First contact a local amateur radio operator, or amateur radio club and ask for help. Radio amateurs are enthusiastic about their hobby and most of them will be willing to help you participate in the JOTA.

Most Scout Associations have appointed a National JOTA Organizer (NJO) who can bring you into contact with a radio amateur. Otherwise the national amateur radio organization in your country will be able to give you the name and address of a radio amateur in your area. See also the address list of Amateur Radio Organisations on this web site.

The radio operator may suggest that the Scouts visit his station during the JOTA, or that he brings his equipment to your local headquarters, or campsite. Often JOTA radio stations have been set up in unusual locations such as at the top of a mountain or on a boat.

Have a look at the resource material that is available in the on line library. It is there to help you organise an exciting weekend for your Scouts.

There are some basic rules that should be followed:

• All radio operators must operate their stations strictly in accordance with their national licensing regulations;
• Stations should call "CQ Jamboree" or answer scout stations calling to establish a contact;
• Any authorized frequency may be used. It is recommended that stations use the agreed World Scout Frequencies
• The JOTA is not a contest. The idea is not to contact as many stations as possible during the weekend. · All participating groups are asked to send a report of their activities to their National JOTA Organizer (NJO) after the event.
• NJO's are requested to send a National JOTA Report to the World Scout Bureau, for inclusion in the World JOTA Report.

Each Scout Association is requested to appoint a National JOTA Organizer (NJO). This NJO can co-ordinate the JOTA participation of Scouts in his country. He or she can also serve as the point of contact for JOTA information. The NJO will be able to bring Scouts into contact with radio amateurs and vice versa.

The National JOTA Organizer:

• functions at a national level within his Scout Association (most NJO's are a member of an Association's international committee);
• is preferably someone with his own amateur radio licence, or at least with a vast knowledge of amateur radio;
• is the Scout Association's representative to the national amateur radio organization;
• has the required organizational skills to support the participating scout stations in his country;
• receives the full support, both organizational and financial, from the Scout Association's headquarters. Countries with large numbers of Scouts taking part often have a team to assist the NJO, a radio-scouting committee. The actual organization details differ from country to country, depending on local needs and regulations.

The World Scout Bureau's JOTA organizer provides the following annual information:

• April: the first JOTA information is made available on this web site, along with an electronic newsletter sent to the National JOTA Organizer. Also information on large summer camps equipped with radio stations is included;
• May: a JOTA circular is sent with the exact dates of the event, the new JOTA theme and logo, programme suggestions and latest details and information. A report form is included for the national JOTA report from the NJO. Participation cards with the current logo are included for each participating station. The circular is sent in printed from to each Scout Association and in electronic form to the National JOTA Organizer.
• January: the electronic version of the World JOTA Report is available on this web site.
• May: the printed World JOTA Report is published. It contains statistical information on the JOTA participation, activity reports from more than 40 countries, a selection of newspaper articles and new programme ideas. The report is in English with a French and Spanish summary.

The information in the circular and World JOTA Report can be used to publicize the event through national and local (Scout) magazines and newsletters.

Each licensed amateur radio station has a registration number, a call sign. The first one or two letters are specific to a country. Here are a few call signs of well-known Scout station that can often be contacted:

HB9S World Scout Bureau, Geneva, Switzerland
K2BSA Boy Scouts of America, National Office, Dallas, USA
JA1YSS Boy Scouts of Japan, National Office, Tokyo, Japan
PA6JAM Scouting Nederland, National station, Leusden, Netherlands
5Z4KSA Boy Scouts of Kenya, Paxtu station, Nyeri, Kenya
VK1BP Scout Association of Australia, National station, Canberra, Australia
GB2GP Scout Association, Gilwell Park, London, United Kingdom