10/19/2009 | W4S To All Friends and Supporters of Scouting:

Amateur radio was fully demonstrated for the scouts and their leaders in attendance.The boys contacted other scouts participating in the worldwide JOTA event on the 40, 20, 17 and 2 meter bands using voice, morse code, FM, and various digital modes. We communicated with scouts and hams in South Carolina, Iowa, Massachusetts, Italy, Texas, Nova Scotia, and Montana, to name a few. We had 5 HF stations set up and on the air. Interference between the various transmitters was vicious!

Basically, we went through the cub scout and boy scout handbooks and tailored the radio activities to give the scouts credits towards pins, belt loops, and merit badges, as well as take orders for the 52nd JOTA patch.

Antenna raising techniques were demonstrated. Ralph W4REQ showed the boys his giant arborist slingshot, while Ryan AJ4MY demonstrated his pneumatic air line launcher....both impressive devices for young, impressionable minds!!!!

I demonstrated why military radios are great for camping by repeatedly pouring water all over my PRC2000 manpack, saying, "don't try this with your typical radio." Also, we led groups around with a TDOA DF (time difference of arrival direction finding) unit, mounted on a mop handle, on several fox hunts looking for a hidden transmitter, which proved to be extremely popular with the kids.

JOTA was another field day type experience for us, and as is usually the case, equipment failures were experienced. My military doublet antenna would not load up very well with a shortened feedline on W4REQs radio, and my automatic tuner went "POOF" due to a loose connection. Fortunately, I had a backup manual tuner available, so my AT1011 military vertical antenna was still usable.

Band conditions seemed good on 20m. The calling frequency on 14.290 for JOTA was pure pandemonium. AJ4MY seemed to have the best luck with contacts to Europe on 17 meters. Guy K4GTM was busy working PSK31 on 20m to good success. Dan Scott KF4MND set up a working Echolink station. Bob W4WTO made contacts with his portable Buddipole.

David Rosenthal WD4FIH, Beaufort, SC, and Heyward KT4RW, Savannah, GA, could not personally attend, but stayed around on the 37/97 repeater to talk to the boys for numerous contacts

The boys literally started dancing when CW (Morse Code) was demonstrated to them. I told them that Morse has a definite rhythm to it, so their reaction was perfectly natural.

The soldiers who visited with us were from the 473rd Quartermaster's Company, 260th Quartermasters Battalion, 3rd Sustainment Brigade, stationed at Hunter Army Airfield, 3rd Infantry Division. The Division's support of JOTA was most appreciated. The soldiers also demonstrated their SINCGARS military communications gear. They gave rides to several boys in the hummer around the parking lot. My bride, Sheri K4SMN, was granted a brief drive behind the wheel around the Mighty Eighths parking lot. She was ecstatic! The soldiers also staged foot races for the scouts while wearing 50 pound body armor! The little guys got tired very quickly.

Most of the kids came before lunchtime. It got cloudy and windy after lunch, and grew colder. We started packing up shop around 4 PM a bit early (but by then the visits had stopped, possibly due to the cold), but we were very happy with the day's turnout.

This years JOTA effort was made possible by a large turnout by both area clubs and hams from outside Savannah. Your efforts were most appreciated! Additionally, our thanks to our gracious hosts at the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum for again letting us visit with them again at their world class facility.

Final attendance numbers were 68 scouts, 24 volunteers, and 3 soldiers.

Yours in Scouting

Philip Neidlinger KA4KOE
Pack 400 Assistant Webelos 2 Den Leader
Richmond Hill, GA
52nd Annual JOTA Organizer
Coastal Empire Council Boy Scouts of America -- KA4KOE