Scouting's 2014 Jamboree On The Air (JOTA) is set for the October 18-19 weekend. The annual event links Scouts and Guides around the world via Amateur Radio each third weekend of October. According to the World Scout Bureau, JOTA is the largest Scouting event in the world, with nearly 750,000 Scouts participating from 6000 stations in 150 countries around the world. Scouts of any age can participate, from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts and Venture crew members. Not a contest, JOTA’s goal is to foster Scout-to-Scout communication across borders and oceans.

“The idea is to contact other Scout stations and allow as many Scouts as possible to talk to other Scouts and learn about who they are and what they are doing,” the Boy Scouts of America says in its JOTA guidelines, which offer suggested frequencies.

On-the-air exchanges typically include such information as name, location, Scout rank, age, and hobbies, but the conversation can certainly go beyond that. Amateur Radio licensees should be aware that international third-party traffic agreements may prohibit direct person-to-person communication between unlicensed individuals in certain other countries. In those cases, the station control operator may serve as an intermediary.

Licensed mentors often open their stations to Scouts on JOTA weekend, serving as control operators. Radio operation will be on 80 through 6 meters, all modes, and 2 meters and 70 centimeters FM simplex. Upward of 14,000 stations were on the air for JOTA 2013.

A JOTA participant patch is available, as is a certificate/log sheet that can also be used to fulfill a Radio merit badge requirement.

JOTA 2014 gets underway on Saturday, October 18, at 0000 local time and concludes on Sunday, October 19, at 2400 local time. The ARRL website also has information on JOTA.