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AE5ME > ARL 19.04.16 05:13l 55 Lines 6583 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 0VE2L9Q21F4Z
Read: GUEST
Subj: ARRL Letter April 14 Part 2 of 4
Path: IW8PGT<IZ3LSV<I0OJJ<N6RME<N0KFQ<AE5ME
Sent: 160419/0106Z 35985@AE5ME.#NEOK.OK.USA.NOAM BPQ1.4.64
Countdown to Jamboree on the Air Under Way, 2016 JOTA Patch Design Introduced
The countdown to the 2016 Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) is under way, and the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) are hoping for a more resounding turnout than last year's for this fall's 59th JOTA. Radio Scouter Don Kunst, W3LNE, told ARRL that the JOTA committee has expanded, along with efforts to get the word out and raise awareness of JOTA through news and social media outlets. In addition, he said, the JOTA organizers will be making it easier for participants to register and to file their post-JOTA activity reports. JOTA introduced its 2016 patch earlier this year.
"We've got a lot of things in the pipeline," Kunst said, adding that he's been working closely with National JOTA Organizer Jim Wilson, K5ND, and with the international Scouting organization during the run-up to the October 14-17 event. Kunst is looking forward to a more prominent presence for JOTA and Radio Scouting at Dayton Hamvention®, where he plans to also take part in a couple of Amateur Radio-related webcasts. Kunst said the JOTA-Radio Scouting booth will be a part of ARRL EXPO at Hamvention.
JOTA is the largest Scouting event in the world. In a typical year more than 1 million Scouts participate from some 11,000 stations in 150+ countries. The annual Radio Scouting event uses Amateur Radio to link Scouts around the world. Held each year on the third full weekend in October, the worldwide jamboree involves the cooperation of radio amateurs and clubs willing to make a ham shack and control operator available for local Scouts to participate.
Radio Scouter Don Kunst, W3LNE (left), discusses the Boy Scouts' ham radio programs with new ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, at Orlando HamCation 2016. [Rick Lindquist, WW1ME, photo]
"It's actually pretty close," Kunst said in stressing the increasing urgency of JOTA 2016 preparations. He told ARRL that he will be doing more "how-to" articles regarding JOTA to help boost participation from last year and, he said, "to help people feel more comfortable in promoting the event" locally. "Obviously, at the national level, we can't run the event. All we can really do is be a resource and a clearing house of information," Kunst said.
In 2015, the BSA reported that JOTA participation by Scouts was down for the third straight year, dipping by 8 percent from 2014, although the number of registered stations and station reports last fall remained about the same. The BSA said 12,255 Scouts and visitors took part in JOTA 2015. Getting participating stations to file post-JOTA activity reports was a problem in 2015, with only 60 percent of registered stations doing so. The 346 total stations registered for JOTA 2015 represented a slight improvement from 2014, however.
The Scouts have blamed the depressed statistics on persistent challenges from propagation, other operating events, a lack of council involvement, and a failure to get information to those needing it.
"ARRL The Doctor is In" Podcast Guide Now Available
ARRL has posted a new guide, "Find a 'Doctor' Near You" to help "ARRL The Doctor is In" visitors to locate, download, and enjoy the popular podcast. The inaugural episode on HF Verticals remains available. "ARRL The Doctor is In" is sponsored by DX Engineering.
"ARRL The Doctor is In" is a lively discussion of all things technical. Listen on your computer, tablet, or smartphone -- whenever and wherever you like! Every 2 weeks your host, QST Editor in Chief Steve Ford, WB8IMY, and the Doctor himself, Joel Hallas, W1ZR, will discuss a broad range of technical topics. E-mail your questions to doctor@arrl.org, and they may be answered in a future podcast.
"Does CW Really Get Through When Nothing Else Can?" will be the topic of the next "ARRL The Doctor is In" audio podcast, available on April 21.
Enjoy "ARRL The Doctor is In" on Apple iTunes or on Stitcher (sign in or use as a guest). You can also listen to the current episode on Blubrry.
Podcast episodes will be archived on the ARRL website.
National Parks on the Air Update
On Saturday, April 9, the first EME (moonbounce) contacts in the ARRL National Parks on the Air event (NPOTA) were made from Lake Dardanelle State Park in Arkansas, which counts for the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail. The two operators, Dennis Schaefer, W5RZ, and George Cotton, WB5JJJ, set up near the lake and ran 50 W into a K1FO design 22 element Yagi on 432 MHz, using JT65B digital mode. Power was supplied by eight sealed lead-acid batteries. They worked four European stations -- DK3WG, OK1DFC, HB9Q, and DL7APV. "I've planned this for a couple of months, so it was gratifying to see it work!" said Schaefer.
National Parks Week is April 16-24, and World Amateur Radio Day is April 18. Listen for NPOTA activity from 71 different activations during the week of April 14-20, including Sequoia National Park (NP50) in California, and Russell Cave National Monument (M64) in Alabama.
Details about these and other upcoming activations are on the NPOTA Activations calendar.
Keep up with the latest NPOTA news on Facebook. Follow NPOTA on Twitter (@ARRL_NPOTA).
Ad
ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology Application Deadline is May 1
Time is running short to apply for a spot in the ARRL Teachers Institute this summer. Now in its 13th year, the Teachers Institute is an intensive expenses paid professional development opportunity for educators who want to receive training and resources to explore wireless technology in the classroom. The deadline to apply is May 1.
ARRL Teachers Institute Instructor Tommy Gober, N5DUX (holding antenna), demonstrates Amateur Radio satellites to members of a class in 2014.
Topics at the Introduction to Wireless Technology (TI-1) course include basic electronics, radio science, microcontroller programming, and basic robotics. The advanced Teachers Institute on Remote Sensing and Data Gathering (TI-2) is available to those who have completed TI-1.
Visit the ARRL Teachers Institute web page for more details and to download an application.
The article "ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology," in the March QST offers a schedule and more information on the courses.
Read the article "Amateur Radio in the STEM Classroom," by Edith Lennon on page 11 of the April issue of Tech Directions to learn what other ARRL Teachers Institute participants have initiated in their classrooms.
Contact ARRL Education Services Manager Debra Johnson, K1DMJ, with questions or to request a brochure. Spaces are limited! Apply now!
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