JOTA is an annual event in which 500,000 Scouts and Guides from over 100 countries speak to each other by means of
Amateur Radio contacts. Scouting experiences are exchanged and ideas are shared, via the radio waves.
Modern communication
technology offers Scouts the exciting opportunity to make friends in other countries without even leaving home. This is the fourth year Girl Scouts from Mt. Wilson Vista Council have participated.
The event was made
possible thanks to the efforts of volunteers Ann and Keith Farley, who have a passion for amateur radio; the girls of Troop
612, who are working on their Bronze Award; and a group of dedicated volunteers. The girls learned
about the history and technology of Amateur Radios, talked on the air with other Scouts, and made namesake key chains in Morse
Code. The girls made contact via the radio waves with Scouts in England, Canada, Idaho, among
other places, and believe they received a “hello Girl Scouts” from astronauts aboard the International Space Station
as it traveled over the West Coast. JOTA celebrated its 50th year Oct. 19-21, 2007. This on-the-air
operating event, sponsored by the World Scout Bureau, was founded in 1958.
It has grown to become the largest
international Scout event and involves as many as 10,000 Amateur Radio stations. | 
