K2USA on the Air for Project Diana Day

[N2LXM]

The Fort Monmouth Amateur Radio Club K2USA will be on the air January 14, 2012 to commemorate the 66th anniversary of the first radar contact of the Moon.  Project Diana (named for the Roman Goddess of the moon) was designed to determine if radio communication was possible outside the earth’s atmosphere. On January 10, 1946 at 11:58am local time the first contact was made. The U.S. Army Signal Corp. using a highly modified SCR-271 Radar system beamed 3000 Watts of radio energy at a frequency of 111.5 Mc out of a Bed Spring Array towards the moon. The signal was received back on earth after around trip time of 2.5 seconds. With this successful transmission the first shot fired in the space race was made. Look for K2USA in the General portion of 20, 15, and 10 Meters. We will be running a mix of CW, Phone, and Digital modes. For QSL and Certificate information please use the QRZ Call Sign lookup or visit our web site at www.K2usa.org

[KB2FCV]

It would be cool to get a portable EME setup and have K2USA making EME QSO's to commemorate the anniversary!

[N2LXM]

The Fort Monmout A.R.C. and her sister Club The Ocean - Monmouth A.R.C. are working on an EME system right now. We have the 2M and 70 CM crosed yag's, and dual rotor system. We are work on getting the tower base installed. Once done we will be able to install the antenns. We how to have this done by early spring. We are also involved with a larger project on site. However this project will tkae a few years to complete. But once domw we will have a world class set up. Thanks for the feed back. And I hope we had a chance to work you during the event. Jeff N2LXM Event Chairperson.

[KB2FCV]

Very cool! With JT-65 EME is quite possible with a pretty modest station. You'd probably have alot of people that would want to work you knowing the significance of Project Diana. I've been down to the site & museum several years ago. You guys have a nice setup down there.

I believe some of the old equipment that is in a rack or two in that separate station building belonged to a gentleman (now sk) who used to live in town. The name and call escapes me but I can remember passing his house on the way to school seeing a big dish in the back yard. I think some of his home brew radios / amps got donated to your site and is on display. One of our club members who knew him very well instantly recognized it during our club tour.

Hope to see you on the air. 73, James KB2FCV