[amsat-bb] June-29 free balloon UV repeater from La Pampa, Argentina

[Amsat Argentina <lu7aa@xxxxxxxxx>]

Amsat Argentina is pleased to announce that on Saturday June 29, 2013 from 14hs 
GMT, climate permits, launch of free balloon repeater 'Betty II' is planned 
from Victorica, La Pampa, 665 Km. west of Buenos Aires. 
 
Details and photos of the announcement and prior experiences in 
http://www.amsat.org.ar/globo29.htm 
 
Approval of ANAC (Argentina FAA)) had been granted by NOTAM (NOtice To AirMen) 
http://amsat.org.ar/images/faxanac.jpg .
 
For these experiments members of AMSAT-LU, LUSEX, project development group 
http://lusex.org.ar , are working together with Pampeano and QRM Belgrano Radio 
Clubs, APRS Group, etc.
 
Electronics is comprised of a voice UHF to VHF FM repeater with CW TLM, APRS, 
DTMF and SSTV. According to estimates balloon could reach 30,000 meters high, 
traveling for 3 hours, 150 km east of the launch site.
 
This would allow contacts between stations located in the provinces of Buenos 
Aires, Santa Fe, Entre Rios, Cordoba, Catamarca, Santiago del Estero, La Pampa, 
San Luis, Mendoza, San Juan, Rio Negro, Neuquen, Uruguay and Chile. (It is 
launched from the center of the country to facilitate greater participation). 
Coverage at http://www.amsat.org.ar/picocubr.jpg
 
To receive the payload, if less than 750 km from launch site, only need is a 
handy or base FM receiver on 145,950 KHz for voice/sstv and 144,930 for APRS.
 
The repeater which is enabled via 123 Hz CTCSS subtone, receives 435,950 KHz FM 
voice (-112dBm, 0.56 uV) emitting 2W output simultaneously on 145.950 KHz. 
 
Payload will also carry an emergency long duration APRS transmitter sourced by 
solar cells and supercapacitors as batteries.
 
To enable better utilization, it is suggested short QSOs (license, own 
locality, grid locator, received signal and short comments).
 
Simultaneous emits APRS 1200 baud at 144,930, and also in 145,950. The DTI 
symbol on APRS will change from a balloon ( /O ) during ascent to a slider ( /g 
) during the parachute descent.
 
Will operate for 90 seconds voice, then a beep alerting the end of that time 
will make way for the issuance of APRS at different frequencies. Every five 
minutes CW TLM via telegraphy audio tones sends callsign LU7AA and height in 
meters, then repeat the cycle.
 
On 145,950 KHz SSTV images ROBOT-36 mode (36 seconds) will be emitted on demand 
showing what the balloon sees (Can be received, with either MIXW or RX-SSTV 
(recommended)).
 
Balloon will carry two GoPro TV cameras (one to ground and another to the 
horizon) that will record images and sound during flight and can be retrieved 
with the payload.
 
It will be live in APRS on http://aprs.fi/?call=lu7aa-11 every minute, 
including speed, height, internal and external temperatures and battery voltage.
 
Local georeferenced maps are available for UI-View in 
http://www.amsat.org.ar/pico2.jpg , http://www.amsat.org.ar/pico2.txt to be 
renamed to pico2.inf .
 
The experiment on 435.950 KHz voice also receives and accepts DTMF user issued 
commands i.e. B * (DTMF keypad UHF handy) will return S5 ... ..... on VHF CW 
145.950, your signal strength received at balloon, if P10 that states S9 +10. 
 
There are more commands that enable issuance of TLM in CW or APRS beacon and 
remote commands to drop payload, mode changes, control of timers, energy, 
power, enable SSTV, etc..
 
Additionally a VAISALA RS92SGP radiosonde emitting FM wide on 402.740/403 Mhz 
has been added, providing GPS location, pressure, winds, height, course, dwt 
point, temperatures, etc. Same data as daily collected by the National 
Meteorological Service. 
 
Data can be received using an SDR dongle and sondemonitor program available as 
test for 21 days from internet.
 
On launch day/time Amsat-LU will have one of his members on the Ezeiza Airport 
Traffic Control, acting as a contact between ANAC and Amsat, using VOR 
locations application, adapted from EOSS and available on 
http://amsat.org.ar/vor.asp .
 
Local frequencies coordination and announcements before and during flights will 
be 7095 kHz LSB + / -10 kHz and VHF frequencies of local repeaters in the area.
 
During flight 430.930 AMSAT-LU APRS will operate wide coverage Igate LU7AA, 
installed at the Investigation Center, besides a portable Igate close to launch 
site. Any area stations that can receive and provide bridge to the APRS network 
are welcome.
 
Being an experiment aimed at a next satellite, contacts made between stations 
thru this UV repeater will be considered valid and awarded upon request by 
Amsat-LU Permanent Satellite Certificate, free and also applicable for license 
upgrades, see http://www.amsat.org.ar/certsat.html, http://www.lu4ao.org.ar, 
http://www.amsat.org.ar/lu4aao.
 
Top 10 participants with the highest two-way contacts/distances sum thru 
repeater will be awarded with a special certificate. Send email with data 
filled on form http://www.amsat.org.ar/lu4aao/Globo_29jun2013.xls QSOs with 
stations via the balloon including QRA Locators, QTR to RC QRM Belgrano before 
July 23.
 
All reports welcome. If you want or can organize or be part of launch teams, 
control, monitoring and recovery, operating as an independent station and 
capturing data, and / or want to join us in this adventure from the launch site 
can do it through an email to parapente arroba amsat.org.ar.
 
We appreciate having read this information and forward if possible.
 
73, LU7AA, AMSAT-LU. aiming to the future by making present fun.
 
www.amsat.org.ar
info at amsat.org.ar
facebook.com/Amsat.LU
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