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Official website here.

from Greg Williams, K4HSM
Website: http://balloon.utarc.org on December 30, 2005

The University of Tennessee Amateur Radio Club (UTARC) is planning to launch the UX-5 balloon on Saturday, Dec. 31. Approximate time for liftoff will be at 1830 UTC, or 1:30 PM Eastern Time.

UTARC will attempt the official distance record for this launch with a CW beacon on HF relaying telemetry and location information as the balloon takes to the air.

The balloon for the launch is designed for distance and longevity, so the flight may last over 24 hours if winds and equipment are favorable.

On UTARC’s previous balloon flight, UX-4 was carried aloft by a 200 gram latex weather balloon, and was in the air for an estimated 2 hours, although the transmitter continued to operate for over 36 hours. Predictions indicate it probably landed in Virginia. The transmitter was built by Carl Lyster (WA4ADG) and had a 0.8 watt output. Reception reports were received from as far away as British Columbia.

Recovery of the balloon is not anticipated at this time unless the balloon bursts early into the flight. Contact information will be on the balloon in case of a physical recovery.

The telemetry feedback will be in the following format:

Frequency: 14.325 MHz +/- 2kHz

Mode: CW
Sequence: AA4UT/B every 15
seconds; full telemetry every 4 minutes as follows:

HI HI AA4UT/B
ALT xxxxxM
LAT xx.xxxxxx(N|S)
LON xxx.xxxxxx(W|E)

SATS xx
TEMP (P|N)xxxC
BATT xx.x VOLTS
SEQ xxxxx

PSE QSL WWW.UTARC.ORG

Weather forecasts for the launch are slowly becoming favorable, but UTARC is still planning to launch even if conditions are less than favorable. Weather does not normally affect a balloon launch unless adverse conditions affect the safety of the crew.

As of now, the forecast is as follows:
Saturday: A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly before 8am. Partly cloudy, with a high around 54. West wind between 5 and 10 mph.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 32.
As with the the last launch, postings on DX Clusters will be made and signal reports can be sent via the web site at http://balloon.utarc.org

This is a long-distance record attempt. Your reception reports will be most welcome and valuable. If you do return a reception report, please give us your coordinates in Latitude and Longitude so that we may plot distance accordingly.

Thank you for reading and 73. We hope to hear from you this Saturday. The University of Tennessee Amateur Radio Club, AA4UT

Wish me luck – tomorrow I’m heading up to the roof to install the wind meter. I need to make sure I bring a compass, the allen wrench, and the control box to set the wind direction.

… found another Amateur Radio periodical – I got a sample copy in the mail today. Check out their website.

From the Southgate ARC:

The Digipeater function on AO-51 has been turned on for a ‘Trial Test Session’. The test may be paused at any time.

Please keep your digi packets down to a reasonable level as this is a shared resource. Only one uplink is in use, so the PBBS users and digi users are going to be on the same uplink frequency. This is a shared uplink and downlink with
the PBBS, so do not overload it with continuous, or high duty rate, beacons or broadcasts.

This is not the 10 watt plus transmitter that is on the ISS. It will take a higher gain receiving station to hear the 9k6 signal of AO-51. You will not need a strong signal for the uplink though, as AO-51 hears very well. Note that the uplink and downlink are both at 9600 baud.

Downlink: 435.300 FM 9600 baud
Uplink: 145.860 FM 9600 baud
Digi Callsign: PACB-1

If you are using TlmEcho there is a bug in the program regarding the Digipeat Status display. That has been fixed in the new version, and a number of new features added as well. A new version of TlmEcho is expected to be released soon.

For the time being, if you monitor the 9k6 downlink you can use the LSTAT status message to verify that the digipeater is turned on. If the message contains “d:1”, then the digi function is enabled. If it contains “d:0” the digi is turned off.

Mike, KE4AZN, added, “I want to personally thank Jeff, KB2M, and Gould, WA4SXM, for their help in testing the digipeat function.”

Mike, KE4AZN

“What a wonderful place to spend Christmas!” That was the word this week from Expedition 12 Commander Bill McArthur, KC5ACR, and his crewmate and Flight Engineer Valery Tokarev on the International Space Station. Wearing Santa hats, the astronaut and the cosmonaut extend Christmas and new year’s greetings to everyone on Earth in a video clip available from NASA TV during which they take turns at the microphone. In it, McArthur says that this is his favorite time of year, and he regrets not being able to spend it with his family this year. “As we look down on the earth, especially during this time of year, it really strikes us how fortunate mankind is to live on such a wonderful, beautiful planet,” McArthur goes on to say during the greeting, which runs about almost four minutes. “And also we realize we have great responsibilities as stewards of this planet.” McArthur and Tokarev will return to Earth in April.

