Boy Scouts of America

JOTA Planning

Successful Jamboree-on-the-Air stations need three key ingredients:

  1. They need licensed radio amateurs who understand what Jamboree-on-the-Air is trying to achieve and who can work with youth in radio operations and in demonstrating/explaining the technology in use.
  2. They need Scout leaders who want to offer their Scouts an opportunity to take an active part in international Scouting and technology activities.
  3. They need a sound partnership between the radio amateurs and the Scout leaders.

The partnership is important because although the radio amateurs have the technical resources and skills, they may well need help in working with young people. Likewise, the Scout leaders can rely on the expertise and experience of the radio amateurs to present all aspects of amateur radio accurately and with enthusiasm. They will also ensure that the station is operated in accordance with all regulations and standard operating practices.

The Scout leader’s role is to help prepare the participants for JOTA, getting them there on the day(s), and possibly looking after other arrangements. Finding a licensed radio amateur shouldn’t be too difficult. You can contact a local ham radio operator or a local amateur radio club. You can find a searchable database of clubs at www.arrl.org/find-a-club. This website is operated by the American Radio Relay League, the national association for amateur radio, which is cooperating closely with Scouting America on JOTA and many other activities.

Your local club may be able to direct you to its planned JOTA activities. These can include ham stations set up at camporees or other events. Or, if there are no planned activities, you can either work with them to get something set up or arrange to visit a local radio operator’s ham shack at a scheduled time to participate in JOTA.

Early preparation and planning are important to make sure all aspects of the JOTA event come off smoothly. You wouldn’t want to disappoint the Scouts or damage the relationship between amateur radio operators and Scouting. A sample planning calendar is included on this website at the link to the right on this page. We’ve also provided examples of JOTA planning documents at https://www.k2bsa.net/jota-station-planning/.

Bray Barnes

Director, Global Security Innovative
Strategies

Bray Barnes is a recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award, Silver
Beaver, Silver Antelope, Silver Buffalo, and Learning for Life Distinguished
Service Award. He received the Messengers of Peace Hero award from
the royal family of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and he’s a life member of
the 101st Airborne Association and Vietnam Veterans Association. Barnes
serves as a senior fellow for the Global Federation of Competitiveness
Councils, a nonpartisan network of corporate CEOs, university presidents, and
national laboratory directors. He has also served as a senior executive for the
U.S. Department of Homeland Security, leading the first-responder program
and has two U.S. presidential appointments

David Alexander

Managing Member Calje

David Alexander is a Baden-Powell Fellow, Summit Bechtel Reserve philanthropist, and recipient of the Silver Buffalo and Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. He is the founder of Caljet, one of the largest independent motor fuels terminals in the U.S. He has served the Arizona Petroleum Marketers Association, Teen Lifeline, and American Heart Association. A triathlete who has completed hundreds of races, Alexander has also mentored the women’s triathlon team at Arizona State University.

Glenn Adams

President, CEO & Managing Director
Stonetex Oil Corp.

Glenn Adams is a recipient of the Silver Beaver, Silver Antelope, Silver Buffalo, and Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. He is the former president of the National Eagle Scout Association and established the Glenn A. and Melinda W. Adams National Eagle Scout Service Project of the Year Award. He has more than 40 years of experience in the oil, gas, and energy fields, including serving as a president, owner, and CEO. Adams has also received multiple service awards from the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers.