[OkHam] Balloon Launch

[Lloyd Colston]

 From one of the ballooning lists:

    Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2004 05:51:42 -0000
    From: "Hank" <n1ltv@hotmail.com>
Subject: March 13 Texas launch dedicated to the Shuttle Columbia astronauts

I'm passing along the following text as it was received.

The NTBP website is at http://www.qsl.net/w5sjz/NTXBalloonproj.htm

Hank
--------------


"The Spirit of Columbia" NTBP #11

The North Texas Balloon Project flight #11 is planned for launch
about 8:30 am on March 13, 2004 from the municipal airport in
Hillsboro, Texas, just south of Fort Worth and Dallas.  This mission
is dedicated to the memory of the astronauts lost a year ago in the
Shuttle Columbia tragedy.

The weather balloon carrying amateur radio experiments is expected
to reach nearly 100,000 feet in about 90 minutes and return via
parachute in about 30 minutes.  Mobile recovery teams will use
position reports from the onboard APRS on 144.390 MHz and RDF
(fox hunting) to recover the payloads.

Set up will begin at 7:00 am with the HF Launch Net on 7260
� 10 kHz LSB starting at 8:00 am.  The cross band repeater uses
an uplink at 445.800 MHz and downlink at 147.560 MHz.  Video from
onboard cameras is transmitted at 1255.000 MHz for reception by
anyone with FM ATV capability.

The public is invited to come out to the Hillsboro Municipal Airport,
located at Exit 3 on Interstate Highway 35W, to watch the launch,
flight status, and downlink video.  In the event of unfavorable
weather or jet stream conditions, the launch will occur at a later
date.  For the latest information check http://www.qsl.net/ then
search for W5SJZ.  Or search the Internet for "NTBP and balloon".

Handheld VHF radios and scanners can receive the downlink easily.
At the peak altitude ham radio operators from Texas, Oklahoma,
Arkansas, Louisiana, and Kansas can contact each other using the
cross band repeater.

The radios used normally have a range of about 25 miles, but that
range will be extended to about 500 miles at the peak altitude.
Two video cameras are used to alternately show the balloon and the
horizon.  At the peak altitude, the curvature of the earth is
visible.

NTBP's Doug Howard said, "This is being done mostly for fun.  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."
According to Howard, Boy Scout troops from Fort Worth and Benbrook
will participate.

NTBP is a group of amateur (HAM) radio operators from Fort Worth and
Dallas and has launched balloons from Cleburn, Clifton, and Hillsboro
airports since 1991.  This is the second launch during the last year
and is funded by the amateur radio operators associated with the NTBP.

Please send an email to kd5day@ev1.net for further information.


-- 


Lloyd Colston		Mayes County CEM
Pryor, OK USA		http://www.geocities.com/mccem
    	Homeland Security begins at Home.