On Saturday, 20 October 2007, the Green Valley Amateur Radio Club participated in the 50th annual Boy Scouts Jamboree on the Air. GVARC's portion of the event was held at the site of the Tucson Hamfest, put on by the Old Pueblo RC and Radio Society of Tucson.
The 19 October 2007 ARRL Letter (reproduced in part below) describes what JOTA is all about:
"Jamboree on the Air will celebrate its 50th year this weekend when it gets on the air October 19-21. Normally a 48 hour event, this year's JOTA will be 50 hours long in recognition of the anniversary. The fun begins at 2200 (local time) October 19 and ends at midnight (local time) October 21.
"An on-the-air operating event sponsored by
the World Scout Bureau, JOTA was founded in 1958 by Les Mitchell, G3BHK. It has
grown to become the largest international Scout event. More tha
n
half a million Scouts and Guides in more than 100 countries participate in JOTA,
involving as many as 10,000 Amateur Radio stations. The
event relies on the Amateur Radio community and local hams for its success.
Getting Boy and Girl Scouts (including Cubs and Brownies) on the air to talk
with other Scouts around the world provides a great opportunity to
expose youth to Amateur Radio.
"Some troops and clubs team up to make a big splash with lots of activities, radios and antennas, offering a variety of modes to experience. For others, JOTA provides an opportunity to coach a smaller group of Scouts and to just have fun talking on the radio. Scouts usually enjoy communicating by speaking into a microphone, but some radio amateurs are able to provide other modes, such as slow-scan TV or amateur TV, satellites, packet radio, RTTY or even EME!
"For more information on the 2007 Jamboree on the Air, please visit the ARRL JOTA Web site http://www.arrl.org/scouts/jota/ where you can find general rules, suggested exchanges and recommended frequencies. There will also be a place on the ARRL Web site to tell your JOTA stories at http://www.arrl.org/scouts/jota/Stories/."
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 26, No. 42
October 19, 2007
GCARC members arrived early in the day to set up operating positions on HF and 2 meters...
Bob, AD7FQ
Gene, WØKAD
Ron, AA7RP
Jack, AD7NK
set begin the
antenna setup
Ron, AA7RP and
Gene, WØKAD
continuing
antenna work
Lloyd, N7GV
setting up
2 meter antenna
Handouts
for visitors
And of course,
coffee and donuts
provided by the
Old Pueblo RC
and
Radio Society
of Tucson!
Thank you to all who helped make this event a success!