Lost Contact With Balloon, Looking For Listeners.

And He is an Extra also, Goes to show ya, that passing a test doesn't mean a whole lot.

 

Well I for one am enjoying this 'fox hunt'.I'm in sw Oregon with a less then perfect antenna and I think I heard the signal a few days ago when this was first posted.As for the 'other' posts,I guess some just don't like it.That is ham radio.I will continue to follow ;}>

 

Thanks!

Joe WB9SBD

 

Glad someone finally brought this up.

K2WH

 

I hate to bother you again but there is oxygen up there in the same percentages as the surface. The engines used on the SR-71 are Pratt&Whitney J58-<wbr>P4 and they work fine higher than your balloons. With an alcohol, boiling the fuel would be the biggest problem, kerosene maybe.

 

That I will have to check into, the Oxygen that is. And yes the boiling would be a problem, unless maybe if it was to burn like a bunsen burner instead of a wick? since it will be a pressurized gas so to speak. Would have to make it lke an high efficiency furnace where it gets outside air for the combustion,

as far as the height goes, yes that plane goes higher than that balloon did, yes we intended to park it an altitude with zero winds so it would stay local. But most of our flights easily exceed 110,000 feet and that aircraft doesn't go that high. he he he

Joe

 

Any updates?

 

Sadly,

Nope,

Joe

 

Sometimes you just have to say..... HUH?

 

The percentage of oxygen is the same. It's the atmospheric density that is lower, meaning less oxygen per cubic meter.

The engines on high altitude aircraft have very large intakes with metering systems. At take off, the intakes are closed a bit, in thinner air, they are opened up.

Sure, the engines produce less thrust than at sea level, but at high altitudes, there is less air friction so the jets don't need the same amount of thrust.

Typical jet fuel is JP4. It's a lot like kerosene. In fact, it's almost impossible to tell the difference. The Blackbirds use JP7.

 

.... learn something new every day.

 

While in Uncle Sams Canoe Club (USN) Three of our aircraft had what the plane Captains called Choke Doors in the air intake. These were opened and closed by a pnumatic cylinder that was connected to a stage of the compressor turbine.

At start no pressure, Chokes open.

During start the chokes slowly closed.

Once started at sea level the doors were closed, as the airplane climbed the doors opened in responce to how much air pressure was being generated by the compressor.


Our planes had a service ceiling of 56K' so there must have been enough oxygen to support those big blowtorches.

 

Any news yet?

 

I rarely read these posts anymore, but I decided to, and although I live in northern WI. I will find the time to listen on my service monitors and may dedicate a GaAs FET preamp to listen to the 10.145 signal.
I hold no hope in hearing it though, ground propagation will never get this far north(near the U.P border).
But I will try, just for the fun of it. If i hear anything, I will post that data here for the world to read.
Grid square EN55 BTW.

 

Respect is given when it is deserved, KK4DDT. The context of launching transmitters into the upper atmosphere with hot air balloons that get lost due to the launcher's inability to control or track is, by most reasonable estimations, is not deserving of respect. Not that it's deserving of derision either. While I cannot speak for other people, the post I made was made in humor making light of what is perceived on my part as a ridiculous avoidable situation. If the humor and lightness was overlooked by anyone might I suggest they reconsider.

Since you're so concerned with respect KK4DDT why not earn a little for yourself rather than criticizing me or others for their views as respect works both ways. To answer your question directly, while I do keep my license renewed I have not been on the air for a number of years for the very reason you mention - there are far more effective, and less expensive, methods of communication and keeping in touch with the world and those around me ... you might be familiar with a few of them such as telephones, cell phones, and the internet to be specific.

Now that you've been enlightened KK4DDT might I suggest YOU get a grip and begin with yourself and stop your hating of the haters.

KK4DDT, I say the above in response with respect and took the time to respond as you mentioned me in your post (thanks, by the way, for acknowledging the worth of doing so). If it seems a bit harsh it is only because I am responding - hopefully - in the same tone with which was interpreted in your post. Should it be it was too much so, my apologies; if not harsh enough, my apologies on that score as well.

AA1MN