Date: Fri, 17 Feb 1995 16:14:42 +0100 Sender: scouting-europe@ifipc01.uni-muenster.de From: Middelkoop@fel.tno.nl (R.MIDDELKOOP) Subject: How to reach the World Jamboree? The 18th World Jamboree will take place in the Netherlands, 1 - 11 August 1995. It is expected to gather some 25,000 Scouts from all over the world. The Jamboree site is near the town of Dronten, 40 kilometres to the East of Amsterdam, at the bottom of the former IJsselmeer, 2.4 meter below sea level! Ever since 1957, a World Jamboree has been equipped with an amateur radio station. This station facilitates Scouts far away to catch a glimpse of the Jamboree atmosphere by making a radio contact. It also offers the possibility to contingents to send messages back home, and have a short update of the news in their home country. Of course, the 18th World Jamboree is equipped with such a station. Radio-Scouting is well developed in the Netherlands. The annual Jamboree-On-The-Air forms an integral part of the Dutch Scout and Guide programme. The Amateur Radio activity area at the Jamboree is based on this experience and offers the following exciting activities to participants and visitors: - The amateur radio station with the unique call sign PA6WSJ will be on the air continuously during the entire camp. It will concentrate on the 15 m and the 20 m bands for long distance contacts, whilst European contacts will be made on 40 m and 80 m. World Scout frequencies are used throughout. Since the Jamboree takes place in the low of the sunspot cycle, extra care has been taken to assure the possibilities of long-distance contacts. The impressive antennas have been tested during the European Jamboree with good results. They include among others full-size dipoles and a 10-element beam antenna for the 20 meter band. The authorities have kindly co-operated in allowing Scouts to take part in the radio traffic themselves, a unique situation for the Netherlands, since this is normally only possible during the JOTA. Besides active participation in radio contacts, the station offers to the Scouts activities like time-zone calculation, computer logging of contacts, a six-position short wave reception station, a do-it-yourself antenna workshop, packet-radio operations, experiments with telex (RTTY) and slow-scan television (SSTV). - At the Scoutronic workshop Scouts construct their own electronic Dutch windmill with flashing lights. This activity offers an introduction to electronics, on-hands experience with putting together your own electronic circuit and the thrill of seeing it work at the first try. - Computers play an important role in many societies today. From a basic introduction to the use of personal computers to sophisticated applications, all is available in the futuristic computer workshop. You can print your very own photograph on your own T-shirt, control a robot, compose your own musical masterpiece and many more. - The exciting world of telecommunications is at your fingertips in the Telecom Today workshop. Scouts can put TV images upside down, make a telephone call via a fibre-optic link, try to fool different sorts of electronic gadgets and consult the all-knowing Oracle of Dronten. Reception of weather satellites and processing the images received directly on-line from the Netherlands weather service is included, since this activity also provides the meteo information for the entire Jamboree. Pre-arranging a contact with the World Jamboree is highly desirable in view of the number of activities offered. Please look at the suggested times and frequencies below, when making arrangements with your local radio amateur. These times have taken the propagation conditions into account and offer the best chances: Continent band time in GMT Australia & New Zealand 20m 0800 - 1000 SE Asia 20m 0800 - 1400 Africa 15m & 20m 1700 - 2000 N-America 20m 2000 - 2400 S-America 15m & 20m 2000 - 2400 Europe 40m & 80 m 0900 - 1800 You may send your request for skeds to the Jamboree Secretariat, c/o Amateur Radio 4.72.01, P.O. Box 1995, NL-3830 EZ Leusden, Netherlands. Alternatively, via packet radio to the station manager: PA3BAR @ PI8VNW. Clearly state your call sign, date between 1 and 11 August, frequency and time in GMT. Scout radio amateurs who are part of their countrys national contingent and wish to serve as international staff at the radio station are requested to contact the station manager for assistance in obtaining an operating licence. Please note that participants and visitors are not allowed to bring their own short-wave radio transceivers onto the Jamboree site! This is to prevent unnecessary interference to all the radio systems. A connection to Internet is currently under consideration. If this works out, you may also contact the Amateur Radio area via this international computer network. Another option that is being looked at is the world-wide transmission of Jamboree video pictures via SSTV at regular times. Further details follow via the JOTA and Jamboree circulars. Enthusiastic? Then inform your Scouts about the ways to catch a glimpse of the World Jamboree!! %%%%%%%%%% This message is sent to you through cyberspace by: %%%%%%%% Richard Middelkoop TNO Physics and Electronics World Radio Scouting Laboratory & JOTA Advisor Den Haag, The Netherlands World Scout Bureau Geneva, Switzerland email: MIDDELKOOP@FEL.TNO.NL packet: PA3BAR@PI8VNW.#ZH2.NLD.EU