09/17/2026
"We've got scouts, we've got a special event call sign, and we'd love as many
hams as possible - near and far - to come find us on the air." That's how Sal
Mancuso, W6SAL, is promoting Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) 2026 on behalf of the
Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council of Scouting America (formerly Boy Scouts of
America). JOTA is an annual worldwide event, on the air and on the internet (as
JOTI), with the goal of promoting friendship and global citizenship via amateur
radio and the internet. This year's event will be held from October 16-18, and
now is a good time for radio clubs and individual hams to reach out to local
scout units to set up JOTA experiences.
For Mancuso, it has meant getting a special event call sign - K6S - and setting
up a public demonstration station on October 17 for scouts from throughout the
Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council. The council serves 10,000 youth across
Monterey, San Benito, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz counties in California. "We'll
have approximately seven licensed operators of varying license classes
(Technician through Extra) on hand, running HF, VHF, and UHF simultaneously, all
signing K6S," explains Mancuso. "Scouts will be hands-on at the mic and keyboard
the whole time - this is their event, not just something they're watching ...
We'll be active on HF SSB and FT8, with packet possible as well." Planned HF SSB
frequencies are 7.090, 14.290, 18.140, and 28.990 MHz, but Mancuso noted that
"We'll also be posting our actual live frequencies on Spotted Hams[1] as the day
goes, since real-world band conditions may shift our plan a bit."
More information on setting up a JOTA/JOTI operation may be found at
www.jotajoti.info[2]. ARRL has resources to assist volunteers who are working
with scouts, including a flyer promoting Radio Communications for Scouts[3]
(PDF) and the ARRL Radio and Wireless Technology Patch Program[4]. For
additional ideas, visit www.arrl.org/amateur-radio-and-scouting[5].
[1] https://spottedham.com
[2] https://www.jotajoti.info
[3] https://www.arrl.org/files/file/Scouting/Scout20v2.pdf?utm_source=Informz&am
p;utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=ARRL&_zs=SQvQm&_zl=Qp2v3
[4] https://www.arrl.org/girl-scouts-radio-patch-report?utm_source=Informz&u
tm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=ARRL&_zs=SQvQm&_zl=Rp2v3
[5] https://www.arrl.org/amateur-radio-and-scouting?utm_source=Informz&utm_m
edium=Email&utm_campaign=ARRL&_zs=SQvQm&_zl=Sp2v3
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