[K3PZN-List] Local Activity (Fun) Alerts

[Pat Kilroy]

Local High-Altitude Balloon Alerts! 

TWO POSSIBLE MISSIONS THIS MONTH. 

This coming Saturday morning, 
October 22, I am assisting Josh Neel, 
KB3VTP, on his first high-altitude 
balloon mission. 

Josh and the youth in his Civil Air Patrol 
squadron will launch their 800g balloon 
and small payload from Clear Spring, Md. 
at the volunteer fire department grounds 
there. The small balloon payload is 
expected to fly eastward, over 
Westminster, and beyond. 

Josh and I checked out the launch area 
this past Saturday with favorable results. 
Mike Garber's N3KTX-4 node there 
worked really well in capturing and 
forwarding Josh's APRS packets then, 
so we trust it will work well on the 
ground again and of course when and 
while in flighttoo. 

I did not get a chance to try the 442.650+ 
repeater next to Mike's N3KTX-4 node last 
weekend but I expect to be on it on launch 
morning, and then change to the 145.410 
K3PZN/R Westminster repeater during 
the big chase & recovery effort on 
Saturday morning and/or afternoon. 

I have an APRS announcement going 
on the 144.390 network since this past 
Saturday for Josh and his CAP squadron 
youth. 


Josh has his flight announcement posted 
on the national high-altitude page: 

http://arhab.org/ARHABlaunchannouncements.html

FYI, I HOPE TO launch a tiny payload 
on a balloon again at our Mason-Dixon 
Hamfest on the last Sunday of this 
month. Another PICetSat module 
(a CarrollSat-3 mission?), but I don't 
know if it will carry APRS -- but it 
would be fun and educational either 
way. The only problem is I have not 
yet assembled a balloon fill team, a 
ground station person or team, nor 
a chase team! Any takers? 

(Last year, Matt was our top fill leader 
and Stu was our top ground station. 
You guys still out there?) 

I don't want to steal away workers 
from our fine hamfest, but maybe, 
just maybe, this will be well worth 
the support effort, especially if we 
don't have a technical session 
scheduled yet. 

Thoughts? Recommendations? 


Thank you,

Pat Kilroy
N8PK

http://simsat.net/ will to be 
updated based on local 
interest and support. 





Pat Kilroy 
pat at patkilroy.com