CLERMONT, Fla. – Andrew Feldman has the energy of a teenager, a passion for electronics and the story of a ham radio conversation for the ages.
For 22 minutes back in the fall of 1983, the now 70-something ham radio operator received a shout out from space delivered by STS-9 mission specialist Dr. Owen Garriott.
Garriott was a ham radio buff and had NASA’s blessing to make radio calls on his down time from an oddly fashioned ham radio contraption that was able to transmit to earth.
“W5FL was the call sign of Owen Garriott aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia,” Feldman told News 6.
According to NASA, Dr. Garriott
operated the world’s first Amateur Radio Station from space, W5LFL, “which has since expanded into an important activity on dozens of Shuttle flights, Space Station MIR and now the International Space Station with scores of astronauts and cosmonauts participating.”
Feldman, who lives in Clermont by way of Long Island, New York, is an avid ham radio operator and to this day serves as Lt. Colonel with the Civil Air Patrol.
During an interview in his home office, Feldman recalled the adrenaline rush when the call from Garriott came through loud and clear.
“This is WB2FXN Calling W5LFL Boom!” Feldman recalled the reply from space crackling over his speaker.
“Oh my gosh, I mean my heart sunk, it must have skipped four beats when that took place. You could not imagine the thoughts that were raging through me at that point.”….READ MORE
Antenna
VERSA BEAM VERSATILE Antenna to cover all the sky in the world ! 100% designed and proof tested in Japan When planning your new antenna system, we do suggest you to consider overall picture of your ham life ahead. A unique design... Read more
Equipment
ALL-MODE QRP TRANSCEIVER for HF + 6m +4m (12 Bands + General Coverage RX) MADE IN EUROPE (Coming Soon*) Aerial-51’s new ALT-512 An improved version of the SKY-SDR transceiver. New features and changes include: 4... Read more
![VHF propagation video released [ RSGB ]](https://qrznow.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/VHF-screenshot2-90x60.jpg)
News
Emily YL Op M6ELM – First Timer Pile Up – LIVE on HF
Emily YL Op M6ELM Read more
MARS Communications Exercise will Involve Amateur Radio Community
Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS) volunteers will take part in the Department of Defense (DOD) Communications Exercise 20-4, starting on October... Read more
100 Inexpensive Paper Clips – Will It Antenna?
The highly requested paper clip installment of Will It Antenna. Where I try and make ham radio antennas out of common household items. Today, the wors... Read more
FCC Grants ARRL Rules Waiver Request for Fire Emergencies, Hurricanes
The FCC has granted ARRL’s request for a temporary waiver to permit amateur data transmissions at a higher symbol rate than currently permitted by sec... Read more
Hurricane Watch Net Wraps Up Marathon Activation for Two Storms
The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) just stood down from another extended session — 71 hours of continuous operation — for Hurricane Paulette and Hurricane... Read more
FIRST CUBESAT SATELLITE DEVELOPED BY BRAZILIAN COMPANY FINISHES ENVIRONMENTAL TESTS
The Engineering Model, the first development model, of the NANOMIRAX / CRON-1 nanosatellite carried out its environmental testing campaign at the Inte... Read more
Marconi Day Award
Marconi Day Award The Calabria DX Team has once again organized Marconi Day and Award for the second year. The following accredited stations... Read more
SDRplay has added sample IQ files to their website
IQ Demo Files Here you can find off air IQ recordings for you to check your SDRuno and related software settings for a variety of different situations... Read more
Attention Turns to Tropical Storm Sally after Hurricane Paulette Hits Bermuda
The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) said this morning that it will continue to gather any reports from Bermuda in the wake of Hurricane Paulette, which made... Read more
Xiegu G90 HF Ham Radio Go Box/Solar Generator
Xiegu G90 HF Ham Radio Go Box/Solar Generator Read more