In the third full weekend of October each year, Scouts organise a Jamboree on the Air together with a Jamboree on the Internet (JOTA-JOTI) which aims to connect scouts all over the world using amateur radio. I heard about the jamboree at the meeting of the local amateur radio club, Bangalore Amateur Radio Club (BARC) on 13th October, 2024. They meet on second Sunday of every month at the Bharat Scouts and Guides Head Quarters in Bangalore. I was curious about the experience of setting up a station in the field and thought it could be a learning experience for me.

The organising HAMs had worked a detailed plan in terms of the presentations to the Scouts & Guides, the bands and times at which the on-air calls would take place, the number of stations, the frequencies at which they would operate, the different antennas¹ and radios that would be part of the set-up, etc. The group was planning to operate out of three Scouts & Guides locations in and around Bangalore. I was with them at the Bharat Scouts and Guides Camp in Dr Annie Besant Park at Doddabalapur, which is roughly 40kms from Bangalore.

I joined the group on their call to discuss logistics, and while some of the chatter on the call sounded like Greek & Latin to me, there was some comfort as the event planning reminded me of my morning QTH. On the day of the event, VU3LLC was kind enough to offer me a ride, and we had some of the fluffiest Idlis I have had in a while for breakfast at a small little roadside eatery along the way. We reached there to find VU2TBU, VU2MYS, VU3CQM and VU2MZJ practically pulling into the arch at the entrance at the same time. This was a venue that was familiar to the HAMs as they had organized many events there in the past and they have a working relationship with the Scouts (the fox hunt² in July, 2024 being the latest and the one I had observed as an SWL).

As we waited for the Scouts to begin their morning routine, VU2TBU decided to use the time to very kindly help me learn how to raise an antenna, and we ended up using a conifer for an end fed sloper HF antenna. It was wonderful to hear the ragchew on multiple frequencies in the HF band (we managed to hear a bunch of folks from Kerala) as my on-air time was restricted so far to local nets. VU2TBU was familiar with most of the HAMs on the air, and they gave us a glowing signal report. VU2TBU gave us a quick master-class in setting up a mobile station and the oddities to look out for. We were even able to hit the repeaters in Bangalore with some of our handies, and listen on DMR while we were at it. As we were chatting away, VU3NZG, VU3EFZ and VU2GRM arrived at the venue.

Even with the threat of rain, we decided to use the open ground to set-up the stations as it might pique some Scouts’ interest if it is around their other activities. At this time, VU2MYS began opening up his wonderfully self-contained set of antennas and rig and we helped him raise a vertical antenna. As he brought out a dish to mount, I was told that it was to contact the QO-100 satellite (which in itself was an exciting prospect). In the meantime, VU3NZG brought out his box of goodies, a really-well designed go-kit with a Yeasu set up, vertical ATAS antennas, VU3EFZ then helped him set-up another station. VU3NZG also captured some drone footage of us raising antennas and setting up the station. I helped both of them raise another sloper end fed HF antenna between two trees.

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As smaller groups of scouts trooped in, VU2GRM and VU2MYS began briefing them and with the help of VU2TBU got them on the air on the HF bands! They chatted with their fellow Scouts who were on the air at other Scouts locations with similar HAM stations, and with HAMs on the HF net from other parts of the country who answered their calls. Some of the scouts were curious about how the antennas work, how transmission happens, and the strange language and code that HAMs used on the air. There were the mandatory questions about the relevance of amateur radio in today’s day and age when mobile telephony and internet are omnipresent. As the Wx³ changed, we had to temporarily shut down the HF station (due to rain and the chances of lightening in the vicinity). VU2MYS and VU3CQM walked the scouts through a presentation (Yes, there were the mandatory set of slides 🙂) about amateur radio.

We took a break for a sumptuous lunch and the well-oiled machinery at the Scouts camp served food for the 700 odd folk there with an evident ease. As we waited for the next sessions to begin, VU2MYS gave me a description of his super cool experiment to contact QO-100, and VU3LLC talked about various UHF set-ups. In the meantime, VU3TBU had dismantled the first conifer supported antenna and had raised another one closer to a sheltered space, which meant we could continue even if it rained. I was then able to experience VU3LLC’s sBitx v3 in action, given the extensibility, open-source nature and SDR presence, this is a radio that I wish to acquire at some point in the near future. We made a DX contact at this location with this combination of radio and antenna, and then continued some experiments.

As the scouts arrived, the station set-up in the open ground was activated and we continued interacting with scouts. At this point, VY2MYS and VU2EXO (who arrived after lunch) began setting up the antenna for the QO-100 satellite with the dish, LNB and RTL-SDR. The scouts were excited by the possibility of “speaking” through a satellite “on-demand” and so was I. As we did expect another downpour and with the travel the next day for my morning QTH, I reluctantly joined VU3LLC and VU2GRM as we headed back to Bangalore. I did regretfully miss out on the DX QSOs that they made with the help of QO-100. We bore witness to yet another famous traffic snarl on the roads of Bangalore on our way back. VU3LLC and VU2GRM were wonderful company on the way back with their stories to keep us company on the road. VU3NZG had a little surprise for me, he had carried the Baofeng UV-5R as a gift for me that he had fully set-up.

It was a wonderful learning experience for a newly minted HAM like me and I’d suggest that folks find a friendly local club and participate in as many events as possible. It would be the easiest way to meet fellow HAMs, see their equipment and set-up, watch them in action and just soak in the experience.