W1HLO

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NFA Observatory First (Re)Light

NFA Observatory First (Re)Light

After many years of planning, refurbishment, and testing, the Norwich Free Academy Observatory is finally operational. Astronomy and amateur radio are inextricably intertwined and it's no surprise that our W1HLO students are excited to peer into space and make new discoveries. As an NFA student, I remember seeing Halley's Comet

2024 High Altitude Balloon Launch

2024 High Altitude Balloon Launch

On June 5, 2024, W1HLO launched a high altitude ballon or HAB, for short. For this launch, we conducted a couple of video experiments: recording high-def video with a GoPro and broadcasting standard definition video with amateur television (ATV). We tracked the balloon's payload using a Byonics MicroTrak 1000, which

W1HLO Hosts a Conversation with an Astronaut

W1HLO Hosts a Conversation with an Astronaut

On January 30, 2023, W1HLO hosted a radio contact with Astronaut Josh Cassada aboard the International Space Station. NFA students asked questions to Dr. Cassada through W1HLO's satellite ground station that was purchased through an ARDC grant. To make this contact possible, W1HLO had to submit a proposal to ARISS.

Satellite / ISS Ground Station

Satellite / ISS Ground Station

Thanks to a generous grant from the ARDC [https://www.ampr.org/], W1HLO has a satellite / ISS ground station! After waiting for components to arrive and waiting for warm, dry days to do roof work, our station is finally operational. Background W1HLO wanted to create a ground station for contacting

Dan Norman N0HF Visits W1HLO

Dan Norman N0HF Visits W1HLO

Mr. Scanlon, Dylan, Andy, Gabe, and Jake pose with Dan Norman N0HF.

Voice Broadcast Weather Station

Voice Broadcast Weather Station

This school year, W1HLO worked on a couple of enhancements for our repeater. One of the projects was a solar-powered weather station that could speak the current weather conditions over our repeater. (Note: Our repeater is accessible on 441.950 MHz out +5 MHz offset with a PL of 67

W1TTL Rig Control

W1TTL Rig Control

Operating as a club station under the current school guidelines regarding gatherings has been a daunting task. At NFA, clubs have been only allowed to meet virtually. W1HLO has been meeting weekly and using Discord [https://www.discord.com] to meet, collaborate, and keep track of projects. It has been

2019 HAB Launch

2019 HAB Launch

On May 31, 2019 at 5:14PM, W1HLO successfully launched its high altitude balloon (HAB) with APRS tracking and a live amateur television (ATV) feed. The ATV equipment was able to broadcast a steady feed for about 20-25 seconds after launch. You can view a video of the launch [https:

HAB Launch and Live Video Broadcast

HAB Launch and Live Video Broadcast

W1HLO will be launching its high altitude balloon (HAB) on May 31, 2019 at 4:30pm EDT providing there's good weather. The HAB is equipped with an APRS radio that will transmit its GPS coordinates, altitude, and temperature at 2 minute intervals on 144.390MHz so that the APRS gateways

ATV: A Mix of the Old and New

ATV: A Mix of the Old and New

With all the analog amateur television (ATV) receivers out there that are free or a few bucks (i.e., tube-type TVs), it's a no-brainer to experiment with ATV as an amateur radio project. To receive ATV signals, students can build yagi antennas [https://w1hlo.nfaschool.org/building-an-amateur-television-yagi-antenna/] and hook them

HAB Pre-flight Checklist

HAB Pre-flight Checklist

When getting ready to launch a high altitude balloon (HAB), the following needs to be done: 1. Run some dates and times into a flight prediction [https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwisjomHrKDiAhXLx1kKHedfBBQQFjAAegQIABAB&url=https%

Preparing to Lift an HAB Payload

Preparing to Lift an HAB Payload

As W1HLO prepares to launch its high altitude balloon (HAB), we need to determine if the weather balloon can lift our payload and how much helium is needed. We have a few 300 gram balloons in stock, so we will be using one of those. The "300 grams" refers to

Building an Amateur Television Yagi Antenna

Building an Amateur Television Yagi Antenna

At W1HLO, we have been experimenting with the broadcast of amateur television (ATV) for one of our projects. The use of fast-scan television can provide a wide range of projects for our students to work on. Students can produce their own shows (either live or pre-recorded), learn how television broadcasts

W1HLO Has a Beam and a Rotator Again!

W1HLO Has a Beam and a Rotator Again!

Thanks to the help of NFA '67 alum and former W1HLO member Dave Sumner K1ZZ, W1HLO can finally be a bit more competitive on the air. Back when W1HLO was on the air in the 1960's, the club had a three-element 10m beam on the roof, turned by an "armstrong"

W1HLO Visits the ARRL and W1AW

W1HLO Visits the ARRL and W1AW

The Norwich Free Academy Ham Radio Club visited the American Radio Relay League [http://www.arrl.org] (ARRL) for a tour of the facilities and W1AW [http://www.arrl.org/w1aw]. Dan Arnold, W1CNI, gave us the tour and introduced the students of W1HLO to the history of amateur radio.

School Club Roundup - February 2017

School Club Roundup - February 2017

W1HLO participated in the ARRL's School Club Roundup [http://www.arrl.org/school-club-roundup] (SCR) this February. It was the first time for many of our members to participate in this contest and an opportunity for practicing our QSOs on the mic. We recently acquired an [Ameritron AL-80B] http://www.ameritron.

Experimenting With 2m Simplex

Experimenting With 2m Simplex

For the past couple of W1HLO meetings, the club has been experimenting with 2 meters and communicating with the newly-formed E.O. Smith Ham Radio Club. This exercise has been a very good lesson in understanding simplex communication, yagi antennas, and power. To start, we used Google Earth to see

Building Bad Camera

Building Bad Camera

As stated before, Connor and I had no prior knowledge of building any sort of robot. Initially, building a controllable mount for the camera was easy, because we just slapped two servos together. After awhile, we realized we could not do this, because the camera was too heavy for the

EV 3 Mindstorm H25 Robot arm

EV 3 Mindstorm H25 Robot arm

We built the gyro-boy model and tested him in the hallway to practice its balancing and see how gyro-boy would navigate around the hallway. Then we faced a problem when drift. Gyro-boy would fall on his face or onto his back due to the gyro sporadically report a negative or

Wall-E

Wall-E was constructed around a Wild Thumper [https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11056] chassis. Both the robot and the controller have an Arduino and a Raspberry Pi. The motors are controlled in two sections by a SparkFun Monster Moto [https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10182] shield. The Arduino on the

Constructing the Dodongotron

Constructing the Dodongotron

We used Tetrix [https://www.tetrixrobotics.com] structural elements to construct this robot. As folks not previously acquainted with electronics of any variety, Matthew Davis and myself didn't really know what we were getting into when we joined the Norwich Free Academy Ham Radio Club. However, we found a warm

W1HLO Weather Station

W1HLO Weather Station

At W1HLO, we've set up a Davis Vantage Pro2 [www.davisnet.com/weather/products/vantage-pro-pro%E2%80%A6] weather station on the roof of the Cranston (Commercial) building. It is about 125' above the ground and near the school's observatory. You can view live updates (about every 5 seconds or

2014 High Altitude Balloon Launch

2014 High Altitude Balloon Launch

On May 17, 2014, W1HLO launched its second high altitude balloon. The balloon was launched from our football field and required two weather balloons to lift the heavy payload. Inside the styrofoam package, an OpenTracker USB with GPS was connected to a 2M HT set to an APRS frequency (144.