38th Jamboree-On-The-Air, 21 - 22 October 1995.

This is a final reminder that the 38th JOTA will be held over the weekend of 21 and 22 October 1995.

Details of the JOTA organization were already published in our first JOTA circular 10/95, issued in May 1995. [Note: available in the Scouts-L archives on internet under JOTA 1CIRC95]. Please read this circular again and check it for important details. The current circular contains some last-minute information.

The JOTA is a world-wide event. Units may operate for 48 hours, from Saturday 00.00 h until Sunday 24.00 h local time. Due to the world's time differences, this period is not the same for everyone. To determine the times at which you can most likely contact a certain part of the world, calculate the time difference and ask your amateur radio operator about the radio propagation prediction (a sort of weather forecast for radio waves).

Members of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) are kindly invited to take part in the JOTA and enjoy this international event together with the Scouts.

UN50 programme

The United Nations celebrate their 50th Anniversary this year. Several activities will be organised to commemorate this anniversary. The official anniversary date is October 24, two days after the JOTA. As you know, the World Organisation of the Scout Movement (WOSM) cooperates with several UN agencies on various issues and in different parts of the world. The following activities are organised for the 38th JOTA to commemorate the UN 50th anniversary:

HB9S, the World Bureau's station, will transmit a message from UN Secretary General Butros Gali and/or other officials. Exact transmission times and frequencies are indicated below.
A set of projects is offered to all scouts taking part in the JOTA. Details were already presented in the May JOTA circular, no 10/95. The results of these projects can be presented to the National UN50 Committee in each country on the official celebration day October 24th.

JOTA badge

A cloth badge with the new Radio-Scouting logo has been produced. It was introduced at the World Jamboree. The badge can now be ordered via your National Scout Shop. The World Bureau's order number is 91211

HB9S activities.

The World Scout Bureau's radio station HB9S will operate from Geneva, most of the Saturday and Sunday, with short breaks during the night. Transmitters will be on the air simultaneously on the 10/15/20 metre, 160/80/40 metre and 0.7/2 metre bands. The station manager Yves Margot, HB9AOF, will be assisted by Richard Middelkoop, PA3BAR, World Bureau staff members and an international team of scout radio amateurs. HB9S will transmit a JOTA message delivered by UN Secretary General Mr. Butros Gali and/or other officials, according to the following schedule on Saturday 21 October:

   14.290 MHz      09.00 GMT
   14.290 MHz      14.00 GMT
   07.090 MHz      14.15 GMT
   14.290 MHz      18.00 GMT

Making a contact with HB9S takes some patience in practice. Usually many stations are calling at the same time. Please follow the instructions given by the operators and do not interfere with on-going contacts. The operators will do the best they can to make contact with scout stations world-wide and speak to scouts in as many languages as possible.

JOTA goes digital.

Communication via computers increases in popularity and importance in today's society in many countries. The Jamboree On The Air is the annual communication weekend of the World Organization of the Scout Movement. What better occasion to try a new experiment with computer communications. The idea is as follows.

There are 2 different networks available for digital communications via computers during the 38th JOTA.

Internet, an international network operating via telephone lines to which many other data networks are connected. The possiblitities that internet can offer to scouts have been described in some detail in the latest World JOTA Report. The use of internet does NOT require an amateur radio licence, merely a connection to the telephone network.
Packet-radio, an international network set up by radio amateurs using radio links to connect nodes in the network. Since data is transmitted by radio, the use of this network DOES require an amateur radio licence.

What you have to do is the following:

Connect a personal computer to one of these networks. Your radio operator can assist with technical matters where needed.
Switch to the "conversation" mode. This is sometimes called "Chat", "IRC" or "Convers". Now you can talk to whoever is on the same channel at that time. Use a channel identified as "scouting" or "JOTA".
Find about 4 or 5 other scout groups on this channel who would like to form a "Digital working group" with you. Scouts from at least 3 different countries are needed. Think of an original name for your group. Collect all electronic addresses of your group members.
Select a discussion topic of the UN50 projects list that was published in the May JOTA circular no. 10/95.
Discuss this topic with your group members by using private electronic mail. This means you only send messages to your group members.
Make a summary of the results.
Send this summary, along with the name of your Digital working group, via electronic mail to the World Scout Bureau in Geneva. The address is for internet: worldbureau@scout.gn.apc.org for packet: HB9AOF @ HB9IAP. The best summaries may be used for presentation to the United Nations at the anniversary celebrations directly after the JOTA. The summaries will also be included in the World JOTA Report which will be published after the event.

National JOTA Reports.

JOTA organizers are requested to send a report to the World Scout Bureau soon after the event. Enclosed with this circular is the report form for the 38th JOTA. It is intended for use by the National JOTA Organizer (NJO) but it may be used also by individual units if a country has no NJO.

What is a good report?

A National JOTA Report gives an impression of what the JOTA was like in your country. It contains ideas and comments, suggestions for future programmes and describes the most important and interesting contacts that were made. A summary of it will be published in the World JOTA Report, so others may benefit from it. The figures that are requested on the report form will be used to compile some statistics. A reasonable estimate would be appreciated if they cannot be specified accurately. Please take a few moments to fill out this report form and feel free to include any other information on separate papers. The World Report editor would very much appreciate it if you could send your additional report text in English on a computer disk. You may use any MS-DOS or Macintosh formatted disk with the text in ASCII format or formatted according to any popular word processor, like Wordperfect, MS-Word, Wordstar or similar. Send your report to the World Scout Bureau before the 31st of December 1995 ! !

4th European Radio-Scouting Seminar.

The fourth Radio-Scouting Seminar for National JOTA Organizers in the European Region takes place 19 - 21 April 1996, at Gilwell Park in the United Kingdom. Mark your diary. For further information contact the European Regional Office in Brussels.

Last-minute information.

This circular is the last information you receive before the JOTA weekend. If there is any last-minute information of general interest, it will be distributed electronically. Check the SCOUTS@WW directory of your local packet-radio bbs and the SCOUTS-L mailing list on internet.

Finally.

The JOTA is an excellent opportunity to meet Scouts, Guides and others from many countries. Exchange ideas, learn about other cultures and habits and make new friends. This year's JOTA provides the opportunity for an interesting weekend programme. I hope that this Jamboree On The Air will once again give its participants the experience of the International Brotherhood of World Scouting and will contribute to mutual understanding and respect. I wish you all a most enjoyable weekend.

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