[aprssig] Fwd: Re: [ui-view] RE: APRS low-power-local ALT input channel>>144.34 ?

[Robert Bruninga]

>>> <WB8ELK at aol.com> 9/28/04 2:09:22 AM >>>
  I can answer why 144.34 is the National ATV calling frequency and has
been 
pre-ballooning. It stirs up activity between clusters of ATV groups. In

particular there are tremendous band opening possibilities in the
Midwest and East 
Coast....a good tropo opening makes 144.34 sound like 20m DX....ALL 
ATVers....if we didn't have a common calling frequency, then none of
the DX would 
happen....also when I'm going ATV mobile...I know that a call near any
city will net 
me the local ATV crowd....I regularly hold a schedule on 144.34 with
ATVers 
over 100 - 200 miles away and during at least half the year, we catch
some tropo 
several times a week....my best DX was last year at 550 miles on ATV
with the 
group in Chicago...without 144.34 I would've never known it was
possible...I 
just happened to hear them pegging my S-meter on .34. I always leave my
radio 
monitoring 144.34 in my shack. ATV is such a wideband mode, that you
really 
have to line up your antennas to make a go of it...a common 2m calling
frequency 
makes that possible.

  As for packeteers on 144.34 that aren't ATVers or
Balloonatics....that 
would be a nightmare for both the ATV crowd and Balloonatics who need a
clear 
channel.

  To reiterate....using 144.34 for balloon packet transmissions is a
perfect 
marriage with the ATV calling frequency since many of the ATV crowd are

fascinated with tracking the balloons and it alerts them of a flight in
the air. 
When I fly ATV, it's the perfect way to alert those who haven't seen
email 
announcements. Also, since balloons flights are generally short in
duration and 
infrequent, interference to ATV comms is minimal.

73s de Bill WB8ELK