JOTA DX Cluster: find a JOTA station real fast
How do I quickly find a JOTA station on the amateur radio bands?
Well, help is offered by the Amateur Radio Club in Zoetermeer, The Netherlands. The club has launched a special DX cluster (a database for radio amateurs) that can be used during JOTA to see exactly at which frequency a Scout station somewhere in the world is transmitting.
How does this work?
If one amateur radio station hears a Scout station on the air, he can enter the date, time, frequency and of course the radio call sign in the database. The information is immediately visible world-wide. He can also enter his own transmitting frequency. Other Scout stations can use the info to tune to the announced frequency and make a contact.
What do you need for this?
- A computer, a packet radio terminal programme or an internet connection.
- Electricty or a battery pack.
- An enthusiastic Scout to operate the system (the "JOTA contact manager").
With special free software you can acess the database via internet or via packet radio. So even in a location where there is no internet, you still can connect to it. A suitable software is DxLink. This programme lets you choose your own dx server link. Set the server to: pi4raz.nl port 7300
Further instructions on how to connect via internet or packet radio are available on the DxLink website.
If you do have an internet connection available, you can also access the cluster via the web here.
Thanks RAZ for making this available. We trust many Scouts will enjoy the service.
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