N4BWR - Amateur Radio and Emergency Communications

  • Skip to content
  • Jump to main navigation and login
  • Jump to additional information

Nav view search

Navigation

Search

You are here: Home

Main Menu

  • Home
  • Contact Me
  • Drone Services
  • Track the Latest W4FWD Balloon
  • Carroll ARES Net Script
  • Carroll ARES Severe Weather Net Protocol

Amateur Radio Stuff is closed

  • Recorded Carroll County ARES Nets
  • West Georgia Amateur Radio Society
  • WGARS YouTube
  • VHF Propagation Map
  • AMSAT Live OSCAR Satellite Status Page
  • Amateur Radio Satellite Operation Presentation
  • The Radio Amateur's Code

EmComm Links is closed

  • My ICS and Other Certifications
  • WX4BK EmComm Resources
  • Auxiliary Communications Field Operations Guide (AUXFOG)

Weather Balloon Stuff is closed

  • ASTRA High Altitude Balloon Flight Planner
  • CUSF Landing Predictor
  • Our Balloon Flights
  • University of Wyoming Balloon Trajectory Forecasts
  • Support Our Weather Balloon Flights
  • Weather Balloon Presentation

West Georgia Amateur Radio Society Interviewed about Pico Balloons

Details
Category: Balloons
Written by Blake Raab (N4BWR)

This morning, 2/21/2023, I was one of three members of the West Georgia Amateur Radio Society to be interviewed about weather balloons, pico balloons, and amateur radio in general on WLBB. You can listen to the interview here.

Tweet
Pin It

Planning to Launch Pico Balloon

Details
Category: Balloons
Written by Blake Raab (N4BWR)

The West Georgia Amateur Radio Society is in the very beginning stages of planning to launch a pico balloon. These are Mylar balloons (just like the silver party balloons) with an incredibly light payload transmitting its location using APRS or WSPR. These balloons are inflated just enough to reach the jet stream and then stall out there, allowing them to travel thousands of miles. Some have even traveled around the world. 

WX4BK gave a presentation at our last club meeting about the WSPR mode that our balloon will be using. You can view it as a PDF here, and as a PowerPoint here.

We will keep you updated on the progress of our project and the information to track it once it's in flight.

Pico Balloon Payload

Pico Balloon Payload (Image by WB8ELK)

Tweet
Pin It

WGARS Pico Balloon Presentation and Information

Details
Category: Balloons
Written by Blake Raab (N4BWR)

Links to track (Callsign will be W4FWD) :

  • WSPRnet
  • N4BWR.com
  • WGARS.com
  • APRS.fi

 

Tweet
Pin It

8/6/2022 Launch Day!

Details
Category: Balloons
Written by Blake Raab (N4BWR)

 It's launch day! We will be meeting at 9 AM at the VFW Fairgrounds (1625 Bankhead Highway, Carrollton GA). We plan to launch around 10, or whenever everything is ready. See this link for the current flight prediction. Keep in mind that varying ascent or descent rates will stretch or compress that part of the path, but the general shape of the flight prediction is what to watch. Take a look at the predicted burst point and landing site. The distance between them is 5.0057 miles, and the heading from burst to landing is 284.55 degrees. Once we know the actual burst point, we can get very close to the landing site before it lands by using this tool to calculate that point based on distance and heading.

We will begin communications on the W4FWD repeater (146.640, negative offset, 131.8 hertz tone), See the Incident Radio Communication Plan linked below to see the repeater, balloon, and APRS frequencies. We may use the balloon uplink frequency for simplex communications on the ground at the landing area. The WB4GNA repeater is also a good alternative (147.090, positive offset, 131.8 hertz tone).

You can track the balloon on aprs.fi here. In that link, I've set the track tail length to three hours to cover the whole flight. If you would like a way to track the balloon alongside the prediction on your mobile device, you can click here, save the KMZ file to your device, and open it in the Google Earth app.

 

Flight Day Resources:

  • ICS-205 Incident Radio Communications Plan - For a list of the frequencies used for tracking the balloon and communication
  • N4BWR's Weather Balloon Trajectory Map - Updated at least every morning with the latest prediction for launch day. After 8 AM on 7/10, that will be the operational map for launch day.
  • Tracking of W4FWD-11 on aprs.fi - You can use this site on any computer or mobile device to track the flight of the balloon in real time. Click the balloon icon to see details, including altitude. You can also click on any of the previous red dots on its track for the same information at that point.
  • Live Tracking Alongside Prediction - If I remember to update this file (which is a big "if"), you will be able to view the current flight path along with that day's prediction in the Google Earth app on your device. As of the time of this writing on 7/9, the predicted flight path shown in the file is for a flight we had last year. 
  • Find Terminal Coordinates, Given a Bearing and a Distance - This is a fun one. I have found a highly accurate method to pinpoint where the balloon will land once actual burst has happened by taking the compass heading and distance between predicted burst and predicted landing and applying that once actual burst has happened. This is the site where I will be plugging in the actual burst point and the predicted distance and heading to find the endpoint. I will certainly be announcing this information over our text group and any radio frequencies we're using at the time, but will probably also let everyone know that morning what the predicted distance and heading is so you can plug that in yourself. 
Tweet
Pin It

Page 1 of 3

  • Start
  • Prev
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • Next
  • End
Close info

Additional information

Follow Me!

BlakeRaab on Facebook Blake Raab on Twitter

Article Categories

  • EmComm/Disaster Relief

  • Balloons

  • Amateur Radio

  • Drone Stuff

My Latest Articles

  • West Georgia Amateur Radio Society Interviewed about Pico Balloons
  • 8/6/2022 Launch Day!
  • Weather Balloon Launch on 8/6/2022!
  • 8/28/2021 Balloon Launch
  • UPDATED: Weather Balloon Launch Still a Go for 7/10/2021

News from the ARRL

30 March 2023

  • ARRL Announces Leadership Changes in the Hudson Division
  • The K7RA Solar Update
  • CT Governor Proclaims April 16 – 22 Amateur Radio Recognition Week
  • Amateur Radio Included in FEMA Guide for National Emergency Preparedness
  • Tornado Season and Amateur Radio
  • The K7RA Solar Update
  • Dayton Amateur Radio Leader Ron Cramer, KD8ENJ, Silent Key