[SECC] ATV on the Caltech Rose Parade float

[Michael Baker]

ARRLSB - The Official ARRL Santa Barbara Section Mailing List
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Live Rose Parade ATV from the Cal Tech float on the Internet

While there will be no ham radio as part of the Pasadena New Year's
Day Rose Parade operations this year, there will be ATV from the Cal
Tech float.  Jay Holliday, W6EJJ and members of the Jet Propulsion
Lab Radio Club, W6VIO, will have ATV transmitting on 23 cm using the
new P. C. Electronics RTX23-3 transmitter from the float to a
building top portable repeater site with an output on 70 cm.  There
will be a 70 cm receiver at Cal Tech which will put out streaming
video on the Internet.  You can see the video by bringing up this URL:

http://www.floatcam.caltech.edu

You can check this URL now and see if you will be able to see the
video.  I'm not sure where in the parade the Cal Tech float will be,
but we expect the video to be up as soon as it makes the big turn at
Orange Grove Ave. and Colorado Blvd. in front of the broadcast TV
cameras - parade starts at 8 AM pst.  So if you know anyone who will
be on the parade route, ask them to wave at the Cal Tech float just
before it passes and say you will be watching for them via the
internet.

It might be interesting for ATV hams to note that 23 cm instead of 70
cm had to be used on the float due to size restrictions.  In fact,
special permission by the Tournament of Roses was given so as not to
have to cover the antenna with flowers or seeds which could have
greatly attenuated the signal.  Dave, W6OAL at The Olde Antenna Lab
built a special Mini Wheel antenna with reflector and placed in a
radome for the float.  Wheels are circular polarized perpendicular to
the wheels plane.  With all the buildings on each side of Colorado
Blvd. acting as a reflective canyon, it is thought that using
circular polarization would cut the chance of multipath ghosting in
half.

The portable repeater used is similar to the one you can download
from the www.hamtv.com/info application note page by clicking on ATV
for Public Service Events where the whole repeater is built into a
milk crate or Pack-N-Roll for easy transport and set up.
(W6ORG)
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Michael Baker
Scouting Supervisor
Atlanta Braves Professional Baseball Club
800-688-3094 x61041

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