Thanks everyone for coming out to the ham radio and balloon demo on Wednesday! It was great to see and meet everyone there!

With Interest growing again at Western Carolina University, The Alumni Group- in joint effort with the physics department- will be conducting a demonstration on the University Center Lawn Wednesday, September 13, 2023. Listen for us on the air, on NC-PRN, and the HF Bands, using the call sign W4WCU!

We hope to see you there, or catch you on the air. If you are a student, faculty, staff, alumni, or community member who wishes to get involved, stay tuned to this website and social media for potential meeting times, or drop us a line to email at (this WCURadio domain).

This Site is seeing more traffic as of late- and I just wanted to let everyone know that the WCU Club is currently inactive. A club has been formed for the Alumni of the university, and to further support students who may wish to reactivate this club in the future. If you are a student or Alumni looking for more information on reactivating the student club, or joining the Alumni club, please reach out to Daniel, W3WDD.

We appreciate the support from everyone, and will not forget the fun times we have had as a student body of HAM Radio Operators! In the mean time, this site will remain online as an archive of things we have done in years past. Please feel free to browse and enjoy!

-K4WCU, CARGO Student Club
-W4WCU, CARGO Alumni Club

Our Next Club meeting will be Thursday, March 27, at 7PM in the Dogwood Room. The Dogwood Room is located inside the UC on WCU’s Campus.

One of our own, Michele Coker – KK4NRB, has been invited back to the National Conference for Undergrad Research (NCUR) to present findings from the Catamount Balloon Flights. “(it is) a HUGE honor to be chosen on a national level” Coker said, Michele attended NCUR last year for the first time where her work was published through the group’s Proceedings. Catamount 7 (the most recent flight), launched Feb. 1, spent nearly a week in the Atlantic Ocean before being recovered and sent back to the mountains of North Carolina. Coker thanks everyone involved in the flights for their support from assembly, to testing, through the recoveries of each flight.

Though all equipment from the Catamount 7 is a total loss, it seems that all data was recoverable, and we look forward to see what we might learn from what we can recover.

Catamount 7 Drifting in the Atlantic Ocean after impact. To be later recovered in Nags Head, NC

Our Next Club meeting will be in the Dogwood Room, at 7PM on Thursday February 27, 2014. This is located inside the University Center, at WCU.

Talk in on the K4WCU repeater, or by calling 828.5151.HAM We look forward to seeing you there!

Catamount 7, originally projected to land within the central area state of North Carolina, has come to rest just northeast of Quinby Inlet, VA – in the Atlantic Ocean. The US Coast Guard has been alerted to the payload and is aware of it’s position, and we hope that one of their vessels (or perhaps another HAM or Good Samaritan) will be able to recover and facilitate return of the payload. If recovered, please send email to email at WCURadio.com or call us at 828.515.1426. The APRS Beacon continued to function for hours after landing, however it is believed that the batteries inside the payload are now likely depleted. Any further information pertaining to the Cat 7 or it’s recovery status will be amended to this post.

UPDATE: 2.8.14 11:28AM – Payload Discovered on Nags Head Beach, Nags Head Police are in the process of recovering the payload at this time, Much thanks to Penny H, and Doreen D, of Poquoson VA for finding and reporting the Balloon. We Expect to have it back sometime soon with the help of these two great locals!

UPDATE: 2.13.14 2:03PM – Payload Housing found for Radio Tracking Payload. The gear from this box appears to have floated (or sank) away, and the elements installed on the box were not enough to hold the remaining electronic inside. This box was found by Hugh R, of Southern Shores NC.

Catamount 7, Scientific Payload Discovered this morning around 11:30AM by Penny H, and Doreen D. Photo Credits to Them as well, Shared with permission.

Here is Penny at the Nags Head Police Dept. With the Catamount 7 Scientific Payload, What an awesome sight!

Doreen With Catamount 7

Radio Tracking Payload Housing, Photo Courtesy of Hugh R, Southern Shores NC

Radio Tracking Payload Housing, Photo Courtesy of Hugh R, Southern Shores NC

The Catamount 7 Flight is be scheduled for launch on Feb 1, 2014. We look forward to all the support, and tracking we will get from all who are interested! We will be flying the callsign K4WCU-11, and at this time will be launching from the Jackson County Airport.

If you’d like to follow events up to the launch, feel free to join our Yahoo-Group, “Cullowhee” at yahoogroups.com

Our Next Club meeting will be on Thursday the 14th at 7PM in the dogwood Room, UC, at WCU.

Following the meeting we will all proceed to Cullowings for a great beverage and some food. Join us!

The Catamount 6 Balloon Launched this morning from WCU has landed somewhere to the west of Stone Fairy State Park in Virginia. Reaching Speeds of nearly 150MPH, this balloon is now being recovered by the various volunteer tracking teams with the assistance of many IRLP and EchoLinked Repeaters.

The Balloon last reported traveling approximately 19MPH, just above 2000 Feet. Communications may be monitored by connecting to IRLP Reflector 9449, or Echolink Station K9IU-L (500717). Much Thanks to the Indiana University Radio Club for use of their reflector.

Posted 11.2.13 1557

UPDATE:
The SPOT GPS Tracking system which was thought to be malfunctioning has come back to life and reported it’s location very close to the last APRS Packet. One Tracking team is reported to be within 5 miles of the last known location, and the teams feel optimistic that the payload will be easy to locate.

Posted 11.2.13 1648

UPDATE:
The Payload has been successfully recovered! It is reported that the payload landed on private property, and not in a tree this time! The payload is now on it’s way back to Cullowhee and the NC mountains. Much thanks to the volunteers, repeater and node owners who helped make this a success!

Posted 11.2.13 1722