I'm embarking on a journey 95,000 feet into the air, a short voyage into near space. But I'm not really going. A camera, GPS receiver, radio, and some specialized electronics are hitching a ride on a weather balloon. I'm getting a start in high altitude ballooning, a recent "nerd" hobby. One of the parts is the radio. You need a radio so you can track and recover the balloon. What fun is it send a camera nearly to space unless you can get pictures off of it, right? A solution is to use APRS , which is a system built by HAM radio operators to exchange digital information including GPS coordinates. In fact, several websites tie into the system to provide you with maps and help you track objects reporting their GPS coordinates. To use APRS, you need a HAM radio license. To get the license you have to pass an exam.
Tonight, I attended my first Tri County Amateur Radio Club meeting. I walked up, introduced myself, and mentioned that I was interested in getting my license and had been studying. The gentleman I was talking to said, you want to test tonight? I said, why not? And he called out to Roger, who was getting two other people ready for their exams. I sat down, listened to the instructions, paid $10, and took the test by moonlight (we were outside and the sun was setting). And, I passed the exam!!! My thanks to Roger, the VE (Volunteer Examiner), and to the Tri County Amateur Radio Club for their help and friendly welcome!
Jonathan Weaver (KM4FIK)
APRS Websites:
http://www.aprs.org/
http://www.findu.com/
http://www.openaprs.net/
http://aprs.fi/
Tonight, I attended my first Tri County Amateur Radio Club meeting. I walked up, introduced myself, and mentioned that I was interested in getting my license and had been studying. The gentleman I was talking to said, you want to test tonight? I said, why not? And he called out to Roger, who was getting two other people ready for their exams. I sat down, listened to the instructions, paid $10, and took the test by moonlight (we were outside and the sun was setting). And, I passed the exam!!! My thanks to Roger, the VE (Volunteer Examiner), and to the Tri County Amateur Radio Club for their help and friendly welcome!
Jonathan Weaver (KM4FIK)
APRS Websites:
http://www.aprs.org/
http://www.findu.com/
http://www.openaprs.net/
http://aprs.fi/