“Be Prepared” is the Scout Motto. It’s not the slogan. The slogan is, “Do A Good Turn Daily.” The difference is important. Both are important, but it’s hard to do a good turn if you aren’t prepared.
I’ve done the Jamboree On The Air with my kids for the last 2 years. We never really planned anything with a larger group because of my rig and the hassle factor of my shack at the old QTH. But with the addition of my new toy to my collection and my wife taking over my daughter’s Webelos Den and a very old friend of mine being the Cub Master, it seems that my time to shine has come. I’m going to toss the IC-705 and my homebrew battery box into the Jeep and get some kids on the air.
In talking with my buddy, the problems that they have had in the past included JOTA coinciding with a contest or simply being unable to get hold of anyone. There could be nothing worse than teaching a kid about radio and then not having anyone to talk to, so that risk needs to be pulled from the equasion.
Last night, I jumped on the air from my kitchen. Why the kitchen? So I’d know that I had everything I needed and didn’t have something propping me up that wouldn’t be in the field. In the even that I can’t get anyone on HF or for some reason can’t hit a repeater, I will have my Zumspot with me tethered to my iPhone. What does that do? It opens up the world of D-STAR.
We had a lot of fun with JOTA and D-STAR last year. My daughter talked to Scouts in New Mexico, Columbia, and Costa Rica. We’ve talked to Scouts all over the states and in Canada as well. The best part is that REF033A is dedicated to JOTA. So you can make a contact and slide over to another reflector to talk. It’s clear signal and you’re almost guaranteed a contact.
The test from the kitchen to my dad worked well. We’ll have him out at the PCARS club site on the day of the Jamboree to man the HF station (maybe we’ll get him on 40m!) or the repeater. And if that fails, off to D-STAR we go.
And we will be cautious. Masks for all Scouts per the guidelines. Gloves to operate the mic and a good alcohol swabbing between users just to be extra sure. Being outdoors is the key! Gotta keep that air flowing. Hopefully, we’ll have some fun, learn a few things, and make some new friends on the air.