Paul Laconto, W1NP writes:
On October 16, 17, 2010 the Cape Cod and Island Council of the Boy Scouts of America is sponsoring the annual Jamboree On The Air scouting communication event at Camp Greenough along with fellow ham radio operators to communicate with scouts in the United States and the world. The event is an international undertaking and will be held at the pavilion near the administration building at the camp. Barnstable Amateur Radio Club amateurs and others along with Cape Cod Explorer Post 73 amateurs will be operating the stations [under the call sign W1EXP]. The event will begin on Saturday Oct. 16 at 9:00 AM and continue into the evening. On Sunday Oct 17 the event will begin at 9:00 AM and continue to about 3:00 PM. This event is opened to Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Explorers and Venturers.
During the event ham radio operators will establish a contact with other JOTA stations or individual ham stations and allow our scouts to have conversations with other scouts or radio amateurs in various parts of the country and the world. The ham radio operators will also demonstrate various modes of communication that they use.
The modes of communication planned are as follows:
HF communication via voice contacts on the 6, 10, 15, 20, 40, and 80-meter radio frequency bands where the scouts will communicate with each other throughout the United States and the world.
VHF communication via voice contacts on the 2-meter radio frequency band through repeaters. Scouts will be able to talk to other scouts in the New England area in this mode.
PACKET communications via Radio and computer together connecting to other packet stations to relay messages directly or into their station mailbox. Winlink connection will able scouts to send emails through the radio to their families and friends.
APRS communications (automatic positioning reporting system) With the use of VHF radio, computer and GPS units, this mode of operation allows ham stations to send beacons which get displayed on a map and from this map messages can be sent from station to station. Mobiles with GPS units and radios in their vehicle will have their signals transmitted to the map as well at a predetermined interval. Therefore you can watch the vehicle travel on the map to its destination.
PSK31 communication is a digital mode with the use of HF radios and computers to connect to ham stations throughout the world. This mode requires less power to connect and the conversations are through a computer keyboard.
ECHOLINK communications is a computer to computer or a computer to radio mode, which connects to the Internet where you can select a station who you wish to talk to from a list. This mode of operation, stations listed are from all over the world.
CW mode also known as Morse code. At this mode you can have communication with stations over the world and was one of the first modes that ham operators needed to learn and is still popular today.
SLOW SCAN TV MODE This mode of communication allows for sending pictures between stations through radio and computers combined.
There are additional modes we may demonstrate depending on equipment availability.
You will be able to see and experience the equipment needed that ham operators use such as different types of radios, power supplies, antennas and other misc. equipment.
We will also have other related activities during the event for participation.
We will have literature available and we will have a limited amount of 100 aniversary of scouting JOTA patches for distribution to the scouts for those who participate.
Boy scouts who plan on working toward their Radio merit badge can achieve some of their requirements at this event.
We will also have a signup for any youth or adult wishing to take a class to to get his or her ham radio license which will be given on the Thanksgiving weekend at the Marconi museum in Chatham, MA. and after the class will take the Technician license exam.