JOTA Activities

Here are some of the activities that you can expect at JOTA 2025

HF QSOs

QSO is the HAM word for a radio contact. HF is a High Frequency radio signal. These signals bounce off of the ionosphere, so we can talk anywhere in the world on HF. There will be scouts from all over the world on HF during JOTA

VHF QSOs

VHF is a Very High Frequency radio signal. These signals are line of sight. We bounce our signals off of repeaters to extend ore range. There will be scouts from all over the Ottawa Carleton region on VHF during JOTA

UHF QSOs

UHF is a Ultra High Frequency radio signal. These signals are line of sight. We will use UHF radios to let scouts talk to other scouts attending JOTA. We will expect them to use the proper radio etiquette. We will be showing all participants at JOTA the proper radio etiquette to use on amateur radio bands.

Fox Hunting

Hunt for a radio signal (that might be stationary or moving, using a handheld radio receiver and directional antenna (and optionally a map and compass)

Geocaching

Looking for items that have been hidden and are described by their GPS coordinates, visual landmarks and clues such as "look north and walk 30 steps. Now look for a pile of rocks or a hole in a tree where the cache is hiding".

Morse Code Activities:

Morse Code uses a combination of dits and dahs to represent letters, numbers and symbols. Anyone can learn to listen and interpret these sounds in order to send messages over long distances. We will have a couple of fun activities that will introduce the code to participants.

Badge Work

There are several Outdoor Skills badges that require some knowledge of radio. We will be covering these requirments.

Interesting Radio Stuff

Things like WSPR, APRS, Q-Codes, The radio spectrum, Hamclock etc, will be on display.