Radio Amateurs to launch a balloon with radio equipment this Saturday

[Chris Gryffenberg]

Dear Teacher / Faciltator (Please distribute to Schools this week)

 

Please take note of the following news release. In order to participate, please contact your local amateur radio operator or Join us at Sender Technology Park on Saturday at Radiokop in Johannesburg. We start at 07:45…… Early rising and lots of hot coffee needed. Keep the groups you bring smaller than 20. Only bring the kids that deserve to be stimulated at a higher level.

 

Two organisations, the South African Radio League and SA AMSAT are working together on a project they call BACAR, the acronym for 'Balloon Carrying Amateur Radio'. The project was developed to test various aspects of radio propagation and communication technology and provide a fun science day.

 

This Saturday, 8 August at 08:00, they will be launching the equipment on a number of balloons from a private airfield near Hartebeespoort dam.  In all there are three transmitting beacons that will tests various aspects of communication technology. The HF beacon transmits on 7022 kHz and sends telemetry information every minute. The information includes the inside and out

temperature and the pressure in millibar.   From the temperature and

pressure readings, the height the balloons are travelling can be calculated.

 

 

There are two beacons operating on VHF frequencies.  The first one is an APRS beacon transmitting on 144,800 MHz.  APRS is an Automatic Packet Reporting System providing a two-way tactical real-time digital communications system. The Balloon's APRS signals are received by a ground based repeater that will feed the information into the Internet network which allows the balloon's position to be tracked from anywhere in the world.

 

The second VHF beacon operates in three modes, voice, continuous wave Morse code and modulated Morse code. This beacon will be used for physical on the ground tracking as part of the recovery process once the balloons have been remotely deflated.

 

There is a lot of interesting science involved in the BACAR project which should appeal to learners, students and adults alike.

 

Members of the public who enjoy a science challenge are invited to follow the balloon flight from the SARL's National Amateur Radio Centre situated on the Sentech campus in Octave Road, Radiokop. Details on how to get there can be found on wwwsarl.org.za.

 

 

The is the first of a series of BACAR missions during which various technologies will be tested.  The information and experience gathered will be used to develop a South African Amateur Radio Satellite.

 

 

Editors:

For more information call Hans van de Groenendaal on 082 781 4631

 

 

Chris Gryffenberg DCES: Electrical Technology Chairman: East Rand Branch of the SARL Director: HAMNET Gauteng South	Click on the Logo to visit First Lego League 2009
Address:	Gauteng Department of Education
	Room 1722
	111 Commissioner Street
	Johannesburg
	South Africa
	2017
Tel:	+2711 355 0044
Fax:	+2786 607 8472
Cell:	+2783 543 5668
e-mail:	chr...@gpg.gov.za
Personal URL:	http://wwww.zs6cog.co.za
Amateur Radio URL:	http://www.zs6erb.co.za
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Information: HAMS are Radio Active. Amateur Radio supports the National Curriculum Statement for Electrical Technology. Amateur Radio is applied science and technology through radio. Become a Ham today and make a difference.