High Altitude Balloon Carrying Amateur Radio - Burst!

Ever wonder what happens when a High-Altitude Balloon Bursts at altitude? The Nashua Area Radio Society sent a HAB to 115,000 ft this past Sunday. The Balloon carried a 2m APRS transmitter and a couple of cameras. Click on the video above to see the burst! You can read more here.

Fred, AB1OC
President
Nashua Area Radio Society

 

Fred...
How do balloon-ite "experimenters" even reasonably assure one of your "experiments" doesn't interfere with commercial aviation? Or, any other form of aviation but, my concern is that your "experiment" "interacts" inappropriately with an aircraft in the worst possible way!

Are ya' just hoping for the best or, maybe this simply isn't a part of your "experiments" equation?

Considering your QTH's proximity to BOS and knowing the airways as I do, I at least hope you're keeping your local F.A.A. District Office informed of your high altitude antics!

Can you tell I'm not even remotely impressed OM?
Regards,
NU4R

 

I was wondering where those "Coney Island White Eels" that were hanging in my trees came from!

 

Ballooning, and High Altitude Ballooning is a hobby that has been around for years. Ballooning was, in fact, the beginning of aviation. There are FAA rules that must be followed, which includes notification.

It's not "antics" any more than ham radio is "antics".

 

I was curious too, and found the answer on a slide on their High Altitude Balloon Project web page. -> "Notify FAA per Federal Aviation Rules Part 101"

 

The simple fact of the matter is...they don't. But neither do the weather balloons / surveillance balloons launched by various official agencies. Neither do the people who let mylar party balloons go, etc.

It truly is the big sky theory in full effect. But with the appropriate and required notification, at least aircraft can be given a general warning by ATC. And a lot of the bigger balloons expand to the size of a football field or larger at commercial aircraft altitudes, so they can definitely be seen and avoided.

[EDIT] I should also note that some of the larger balloon projects (i.e. Google Loon or some Universities) include transponders on their balloons, so they can be seen by ATC, and aircraft TCAS.

 

i'm impressed about the balloon and people getting out there doing something constructive.. i'm kinda bummed about the negativity out there.

 

That's almost 22 miles high! Just how long does it take to "float" down after the balloon bursts?
What is the total mission time and helium cost for a balloon of that size?

Temperature environment must be an issue at that altitude - not only is it obviously very cold, but air pressure is so low that normal convection cooling of the electronics probably doesn't occur as expected. Am guessing you use a lightweight, materiel with good thermal properties (Styrofoam cooler, perhaps??). Do you have to heat the payload compartment to keep everything working, or use a circulating fan to stir what little air there is?

 

I have been flying high altitude balloons for 32 years now with no incidents with aircraft. The FAA regulations permit 6 pounds of payload (total of 12 pounds) without having to file for a waiver. I also have a balloon burst video I filmed 15 years ago. It is amazing to see how they burst at peak altitude.

- Bill Brown WB8ELK

 

On the questions of flight safety. First, we file a NOTAM (a flight plan) with the FAA so that they can advise us of any conflicts with other traffic. The flight path prediction software that we use is quite accurate so we can do this effectively. I was also one the phone with an FAA flight controller 5 mins before we launch so we could both ensure that there would not be any conflicts. Lastly, the approach we take is to use a very lightweight platform which weights under 4 lbs. Technically, the FAA does not require a NOTAM to be filed if the setup is under 3 lbs but we do it anyway for safety reasons. The NOTAM system has screens to accommodate High Altitude Balloon flights and the controllers are very accommodating towards these flights.