Rob;

Thanks for your reply.

I was on my lunch break and was sitting in the parking lot of the local
McDonalds when I heard the following callsigns: VA4GFJ, VE4GLS, and VE4BJZ.
My mobile station consists of a Kenwood TM-231A which puts out 50 watts. The
antenna is a Larson 5/8 wavelength vertical on a magnet mount on the top of
my pickup truck's cab. I'm sure the balloon was spinning and consequently
the signal I heard from the balloon was quite varied but peaked at S9 or
about 3/4 of full scale. I scan six 2 meter frequencies, five local
repeaters plus 146.52 and just happened to hear you. I'd love to have one of
your QSL cards!

If I may offer, as a ham of almost 40 years experience, some two points of
constructive criticism: First, your net control station needs to explain
what's happening from time to time.  I initially had no idea what I was
hearing and was not sure until I got back to my desk and found your project
web page. I expect others who happened to be listening on 146.52 were just
as confused as I was. Announcing on frequency that this was the Shaftesbury
high altitude balloon project and that stations should call in on 146.52
would have made things more clear. I was really calling in the blind as I
thought perhaps you were running a cross band repeater. Announcing the
altitude of the balloon from time to time would have been nice, too.

Second, I really had to work to find an e-mail address to send my reception
report to. I found your callsign, Rob, from baloon project web page but
could not find an contact information. Eventually, by searching with Google,
I found a mention of your name, callsign and e-mail address in a Manitoba
ham radio club's newsletter. So, making it easier to send your group
reception reports would be nice. Announcing contact info during the course
of the balloon flight would have helped.

Finally, on inspiring some of your students to get their licenses - well
done! I was influenced by Boy Scouting to get my license when in 9th grade
and made my first HF contact from the amateur radio station at my high
school. I took German for three years in high school and got to practice my
language skills every Sunday when I had a sked with a very nice lady in what
was then East Germany. I've made lifelong friends through ham radio, helped
my community during events and weather disasters, learned skills that I have
helped further my career, and had a lot of fun doing so.

Congratulations to you and your students on a successful project!. I hope
you will fly again before the end of the school year and again next year. If
you do I'll make a point if listening in!

Dave Quick KØEKL
3615 Abby Lane
Ely, MN, 55731 USA