Sep 2

This year’s JOTA event in San Antonio will be held at McGimsey Scout Park in Castle Hills, near Northwest Military @ Lockhill Selma.  Members from the San Antonio Radio Club, Alamo Area Radio Organization and others will be setup for a one day event, Saturday October 20th, from around 8am til 5pm ??, helping Scouts get on the Ham Radio and showing them our hobby.

The Jamboree-on-the-Air, or JOTA, is an annual Scouting event that uses amateur radio to link Scouts around the world, around the nation, and in your own community.

Held on the third full weekend of October each year, this worldwide jamboree requires no travel, other than to a nearby radio amateur’s ham shack. Many times the hams will come to you by setting up at a Scout camporee, or perhaps they already have a ham shack at your council’s camp.

Tell Me More

Scouts of any age can participate, from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts and Venturers. Once at the ham radio station, the communication typically requires speaking into a microphone and listening on the station speakers. However, many forms of specialized communication can also take place, such as video communication, digital communication using typed words on the computer screen transmitted by radio, communication through a satellite relay or an earth-based relay (called a repeater), and many others. The exchanges include such information as name, location (called QTH in ham speak), Scout rank, age, and hobbies. The stations you’ll be communicating with can be other Scouts across town, across the country, or even around the world! The World Scout Bureau reported that the 2011 JOTA had nesrly 750,000 Scout participants from over 6,000 amateur radio stations! A participant patch is available, as is a certificate/log sheet that can also be used to fulfill a Radio merit badge requirement.

When Is It?

The 55th Jamboree-on-the-Air is October 20–21, 2012, but in San Antonio, our event will be Saturday only. The official hours are from Saturday at 00:00 hours local time (right at midnight Friday) to Sunday 24:00 (midnight Sunday evening). So you’ve got the whole weekend to make JOTA contacts.  Even if you aren’t able to help out in person, locally, get on the air and be there when other Scouts around the world are looking for folks to talk with, especially if you are a female ham radio operator!  They love to talk with the girls!  Hmm, wonder why that might be?  LOL

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Sep 2

October 13-14th – BikeMS – Valero Ride to the River bicycle event (2 days) – The event will start at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, and the route runs out thru LaVernia to Seguin & over to New Braunfels for a finish line at the Comal County Fairground. Sunday’s route starts at the fairground and runs back thru Seguin & LaVernia via a similar route to the AT&T Center finish line.

Hams are needed for a variety of assignments.

  • SAG Driver / Navigator (background check & DMV check for driver is required)
  • Break Point Hams (7-8 Break Points each day)
  • Shadow Hams for race officials (Tour directors, medical, police car, etc.)
  • Motorcycle Safety Marshal’s – Coordinated by John Perry & group
  • Turtle Vehicle(s)

Fuel is provided for all drivers of an MS supplied vehicle, and certain other authorized positions requiring driving. Charlie Land KC5NKK is coordinating all ham radio related assignments. Contact Charlie by email at charlesdland@gmail.com or call him on his cell # 512-796-7565 to volunteer (email preferred).

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Sep 2

September 8 – Tour for Children (www.tourforchildren.org) – A bicycle ride from Helotes, Texas up thru Grey Forest to Boerne, Texas, and points in between or around. Expected to have 600+ riders this year. Last year hams provided miminal support at the spur of the moment, with a ham from KARS at the northern break point, and three roving hams in their POV on the route, plus net control operating from a ham’s house in Grey Forest.

In 2012, we’ve been asked to staff 6-8 SAG Trucks from Toyota of Boerne, plus running net control of course. We might even get some M&M’s to come play with us. We’ve been promised they’ll have some 2X and 3X t-shirts this year as well, for the “not so skinny” folks.

Hams who are willing to help as SAG drivers, need to have a relatively clear drivers license background (but we aren’t running checks) and insurance coverage for their own vehicle. The event’s insurance is covering the drivers & trucks, but it’s routine to only accept drivers who can prove they are insurable. SAG drivers will need to pick up their truck at Toyota of Boerne on Friday, after presenting their DL & insurance card for proof, and the dealership is offering space to leave your personal vehicle there over night in a locked secured area.

The event will run from 7am-3pm or so, based upon last year’s timing, but we’ve learned to be flexible. If you are interested in volunteering for this event, contact Lee Besing N5NTG at 210-771-7075 or info@sanantoniohams.org for SAG driver support, or Mike Perez WA5ZAP for Motorcycle Safety Marshal support. Most M&M’s know how to reach Mike, but if you don’t, then contact Lee and he’ll get you in touch.

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