[ARRL-OK] Upcoming high altitude amateur radio balloon flight – ARBONET-1

[N7HRT at aol.com]

Attached is a copy of a press release describing  the upcoming high altitude 
amateur radio balloon flight – ARBONET-1 It is  expected that all or part of 
your ARRL section will be able to communicate  through the payloads aboard 
ARBONET-1 during its 2 hour flight now scheduled to  take place on Saturday, June 
3rd. I would like to ask for your help in  disseminating this information to 
as many Amateur Radio clubs and organizations  in your area as possible. There 
are two documents attached, the ARBONET-1 Press  Release and an ARBONET-1 Fast 
Facts handout. Please feel free to pass along both  of these documents to any 
amateur group that you think might find them of  interest. Please do not 
hesitate to contact me should you have any  questions.
Thanks and 73,
Doug Loughmiller, W5BL
President  
Fannin County Amateur Radio Club

North Texas Amateurs Prepare  for High Altitude Balloon Flight


Under the direction of  the Fannin County Amateur Radio Club of Bonham, Texas 
and with guidance from  members of the North Texas Balloon Project, amateurs 
across north Texas are  making final preparations for the launch of ARBONET-1. 
ARBONET-1 (Amateur Radio  Balloons Over NorthEast Texas – flight number 1), 
is the first in a series of  high altitude balloon flights to take place from 
the northeast corner of the  Lone Star State. 

ARBONET-1 is scheduled to launch Saturday June  3rd at approximately 9:00 AM 
CDT from the Clarksville – Red River County  Airport.  ARBONET-1 will carry a 
number of payloads to an expected altitude  of 96,000 feet. The ARBONET-1 
payloads include:

APRS: Operating  with the call sign K5FRC-11 on 144.34 MHz, ARBONET-1 APRS 
data will be I-gated  to the Internet for display on FindU.com and other APRS 
web  sites.

Homing and Data Beacon: The homing beacon will operate at a  power level of 
roughly one watt on146.560 MHz. In addition to aiding search  teams during the 
recovery phase of the mission, the beacon with transmit plain  language 
navigation and environmental data to the ground during the entire  duration of the 
flight.

Crossband FM Repeater:  The  crossband FM repeater is open for all to use. 
During the final minutes of the  balloon’s ascent, it is possible that as many 
as parts of eleven states will be  able to communicate via the crossband 
repeater. The crossband FM repeater will  operate on the frequencies of 445.800 MHz 
UP – 147.560 MHz Down. The repeater  does not employ any tones for access.

SSTV Image Downlink  System:  SSTV images will be transmitted to the ground 
on 145.560 MHz  utilizing the Scotty 1 SSTV format. 

Amateurs across the southwest  will be able to follow flight preparations and 
receive status reports on the  balloon’s progress via a special ARBONET 
operations net that will be held on  7.260 MHz +/- QRM commencing at 8:30 AM CDT. 
The Net Control Station will be  K5FRC.

A special QSL card will be available to any station that  checks into the HF 
operations net or who provides a reception report of any  transmission from 
the ARBONET-1 payloads. SWL reports are welcomed!! To obtain a  special 
ARBONET-1 QSL card please submit your request along with an S.A.S.E. to:  ARBONET-1 
QSL Card, c/o Fannin County Amateur Radio Club, P.O. Box 553, Bonham,  TX 75418. 
Questions concerning the ARBONET-1 flight may be directed to  w5bl at arrl.net.


ARBONET-1 Fast Facts

Scheduled Launch Date:  Saturday June 3rd
Scheduled Launch Time: 9:00 AM CDT
Launch Site:  Clarksville - Red River County Airport (33.5932 N 95.0635 W)
Flight Duration:  Approximately 2 hours
Launch Net: K5FRC - 7.260 MHz (+/- 10 KHz for QRM)  
8:30 AM CDT until Recovery
Payloads:

APRS: K5FRC-11 144.34  MHz
Homing and Data Beacon: 146.560 MHz
Crossband Repeater: 445.800 MHz UP  - 147.560 MHz Down
SSTV Image Capture and Downlink System: 145.560 MHz  






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Chula,  GA
N7HRT
AAR4WH (GA ARMY MARS)
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