New PS-31 pico balloon from VK

New PS-31 pico balloon from VK

Another small solar-powered balloon was launched from Melbourne Australia early on Saturday January 24, carrying an Amateur Radio payload, and is flying as predicted.

Andy Nguyen VK3YT launched the balloon that is fitted with a 20mW transmitter on WSPR and JT9 using 30m and 20m, for location, altitude, speed and other data.

He explained that with dial frequency 10.138700 MHz and 14.095600 MHz (standard WSPR dial frequencies), these will put WSPR at 1400 Hz-1600 Hz, and JT9 at 1000 Hz, allowing decoding of both WSPR and JT9 without changing frequency on each band.

Andy Nguyen VK3YT had launched the PS-30 balloon on December 27, travelling eastward via New Zealand, South America, on January 16, it went down after 20 days during a storm at Madagascar just east of Africa.

The new balloon PS-31 has so far followed the predicted path over the east coast of Tasmania and reported by New Zealand, where it is to loop back over, before resuming an easterly flight toward the International Dateline in the Pacific Ocean.

In future, if all goes well, it could head for South America like its predecessor.

The world is listening and more trackers are invited. How far it will go is a mystery.

See the decoding information at http://picospace.net/?cat=34
Tracking as PS-31 on SNUS http://picospace.net/tracker/new
WSPR call sign is VK3YT http://wsprnet.org/olddb?findcall=vk3yt

Jim Linton VK3PC







Follow Southgate News on Twitter
Join us on Facebook

 

I went to the 10 MHz freq and heard a signal but since I have no way to decode it, maybe it was from the balloon or some other signal. It would also be interesting if such balloons had a beacon signal type CW ID that played every few minutes just so a casual listener could know if this is the signal and then have qrz.com list it as an "active callsign" for historical purposes. It would or could encourage others to do this or similar things in the future.

 

AGREED!
We need more CW!
I guarantee they'd receive many more reception reports if they'd simply include CW!
72,
Bill, N4QA

 

I agree, no decoder in the shack for WSPR. However, my "O.E. factory" cw decoder still works! lol


73 de kc5ngx ar

 

Excellent project, congratulations.
Could you post links to your construction details as well as your electronics details and suppliers...
Thanks, this looks I will be getting involved in this part of Amateur Radio.

Best to you, WA1DF
Don