Scouts try their hand at ham radio during annual Jamboree

Metro Wire Staff

Ham radio groups from Portage and Wood counties on Saturday welcomed nearly 100 Boy Scouts for a day of ham radio education and experience.

The daylong event, Jamboree On The Air (JOTA) was conducted in conjunction with the Central Sands Amateur Radio Club and the We Care About Amateur Radio group at Camp Fletcher, just north of the Stevens Point Municipal Airport.

The ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service) groups said the event was designed to educate young people about ham radio, and offered the chance for demonstrations via portable radio sites. Scouts got to try their hand at talking over the radio with other JOTA stations as far away as Vermont and New York.

The Jamboree was part of the annual fall camp held by the Mushkodany District of the Samoset Council Boy Scouts of America.

Nick Proulx, AREA Northeast District Emergency Coordinator, said 96 Scouts from the Stevens Point and Wausau areas participated in the event.