[ARRL-OK] North Texas Baloon Project (NTBP) baloon launch on 7 August

[D C *Mac* Macdonald]

FLIGHT 18
Summer 2010, August 7, Hillsboro, Texas
 
Flight Announcement
NTBP is a group of amateur (HAM) radio operators from Fort Worth and Dallas and has launched balloons from Cleburne, Clifton, and Hillsboro Airports since 1991. This is the first launch during this last year and is funded by the amateur radio operators associated with the NTBP.
 
Please send an email to webmaster at ntexbp.org for further information or to make reports during or after the actual launch. The back up date will be August 14, 2010.
 
PRESS RELEASE
AMATEUR RADIO GROUP TO FLY BALLOON FLIGHT FROM HILLSBORO TEXAS AIRPORT
 
The next mission number 18 will be held by the North Texas Balloon Project (NTEXBP) is planned for launch about 8:30 am on August 7, 2010 from the municipal airport in Hillsboro, Texas, just south of Fort Worth and Dallas. Back up date is August 14, 2010. Two payload packages containing sensors and amateur radios will be carried to nearly 100,000 feet in about 90 minutes by a helium balloon and return via parachute in about 50 minutes.  Mobile recovery teams will use position reports from the onboard GPS and APRS transmitter on 144.390 MHz and radio direction finding techniques to recover the payloads.
 
Pre-launch activities will begin about 7:00 am with the HF Launch Net on 7260 +/- 5 kHz, LSB beginning around 8:00 am.  A cross band repeater will be activated soon after launch.  Uplink is 445.800 MHz and downlink is 147.560 MHz.  Handheld VHF radios 
and scanners can receive the downlink easily.  At the peak altitude ham radio operators from Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Kansas can contact each other using the cross band repeater.
 
The radios used normally have a range of about 5 to 10 miles, but that range will be extended to about 500 miles at the peak altitude. At the peak altitude, the curvature of the earth is visible. Digital video is recorded for later playback. APRS packets transmit the balloon's location about once a minute.
 
NTEXBP's Tommy Davis said, "In past operations we did the launches for fun and the enjoyment of flight. It involves many different facets of amateur radio and thus a project that many types of amateur radio operators can enjoy together.”  There is also an educational component utilized by scouting groups, because it involves orienteering and can be counted toward several different merit badges, as well as by teachers for science experiments. Davis said, “Area boy scout troops and school classes are invited along with all that are interested.”
 
In the event of unfavorable weather or poor jet stream conditions, the launch will occur at a later date.  Be sure to check www.ntexbp.org or www.w5sjz.net and other Ham Radio forums and news sources for later information.
 
The public is invited to come out to the Hillsboro Municipal Airport, located at Exit 3 on Interstate Highway 35W, to watch the launch.
 
North Texas Balloon Project is a group of amateur (HAM) radio operators from Fort Worth and Dallas and has launched balloons from Cleburne, Clifton, and Hillsboro airports since 1991.  This is the first launch during this year and is funded by the amateur radio operators associated with the North Texas Balloon Project.
 
Operator’s and Technical Data to follow at www.ntexbp.org or www.w5sjz.net. Reports, questions, APRS and other data may be sent to NTEXBP by emailing webmaster at ntexbp.org . 

Please forward to interested Hams and ham communities. I would also appreciate any announcement that could be made on local repeaters during allotted calls for announcements.  
 
PAYLOAD 1&2
Payload: Basic Package – APRS (part 1 of 2)
Purpose: Position reporting, recovery support
Summary: Utilize Automatic Position Reporting System (APRS) capabilities to allow reception by chase & recovery teams with at least one Amateur Radio licensed operator & the required technical equipment to track & recover the balloon launch packages.
 
