no expense, JOTA allows Scouts to contact each other by ham radio. The radio stations are operated by licensed ham radio operators.  Many Scouts and leaders hold licenses and have their own stations, but the majority participate in JOTA through stations operated by local radio clubs and individual radio amateurs.  Some operators use television or computer-linked communications.
 
 

HB9S

The World Scout Bureau operates its own Amateur Radio station, with the call sign HB9S.  There is a permanent radio room in the Bureau's Geneva offices, and the station is regularly on the air during Scout nets and JOTA weekends.  Transmitters are on the 10/15/20 meter, 160/80/40 meter and (in the Geneva area) the 440/2 meter bands.  Making contact with HB9S requires patience, as many stations call at the same time.  Please follow instructions given by the operators and do not interfere with on-going contacts.  They speak in as many languages as possible.
 
 

Scout Station Call Signs

Each licensed Amateur Radio station has a unique identifier known as a "call sign." The first letters specify the country. Here are call signs of well-known stations that can often be contacted:

HB9S -- World Scout Bureau, Geneva Switzerland

K2BSA -- Boy Scouts of America National Office, Dallas TX

JA1YSS -- Boy Scouts of Nippon National Office, Tokyo Japan

PA6JAM -- Scouting Nederland National Station, Sassenheim Netherlands

5Z4KSA -- The Kenya Scouts Assoc. Paxtu Station, Nyeri Kenya

VK1BP -- The Scout Assn. of Australia National Station, Canberra Australia

GB2GP -- The Scout Assn., Gilwell Park, London UK

XE1ASM -- Boy Scouts of Mexico

 DU1BSP -- Boy Scouts of Philippines

TF3JAM -- Scouts of Iceland
 
 

World Scout Frequencies

 

Band	SSB (phone)	CW (Morse code)
80 meters	3.740 / 3.940 MHz	3.590 MHz
40 meters	7.090 / 7.290-Region 2	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	* 28.990 MHz	28.190 MHz

* Note: On 10 meters, try 28.350 MHz (phone), where US "Novice" class licensees may participate.