[Elecraft] Balloons and Gas (WAS: ridge vent as antenna?)

[EricJ]

I have 20 minutes of right seat time in my logbook in the Goodyear blimp! I
traded a flight in the blimp for some training time in my balloon for the
captain. I can tell you the Goodyear blimps are not a smooth ride. They
"hobby horse" through the air and there is no more apt description than
that. Hi. I have no idea what the big airships were like, and can't confirm
or refute the stories. However, because of the relatively slow speeds, they
become more a part of a given air mass and move with them where a much
faster airplane is more likely to fly into them in a more confrontational
manner. Hi.

I never operated ham radio from my balloon. As a pilot, you are pretty busy,
esp. if you have excited passengers, but I would think it would intrude too
much on a wonderful experience to chit chat with someone on the ground. I'm
sure it has been done, though.

Eric
KE6US
www.ke6us.com



-----Original Message-----
From: elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Ron D'Eau Claire
Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2006 12:08 PM
To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net
Subject: RE: [Elecraft] Balloons and Gas (WAS: ridge vent as antenna?)

Jim, N2EY wrote:

Dirigibles/zeppelins couldn't go high enough to get above bad weather, nor
fast enough to outrun/outflank it. Nor could they be made rugged enough to
go through bad weather without being so heavy they'd not have much
payload...

---------------------------------

Ah, but the Zeppelin gave us a bit of technology that serves so well even
today: the ever faithful and effective "Zepp" antenna and all its many
derivatives! Who can run open wire line to an end-fed dipole without
imagining they hear the rumble of the Zeppelin's engines somewhere in the
far distance? 

Airships never went away, of course. They simply became things most folks
were afraid to board, thanks to that classic bit of news footage of the
Hindenburg's end. Smaller non-rigid airships served in huge numbers in WWII
and they've been around ever since doing survey work, hauling heavy
equipment and, of course, as moving billboards. Now a few companies are
developing modern dirigibles for use in passenger and freight service once
again. One such company is here in the Northwest USA. 

The fact that heavier-than-aircraft provide a rough ride in bad weather has
given rise to the mistaken idea that the big lighter-than-airships did too.
There was a fellow who made a number of crossings on both the Graf Zeppelin
and the Hindenburg who became somewhat famous among Zeppelin travelers. Soon
after departure he'd place a fountain pen, balanced on end, on a table in
the passenger lounge and take bets on how long it'd stay upright. Frequently
the pen was still upright when they tied up at the mooring mast at their
destination a day or two later. In really rough weather the big airships
were reported to sway gently, but that was all.

I suspect that airships, like Morse code, "shortwave" radio and a lot of
other technology some folks assume are obsolete will be with us for a long,
long time yet. Maybe we'll even get to work an aircraft mobile aboard a real
dirigible again one day! Using CW of course...

Ron AC7AC

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