11/05/2007 | K3SOM What began as a passing comment to my older son that I was going to set up and operate a Field Day operation in the Allegheny National Forest in northwestern Pennsylvania quickly escalated into a weekend tent camping event with a lot of talk about using an 8 weather balloon to help get a big antenna up. Knowing my son, I knew I had better warm up my Eznec 5 software and do some serious calculating. Word spread quickly and my other son offered to join us with my one granddaughter and he would do all of the cooking. Such an offer!

I had planned the equipment part of it fairly well. An Icom-7000, a 1KW Honda generator, laptop PC with contest software, lots of wire, coax, ladder line, a DK9SQ 1040 Loop and now a large diamond loop suspended by the balloon. This was getting exciting!

The weather was great, the wind was reasonable for the 150 high balloon, the equipment worked flawlessly, and the excitement of the event took on much more meaning than participating with clubs as in the past. Ill be back next year because the patterns for that 250 design look awesome. I cant wait! -- K3SOM