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Amateur Radio Balloon Transcontinental and Transatlantic Attempt in Progress

Discussion in 'Amateur Radio News' started by K6MFW, Dec 3, 2012.

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  1. K6MFW

    K6MFW Ham Member QRZ Page

  2. AG2AA

    AG2AA Ham Member QRZ Page

    they really really should not be using wide2 or any other digipeaters. from that altitude, it's a QRM factory with a wide2 path. just beaconing would be plenty. if the device is smart enough, have it use a wide path ONLY below 1000' if you would need APRS to find it once it lands.

     
  3. K6MFW

    K6MFW Ham Member QRZ Page

  4. VE6SRT

    VE6SRT Ham Member QRZ Page

    Seems to be something wonky with the altitude readings as far as I can tell from the raw packets on aprs.fi. For some reason, occasionally the altitude is getting 3 zeroes tacked on to the front, pushing the 3 least significant digits out the other side. So A=111408 becomes A=000111 in the next packet.

    Aaaaand it's now in Canadian airspace over Sarnia.
     
  5. WB0OEW

    WB0OEW XML Subscriber QRZ Page

    APRS newbie here so I'm likely way off the mark but I did a little googling and found these sites, both of which explicitly state that aircraft should use WIDE2:
    http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=45539
    http://wa8lmf.net/DigiPaths/NNNN-Digi-Demo.htm

    Would appreciate a little bit more explanation. Thanks.

    73, Elwood, WB0OEW
     
  6. AG2AA

    AG2AA Ham Member QRZ Page

    from that altitude, a wide2-2 packet will hit easily dozens of digipeaters, which will then repeat the packet as wide2-1, and then easily dozens more digipeaters will repeat the packet AGAIN, probably to hundreds of igates. so whats the goal? to see the packets on the internet like APRS.FI, or to have the packet heard by every man, woman, and child with an APRS receiver on the continent? just a plain beacon from 50Kfeet will hit several igates and map just fine on the internet without bouncing packets all over the continent.
     
  7. N0SSC

    N0SSC Ham Member QRZ Page

    Their twitter feed mentioned that the low temperature is messing with the GPS. Based on that, it's unusual that it's doing it now, in full daylight.
     
  8. N0SSC

    N0SSC Ham Member QRZ Page

    It's only operating in Wide2-1, but I agree it shouldn't be using digipeaters above a certain altitude. It's a big-red-bee, so it doesn't have the functionality to do such things. it's not aggressively congesting the network (although it doesn't need to beacon every minute whilst cruising) and it's important for the last few packets to get through the network to pinpoint its crash location.
     
  9. K5CO

    K5CO Ham Member QRZ Page

    intercept

    HAD WE KNOWN IN TIME, WE COULD HAVE SENT UP AN INTERCEPTOR AND BROUGHT THAT BABY DOWN. Next time.
    RC R K5CO, Corrales, New Mexico missle range.
     
  10. AG2AA

    AG2AA Ham Member QRZ Page

    it went right over my house. could have keyed up 1500W on the EME antenna and lit it up good :)
     
  11. K1HTV

    K1HTV XML Subscriber QRZ Page

    At 20:25Z the balloon, signing the callsign K6RPT-12, is at the Vermont/New Hampshire border, still at an altitude of around 112,000 feet. There continues to be intermittent erroneous reports of it's location being south of the apparent real track. These bogus reports show an altitude of around 100 feet, then the next reports seem to indicate that the balloon is still at an altitude of around 112,000 feet. It appears to be on its way to Europe. I wonder what the steering winds are over VO1/VO2 land, where it is headed.
    73, Rich - K1HTV
     
  12. AB1XW

    AB1XW Ham Member QRZ Page

    The wide digipeating might start to make more sense if it heads out over the North Atlantic - which, as of this writing, it's looking to do in about 30 minutes.
     
  13. W7UUU

    W7UUU Director, QRZ Forums Lifetime Member 133 QRZ HQ Staff Life Member QRZ Page

    So forgive my ignorance.... but the purpose of this exercise is - what? What new ground is
    being broken or tested or whatever? Or is it just a "for fun" project?

    Dave
    WB7AWK
     
    N7ANN likes this.
  14. 2E0CPX

    2E0CPX Ham Member QRZ Page

    Anyone worked out how long at its present speed it would reach Ireland/UK/Europe?
     
  15. AG2AA

    AG2AA Ham Member QRZ Page

    almost to nova scotia, then ocean!
     
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