Air Mobile Contesting

[wa6itf]

As some of you who were on 6 meter AM in the late 1960's might remember, there was a bunch of hams who operated the various VHF contests from an Aerocommander 560E (N-2718B). We were usually over Northern New Jersey or Eastern Pennsylvania.

The aircraft belonged to my friend Steve Crow WA2CPX (now K4CPX) and our little group was called the "Flying Amateur Radio Team." We racked up some pretty impressive scores using only Steve's Gonset G-76 on 6 meter AM into an abandoned 56" ADF 'long wire" running from atop the fuselage to the tail.

VHF contesting from that altitude is a lot of fun -- especially in the summertime when the "duct" from New England to the Central states is there. We used to intercept it at about 9000' above New York or New Jersey and make all sorts of contacts. Some as far as 1000+ miles away into the mid-West and Southern states. (My contact with the man who would become ham radio's "Mr Audio" -- Bob Heil, K9EID, was made on 6 meters from above New Jersey to his home in southern Illinois using that station.)

But the most fun were the contests. We enjoyed many but the old Spring VHF Sweepstakes was the best. With the afore mentioned set-up and later adding Gonset Communicators for 2 meters and -- once -- for 220 MHz, we always amassed a better score than any ground based stations. (Unfortunately for us -- and fortunate for all operators on the ground -- no VHF contest sponsor would accept an aero-mobile stations score -- but we still had loasa of fun.)

So, may question: Have any of you ever tried VHF contesting from a private plane? Also, how well did you do? And -- most of all -- did you find it to be as much fun as we did?

de
Bill Pasternak
WA6ITF

[WB2WIK]

I haven't done that, but remember it happening in NJ/NY 40 years ago. I also knew Steve Crow WA2CPX, he was a semi-neighbor of mine (in Westfield, NJ) and ran (or owned, I think) Westfield Ford (the car dealership).

Are you in touch with Steve today??

He was one of my very first contacts on 6m AM, when I used a borrowed Gonset III from CD/RACES in 1966.

We met many, many times. Nice guy.

WB2WIK/6

[w3wn]

We once thought about running AA3FI /AM during the Pa QSO Party... would have been a piece of cake to cover just about all 67 counties -- multiple times.

Alas, Bob couldn't talk his employer (he is a pilot for US[eless]Air) into loaning us an HF-equipped Airbus for the weekend, let alone pay for the fuel, too!

[k2gsp]

I wonder if you could coordinate something like that with CAP.

[ka5piu]

Quote[/b] (KI4SXC @ July 03 2007,21:03)]I wonder if you could coordinate something like that with CAP.
Hello.


The FCC rules limit what can be done with Amateur Radio.
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7.....11.htm (http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/13nov20061500/edocket.access.gpo.gov/cfr_2006/octqtr/47cfr97.11.htm)
Note that the on board radios can not be used for Amateur Radio.
CAP is not very happy with Amateur Radio at this point.
I have never gotten a clear answer as to why, but the policy is no Amateur Radio on board the aircraft.

[wa6itf]

Quote[/b] (WB2WIK @ July 03 2007,14:44)]I haven't done that, but remember it happening in NJ/NY 40 years ago. I also knew Steve Crow WA2CPX, he was a semi-neighbor of mine (in Westfield, NJ) and ran (or owned, I think) Westfield Ford (the car dealership).

Are you in touch with Steve today??

He was one of my very first contacts on 6m AM, when I used a borrowed Gonset III from CD/RACES in 1966.

We met many, many times. Nice guy.

WB2WIK/6
Yes. Steve -- now K4CPX -- and I are still in contact quite regularly. Got an e-mail from him a few hours ago.

He lives in Punta Gorda Florida these days. He sold the Aerocommander in '69. Then had a Cessna 310D before getting out of the Ford business and moving South to Ft. Lauderdale then Purnta Gorda. Have visited him several times when hes on land. He has been sailing since the early 1970's and has taken one of his vessels around the world.

B-T-W: Unless my memory fails me, wasn't it through Steve that you and I first met -- when he still lived in the townhouse over at Wychwood Gardens (with his invisible long wire and 6 meter attic beam)?

