We are less than a three weeks away from the start of the 2023 National Scout Jamboree at The Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia.  Showcasing amateur radio at the National Jamboree has been a tradition of the K2BSA since 1977, and this year is not any different.  Well, it’s a little different.

This year the Jamboree was slotted to be a bit smaller than previous Jamborees, and as such the funding for extra programs were cut.  We decided early on that K2BSA would continue to participate at the event regardless of funding cuts.  We were given our budget of $0 in mid-2022, so we reached out to secure funding for the program with the ARDC.  The ARDC has been the recent source of funding for many programs and projects that have historical and significant impacts to the amateur radio community, and we thank them immensely for agreeing with our proposal to continue this event.  Their funding will be providing commercial tent rentals, chairs, tables, and technology to make the event safe and effective for our program.

Icom America has once again outfitted the K2BSA crew with their outstanding transceivers. Our HF operations will be conducted using the IC-7300.  We will be active on three HF bands at the same time as conditions permit 40m and up.  Satellite operations will be operated using the IC-9700.  VHF/UHF and D-Star operations will be on the ID-5100A and ID-52A.  Summits on the Air activity will be conducted with the IC-705!  We have several amateurs on the crew interested in activating Garden Ground Mountain – W8V/NR-058 during our two weeks at The Summit. The performance and reliability of the loaner gear is paramount to the success of the event, and the Icom America gear continues to outperform all expectations.

We hope to work you on the air when K2BSA becomes active!  We expect to be on HF (40m-10M band conditions permitting), D-Star (REF033A), and the local repeater(s) will be linked to *JOTA-365* conference node on Echolink.