Radios at JOTA
The Manly-Warringah Radio Society supplies friendly operators and equipment to run the radios at our camp. The equipment belongs to the operators and we are generously allowed to use it.
We will be using the callsign VK2SNR.
Local Activities
Different radios and frequencies will be used, based on which bands have the best contacts at the time.
Echolink is used to talk via radio and Internet links nationally and around the world to other JOTA stations.
Build a radio station from the ground up. Start by erecting the antenna, connecting the antenna, microphone, speaker and power, and then operate the radio.
Play the game Battleships via radio using the phonetic alphabet. This is a great activity that emphasises the importance of clear communication.
Learn Morse Code, the original method used for all radio communications.
Other modes of communicating via radio will be available depending on time and conditions. Examples such as using FM voice repeaters, High Frequency (HF), Single side band (SSB), and slow scan Television (SST).
Antennas
Some of the antennas you may see are a Yagi directional antenna mounted on a mast. It looks similar to a very large TV antenna.
This is a dipole, typically strung between towers or tall trees. The length of the dipole varies with the radio frequency. Typically it can have a total length of up to 80 metres, so it is a very large device.
