JOTA Jamboree On The Air Introduction for Scouts and Radio Amateurs Rainer Lüthje Translated by [email protected] Peter Thiem DL9RT [email protected] Table of Contents 1. Foreword…………………………………………………………………. 3 2. What does JOTA mean and what are the goals.............................. 4 3. When will JOTA take place ?………………………………………… 5 4. Governing Regulations…………………………………………………. 6 5. Call Sign and Prefix……………………………………………………. 7 6. A selection of Country Codes (Prefix of call signs)………………… 8 7. Q Abbreviations………………..………………………….................... 9 8. The Most Common Abbreviations…………………………………… 10 9. J-Code for Scouts….……………………………………………….. 11 10. The QSO………………………………………………………............ 12 11. The RST System……………………………………………………… 13 12. International Phonetic Alphabet……………………………………. 14 13. The QSL Card……………………………………………................... 15 14. SWL (Short-Wave-Listener)…………………………………………… 16 15. Morse-Code………………………………………………………………. 17 16. Fox Hunting……………………………..…………………………….. 18 17. The Log-Book……………………..…………………………………… 19 18. The Amateur Radio License…………………………………………. 20 19. The World-Time Zones.………………………………………………. 21 20. The I.T.U. Zones……………………………………………………… 22 21. Sequence of a JOTA Activity………………………………………… 23 22. Modes and Scout Frequencies……….…………………………….. 24 23. Wireless-Scouting/Radio–Scouting…...………………………….. 27 24. Scout.Main stations Worldwide……………………………………… 28 25. JOTA/Scout-Station Regional Councils..………………………….. 30 Africa, Caribbien, Europa, South America, North America, Asia, South East Asia 26. Radio Amateur Societies Worldwide………………………………...... 41 27. Visions…………………………………………………………………. 70 Page 2 Version Europe 1.0 English © Copyright Klaus Tegeder, Magon Sǿrensen, Marco Landsberger, Rainer Lüthje Preface The World Federation of Independent Scouts (WFIS) was started in Laubach (Germany) in 1996. The goal was to create a Federation for Scouts who are not members of another world organisation and bring them together in different international activities. The WFIS is a federation, that gives way to independent scouts what they need for their self- image, a platform for meetings, exchange, finding contacts, finding and discussing common goals at different activities such as jamborees, workshops, Wood beads training and camps. The World Federation of Independent Scouts offers a great variety: many colours, different appearances, different customs and ways of life, different songs, varying opinion but with one aim: being a scout according to Baden Powell and live according to law and promise and the demand for mutual tolerance. If you want to know more about WFIS-Europe, please contact one of the members of the committee. If you want to learn more on WFIS-Europe get in touch with a member of the managing committee of WFIS. Scouts are a living example of partnership and solidarity at international meetings although it is not possible for every scout group or every scout to participate in international meetings or even to take part in every four years world meeting - the Jamboree. Anyhow, there is the possibility for every division to get in contact by radio with scouts all over the world, to exchange experiences and make friends with other scouts. Perhaps you have heard of amateur radio. Usually you will have had a wrong understanding of that or will have thought it is only a hobby for an exclusive group of very gifted people. The truth is that not everybody can sit in front of a transmitter and get in contact with people all over the world. To do so you will everywhere need permission by national authorities - in Germany it is the "Bundesnetzagentur". This permission (radio amateur license) you will get after having passed a special test. There are many possibilities for every scout to include this hobby in her/his work and to develop something fascinating. This handbook will give you information and encouragement. It will be of interest for both, scouts and radio hams. More actual information will be found on WFIS-Worldwide.org. WFIS president Klaus Tegeder e-mail: [email protected] Page 3 Version Europe 1.0 English © Copyright Klaus Tegeder, Magon Sǿrensen, Marco Landsberger, Rainer Lüthje What does JOTA mean and what are the goals? Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) offers scouts the possibility to get worldwide in radio contact with other scouts without spending much money or time - by amateur radio. Together with radio hams and their equipment and antennas it is possible for scouts to get worldwide in contact with other scouts - depending on operating mode - either by talking, writing or even picture-exchange. These contacts very often lead to border crossing friendship. With the appropriate short-wave equipment and fitting antennas there is no problem to get in contact with scouts in the USA, Brazil, Africa or even Australia and Asia. With VHF equipment you can talk to regional areas. The only problem is, that only a few scout groups in Germany have their own equipment or even the necessary licenses. This problem can easily be solved, if you get in contact with local radio hams and ask them to participate with their equipment. Nearly every ham will accept if he has got time and the equipment, otherwise he will ask another ham to help. If there is no nearby living ham known to the scouts he can ask the national Radio Society or the scout society (more information in appendix). JOTA is not a contest to get in contact with many different scout stations in many different countries, it is an informal getting-together using radio. Everybody can switch on or off whenever he wants. It is not enough to find a radio ham and arrange a date and then wait and see what happens. To have pleasure and to understand what will happen, it is necessary in advance to learn about radio contacts and to prepare oneself. At the same time JOTA will take place in the internet. Page 4 Version Europe 1.0 English © Copyright Klaus Tegeder, Magon Sǿrensen, Marco Landsberger, Rainer Lüthje Wenn will JOTA take place JOTA takes place every year. On the third weekend in October. Example Germany 17th to 18th October 2009 16th to 17th October 2010 Start is always at 00:01 local time Stop is 23:59 local time. Radio hams normally use UTC - Universal Time Coordinated For JOTA local time is used to get in contact with different local areas. Looking at the world-time-zones map you can find out which scout groups already have started. Beispiel für Europa; Festlegung der nationalstaatlichen Zeiten in Bezug zur UTC. Page 5 Version Europe 1.0 English © Copyright Klaus Tegeder, Magon Sǿrensen, Marco Landsberger, Rainer Lüthje Governing Regulations To keep radio traffic out of chaos, there are international regulations published by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The different services like broadcasting, aviation, security, taxies and so on have to work within certain frequency ranges which have strictly to be kept in. After having passed an examination every radio ham gets his personal license and call sign. The call sign is only once issued world wide and so you can find out whom you are talking to. You also can find out more information by using an international list of call signs, that means name and address. Under special conditions even people without a license can work a radio amateur station. Using a special call and under supervision of a licensed radio ham even scouts can use a radio amateur station. Every contact is written down in a call book by the ham. This information is needed for qsl cards and also for diplomas. In many countries radio hams are bound to keep a call book. You can work with small radio equipment, it is not necessary to use huge radio equipment. Page 6 Version Europe 1.0 English © Copyright Klaus Tegeder, Magon Sǿrensen, Marco Landsberger, Rainer Lüthje Call Sign and Prefix Every call sign is made up of a prefix which identifies the country the ham lives in and a suffix that is a personal identifier. Call sign DL 5 LBR Prefix: DL ► German Suffix: 5LBR ► <personal identifier Call sign OZ 7 GR Prefix: OZ ► Danemark Suffix: 7GR ► Personal identifier The call sign shows every ham which radio station calls from which country and asks for a contact (QSO). Page 7 Version Europe 1.0 English © Copyright Klaus Tegeder, Magon Sǿrensen, Marco Landsberger, Rainer Lüthje A selection of Country Codes (Prefix of call signs) Europe Africa 3A Monaco 3V Tunisia 9A Croatia 5A Libya 9H Malta 5V Togo DA-DR Fed. Rep. of Germany 9I-9J Zambia EA-EH Spain CN Morocco EI-EJ Ireland SU Egypt ES Estonia ZR-ZU South Africa F France G, GX, M England Oceania GD, GT, MD Isle of Man VK Australia GM, GS,MM Scotland ZL-ZM New Zealand HA, HG Hungary HB Switzerland OE Austria ON-OT Belgium OZ Denmark SA-SM Sweden America CA-CE Chile CP Bolivia PP-PY Brazil K, W, N, AA-AK United States of America VE, VO, VY Canada XY-XI Mexico YS, HU El Salvador Asia 4X, 4Z Israel A4 Oman AP Pakistan B China EP-EQ Iran JA-JS Japan VU India XU Cambodia YA Afghanistan Page 8 Version Europe 1.0 English © Copyright Klaus Tegeder, Magon Sǿrensen, Marco Landsberger, Rainer Lüthje Q-Abbreviations When using Morse code there are a number of internationally accepted abbreviations, which shorten traffic and which everybody, no matter what his mother tongue is, understands them. Even on phone these abbreviations are used by habit. They save space and time when writing a SMS if the receiver does understand them. The q abbreviations are used as well in air traffic as in ship-traffic and weather-traffic. They always are formed by three letters and always start with the letter q, every abbreviation can take the form of a question when each is followed by a question mark. QRA The name of my station is ______ QRG Your exact frequency is _____ kHz. QRH Your frequency varies. QRI The tone of your transmission is _____ (1.