The Jupiter Research Foundation has an amateur radio club. And, that club has recently launched the HF Voyager on a Pacific journey from Hawaii to California. Enclosed in a waterproof housing onboard the HF Voyager is a HF (high frequency) HAM radio (an Elecraft KX3 in fact).

As the JRFARC (Jupiter Research Foundation Amateur Radio Club) puts it, “Our mission is to deploy a ham radio station that roams the world’s oceans while providing an opportunity for amateur radio operators everywhere to make contacts with rare locations.” It will spend time in the Equatorial North Pacific, where ham radio isn’t normally accessible. The club plans on sending out certificates to people who are able to make contact with the HF Voyager, and it sounds like a fun goal for ham operators.

I took that goal and was able to make contact with the HF Voyager (KH6JF/MM) as it travels around the waters of the Pacific Ocean.  I was able to make contact on the 20 Meter band using FT8 protocol and WSJT-X with an End-Fed Wire Antenna and a Yaesu FT991.

HF-Voyager-FT8-contact

 

Radio Operators can open up the HF Voyager web portal and see the location and list of radio stations the craft has been in contact with.   Below is my confirmed and logged contact with the craft Apr-08-2018 15:16:15 utc  

kg5eiu-worked-HF-Voyager

 Be sure to check out the project pages, blog and more at http://www.jrfarc.org/hf-voyager.