| Ham radio operators shoot for the moon (Apr 10) |
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By: Bradley Schlegel
Utilizing a 3-watt transmitter during an active sunspot cycle in the 1950s, Ernie Schmidt talked to a guy from Oregon during his drive to work. Depending on the time of day, Schmidt could communicate with people from Europe, the Caribbean and the U.S. West Coast. "It was very interesting," said Schmidt, a ham radio operator who lives in Towamencin. But that was nothing compared to what members of the RF Hill Amateur Radio Club will be doing this weekend — receiving radio signals bounced off the moon originating from the Arecibo Observatory in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. The event — hosted by the Indian Valley Public Library, at 100 Church Ave., Telford — celebrates the safe return of the crippled Apollo 13 moon mission. That mission was launched on April 11, 1970. Two days later, a fault in the electrical system of one of the service module's oxygen tanks produced an explosion, which caused a loss of electrical power and failure of both oxygen tanks. The crew battled the odds and finally returned safely to Earth on April 17, 1970. This weekend, the opportunity to hear from the Arecibo — part of the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center (NAIC), a national research center operated by Cornell University under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation (NSF) — begins at 1:40 p.m. Saturday and 2:40 p.m. Sunday, according to Robert Garland, the club's public information officer. He said the incoming signals — strong enough to be picked up by small stations with simple antennas — will be audible as regular voices at the proper frequency and morse code transmissions. A vibration — which sounds like a hiss — will accompany the incoming voices, according to Schmidt, a member of the club, which currently has 60 members. He said the signals will travel from Arecibo to the library — more than a half-million miles — in three minutes. "I've been looking forward to this all year," Schmidt said. "It should be quite a challenge." Completing a moon bounce communication is difficult due to its technical complexity, according to Garland. He said the federal government utilized the moon to send signals around the world before satellites were invented. The club will use the event to demonstrate other aspects of amateur radio, according to Garland. He said communication is the primary activity, but members create their own niches, such as collecting proof of contact with people from other countries or talking to people in remote locations. All ham radio operators must pass a technical exam to earn a license from the FCC, according to Garland. He said not every club member owns and operates a radio. Garland said his interest in ham radios grew from talking to people halfway around the world. In high school, he said he had to make a reservation two months in advance to speak to a person in Japan. "Calling Japan was kind of like a rock concert," Garland said. Nowadays, the calls are random, according to Schmidt. He said most ham operators use a 100-watt transmitter that covers nine different bands. "When you make a call, you never know who is going to talk back," Schmidt said. |
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