Every year, two days a year are set apart for Scouts and Guides to use amateur radio for exchanging greetings with their counterparts all over the world. This is called ‘Jamboree on the Air. Scout and Guide associations request a local ham to set up a ham wireless set for two days in any area of a city or village and put up a high frequency or very high-frequency wireless set (ham radio) to exchange greetings throughout the world with Scouts and Guides in other countries. Songs, carols, quizzes, and many other fun activities also take place

during these events. Language is no barrier for them.

Amateur radio on board the International Space Station

Ham radio in International Space Station:

Since its flight in 1983, ham radio has flown on more than two dozen space shuttle missions. Dozens of astronauts have used the Space Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment or SAREX to talk to thousands of kids in school and to their families on earth while they were in orbit.

The ARISS program is a cooperative venture of NASA, the ARRL and AMSAT, and other international space agencies that organize scheduled contacts via amateur radio between astronauts and cosmonauts on board the ISS and classrooms and communities. With the help of experienced amateur radio volunteers from amateur radio clubs and coordination from ARISS.

ARISS crew members speak directly with large groups

of audiences in a variety of public forums such as school assemblies or in science museums. In Scout jamborees and space camps, students, teachers, parents and communities learn about space and space technologies and amateur radio.

ARISS contact is a voice-only communication via amateur radio between the ISS crew and classrooms. The radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length due to the radio communication window permitted by the logistics of orbital passes of the ISS. During the contact, students interact directly with astronauts and cosmonauts within this communication window, using a question and answer format.

ARRL’s education and technology program and NASA offer valuable resources to help students learn about wireless technology, satellite communications and space exploration.

Educators of all grade levels and types of schools (rural, suburban, and urban) should contact NASA’s teaching from the space office to obtain information related to expectations, content, format, audience, and proposal guidance by sending an e-mail to JSC-TFS-ARISS@ mail.nasa.gov or call: 281-244-2320 ( USA).

NASA’s education and technology program (Space talk) is available at no cost. ARISS offers resources to schools at no cost.