The Shenandoah Valley Amateur Radio Club received the following request on our website contact page. In the spirit of community service, we’re passing it along in case anyone reading this might be interested:
From: Jason Zeibel, National Scout Jamboree
Subject: Ham Radio and the BSA
Greetings!
My name is Jason Zeibel (N1JZ) and I am a ham radio operator from Clifton, VA and an Assistant Scoutmaster for Troop 1345G in Burke, Virginia. I will be on the K2BSA staff for next summer’s 2023 National Scout Jamboree. The jamboree typically happens every four years. It was supposed to be in 2021, but was postponed two years due to COVID, so it has been six years since the last one. K2BSA is an amateur radio organization dedicated to the scouting movement:
https://k2bsa.net/
Check out our website from previous jamborees:
https://k2bsa.net/jamboree/
I’m sure many of you have had QSOs with us over the years!
The National Scout Jamboree is coming up on 19-28 July 2023.
It will be held in West Virginia at the Summit Bechtel Scout Reservation.
https://jamboree.scouting.org/
We are currently short about 7 staff members to help run the K2BSA operations and are reaching out to clubs in the area to see if any members would be interested in joining our merry band. Staff can participate for the first half, second half, or all of the event and need to be registered with the BSA. There is camping and a good deal of walking involved, but the scenery is gorgeous and there will be tens of thousands of young men and women visiting K2BSA. Many of them will get their first ever introduction to ham radio this way. We will be holding licensing classes (so VECs are especially welcome) and teach radio merit badge to hundreds of scouts! In the past, we have had QSOs with the ISS, distinguished visitors, and lots of support from our equipment vendors (read: new toys!).
There is a fee for being on staff… but you also get free time to go explore the hundreds of activities available at the high adventure base and get three square meals a day… plus the thanks and camaraderie of some pretty amazing scouting amateurs.
So you are interested, now what??!?!?
Check out the Jamboree Service Team for Jamboree wide staff procedures and info:
https://jamboree.scouting.org/jamboree-service-team/
Then send me a note (jason@zeibel.com) and/or Bill Stearns (NE4RD) (bill.stearns@k2bsa.net) the K2BSA president and let us know you are interested. We’ll be happy to answer any questions and guide you through the process.
73s & Yours in Scouting,
Jason Zeibel
N1JZ