Guides on the Air
GOTA (Guides on the Air) is an opportunity for Guides, from Sparks to Guiders, to talk to other Girl Guides and Girl Scouts all over the world via Amateur Radio. Outside Canada, GOTA is known as ‘Thinking Day on the Air’ – TDOTA.
GOTA and TDOTA are held every year on a weekend close to Thinking Day – the day when Girl Guides and Girl Scouts around the world remember the founders of Guiding and Souting, as well as their sisters in WAGGGS – the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. GOTA/TDOTA is a fun way to reach out to some WAGGGSW sisters during Guide-Scout week!
How GOTA started:
GOTA (Guides on the Air) began in 1985 to celebrate 75 years of Guiding in Canada, the UK, New Zealand and Australia. GOTA is sponsored by the Canadian Ladies Amateur Radio Association (CLARA) and endorsed by Girl Guides of Canada – Guides du Canada (GGC). GOTA has grown each year with more countries taking part.
Many Canadian Call Areas now have an operator sponsoring the GGC suffix, e.g. VE1GGC, VE3GGC, VE4GGC (WSCRC), VE7GGC. There are many Amateur Radio operators, camps, clubs, and Military bases involved in GOTA.
Suggested calling frequencies:
80 metres: 3733; 3788; 3888
40 metres 7033; 7288
20 metres 14133; 14288
15 metres 21288
10 metres 28488; 28588
2 metres
A sample QSL card (template) can be downloaded at http://www.guidezone.skl.com/haqslcard.htm – just add the callsign of the station and the return address, and print.
For more information, contact Helen Archibald, VE2YAK at e-mail: archibal@pubnix.net, or go to this website – http://www.guidezone.skl.com/i_ha_index.htm
The Winnipeg Senior Citizens Radio Club is the custodian of the callsign VE4GGC, and our station is used for GOTA. We urge members to locate Guide troops that would like to participate in this yearly on-air activity, and arrange to have them here. Guiders who have been here before will, we hope, return. Our members are invited to be present at the Club during the two days of GOTA – please sign up on the sheet on the bulletin board, or call 233-3122 and leave your name, and day you will attend, with the Duty Officer.