[bars] NEST Balloon Launch Saturday

Sun Jul 23 19:51:51 EDT 2023

I didn't do too much, Tim. Just some extra hands. . .

There were two stations working the repeater. The official W1U station was
an IC-9700 with a small AZ-EL array. I've attached a couple of photos.

73 Jim K1IR

On Sun, Jul 23, 2023, 1:49 PM Tim KC1RET <kc1ret.radio at gmail.com> wrote:

> Thanks, Jim!
>
> I had no trouble hearing the repeater using only the Arrow 70cm handheld
> antenna (7 elements).  It was full quieting most of the time despite being
> indoors and aiming through heavy tree foliage in the direction of the
> balloon.  There were some deep, fast fades that someone mentioned was
> likely caused by the balloon antenna twisting/flipping.
>
> I'm curious about the details of the ground station - what antennas?  how
> did you track it? (az+el or just az?)
>
> Also, interested to hear about the results of the other payloads.
>
> Thank you for your efforts towards the success of the project!
>
> 73,
> T.
>
> On 7/23/2023 13:30, Jim Idelson wrote:
>
> Congratulations on making that contact, Tim! I was an assistant at the
> main NEST location, helping assemble the ground stations and making a few
> of the contacts. My conclusion is that the whole thing was a big success -
> due in great measure to the efforts of some super enthusiastic young people.
>
> 73 Jim K1IR
>
> On Sun, Jul 23, 2023, 1:21 PM Tim KC1RET <kc1ret.radio at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Awhile back I purchased an Arrow 70cm/20m handheld satellite antenna.
>> After reading up on the HABGAB project I thought it would be a perfect
>> first use.  Well, it turns out that the antenna uses BNC connectors rather
>> than '259s and I was one adapter short of hooking it up through a duplexer
>> to my HT.  RATS!
>>
>> After a few moments of disappointment while watching the live feed on
>> Youtube I realized that they were sending the downlink audio on the
>> livestream.  Ah HA!  I'll just use the HT for the uplink (no duplexer
>> required) and listen to the downlink on the live stream.  I forgot about
>> the delay. I did hear myself but it was several seconds delayed, far too
>> long to complete a QSO with W1U.
>>
>> Finally, I stuck upon the idea of using my main station 2m radio as the
>> uplink and listen to the downlink on the HT with the Arrow antenna.  It was
>> a bit of handful pointing the antenna in the general direction of the
>> balloon with one hand and keying the mic with the other but I got them
>> (W1U) on the first call!
>>
>> Joy!  My first balloon-repeater QSO!
>>
>> I did hear at least one other club member, N1CVO, Shawn in Lowell, on the
>> downlink.
>>
>> Congrats to Eric and the rest of the team!!
>>
>> Eric, I am curious how well your picotracker payload performed.   I
>> didn't try tracking it.
>>
>> 73,
>> Tim - KC1RET
>>
>> On 7/19/2023 11:56, Eric L. Johnson wrote:
>>
>> Below is a notice from the New England Sci-Tech Club (NEST) for the
>> upcoming (weather permitting) high altitude balloon launch.
>> Following the link https://nescitech.org/habgab will get you all the
>> details, including instructions for using the HABGAB repeater during the
>> flight.  We are encouraging Hams across New England to listen to or
>> contact the HABGAB repeater.
>> I have been involved with this club over the past few months, and have
>> attached a small pico-balloon payload which we
>> will use at a later date to attempt an around-the-world flight.
>>
>> Thank You,
>> Eric Johnson KC1OAV
>>
>>
>> ============================================================================================
>> HABGab 2023 Balloon Launch
>> presented by
>> New England Weather Balloon Society
>>
>> Weather forecast is looking great for the weekend.  Still on for
>> Saturday.  Keep in mind, the ways to participate include:
>>
>> Launch Site: Current predictions are placing it in Eastern Connecticut,
>> and we'd aim to be there at 9am to start setup.  Final launch site will be
>> sent out the morning of launch very early.
>>
>> HABGab HQ NEST Event: NEST will be hosting people interested in watching
>> the flight remotely, doing makerspace activities, and getting help from Joe
>> Fitzgerald K1MP, an engineer who works with satellites and satellite
>> tracking, to make contact with the balloon repeater from the radio room and
>> earn a special event QSL card.
>>
>> Recovery Efforts: Help out your fellow team by tracking the positions of
>> the payloads on https://amateur.sondehub.org/, and reporting the landing
>> locations here on groups.io for others interested in helping with
>> recovery of payloads.  Join us at one of the 3 payload landing sites to
>> help with onsite efforts to retrieve the payloads.  Come prepared for heavy
>> wilderness exploration (thick pants, heavy boots, long sleeve shirts, tough
>> gloves, hats, bug spray, flashlights, water, snacks, etc.).
>>
>> Participate from Home: Track payloads online, watch the livestream,
>> contact or listen to the repeater, join the Discord
>> <https://discord.gg/ZWnvCbVymg> conversation.  Instructions all at
>> https://nescitech.org/habgab.
>>
>>
>> =========================================================================================
>> --
>> Eric L. Johnson
>> ericlee.johnson at gmail.com
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> bars mailing listbars at w1hh.orghttp://mail.w1hh.org/mailman/listinfo/bars_w1hh.org
>>
>>
>> --
>>
>> Courageously sent from a non-Apple device that *includes* a headphone
>> jack.
>> ------------------------------
>> <https://kc1ret.com/img/kc1ret-qsl-card-front-v3.png> Tim Carter - KC1RET
>>
>> +1.978.710.0133 <1.978.710.0133>
>> kc1ret.radio at gmail.com
>> https://kc1ret.com
>>
>> "Computers are incredibly fast, accurate and stupid; humans are
>> incredibly slow, inaccurate and brilliant; together they are powerful
>> beyond imagination." -- *Albert Einstein*
>>
>> Warning: Spelling errors in this message are the product of a poor school
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>
> --
>
> Courageously sent from a non-Apple device that *includes* a headphone
> jack.
> ------------------------------
> <https://kc1ret.com/img/kc1ret-qsl-card-front-v3.png> Tim Carter - KC1RET
>
> +1.978.710.0133 <1.978.710.0133>
> kc1ret.radio at gmail.com
> https://kc1ret.com
>
> "Computers are incredibly fast, accurate and stupid; humans are incredibly
> slow, inaccurate and brilliant; together they are powerful beyond
> imagination." -- *Albert Einstein*
>
> Warning: Spelling errors in this message are the product of a poor school
> system. Pay teachures more than athletes.
> IMPORTANT: This email is intended for the use of the individual
> addressee(s) named above and may contain information that is confidential
> privileged or unsuitable for overly sensitive persons with low self-esteem,
> no sense of humor or irrational religious beliefs. If you are not the
> intended recipient, any dissemination, distribution or copying of this
> email is not authorized (either explicitly or implicitly) and constitutes
> an irritating social fauxpas. No animals were harmed in the transmission of
> this email, although the mutt next door is living on borrowed time, let me
> tell you.
>
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