Category Archives: Special Event

Announcement, Special Event

Parachute Mobile – Mission 34 – Mar 16, 2019

QST, QST. QST

Parachute Mobile

Mission 34

Here is your opportunity to make a QSO with a skydiver and receive a one-of-a-kind QSL card.

For 9 years a small groups of hams, and a few skydivers who are also hams, have come together to bring you this fun, exciting, and unique way to make a ham radio contact. The skydiver will jump out of a plane from approximately 13,000 feet and deploy his canopy right away to utilize the altitude. Attached to the skydiver is a payload jam packed with amateur radio equipment. Not only will you be able to make 2 meter simplex contacts but you will also be able to track each skydiver via APRS but watch it all unfold from live steaming video.

Continue reading Parachute Mobile – Mission 34 – Mar 16, 2019 →
Amateur Radio, Announcement, Special Event

Parachute Mobile Mission 32 – August 25, 2018

Two missions completed, two more to go. Come join us! Make a contact with a skydiver.

Time:

We hope to have the first jump around 10 A.M. Go to parachutemobile.org on mission day for updates or monitor the W6CX Repeater at 147.060+ 100

Frequencies:

FM QSOs on 146.430 simplex
HF QSOs on 14.250

EchoLink:

NE6RD-L

APRS:

Track each skydive by their callsigns. Mark, AF6IM; Rob, KC6TYD.

Live streaming video:

Ustream.tv/channel/mfwright.com

QSL Card:

If you make a contact with a skydiver please email Rob at kc6tyd@gmail.com and state the jump number, name of the skydiver, and approximate time.

As always, we do not have control of the airplane or weather so this event is subject to delay or cancellation.

Amateur Radio, Special Event

Johnson Space Center Amateur Radio Club Fires Up 1950s Vintage Gear for NASA on the Air Special Event

W5RRR, the Johnson Space Center Amateur Radio Club (JSCARC), is on the air as part of the NASA on the Air (NOTA) year-long special event — one of 12 NASA ham club stations participating in the event, which celebrates significant NASA milestones as the agency observes its 60th anniversary.

This week, JSCARC members will focus operations on 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10 meters, as well as on satellites. A commemorative 1958 vintage vacuum tube vintage station will be activated. It pairs a Johnson Ranger transmitter and Courier amplifier with a Hammarlund HQ-145C receiver, courtesy of Kenneth Goodwin, K5RG, a JSARC member.

“This station will be used to make CW, SSB, and AM QSOs,” Keith Brandt, WD9GET, said. “In addition, our other shack radios will use SSB, FT8, FM, CW, and SSTV to make contacts on all bands.”

A special 60th anniversary QSL card — designed by AB5SS — will be available with an SASE for contacts made only to JSC Amateur Radio Club, 2101 NASA Rd. 1 M/C AW7, Houston, TX 77058. A certificate is available for top stations that work modes and bands across the NOTA NASA centers.

Source: ARRL.org

Amateur Radio, Announcement, Special Event

Parachute Mobile Mission 31 is scheduled for June 16, 2018

QST, QST, QST…

Parachute Mobile Mission 31 is scheduled for June 16, 2018.

This will be an opportunity to for you to make a unique contact with a skydiver while he descends under his parachute.

Frequencies

FM: 146.430 MHz

HF: 14.250 MHz (May operate split mode.  Check website closer to mission day.)

APRS

Search AF6IM or KC6TYD depending on jumper

Live streaming video:

Ustream.tv/channel/mfwright.com

EchoLink:

NE6RD-L

This will be our first time using EchoLink.  Please be patient when attempting to make a QSO as we are aware of latency issues.  We have tried our best to keep this at a minimum.

Location

Bay Area Skydiving

Byron Airport, Byron, CA

We hope to have our first jump as close to 10 a.m.  Listen on 146.430 MHz for Parachute Control.  Updates will be made throughout the day to keep you advised of jump status.  Too far away?  Updates will be made on the W6CX repeater (Diablo) on 147.060+ 100.  We will also have a running timeline of updates on our website at parachutemobile.org.  We hope to complete 4 jumps for the day.

If you make a contact please email us at KC6TYD@gmail.com.  We keep both a written and audio log, however, at time calls are missed.

Please note that we have no control over the aircraft or weather and the event is subject to delays or cancellation.  Please visit our website, parachutemobile.org, for updates.

Hope to hear you in the air,

73

Amateur Radio, On-Air Event, Special Event

National Hurricane Center’s WX4NHC will be On the Air for Annual Station Test

WX4NHC, the Amateur Radio station at the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami, will be on the air for the annual station test on Saturday, May 26, 1300 until 2100 UTC. This will be the station’s 38th year of public service at the NHC. The purpose of the annual event is to test Amateur Radio station equipment, antennas, and computers in advance of the Atlantic Hurricane season — June 1 through November 30.

Continue reading National Hurricane Center’s WX4NHC will be On the Air for Annual Station Test →

Amateur Radio, Aviation, On-Air Event, Special Event

ARRL to Show Off Ham Radio at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2018

With support from member volunteers, ARRL will put Amateur Radio on display for visitors to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2018 — the giant, annual airshow July 23 – 29 in Wisconsin, organized by the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA). The event attracted more than 10,000 aircraft and nearly 600,000 visitors in 2017 to enjoy aerobatics displays, informative programs, hands-on workshops, and diverse aircraft spanning all eras of flight.

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Amateur Radio, ARISS, NASA, Space, Special Event

ISS SSTV – Images from space

ARISS Russia is planning a special Slow Scan Television (SSTV) event from the International Space Station in celebration of Cosmonautics Day.

The transmissions began on April 11 at 11:30 UTC and run through April 14 ending at 18:20 UTC.

The ISS is transmitting on 145.800 MHz FM. The SSTV signal is using PD120. I recommend you record the passes for decoding in case a  live capture has issues decoding. (You may capture two image transmissions during one pass as each one takes 120 seconds.)

When the ISS is nearly overhead, an HT should pickup the transmission. Just angle the radio a bit.

Visit the N2YO.com website to review 10 day predictions (A blue button on the right side). Please note that you will want to choose “all passes” as they initially list only visible ones.

Review images that others have already captured for this event.

Amateur Radio, Special Event

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey Makes Ham Radio Debut with State’s Bicentennial Call Sign

Alabama Bicentennial-Gov Kay Ivey on Radio
Alabama Bicentennial-Gov Kay Ivey on Radio

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey made her Amateur Radio debut on December 14 — the state’s 198th birthday — at the same time becoming the first person to use the state’s bicentennial call sign, AL2C. Alabama will celebrate its 200th anniversary in 2019, and AL2C will be on the air for 2 years as part of the statewide celebration.

Continue reading Alabama Governor Kay Ivey Makes Ham Radio Debut with State’s Bicentennial Call Sign →