Feb. 2008

THE HOT AIR BALLOON 2-METER FM SIMPLEX EVENT

I've been a pilot and a skydiver, but I've never been in a lighter-than-air craft like a hot air balloon. Another one of those things I never got around to. But, a hot air balloon has got to be one of the greatest places from which to operate a 2-Meter FM Simplex station. I'm told that it's super-quiet up there since you are basically traveling at the same speed as the wind. This means no wind noise. And there's no engine, so there's no engine noise either.

Or how about an airplane operation. Most Hams have heard the occasional Aeronautical Mobile pop up on 146.52 MHz FM simplex. How many more contacts would be made if people actually knew these things were coming?

If you don't own a balloon or airplane, or know someone who does, I guess you'll have to rent one. Not a problem in the big cities, but maybe a little hard to find in small towns. But you can always charge a little extra "postage and handling" for your certificate to help cover the expenses. And this might be one of those cases where it might be acceptable to run a "list", calling for certain stations first who may have contributed ahead of time to the Hot Air Balloon or Airplane Special Event Fund. Once those stations were contacted, you could open up operations to the rest of the world!

Power will be your main concern. Batteries may suffice for a while for low power 2-Meter operation, but even at low power setting, your event will be short-lived. A storage battery might be called for and certainly your selected aircraft will have no trouble hoisting one or two of them. You might have to leave your assistant operator on the ground, however, as a trade for the extra weight. And, who knows, in the case of a Balloon, the pilot might even allow one of those small generators onboard.

2-Meter antennas shouldn't be a problem in a Balloon, but I am reminded by a current Hot Air Balloon pilot that Balloons are registered aircraft and, as such, require FAA approval for anything permanently mounted to it. You might need that assistant after all to hold the antenna. A small hand-held yagi might be in order here. In an Airplane, you'll probably be limited to a rubber duck or some type of window-mounted antenna. It's doubtful that most aircraft have an extra external antenna that's tuned to the 2-meter ham band.

While balloon or airplane and pilot rental is not exactly cheap, it won't put you in the poorhouse either. One trick is to not go up with empty seats in an airplane or floor space in a Balloon gondola. Get a cost-sharing ham in every seat and make it a multi-op adventure! Plus, you can always charge a $1 or $2 "administrative" fee for QSL cards to help cover your expenses.

Plan your event today!

73,

WF5TX… safely on the ground!