Hello everyone,

This is making the e-mail rounds of mid-west ham radio circuits. Working a high altitude balloon launch might be interesting to AMSAT folks in the central portion of USA ...

QSO Opportunity with High Altitude Balloon Flight Saturday, 18 July 2009

As part of SpaceJam-3 (www.spacejamboree.com), DePauw University (www.depauw.edu/acad/physics/base) will be flying a cross band repeater to allow the Scouts at the Jamboree to talk with ground stations from a large area of the central portion of the United States.

Launch will occur at 13:50 UT (8:50 am Central Daylight Time) from Rantoul, IL (40.29 N, 88.14 W) The target ascent rate will be 1000 feet/min.

APRS information will be sent over 144.39 MHz every minute under the call sign, W9YJ-11.

The helium filled balloon will reach a float altitude of 70000 feet (21.5km) about 15:00 UT and will attempt to float at this altitude for about three hours. During this time the balloon should travel slowly to the NW from about 40.0N & 87.8W to 40.1 N & 88.1 W. The descent will begin about 18:00 UT on a slowly deflating balloon with landing about 19:30 UT.

The uplink frequency on the radio will be 144.36 MHz, and the downlink frequency will be 446.025 MHz.

The Scouts will be using the call sign WB9SA. If you have a chance to contact the station, the Scouts will be thrilled to make the contact! You may also attempt to use the repeater for a long distance Earth-Balloon-Earth contact with hams from larger distances.

Thanks to Howard Brooks, KC9QBN, Professor of Physics & Astronomy at DePauw University, W9YJ for making this happen!!!

If you are in the IL/IN area you might catch ATV from our first balloon going up (100,000 ft) at 8:20 AM CDT Saturday from Rantoul IL 430 Mhz, with a CW call "DE WB9SA"

-- 73 de JoAnne K9JKM k9jkm@amsat.org Editor, AMSAT News Service Copy Editor, AMSAT Journal