A very special activity is rapidly approaching. It is special for area Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts and those interested in sharing the great adventure of Amateur Radio with today's youth.

Every year, on the third weekend of October, Amateur Radio shares its excitement with those in the Scouting programs. This great activity is called "Jamboree-on-the-Air." It is abbreviated as JOTA. There is also a related program for more computer-minded youngsters called Jamboree-on-the-Internet or JOTI.

The Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club is going to open the doors to its Club Station to Scouts of any age to come pay us a visit and "Get on the Air" during the JOTA weekend. We are only too anxious to accomodate them by showing them around our nicely equipped station and help them get over their 'mic-fright' by letting them say a few words over the air, such as their name, location (called QTH in ham speak), Scout rank, age, and hobbies.

Scout unit leaders are always looking for good programs for their youngsters and the JOTA is as much a part of the international Scouting community as it is the international Amateur Radio community. Amateur Radio stations all around the world desire to get youth interested in Amateur Radio to enlarge the number of interested youth in our great world-wide hobby. The Scouting programs desire to show its youngsters that the attributes of Amateur Radio fit right in with their interests in Scouting, too.

Amateur or Ham Radio provides many opportunities for youngsters to improve their abilities in science, math, public speaking, geography and the latest electronic methods of communication. In emergencies, even those in government have learned, "Amateur radio - - - when nothing else works!"

This Scout is learning all about Ham Radio at a former Jamboree on the Air Event.

Also, at the JOTA, the Scouts might be shown how, with the use of a computer, pictures can be sent over the radio and seen many miles away.

The Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club is inviting the Scouts for a visit to its Club Station on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2014, starting at 9:00 AM. Besides talking over the radio, the Scouts will be shown how a "hidden transmitter" can be searched for and eventually located using "High Tech Hide-and-Seek" techniques.

Since the Club Station is of a finite size and obviously the entire South Coast District will not fit in it, it is requested that reservations be made beforehand. If you would like to bring your Scout unit to our Club Station, located in the rear of the American Red Cross building, 2707 State Street in Santa Barbara (enter from the parking lot off of Alamar Street), please call Darryl Widman, KF6DI, to reserve your time slot. Understandably, this will be on a first call, first served basis. Depending on the number of youngsters and leaders in your unit, another unit might be able to join yours at the same time.

An opportunity for leaders to acquire JOTA patches for their Scouts' uniforms, like the patch shown above, can be taken advantage of by contacting the Boy Scouts of America at 1-800-323-0736. You will also want to order a certificate/log sheet that can also be used to fulfill a Radio merit badge requirement for each Scout. If you wish,