JayBarcelo
08-05-2005, 11:53 PM
Tennessee hams to launch balloon carrying 802.11b access point, APRS (Aug 4, 2005)
Terry Trapp, KE4PJW, and a group of friends hope to launch a balloon Saturday, August 6, that will provide--among other things--a 802.11b wireless access point (WAP) operating on channel 5 (2432 MHz) under Amateur Radio Part 97 rules. The balloon will go aloft from Springhill, Tennessee. Also onboard will be a digital camera and an APRS tracker. Trapp says that since this is the group's first flight, he's not sure how high it will go but estimated it could reach 75,000 feet. "We hope to launch at 10 AM," he told ARRL. "We would like as many amateurs as possible to attempt to connect to the balloon." The WAP will be open access (WEP disabled), and Trapp says it should provide host configuration via DHCP. "We will be using NetMeeting at the launch site," he said. "Simply connect to the host 'netmeeting.ham,' and if we have a good connection, we will be able to videoconference." Trapp invites those without NetMeeting capability to visit here. "The site should have a place for you to fill out your call sign and leave a short message," he explained. An IRC server may be set up here. The WAP is a stock Linksys model BEFW11S4 with diversity enabled. The balloon will have a patch antenna aimed at the ground, while one of the router's stock dipoles will be in the vertical position. "We will be using a 75-cm dish antenna and a wireless bridge at the launch site," Trapp added. The APRS encoder and transmitter is a Byonics Pocket Tracker. It produces about 150 mW of power and will be using an inverted groundplane antenna, Trapp said. It should beacon with an SSID of AA4VU-11. The camera is a small Polaroid digital, modified to take "very small" images every three minutes. Others involved in the project include K4IDC, KG4QQK, KI4AMX, KD4NMD, KQ4TV and KG4OZL. E-mail Trapp for more information.
http://www.groovin.net/ke4pjw/balloon
Victor
KP4PQ
Terry Trapp, KE4PJW, and a group of friends hope to launch a balloon Saturday, August 6, that will provide--among other things--a 802.11b wireless access point (WAP) operating on channel 5 (2432 MHz) under Amateur Radio Part 97 rules. The balloon will go aloft from Springhill, Tennessee. Also onboard will be a digital camera and an APRS tracker. Trapp says that since this is the group's first flight, he's not sure how high it will go but estimated it could reach 75,000 feet. "We hope to launch at 10 AM," he told ARRL. "We would like as many amateurs as possible to attempt to connect to the balloon." The WAP will be open access (WEP disabled), and Trapp says it should provide host configuration via DHCP. "We will be using NetMeeting at the launch site," he said. "Simply connect to the host 'netmeeting.ham,' and if we have a good connection, we will be able to videoconference." Trapp invites those without NetMeeting capability to visit here. "The site should have a place for you to fill out your call sign and leave a short message," he explained. An IRC server may be set up here. The WAP is a stock Linksys model BEFW11S4 with diversity enabled. The balloon will have a patch antenna aimed at the ground, while one of the router's stock dipoles will be in the vertical position. "We will be using a 75-cm dish antenna and a wireless bridge at the launch site," Trapp added. The APRS encoder and transmitter is a Byonics Pocket Tracker. It produces about 150 mW of power and will be using an inverted groundplane antenna, Trapp said. It should beacon with an SSID of AA4VU-11. The camera is a small Polaroid digital, modified to take "very small" images every three minutes. Others involved in the project include K4IDC, KG4QQK, KI4AMX, KD4NMD, KQ4TV and KG4OZL. E-mail Trapp for more information.
http://www.groovin.net/ke4pjw/balloon
Victor
KP4PQ