QSP from http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/hijuno/
What is this?
NASA's Juno spacecraft will fly past Earth
on October 9, 2013 to receive a gravity assist from our planet, putting
it on course for Jupiter. To celebrate this event, the Juno mission is
inviting amateur radio operators around the world to say "HI" to Juno in
a coordinated Morse Code message. Juno's radio & plasma wave
experiment, called Waves, should be able to detect the message if enough
people participate. So please join in, and help spread the word to
fellow amateur radio enthusiasts!
This page will be updated with additional information as the event approaches.
How do I participate?
- Find your broadcast frequency in
the table at right. The frequency to use is assigned based on the last
letter of your call sign.
- If you have a directional
antenna (Yagi), determine the headings to use during the event. The map
below and a list of major cities (to be posted here soon) are provided
to assist in determining your headings.
- Visit this web page on October
9, 2013. The activity will begin at about 18:01 UTC and continue until
about 20:41 UTC. This page will clearly indicate when you should key up
or key down to broadcast "HI" to Juno in Morse Code.
If you participate and would like to receive a
QSL card for contacting Juno, please send an
email
with your call sign and mailing address. Cards will be sent to
participants who email this information in the months following the
event.
Important:
- Please make sure your computer clock is synchronized to network time prior to this event.
- All transmissions must follow local and national regulations (FCC or the appropriate governing authority), regular ID, etc.
- Please insure adequate cooling
and operate your equipment within safe operating limits. While the
event's success depends on the maximum possible radiated power, NASA,
Caltech/Jet Propulsion Laboratory and institutions affiliated with the
Juno mission cannot be responsible for the safe operation of your
equipment. Settings for modes such as RTTY or FM which use a constant
power output would be appropriate.
- Operators with directional
antennas should use this map and a list of reference cities (coming
soon) to help determine their broadcast heading.
- Juno is directly above the indicated tick marks at the times they represent.
- Within ± 30 minutes around closest approach (c/a), tick marks are spaced 1 minute apart.
- For times >± 30 minutes around c/a, tick marks are spaced 5 minutes apart.
- Red section of Juno’s path is the 20-minute period when the spacecraft is in Earth’s shadow.
- Cities named are NASA & ESA Deep Space Network ground stations.