Jamboree On The Air (JOTA) 2015
- Volunteers Wanted: Goshen, Madison and Home

Interested in helping introduce young people to Amateur Radio… while being part of a worldwide operating event?
GREAT!
Plan to set aside some time on Oct 17th ( 3rd Weekend of October) to take part in JOTA – the Jamboree On The Air.

Amateur Radio Delivers the Largest Scouting Event in the World.

How Big is It?
Last year, JOTA 2014 saw:
- Over 1.3 MILLON Scouts and Girl Guides get on the air
- 157 countries represented
– Over 11 THOUSAND Stations participating
- Supported by nearly 20 THOUSAND Amateur Radio Operators.

What is It?
It is a full weekend of activation from dedicated sites around the world or it involves hams setting up stations at local campouts, ranging from supporting a Troop of a dozen Scouts or even thousands of Scouts present.

Does It Have an Impact?
It is often a Scout’s first exposure to amateur radio and getting On-The-Air. One parent commented:
“My thanks for hosting JOTA. It was so much fun for my son that he spent most of dinner talking about it. In fact, he now wants to become a licensed operator… This is exactly the sort of thing I want him to learn through Scouting”.

Other benefits to consider:
The Scouts you introduce to Amateur Radio might be future members of the local Zoning Board or Homeowners Association that is considering your application to put up a tower. It’s good to take any opportunity to influence youth to consider the hobby, explore a technology vocation, or just to let them know how valuable amateur radio is to their community.

The Scouting Fall Camporee
As is the case in many Boy Scout Councils, the annual District/Council Fall Camporees regularly coincide with the JOTA event. These Fall Camporees typically expect 200 - 300 attendees.

Last year (2014) we brought a full team of Hams to run 5 JOTA stations at the Fall Camporee at Camp Pomperaug in Union, CT. This camp is located at the east end of I-84, on the MA border.

This year, I have had a request from the Housatonic Council bring JOTA 2015 their Council camp in Goshen, CT . This camp is located west of Torrington and just north of the Goshen Traffic Circle.

The theme for the Fall Camporee in Goshen is, “The 10 Essentials”. I have already spoken with the organizers of this event and discovered that JOTA 2015 will be an excellent complement to the Flashlight Morse Code activity they are running.

With the number of scouts expected to attend, the schedule of activities and patrol movements, I figure that we need to set-up and support 3 primary JOTA stations (20m, 40m, 144/440 MHz).

FLASH!
Just got a request from a Cob Scout Pack in Madison!

VOLUNTEERS – 3 Teams
Right now, I am looking for THREE TEAMS of volunteers for this event:

[bTEAM #1: "The “Goshen Team”[/b]
Mission
a) Get Scouts On-The-Air making contacts
b) Share the highlights of Amateur Radio
c) Hand out brochures.

Schedule
On Saturday, Oct. 17th, the Away Team will
- Arrive at camp by 0645.
- Set up radios and antennas, and be ready to operate by 0830.
- Take down, pack up, and depart by 1630.

TEAM #2: "The "Madison Team"
- Similar to Goshen, but much smaller scale with a Cub Scout Pack in Madison

TEAM #3: The ”Home Team”
The Team will stay at home, monitor the bands, and provide contacts for Scouts in Goshen, Madison, and elsewhere over the weekend, as their schedule permits.

TIME IS GETTING SHORT
We are just over ONE WEEK away from this event.
Please contact me ASAP at this email address
connecticutSYC "AT" gmail "DIT" com

And, let me know which Team (AWAY or HOME) you want to be on.

Thank you.

73, Douglas WA1SFH
CT Section Youth Coordinator
connecticutSYC "AT" gmail "DIT" com