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By Brian Mileshosky, N5ZGT
September 20, 2000
This month we introduce Brian Mileshosky, N5ZGT, who will be contributing a column focusing on activities and personalities within the younger generations of Amateur Radio.
I'm honored and privileged to author this Web column. What you will find here is information about various activities that the youth of Amateur Radio can participate in, profiles of young Amateurs, opportunities to promote our hobby to youth, and more! Its purpose is to motivate, promote Amateur Radio, and, I hope, inspire young people who already are or aspire to be a part of this awesome hobby.
This is your column too, so please contact me with your ideas and suggestions at n5zgt@arrl.net. I want your help in coming up with future topics, so share your ideas. Tell me about the group of young amateurs you work with. Tell me how your Jamboree On the Air effort went. Send me details about that new and exciting way to interest young people to join our ranks. I'll do my best to include everybody's ideas and stories.
While I've got a busy schedule in college, I'll also make every effort to respond to all correspondence.
 |
Jamboree On The Air 2000--Are you Participating?
I remain very involved in the Boy Scouts of America and the Scout's Order of the Arrow. I will be part of the K2BSA staff at the 2001 National Jamboree at Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia, where Amateur Radio will be present in front of more than 40,000 Scouts and Scouters from around the world! So my introductory column will focus on Scouting's Jamboree On The Air--or JOTA.
Every October, more than 200,000 Scouts and Scouters of all types (we're talking Boy Scout and Girl Scouts here) take to the amateur bands to meet on the air, exchange ideas and make new friends. During this event, young people from all parts of the world are able to experience the magic of wireless communication through our hobby. Some will become licensed themselves as a result of this exposure and experience. Others will be sure to participate the following October. But one thing is for sure--everyone will have a great time!
Jamboree On the Air takes place the third weekend in October--the year that's October 21-22. The event starts at 0001 local time on October 21 and ends at 2359 local time on October 22. Sponsored by the World Organization of the Scout Movement, the ARRL and many other Scout groups and Amateur Radio clubs, JOTA is the largest of all on-air activity for youth.
But there's a missing piece of the puzzle that has to be put in place for the opportunity to afford that enjoyment and magic to a group of young people to be possible. That missing piece is you!
Here is how it works: Various Amateur Radio operators and ham clubs around the world plan to host groups of Scouts/Scouters--or any young person, for that matter, whether involved in Scouting or not--and show them what ham radio is all about. The Scouts/Scouters will get on the air--with the guidance of the licensed control operator, of course--and maybe try Morse code, learn about the importance of Amateur Radio, work on their Radio merit badge, or participate in any other activity the host has planned.
| Important legal point: While there's no problem with unlicensed operators, such as your Scout visitors, working or talking over the air with other US stations and their Scout visitors, US licensees who host JOTA visitors should be careful to comply with existing third-party traffic agreements when on the air. It is not legal for unlicensed third parties to communicate on the air with amateurs or with other unlicensed third parties at amateur stations without a third-party traffic agreement in place. In general, most European countries do not have third-party traffic agreements with the US, but many South American and some African and Caribbean nations do. US stations may pass third-party traffic with UK special event stations having GB prefixes (GB3 excluded). For a list of countries with third-party traffic agreements with the US, see the International Third Party Traffic page on ARRLWeb. |
Does your local/area Amateur Radio club have plans to host a group of Scouts during JOTA? How about you? If not, please make an effort to get involved or to get your club involved. Excellent information, hints and tips are available free from the ARRL to help you and your club create an excellent impression on those potential new amateurs.
I'd like to share some of my thoughts and ideas as well:
That's a Wrap
So there you have it. If you would like to order a JOTA kit containing brochures and, fliers and project sheets, visit the ARRL Web, check out the article on JOTA on page 48 of the September issue of QST, and start planning your very own JOTA activities in your area. Also, be sure to send a short report and photos from your JOTA activity to Jean Wolfgang, WB3IOS, ARRL HQ, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111; wb3ios@arrl.org. Who knows? You could be in the QST JOTA writeup next year.
| JOTA Scout Frequencies (in MHz) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Band | SSB (phone) | CW (Morse) |
| 80 | 3.7401 and 3.940 | 3.590 |
| 40 | 7.0901 and 7.2902 | 7.030 |
| 20 | 14.290 | 14.0703 |
| 17 | 18.140 | 18.080 |
| 15 | 21.360 | 21.140 |
| 12 | 24.960 | 24.910 |
| 10 | 28.3904 | 28.190 |
1Not authorized in the United States (Region 2); however, you may listen or work split-frequency if the DX station indicates it is listening in the US phone band.
2While 7.290 MHz is the "official" JOTA calling frequency, US JOTA participants are advised to use 7.270 MHz to avoid AM activity on 7.290 MHz.
314.070 MHz has become the unofficial gathering place for PSK31 activity on 20 meters; JOTA operators may want to shift 5 kHz down to avoid causing QRM.
4This frequency allows US Novice ops to participate in JOTA on phone.
Editor's note: Brian Mileshosky, N5ZGT, hails from Albuquerque, New Mexico. A 20-year-old senior in electrical engineering at the University of New Mexico, Brian was the 1999 ARRL Hiram Percy Maxim Award winner. He was first licensed in 1992 at age 12, hold a General license and now is studying for his Amateur Extra ticket. "I love Amateur Radio, and wish I could have gotten into the hobby sooner," he says. Brian enjoys many of the activities afforded by Amateur Radio, including CW, QRP CW, transmitter hunting, satellite operation, some digital modes, and, of course, just speaking into the microphone. Brian authored the Youth Forum column for Worldradio magazine for three years. He's an active brother of the Kappa Sigma fraternity. Brian welcomes visitors to his Web site at http://www.swcp.com/~n5zgt.
