Happy Field Day guys and gals…I wish I were with you but having an old white haired dude with a pony tail using a walker to get from point A to point B doesn’t really represent today’s Ham Radio Operator. I’m going to have to be satisfied in working Field Day making contacts from my comfort zone in my airconditioned cave. Good luck and good fortune working your contacts today.
The Baker/Howland DXpedition has left Pago Pago by ship with all their gear, food, shelter expected to arrive at KH1 on the 26th in a couple of days. Propagation isn’t the best but it’ll be all the sweeter getting that ATNO in the log if we have to work harder to get the job done. Unfortunately their permit does not allow directional beam antennas plus…they are restricted to 48 feet of antenna height so we’re going to be working verticals that are omni-directional without the good gain of a Yagi antenna.
It is what it is so plan to make the best of what we’re offered. I suppose these restrictions have something to do with protecting the Island’s bird inhabitants. I’ve been working on improving my CW skills just in case I miss making contact on SSB. Failure is not an option so I’m getting myself psyched up in preparation for next week’s fun on the globe’s equator. That’s about it for this month from my station in Huntersville to your station once again wishing you luck on Field Day. Remember to activate your station and start calling CQ so the station awaiting your call can answer you from out there somewhere someplace in radioland…
All Things HF
It seems like I spend more time keeping my station free of dust these days than I do using it. After all, it is summer (almost) so lots of time is spent below the pergola on the back deck nursing a cold beverage. After our very long and very cold winter, sitting outdoors watching the wildlife is almost as rewarding as getting into a rag chew on HF. What I really needed to do was to peak my interest in getting back on the air.
I decided to improve my CW skills by a daily practice session at my desk rather than using the built in radio CW practice set-up. My desk set-up includes a Vibroplex CW paddle connected to a battery operated keyer with automatic dits along with adjustable speed controls. The keyer is manufactured by GHD and is available from Morse Express.
In the meantime, the DXpedition to Baker/Howland Islands scheduled for June, is going to get my undivided attention for an ATNO on both phone and CW. Both my antenna systems and radio station are capable of making the trip but the propagation Gods are will determine the outcome. I have my fingers crossed…
That’s all for this month so remind yourself to sit at your station and call CQ (you might consider using CW) because someone somewhere is listening for your call, don’t disappoint them. So long from my station in Huntersville to your station wherever it may be.
On May 16th, 2018 Jim Reed and Cory Olson, Forestview Middle School teachers, finally were able to get a flight path prediction for their long awaited balloon launch. They selected a small ball field in Cushing, MN as launch site and as it turned out, it was the perfect site to use. The balloon was a 3000 gram balloon, which means it was bigger than the other balloons they launched, usually 1200 grams.
The balloon launched at 4:50 PM and headed southeast as expected. The balloon burst at 6:19 PM at an altitude of 111,003 ft. We started tracking as soon as it was launched, but did not hurry as everyone was tracking it either by APRS or an APRS app on their smart phones. Jim and Cory positioned us near where it looked like it would land and they were not far off.
Ron, KØGOP was on the 147.225 repeater assisting with tracking information on aprs.fi. As it turned out, it landed in an open farmers field near Lastrup, MN. The home owner, an elderly lady, was sure surprised when she saw 8 or 10 cars coming up her driveway. One of her sons was still there so he helped recover the balloon with his ATV.
The other coincidence was that one of her daughters is also the Managing Editor of the Morrison Co Record. She arrived in a little while and Jim, Cory and the HAB club will get some well deserved publicity from the Record.
All in all it turned out be be a very good flight. This makes 100% recovery for the club.
73′ Al Doree WØRC
Attached is an APRS map showing the balloon flight in RED and the tracking crew path in GREEN.
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