So far, 219 US stations have registered to take part in Scouting’s 2016 Jamboree on the Air (JOTA), which will take place October 14-16. Registration remains open for the 59th annual event. Last year, 400 US stations registered. JOTA officials are asking JOTA 2016 participants not only to register for this year’s event, but to follow up with a post-JOTA report.

“We expect to have several thousand stations around the world signed up by JOTA weekend,” JOTA Coordinator Jim Wilson, K5ND, said in a JOTA-JOTI (Jamboree on the Internet) update. “Make sure you register your station.” Designated Scouting frequencies are on the “Guidelines for Amateur Radio Operators“ page. “Twenty meters is probably the go-to band during the daytime. Try moving off the calling frequency and spreading out while making those QSOs.” Wilson said that in addition to the DX spotting websites, there’s a Scout station spotting cluster.

He also suggested taking advantage of other communication modes, including the dedicated D-Star Scouting reflector 033A, as well as DMR, IRLP with topic channel 9091, and Echolink, with conference node JOTA-365. Doug Crompton, WA3DSP, and Elliott Liggett, W7QED, have set up Allstar node 41760 for JOTA/Scouting conversations, Wilson added. In addition to social media, ScoutLink is an excellent way to connect to Scouts around the world with only an Internet connection, he said.

“Dave Edwards, KD2E, and Andy O’Brien, K3UK, have developed a Scout scheduling page,” Wilson said. “You can use this to post your frequency and to pick up on other stations as well.”

More than 1 million Scouts in 150+ countries — at nearly 18,000 stations — are expected to take part in JOTA 2016, engaging with other Scouts to talk about Amateur Radio and their Scouting experiences. “JOTA is about conversations across town and around the world, rather than about contacts,” Wilson said.