E-mail me at newsline@arnewsline.org and Ill give you Steve Crow's contact info. I don't want to post it on a public forum.

I am also still in touch with several of the others from that group including Larry Moldauer WA2PZI and Henry Feinberg, K2SSQ. In fact, I stayed overnight at Henry's place in West Orange before he and I flew to Dayton last May.

I also hear from Andy (WB2EIR) and Mary (WA2CSM) Merendini every once in a while. They are now out in Pennsylvania.

All of us were also close friends with Lou Belsky, K2VMR, but he passed away in February. We are still in contact with his widow Linda, WB2GZW. It was my wife who introduce Linda to Lou.

B-T-W: would you be interested in being part of a group to do either next years Field day or VHF Sweeps from poolside at the Flying W Airport Resort in Medford N.J. next year? Thats another of the spots our group operated from in the '60's thanks to Steve being friends with the owner. Its the spot with the airplane shaped swimming pool. We last operated there in 1968 so next year would be 40 years since then -- and time for an encore

de
Bill P. / WA6ITF

[wa6itf]

Quote[/b] (w3wn @ July 03 2007,19:46)]We once thought about running AA3FI /AM during the Pa QSO Party... would have been a piece of cake to cover just about all 67 counties -- multiple times.

Alas, Bob couldn't talk his employer (he is a pilot for US[eless]Air) into loaning us an HF-equipped Airbus for the weekend, let alone pay for the fuel, too!
Ask your friend Bob if he knows my buddy Larry Zettwoch, KR4IF. Larry "drives" 757 and 767 for U.S. Airways -- mostly Carlotte or Pit to Las Vegas. He came over in the Piedmont buyout. I think he flew 737's for the P.

de
Bill P. / WA6ITF

[wa6itf]

Quote[/b] (ka5piu @ July 03 2007,23:48)]Quote[/b] (KI4SXC @ July 03 2007,21:03)]I wonder if you could coordinate something like that with CAP.
Hello.


The FCC rules limit what can be done with Amateur Radio.
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7.....11.htm (http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/13nov20061500/edocket.access.gpo.gov/cfr_2006/octqtr/47cfr97.11.htm)
Note that the on board radios can not be used for Amateur Radio.
CAP is not very happy with Amateur Radio at this point.
I have never gotten a clear answer as to why, but the policy is no Amateur Radio on board the aircraft.
No fallout or bad blood between ham radio and CAP. A few years ago orders came down that told CAP it must only permit FCC type accepted radio gear to be used. Most hams cannot afford the cost and many simply pulled out of CAP. If there is any blame it goes to the DoD for coming up with rules that -- in effect -- forced the volunteer hams out.

de
WA6ITF

[k2gsp]

Quote[/b] (wa6itf @ July 03 2007,02:33)]Quote[/b] (ka5piu @ July 03 2007,23:48)]Quote[/b] (KI4SXC @ July 03 2007,21:03)]I wonder if you could coordinate something like that with CAP.
Hello.


The FCC rules limit what can be done with Amateur Radio.
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7.....11.htm (http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/13nov20061500/edocket.access.gpo.gov/cfr_2006/octqtr/47cfr97.11.htm)
Note that the on board radios can not be used for Amateur Radio.
CAP is not very happy with Amateur Radio at this point.
I have never gotten a clear answer as to why, but the policy is no Amateur Radio on board the aircraft.
No fallout or bad blood between ham radio and CAP. #A few years ago orders came down that told CAP it must only permit FCC type accepted radio gear to be used. #Most hams cannot afford the cost and many simply pulled out of CAP. #If there is any blame it goes to the DoD for coming up with rules that -- in effect -- forced the volunteer hams out.

de
WA6ITF
I'm not talking about some kind of permanent installation, but something when they are up getting hours. I can't believe every group is hostile to AR.

[w3wn]

Quote[/b] (wa6itf @ July 04 2007,04:26)]Quote[/b] (w3wn @ July 03 2007,19:46)]We once thought about running AA3FI /AM during the Pa QSO Party... would have been a piece of cake to cover just about all 67 counties -- multiple times.

