Victor Valley Amateur Radio Club

Members of ARRL
since 1957

Victor Valley ARC
Serving the
High Desert Community

Route 66 on the Air

Our radio club will be participating again in Route 66 on the Air. We have been assigned the 1X1 call of W6D. We need to have operators running at least a few hours every day during the event. You work out of your own home, on your rig. It is easy to do and people hunting for the Route 66 clubs are happy to “catch” you.

We have been requested to try more than 20m and 40m; I guess last year some Hams looking for
contacts during the event had trouble getting the clubs that were close by. Also it is hoped that operators will not be “up” just during evening hours, but at various times. Just keep a log of your contacts in Zulu time. It can be on any paper, nothing official required.

The Club keeps the logs to help with the QSL replies and sends in the total contacts made.
You do not have to take care of QLS cards. Requests for our reply card are mailed to Box 869, Victorville, CA 92393, with a stamped, self-addressed envelope. The Halls will prepare the Club’s QSL card and also mail out replies.

We will be asking people to help operate, so expect us to inquire. If you have questions, just ask. We are one of 19 participants. We were in the bottom in our total contacts last year and hope to do a bit better this year.

About Route 66

Route 66 was a major migratory path west, especially during the dust bowl, and supported the economies of the communities on which the road passed. People became prosperous due to the growing popularity of the highway, and those same people later fought to keep the highway alive even with the growing threat of the new Interstate Highway System.

US 66 was officially decommissioned (that is, officially removed from the US Highway System) in 1985 after it was decided the route was no longer relevant and had been replaced by the Interstate Highway System. The road currently exists as "Historic Route 66", a National Scenic Byway, in the states it once crossed on its journey from Chicago to Santa Monica . It has begun to return to maps in this form.

Route 66 Links

The California Route 66 Museum in Victorville maintains and displays a collection of historic photographs and artifacts related to the history of Route 66 and it's communities.

The Historic Route 66 Web Site is dedicated to provide free information for those who want to learn more about Route 66. It features a turn-by-turn directions guiding visitors from Chicago to Los Angeles.

52nd Annual Jamboree on the Air
October 17-18, 2009 (noon to noon)
San Bernardino County Fairgrounds
Victorville, California

Jamboree on the Air Patch

What is JOTA?

When Scouts want to meet young people from another country, they usually think of attending a World Jamboree. But few people realize that each year more than 400,000 Scouts and Guides “get together” over the airwaves for the annual Jamboree-on-the-Air (JOTA). Modern technology offers Scouts the exciting opportunity to make friends in other countries without leaving home.

JOTA is an annual event in which Boy and Girl Scouts and Guides from all over the world speak to each other by means of Amateur (ham) Radio. Scouting experiences are exchanged and ideas are shared via radio waves. Since 1958 when the first Jamboree-on-the-Air was held, millions of Scouts have met each other through this event. Many contacts made during JOTA have resulted in pen pals and links between Scout troops that have lasted many years.

With no restrictions on age or on the number of participants, and at little or no expense, JOTA allows Scouts to contact each other by ham radio. The radio stations are operated by licensed amateur radio operators. Many Scouts and leaders hold licenses and have their own stations, but the majority participate in JOTA through stations operated by local radio clubs and individual radio amateurs.