Jamboree on the Air Satellite Success

Lee McLamb, KU4OS, reported that Troop 393 in Merritt Island, FL had an excellent time working the satellites at station W4J during the Saturday, October 15 International Scouting Jamboree on the Air.

Lee wrote, "We made 11 contacts on SO-50 and AO-51. Two Scouts also got to talk with Commander William McArthur who was calling CQ JOTA from NA1SS which resulted in a lot of whooping and jumping around after each ISS pass."

Helping the Scouts with the satellites at W4J were Don AG4FC, George KF4XB and Lee KU4OS. We kept things very simple using HTs, Arrow or home brew antennas and a 2m rig in the car with a 1/4 wave whip.

Emily Clarke, W0EEC, was staffing the AMSAT booth at the Pacificon Hamfest, and invited the JOTA Scouts to use the satellite station. Several came over, but only one took the microphone. Scout Matthew made contacts on AO-51. He and his parents were so excited they came back and Matthew again took the microphone on VO-52.

This was the first time we were in a position to have JOTA on Sats, so we learned that a) kids are shy and b) they aren't as spontaneous as we are. Matt was very cool and his parents were very excited.

The ARRL Letter included JOTA reports via ISS from KD4SFF, KB9UPS, and N5VHO. Al, KD4SFF ("scouting for fun"), worked NA1SS while waiting for scouts to arrive at his JOTA operation at Paris Mountain State Park in Greenville, South Carolina. Commander Bill McArthur, aboard the ISS,
obliged KD4SFF by sending his greetings to all scouts.

"Greeting to all the scouts worldwide. It's a thrill for us today to be participating in JOTA!" McArthur said from orbit.

Al, who is the South Carolina AMSAT Area Coordinator, says he recorded his QSO and replayed it to his scout group as well as to others he contacted during JOTA. "Everyone was thrilled to hear Bill's message from the ISS!" he said.

Steve, KB9UPS, was among the others lucky enough to snag a contact with NA1SS during JOTA weekend. Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Ham Radio Project Engineer Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO, said McArthur's JOTA participation "wowed scouts and other hams." Among others, NA1SS also worked stations in Ontario, Virginia, New York and Texas.

Ransom said he heard McArthur work special event station W4J on the second pass over the central part of North America.

ANS looks forward to publishing other JOTA success stories. Send your report to ans-editor@amsat.org and we will publish it here.

[ANS thanks Lee, KU4OS, and Emily, W0EEC, and the ARRL Letter for the above information]

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