Alas, Bob couldn't talk his employer (he is a pilot for US[eless]Air) into loaning us an HF-equipped Airbus for the weekend, let alone pay for the fuel, too!
Ask your friend Bob if he knows my buddy Larry Zettwoch, KR4IF. #Larry "drives" 757 and 767 for U.S. Airways -- mostly Carlotte or Pit to Las Vegas. #He came over in the Piedmont buyout. #I think he flew 737's for the P.

de
Bill P. / WA6ITF
I'll pass it along Bill & see what Bob says.

He hasn't been real active lately -- I know his daughter Sam AA3JS is at CMU and should be graduating soon, but he's had some other family matters that have occupied him.

Still, every now and then, you used to hear AA3FI/AM on 17 meters. Some of the Airbus's intended for possible overseas flights are HF equipped, so whenever he got the chance...

73

[nx6d]

Yes.

Did it one time for the VHF sweepstakes from N6LDP's Cessna 182.

We flew over the Central Valley in California and I worked stations all over the state with my handheld on 2 meters. It was pretty cool working Bakersfield from Santa Rosa, which is pretty far.

Dave NX6D
Tulelake, CA

[kc2ten]

Quote[/b] (wa6itf @ July 04 2007,04:26)]
Still, every now and then, you used to hear AA3FI/AM on 17 meters. #Some of the Airbus's intended for possible overseas flights are HF equipped, so whenever he got the chance...

73

If an airliner is made/rated for oceanic flight, it'll have an HF radio. #That's how position reports and ATC control is handled when you're over the big blue ocean. #

Now... most new planes have automatic reporting, but they still use HF though I would not be surprised if satellite started replacing it.

[WB2WIK]

Quote[/b] (nx6d @ July 04 2007,05:57)]Yes.

Did it one time for the VHF sweepstakes from N6LDP's Cessna 182.

We flew over the Central Valley in California and I worked stations all over the state with my handheld on 2 meters. It was pretty cool working Bakersfield from Santa Rosa, which is pretty far.

Dave NX6D
Tulelake, CA
Back in the "good old days" before the FAA became snippety about electronics on board airliners it was common for us hams to use VHF hand helds on commercial flights. There may have been a regulation somewhere prohibiting this, but nobody paid any attention to it, and battery operated "transistor radios," early-generation calculators and hand held transceivers were just about the only things small and containing oscillators that existed back then. The VHF hand helds hams used were all crystal controlled on a small number of channels and not frequency synthesized.

On a flight to Dayton (from Newark, NJ) in about 1973 almost every passenger aboard the flight I took was a ham, and half of them had hand-held VHF transceivers (including me). We chit-chatted amongst ourselves on the plane, and then some of us who had window seats tried pressing the HTs and antennas up against the windows to see what kind of "DX" we could work on simplex.

From about 35,000 feet altitude I worked stations in several states in about 15 minutes, including a semi rag-chew with a station in Chicago, while we were still approaching Dayton and in south central Ohio. Working out several hundred miles with 2W and a "rubber duckie" was pretty commonplace.

I went on one of the popular 2m repeater frequency pairs which I had crystals for (146.34/146.94 MHz) and with a single "click" of the PTT, heard the heterodynes of numerous repeaters reply to my key-up. It would have been impossible to use just one of them, so I didn't bother creating bedlam. Amateur repeaters were not CTCSS (PL) back then, which added to the confusion.

Then, they came up with all these "rules!" http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

As for aeromobile operation for a VHF Contest, that would certainly be fun/interesting but of course the "entry" to the contest wouldn't count. They don't allow aeronautical entries in contests. Would still be fun, though.

Of course, here in the west you can do almost the same thing by simply picking a high enough mountaintop to operate from. Amazing what sort of ducts and stuff exist at 8-10-12 thousand feet elevation that just aren't there down lower. Problem is accessing those "great VHF locations" -- a lot of them have no roads to the top.

WB2WIK/6