WB6RER PICO BALLOON is over Antarctica 524 days aloft

WB6RER's Pico Balloon launched by the Hualapai Amateur Radio Club, Kingman AZ is officially over the Antarctic continent as of 04:42utc 10-25-2024 (last night) Pink blob is the balloon and the green blob is DP0GVN/1 spotting station. Flight duration 514 days and we will never know how many times it went around the world. Last count was 13 orbits as of May 2024 and then it became very sporadically spotted and moved down into the far southern hemisphere. The transmitted WSPR signal is very very weak -27/-28 snr. It has been silent for 5 months and the current spotter report (only 3 spots) on Oct 15th was by Antarctic station DP0GVN/1 it showed a solar panel voltage of 3.88v and an altitude of 45,735 ft. temp of 42F and speed of 74mph.

 

Are you sure that the temperature above Antarctica @ 45,000 feet is 42F?

WN4AAA

 

Lets hope it doesnt get tagged as a UFO....

 

The 42F should be -42F, and then its possibel above the coastline in the west. Depending on the climate change and the polar intensification. To this the coastline is much warmer as the middle of the antarctic. The russian station Wostok, near to the middle, shows for tomorrow actual -47 Celsius. To this at the westcoast Neumayer and Halley -3 / -2 Celsius. The difference in the elevation for the stations are around 3 km.



https://www.wetteronline.de/wetter/antarktis

 

think there should be a minus 42

 

China may shoot it down ?

 

Thanks for the correction to read -42. It amazes me that the material that this particular balloon is made of can withstand those temperatures without any or very little leakage of air. Keep the updates coming!

 

We believe the solar panel is producing enough heat to cause these higher temperature readings. The transmitter board is right under the panel.

 

The Hualapai Amateur Radio Club has grown rather fond of our balloon and given him the name "Andy" after Andy Devine, a prominent figure in the early days of modern country and westerns. He was raised in Kingman AZ where an injury to his throat gave him that gravelly voice for which he later became famous. You've got to be old to remember him and his Jeep "Nelly Bell" if memory serves.

 

What WSPR call sign or ID does it use? My Rx picked up something in that area, it used 141HNH as a call sign.

KI6LT

 

Can you provide any info to try to track it?

 

Thanks for sharing. Prompted a read up on DP0GVN station and WB6RER. Really fantastic that the balloon has completed much more than 13 circumnavigations of the Earth. 73

 

Awesome ! KI7BWO

 

Where was this launched from? Would be interested in history of path.

 

Agreed. I'd like to get a sense of how it crossed the equator - was it a slow and "random walk" type of crossing, or did well-defined currents lead it more directly to the southern hemisphere?

I love this site that shows wind patterns beautifully across the globe.