[TNham] UTARC UX-14 balloon launch 6/9/07

[Greg Williams]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 29, 2007

Who: University of Tennessee Amateur Radio Club (UTARC) and the Radio 
Amateur Club of Knoxville (RACK)
What: UTARC UX-14 High-Altitude Balloon Launch
When: Saturday, June 9, 2007 - Time: 9:30 AM Eastern Time
Where: Knoxville Hamfest and Electronics Exposition, Kerbela Temple, 315 
Mimosa Avenue Knoxville, TN
Why: Demonstration of technology used to launch and recover 
high-altitude balloons as well as to videotape flight for replay later 
at the Hamfest if recovered in time.


The University of Tennessee Amateur Radio Club (UTARC) in cooperation 
with the Radio Amateur Club of Knoxville (RACK) will conduct a 
high-altitude balloon launch on Saturday, June 9, 2007 during the 41st 
Annual RACK Hamfest at the Kerbela Temple in Knoxville, Tennessee. 
Launch is currently scheduled for 9:30 AM Eastern Time.

The payload, nicknamed “Eye in the Sky” will contain a video camera that 
will record the entire flight from lift-off to landing and recovery. 
This payload is planned for return to the Hamfest in time for replay to 
the attendees.

Along with a video camera, a 2-meter transceiver and 70cm beacon will be 
placed on board for tracking in real-time. A GPS receiver will provide 
telemetry to the transceiver and to an APRS (Automated Position 
Reporting System) controller that will send coordinates back to ground 
stations working to intercept and recover the payload after its decent 
from altitudes exceeding 50,000 feet (weather and prevailing winds 
permitting).

ABOUT UTARC: The University of Tennessee Amateur Radio Club is 
celebrating it’s 60th year of operation. UTARC has been launching 
high-altitude balloons since May of 2005 and their missions have been 
featured in Make magazine, or publications and the tech web site 
Slashdot. This launch will be the 14th balloon launch for UTARC. Their 
balloon missions have taken them as high as 116,000 feet. The payload 
radio transmissions have been heard as far away as Vancouver, BC and the 
Caribbean. This year’s balloon launch will mark the 2nd year UTARC has 
launched from the Hamfest.

ABOUT RACK: The Radio Amateur Club of Knoxville is celebrating its 41st 
year of hosting the RACK Hamfest, an annual gathering of amateur radio 
operators and electronics enthusiasts to buy, sell, and trade amateur 
radio equipment and participate in seminars dedicated to the amateur 
radio hobby. The Radio Amateur Club of Knoxville was founded in the 
1950s and has served the residents of East Tennessee in times of 
emergency and public service during its years in operation.

ABOUT THE RACK HAMFEST: The 41st Annual RACK Hamfest and Computer 
Exposition will be held at the Kerbela Temple in South Knoxville near 
Baptist Hopsital. This year’s hamfest marks the 2nd consecutive year 
that the hamfest has been held at Kerbela Temple. Along with the 
hamfest, the Tennessee section of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) 
will conduct its state convention at this year’s event. Various forums 
including demonstrations of satellite communications, astronomy, HF 
communications, and youth activities are scheduled.

More information on the web:
UTARC: http://www.utarc.org
RACK: http://w4bbb.org

For additional information, please contact Greg Williams, UTARC, at 
865-588-9252; or David Bower, Hamfest Director, at 865-690-8360 (e-mail 
at d.bower at ieee.org)

# # #



-- 

Gregory S. Williams
gregwilliams(at)knology.net
k4hsm(at)knology.net

http://www.etskywarn.net
http://www.twiar.org
http://www.icebearnation.com