FIFI Flight Schedule and Possible Contact Times

Update — FiFi in the Air — Click the link below to listen to some of the early QSO’s

Further Update

FiFi air ops have been postponed till 13:00am CST or 19:00 UTC. on Friday, February 22nd. Will advise if this changes….Listen on 7200 AM.

Update

FiFi air ops have been postponed till 11:00am CST or 17:00 UTC. on Friday, February 22nd. Will advise if this changes….

Most of you know that several months ago Fifi experienced an engine problem and had to land and get it repaired. The repairs are now complete and she is back in the air and has returned to Addison Texas, her home base. The donations have paid for the repairs, but they still need some help with the purchase of a replacement engine, in case this happens again while they are on tour. You can go to their website if you are interested in helping (More about FiFi Here).

Later in the month, on Thursday, the 21^th of February, Fifi will depart from Addison and fly to California to start a tour of airshows that will last over a month.

GOOD NEWS…. On the Addison to El Paso leg of the flight she will have a radio operator on board and the ART-13/BC-348 radio room with be logging contacts on 40 meters.

February 21, 2013 – – – Takeoff estimated at 1600 UTC
Radio Position Operation – Using Special Events Call Sign N5A
40 meters – 7200 kHz AM
Take off and radio operation commences at 10:00 CST or 1600 UTC
The radio operator will be Loney Duncan, W0GZV.

There will be one or two ground stations that will be organizing contacts with Fifi and acting as a kind of “Net Control”. This is being done to avoid pileups. This is particularly important because Fifi has difficulty hearing due to all that electrical noise on HF from those four big engines that are almost on top of the antenna. Please listen on frequency before transmitting, and do everything you can to not interfere with operations.

Listen for W5CZ, Rod Perala, who is again going to be one of the “Net Controls”. Rod was on frequency for the last operations and did a great job. Other stations that will be helping will be announced here and on the reflector as the time gets closer.

Watch the reflector during and right before the takeoff for updates should there need to be any.

For those of you that turned in QSL cards from the last contacts, there have been some delays in processing the Fifi cards, but they are coming we have been informed… So be patient.

Previous Flight Postings………

FIFI Cedar Rapids Trip Schedule (Update July 25, 2012 at 2100 UTC)

Summary:

Wednesday, July 18 10 AM to 1 or 2 PM CDT (1500 UTC to 1800 or 1900 UTC)Contacts were conducted over about a 3-4 hour period. Started about 10:30 CDT (15:30 UTC)

Thursday, July 19 & Friday, July 20 – Ground operations were conducted in-between flights and major tours on Friday only. These ground operations were done under the special event call N0A/B29

Then on Saturday, July 21st, FIFI transitioned from Cedar Rapids to the Oshkosh Fly-in area where she will be based at Appleton, Wisconsin for the week. Take off time was midafternoon due to a ride-flight in the morning and her in-route time was approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes. This flight used the call sign N9A/B29/Aeronautical Mobile

Note that during the flight from Addison, Texas to Cedar Rapids on the 18th, FIFI used the radio room special event call N0A/B29 Aeronautical Mobile and from Cedar Rapids to Appleton on the 21st she used the call N9A/B29 Aeronautical Mobile. They are printing Special Event QSL cards and those will be keepers! N9A operated on 20 meters for the first airborne 20 meter contacts.

QSL address information: QSL cards should be sent to:

% W5ROK – QSL Manager for N0A/B29
Rockwell Collins Amateur Radio Club
P.O. Box 833807 @ Mail Station 461
Richardson, Texas 75083-3807

This QSL information covers both special event call signs

Congratulations to those of you that worked FIFI during these special event operations from the 18^th to the 21^st. There were many contacts made and even some rare CW operations several times including a great bunch of CW contacts on 20 meters on the flight from Cedar Rapids to Appleton on the 21^st. We would all like to thank Loney Duncan, W0GZV, and Bob Kirby, K3NT, the two radio operators, for their efforts on this trip. Fighting QRN and QRM with a BC-348R is no small task.

There is no longer a radio operator aboard FIFI for the balance of this trip. In the future, they are going to try and train more operators so that you will have more opportunities to work this rare contact.

Updates on future radio room operations and FIFI’s potential contact schedule will be posted here as soon as it is available so stay tuned. We will also post updates on the CCA reflector. If you are not a reflector member, and are interested in the history or operation of Collins radios, then click on CCA Reflector on the tool bar above and you can join the reflector for updates.

Good Hunting!

Updated 2100 UTC 072512