The 2013 running of Scouting’s  Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) is just weeks away. The 56th JOTA will take place the weekend of October 19-20, from 0000 local time Saturday to 2400 local time Sunday. JOTA gives members of the Boy Scouts of America a chance to experience Amateur Radio firsthand, perhaps planting the seed for a lifetime of hamming.

The world’s largest Scouting event, JOTA attracts nearly 750,000 Scouts participating from 6000 stations in 150 countries. Not a contest, JOTA’s goal is to foster Scout-to-Scout communication across borders.

“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 BSA says in its JOTA guidelines, which offer suggested frequencies. Licensed mentors often open their stations to Scouts on JOTA weekend, serving as control operators. Radio operation will be on 80 through 6 meters and 2 meters and 70 centimeters FM simplex, all modes.

Through its Radio Scouting sponsorship, Icom America is providing stations for JOTA and other Scouting events, including the loan of five stations that will be on the air for JOTA 2013.

Last year more than 18,500 US Scouts took part in JOTA from more than 200 stations -- up by nearly 500 percent from a year earlier.