Technical Equipment Details:
            Motorola OnCore 12-channel GPS receiver (common with voice beacon)
Provides location & date/time information as a serial data stream to TT4TinyTrakker4 (TT4) Converts location & date/time information from GPS into tones that can be transmitted through a standard voice radio
Also converts analog telemetry, such as battery supply voltage & module temperature into tones that can be transmitted through a standard voice radio
Yaesu VX-2R dual-band amateur transceiver that takes tones from TT4 & transmits on 144.390MHz (standard APRS frequency in US) at ½ watt of output power
            Diamond RH77CA dual-band antenna
            Component power supplied by single-use lithium sulfate (LiSO4) batteries
3-cell pack supplies 9VDC to all electronics (individually regulated down to 5VDC in each component) (common with voice beacon)
            With an additional 2-cell tap which supplies 6VDC to APRS VX-2R radio
 
Payload: Basic Package – Voice Beacon (part 2 of 2)
Purpose: Position reporting, recovery support, public monitoring
Summary: Utilize a BS2e single chip microprocessor to read internal/external temperature sensors, to gather location & date/time information from the GPS, & to control a text‑to‑speech module to “speak” all of this information such that it can be received by anyone, with or without an Amateur Radio license, without the need for any additional or specialized technical equipment other than a simple receiver (scanner, radio, etc.)
Technical Equipment Details:
            Motorola Oncore 12-channel GPS receiver (common with APRS)
            Provides location & date/time information as a serial data stream to Parallax GPS
module
            Parallax BasicStamp BS2e Acts as central controller for this capability
Generates Morse Code identification tones through the EMIC text‑to‑speech module converts location & date/time information from Parallax GPS module into commands to the EMIC text‑to‑speech module
Converts digital temperature data from internal/external temperature sensors into commands to the EMIC text‑to‑speech module
Reports inside temperature, outside temperature, date, time, number of GPS satellites being received, latitude, longitude, altitude, speed, & heading
            Programmed in PBASIC
            Parallax GPS Module
Accepts location & date/time information from Motorola OnCore GPS & provides command/status interface to BasicStamp BS2e
Includes an integral GPS receiver that is not utilized (we only use the command/status interface it provides)
Dallas Semiconductor DS1620 Digital Temperature Sensors (Internal/External)
            Provides digital temperature data to BasicStamp BS2e
            Parallax EMIC Text‑to‑Speech module
Accepts textual data from BasicStamp BS2e and converts it into spoken audio that can be transmitted through a standard voice radio
Yaesu VX-2R dual-band amateur transceiver that takes Morse Code identification tones and generated speech from EMIC text‑to‑speech module & transmits on 146.560MHz at ½ watt of output power
            Diamond RH77CA dual-band antenna
            Component power supplied by single-use lithium sulfate (LiSO4) batteries
3-cell pack supplies 9VDC to all electronics (individually regulated down to 5VDC in each component) (common with APRS)
 
If primary 9VDC battery pack fails, rendering all electronics inoperative, then by design, the voice beacon radio will remain constantly keyed (allowing direction finding by the chase & recovery teams to continue on this constant carrier)
 
Payload: Cross-band Repeater Package
Purpose: Short & long-distance amateur-to-amateur radio contacts
Summary: Utilize a pair of radios coupled to a miniature repeater controller to allow Amateur Radio licensed operators separated by either short distances (<50 miles) or long distances (50-250 miles) to make radio contact through the balloon package
 
Technical Equipment Details:
            A pair of Yaesu VX-2R dual-band amateur transceiver
            Act together, one as receiver and one as transmitter
            Radio power supplied by internal NiMH battery pack
            Uplink radio receives on 445.800MHz
            Uplink radio modified to provide external Carrier-operated squelch (COS)
            Downlink radio transmits on 147.560MHz at ½ watt of output power
            A pair of Diamond RH77CA dual-band antennas, one per transceiver
            NRHC-micro repeater controller
            Provides periodic identification
            Controller power supplied by 9VDC alkaline battery
 
PAYLOAD 3
Ten Meter Beacon
The third payload of the flight is a ten meter beacon. This beacon was built by ham operators employed at a local avionics shop. This home brew transmitter and Byonics controller will be the basis of the beacon. It is operating on a frequency 28.274 mhz. The antenna is a home brew loop antenna with an swr of 1.2 to 1. The output of this transmitter is approximately 400 milliwatts. This coupled with the high gain antenna, should be heard world wide? Please report contact and we will happily qsl the event. Email webmaster at ntexbp.org or kdvickers at aol.com