The Jamboree-on-the-Air, or JOTA, is an annual Scouting and amateur radio event sponsored by the World Scout Bureau of the World Organization of the Scout Movement. Thousands of amateur radio stations around the world participate. If the conditions are right, it is common to contact a hundred Scouting countries during the weekend.

In the United States, Cub Scout dens and Boy Scout patrols visit a local amateur's ham shack during JOTA. Many districts and councils hold events that coincide with JOTA, where amateurs set up stations giving Scouts and leaders a chance to exchange greetings with Scouts from other areas.

The exchanges typically include information such as name, location (QTH), Scout rank, hobbies, age and some exchanges lead to long-lasting friendships and the exchange of photos, badges, pins, and patches.

The usual communications method calls for speaking into a microphone. However, the following specialized communications are also used during JOTA:

Slow Scan TV, or SSTV; Amateur TV, or ATV; Orbiting Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio, or OSCAR; Packet radio, or modem communication without a phone--PSK-31; Radio Teletype, or RTTY; Earth-Moon-Earth, or EME, contacts.

Many stations operate, including the following:

K2BSA/5 at Camp Wisdom in Dallas, Texas
Additional K2BSA stations assigned to other areas, such as K2BSA/0, K2BSA/1, etc.
HB95, the World Scout Bureau headquarters in Switzerland
GB2GP at Gilwell Park, England

Who: JOTA welcomes participation by Scouting and amateur radio enthusiasts of all ages.

When: The JOTA program always falls on the third full weekend in October.