Upcoming launch: Horus 9
Horus 9 is currently set for launch on Saturday the 23rd of October 2010. The launch has been timed to coincide with the WIA national field day, the aim of which is to promote public awareness of amateur radio.
Horus 9 will be flying several payloads:
- Horus flight computer & telemetry
- APRS beacon (callsign VK5ZSN-11)
- Talk through cross band repeater (public use)
- Simplex repeater (tracking & team use)
Adrian VK5ZSNs talk through cross band repeater
Launch time is expected to be 01:30 UTC, 23/10/10.
As usual, the balloon will be trackable online at http://spacenear.us/tracker. For those wishing to follow via APRS, you can follow the balloon online at http://aprs.fi or similar.
The talk through cross band repeater details are as follows (CTCSS is mandatory):
Input: 438.900 MHz (CTCSS 123Hz)
Output: 146.450 MHz (CTCSS 123 Hz)
We'd like to invite anybody who can talk through the cross band repeater to do so - we'll be sending out QSL cards to all contacts logged again as we did when Horus 6 flew. Repeater coverage is expected to be approx 800km radius at apogee - encompassing most of South Australia and Victoria. Net control will be maintained by Adrian VK5ZBR & Rod VK5UDX.
If you are able to help with decoding telemetry, please shoot me an email and I'll forward you the simplex repeater details so you can stay in touch with a chase cars + launch site/control.
October 23rd, 2010 - 06:25
Great work and web site!!!!
Cant be close enough to use repeater but will watch aprs.fi with interest.
October 23rd, 2010 - 16:50
That was great!
34km!
Bummer about where it landed.
Ill have the big utility wing finished for my UAV as soon as the weather gets drier, yes, Im old school building with balsa.
Id love to get involved, even if its just recovery or aerial spotting.
Great work!
October 23rd, 2010 - 17:38
Fantastic flight! The cross band repeater sure got a workout with the field day stations. This was my first attempt at decoding and uploading telemetry. I used an 802.11b WiFi link back to Winter Hill for internet connectivity, it worked great and only had two drop outs.
Cant wait for the next launch!!
Michael.
October 23rd, 2010 - 18:24
Guys successful day for all payloads and recovery has been completed. The three tracking teams are heading home tired but happy a celebratory pub dinner awaits us currently 10km from Bow Hill on the way to Mannum
October 24th, 2010 - 08:19
Horus 9 really was amazing! I was truly staggered by the height to which it climbed and the miniaturization of the payload. Perhaps half a century or more into the future some elderly and famous scientist will be asked about the spark which ignited his/her interest in space/electronics/meteorolgy and the answer could well be that it was the Horus launches.
The Horus 7 imagery and its rescue is really inspiring stuff.