Jamboree on the Air 2026

On Saturday, October 17, 2026, Troop 119 in Lexington, MA took part in Jamboree on the Air (JOTA). This year the troop set up a radio station in the center of town instead of at a campout. I applied for a permit from the Town of Lexington to set up in the town center, a good way to give the troop some visibility and to draw walk-up visitors who could try amateur radio. I was there as Scoutmaster and set up the station.

We also invited other Scout troops to join us, and some Scouts dropped in.

Two Scouts operating a radio at a folding table on a lawn in the town center, Tate (K1MKD) on the left talking on the microphone and another Scout logging, with a yellow Troop 119 sign in front

Tate (K1MKD), on the left, operating the station.

Brian Sniffen (N2WIV) sent me the photos from the day and wrote:

We got some great contacts, several first times on the mic for scouts, and these photos.

We operated on 10 and 20 meters and made a lot of contacts. The most important result was that Scouts who showed up got on the air, saw radio operations and science demonstrated, and had fun.

Our troop has seven adults and four Scouts with amateur radio licenses.

The parents of the Scouts in the photo have given permission to show it.

The plan

The schedule for the day was simple: set up at noon, put Scouts on the air from 12:20 to 3:40 PM, and wrap up at 4:00 PM. The setup was a table, chairs, a radio, signs and literature, 25 feet of coax, a vertical antenna, and safety cones around the antenna to warn people about the tripping hazard.

Frequency cheat sheet

Here’s a one-page JOTA frequency cheat sheet built from Scouting America’s JOTA guidelines for amateur radio operators. The main points:

HF SSB calling frequencies: 20 m 14.290, 17 m 18.140, 15 m 21.360, 12 m 24.960, 10 m 28.390 MHz
HF CW calling frequencies: 20 m 14.060, 17 m 18.080, 15 m 21.140, 12 m 24.910, 10 m 28.180 MHz
2 m FM simplex: 147.540 MHz calling, with 147.450, 147.480 and 147.510 as other channels
70 cm FM simplex: 446.000 MHz calling
Make the first contact on the calling frequency, then move to a nearby frequency to keep it open
JOTA is not a contest, so count Scouts on both sides of a QSO, not QSOs
A licensed control operator must be present at every HF station
Any third-party traffic must only be with countries that have a US agreement

Technician licensees can operate on 10 meters (SSB and CW) and 15 meter CW, which suits Scouts who hold their own licenses.