The S11 version of VE3KCL's party balloons carrying a U3S WSJT WSPR transmitter has made it all the way around the world!! Over the last 21 days the little radio covered approximately 29,000 KM. I have been following VE3KCL's balloons for a while now and I think this is the first one to make it all the way so well done for a great cheap little ham radio project!! http://www.qrp-labs.com/ultimate3/ve3kcl-balloons/ve3kcl-s11.html S13 is still in the air as I type so please check out its progress..... Also remember that ZL1RS still has his Ocean Floater WSPR U3S beacon floating around in the Southern waters.... http://www.qsl.net/zl1rs/oceanfloater.html Paul N2EME
Interesting. Another balloon in flight is K6RPT-12 (unless it went down in the Pacific this weekend). Last data point July 1 was eastbound in China about 100 miles north of North Korea, imagine if it flew over NK though doubtful any I-gate stations there (probably no stations at all). http://aprs.fi/#!call=a/K6RPT-12&timerange=3600&tail=3600 Now that ocean floater is really interesting.Will more hams do something like this? Instead of message in a bottle which is very Robinson Crusoe, update it like ZL1RS. We have more and more APRS balloons, cubesats, and now ocean floaters. Not that long ago much of this stuff was financially out of reach for many hams. I'm looking forward to amateur rovers with SSTV on the Moon!
Very interesting news. I wonder at what altitude these type of balloons fly? Do pilots (or their passengers better educated than I) have an opinion about these additions to the sky? Sometimes a question is actually a comment, though not the case here. Thanks for the news. Mark
K0RGR... Our club, EME Rovers, Use the U3S as a VHF Beacon. We are using the on 6 meter and 2 meter. We will also have a 222 version running soon. They do all the hard work needed for a beacon. The frequency, the mode and are even GPS locked. Not bad for $33 plus a $23 GPS module. All we have to do is add a little amp behind them and an antenna. http://www.emerovers.com/home/odds-ends.html They are great because not only can they jump between modes but they are frequency agile too. We can jump between CW in the CW Beacon part of the band to do a quick jt65, WSPR etc in another part of the band then back to the CW section. Great for the new PI4 6 meter beacons. Paul N2EME
I wonder at what altitude these type of balloons fly? Do pilots (or their passengers better educated than I) have an opinion about these additions to the sky? K6RPT-12 · info 2016-07-07 14:27:26 62 MPH 84° alt 46255 ft Telemetry 2016-07-07 14:27:26: show telemetry Batt: 4.160 V, Solar: 1.292 V, Temp: -22.600 C, Sats: 6, S2L: 4G3WA43%[APSTM1 via WIDE2-1,qAR,AK7ME] Just over the top of the 40,ooo ft flight level most commercial airlines fly. Balloon altitudes varies from 40,ooo to 65,000 ft depending on time of day. Pilots have lots of opinions but they don't count. Only the FAA rules count and I think it's legal as long as the payload weight is under 5 lbs. A few year ago, CQ mag had an article on how to do this. Your supposed to contact the FAA and they will give you a date and time to launch. They publish your launch info on NOTAMS so aircraft will avoid the area during launch time. Most military aircraft can reach 70,ooo and can track balloons on both FLIR and Radar. They usually see them on mass balloon release events. They don't track balloons as a matter of course but if they see one on their scopes, they'll usually swing by and take an eyeball on it. K5BIZ
-- Thanks, K5BIZ, for the information. Well, if the balloons and payloads pose no danger as they ascend, travel, and descend, then I can now understand the excitement and encouragement a bit better. I am even more impressed that military aircraft can identify and avoid the hazard of a single balloon and payload at the speeds they travel. Much impressed, Mark
I am very impressed with just how far S11 has gotten so far.... Updated 07-Jul-2016 15:18Z; Loc=KO82VH, Duration=23d 09h 48m, Distance=36,772km K9BOO If you look at how much the payload weighs and the fact that it is attached to a balloon my thoughts are that the airflow around any aircraft would change the flight path of the balloon prior to any collision taking place. This is only my thoughts on this but consider all the wind tunnel tests you have seen for race cars etc. I will gladly stand corrected if I am wrong. The payload for S11 weighed 14 grams or about 1/2 an ounce (0.03 pounds) if my math is right. I think that makes what VE3KCL and the little U3S based beacons from QRP Labs even more impressive. What a great way it would be to get involved with your local school's science project. Give the school a U3S balloon beacon and let them build a balloon to track around the world using your callsign as the controller. Paul N2EME