The most complete list yet…….You might be a HAM if….!

* You know the Latitude and Longitude of your home QTH.
* You ask for a Bird 43 for a Father’s day gift.
* You receive a Bird 43 for a Father’s day gift.
* You calculate the HAAT for your new QTH before you sign the loan papers.
* Your teenager refuses to ride in your car because it looks like a porcupine
* Your XYL refuses to ride in your car because all the radios give her a headache.
* You ever replaced a perfectly good car battery just to get a higher capacity one.
* Your criterion for a new QTH includes ground elevation, and no antenna restrictions.
* You ever received a TVI complaint.
* You ever loaded up something strange like your bedsprings or gutters.
* You tried to figure out how to put a stealth antenna onto a public utility pole
* Your neighbor threatened to call the FCC for you interfering with an electronic device in their house.
* You ever had an antenna fall down.
* You ever had the same roll of coax up at 3 different locations.
* Your XYL accuses you of moving all those boxes of wire for the last 20 years, but never using any of it.
* You wear a watch that displays time in a 24-hour format.
* The local Radio Shack knows you by name.
* You consider a repeater directory a necessary glove box item.
* You ever took a detour just to look at a new tower that has sprung up.
* You use your ham call as a computer password.
* You ever used your ham call as a part of an email address.
* You ever bought a ham study guide for another family member in hopes of getting her/him interested.
* You plan your vacation to take in as many hamfests as possible.
* You’ve ever figured out how long a slinky really is.
* You ever tapped out HI in Morse on your car horn to another ham.
* You remember people by their call sign better than their names.
* You ever took a spring vacation to Ohio, so you could drop in on Dayton.
* You go to an antique flea market with your non-ham spouse, just so she/he would feel guilty when you > wanted to go the ham flea market.
* Your call sign shows up on your business cards.
* You ever put a GPS tracker in the XYL’s car, just so you could watch her on APRS.
* You and the XYL took a cruise so you could visit the radio room.
* Ham radio magazines comprise more than 50% of your bathroom library.
* A ham radio activity is included in your business resume.
* You have taken a radio to work just to see how you get out or to use during a lunch hour.
* You’ve looked at the cordless phone and wondered if you could tweak it over to a ham band.
* You’ve automatically tuned into the RACES or ARES freq. during a storm rather than the Nat. Weather > Service.
* Your tried to bring in SW by modifiying a crystal radio.
* You factor in a few extra hours on a business trip so you can visit a ham radio retail establishment
* You ever fell off a ladder while putting up an antenna.
* You ever put up an antenna in a snow storm.
* You ever had to patch your roof after an antenna project
* Your teenager thinks all your friends are weird.
* You have many other interests, but over the years keep ham radio as a core activity.
* You actually try your radio’s submersible capability while taking a bath.
* You convert a walking stick into a pedestrian antenna.

From QRZ.com:
In 1975 Armando Villamor, WA4QVH, (ex-K2ZZH) participated in the evacuation of Saigon, South Vietnam, as RADIO OFFICER on the USNS GREENVILLE VICTORY (T-AK 237).. Also holds Amateur License from Belize, Central America, V31AV and FCC Commercial 1st Class Radiotelegraph licence with Ship Radar Endorsement and six month service Endorsement.

In 1975 six crewmembers from the USNS GREENVILLE VICTORY joined A MARINE AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT UNIT to recapture the SS MAYAGUEZ previously boarded and captured by the Khmer Rouge in international waters off the Cambodian coast. Served as the Radio Officer on USNS GREENVILLE VICTORY in that operation.

To see details about evacuation of Saigon and the MAYAGUEZ incident please browse to:

http://hometown.aol.com/avilla2090/armando/web/index.htm

It was a short, but memorable QSO with Sal (W6EOA) – and my first QSO with California. Ends up Sal lives right next to where I grew up and also lives down the street from one of my old high school friends who’s dad is a ham (N6PT) – I always remember his huge tower that he had in his backyard.

I think I just had my first CW QSO with N8DFM on 40 M – but the band was weak and so was my copy – but I’m pretty sure what took place can ultimately be considered a QSO.

I got my Bencher paddle working and I think it does the trick much better than my MFJ straight key.

I have a lot more work to do on CW, but I’m glad I’m getting on the air and giving it a try.