Amateur Radio High Altitude Ballon 02-13-10

7/31/2019 Amateur Radio High Altitude Ballon 02-13-10

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ARHAB(AMATEUR RADIO HIGH

ALTITUDE BALLOONING)

RicKBRennanStillwater Amateur Radio Association


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High Altitude Ballooning

Using a weather sounding balloon

to send stuff in to Near Space(65k-125k Feet)


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What is ARHAB Like Ham radio, it is many things to many

people Science and Experiments

Engineering Photography

Fox Hunt / RDF Space Geocache

Fun


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Why ARHAB

Find a new activity.

Attract younger people to HAM radio. Attract more people to the club.


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What we found

An active outdoor HAM activity.

New mode: APRS & ATV New technologies

NEAR SPACE Ya, weve been there! Assisting the U of MN MNSGC

U of MN students are new HAMs Heck, it is just plain fun!


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The First Launch

KCUHY & KBR attended as observers

(and we were put to work)


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Ground Equipment

2m Radio Mobile TNC

Hardware Software/Sound card

Laptop/PC Tracking Software (Free to $60) Antenna (Cheap works better than $$$)

GPS Compass Be Prepared for everything!


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A Ballooning Radio

Kenwood TH-D710A

Built in TNC Computer interface

GPS interface Dual Band

Dual Receive

Use a single antenna

Yaesu FTM-350R ???


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The TNC

Hardware type is BEST!

Software Sound Card does work

AGWPE Software

Requires lots of fiddling with to make itperform.


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Mobile Antennas

Dont use a high dollar 5/8 wave

Lobes do not extend upward

Do use a simple wave

Vertically polarized cloud burner! Some dual band 2m and 70cm work well.

Comet CA-2x4SR - KBR


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Most important part of yourground equipment is.

TO KNOWYOUR

EQUIPMENT!


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The Near Spacecraft

PayloadAPRS TX

Experiments APRS Transponder at

top and bottom ofstack.

Audible alarm on each

APRS Transponder.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Small_balloonsats_in_flight.jpg


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The FAA Regulations

FAR 101

Exception to FAR 101 Payload < 12lbs. and weight/size ratio < 3oz/sq.in.

Payload string < 50lbs impact strength

30g X 50lbs. = 1500lbs. breaking strength

Capsule weight under 6lbs. each

Total payload under 12lbs.

Does not include balloon or parachute

Its still a good idea to notify the FAA

All others must meet FAR 101

Launch and flight path away from ATC air space.


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The Balloon & Airborne Equipment

Kaymont Balloons ($100-$350) Helium (~$60-$125 and going up) Parachute (~$60) APRS Transponders and TX (~$116)

GPS (~$70) Antennas (homemade) Audible Siren (RS 102db $5.50)

Batteries Lithium (~2.50ea x 16 or more, $40) Total (risk) = ~$800 plus experiments (~$1100) Second launch = ~$250 to $350

(If previous launch is recovered!)


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The Budget Balloon

Micro-Trak 300 w/ GPS ~$175 (sold out)

or OT1+/MX146/GPS ~$186 Built(-$14 kit)

Balloon $125

Helium $60

Parachute $60

Batteries $20 Misc Hdwr $20

Total w/ 1 transponder $460


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Balloon Sizes

300g (not practical for ARHAB)

1000g 1200g

1500g 3000g

Size is chosen by payload weight andaltitude.


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Airborne Stuff to Know

Helium ~$60-$125 per tank. Two are needper launch. It takes 1+ to fill a balloon.

Popping or premature release will cost you $.

Accent rated calculated to 1000ft/min

Parachute sized to descend at 2000ft/minwith payload weight near the ground.

Everything falls FAST at Near Space

altitudes.


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More Airborne Stuff to Know

Transmitter units.Byonics ~300mw up to 35w

SRB MX146 ~750mw used by SARA

Others including home made and HTs

Battery life (TX 300mw to 1w optimal) GPS unitsMust work above 60k feet limit

http://showcase.netins.net/web/wallio/GPSrcvrsvs60kft.htmLight weight

Battery life

Garmin GPS 18X used by SARA (< 50ma)


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Balloon Antennas

Antennas Get the signal to where you want it

Dipole

Twin lead J-Pole

Ground plane

Others?

Omni directional

RF field lobes (Chase crew is in the null?)

Robust

Environment (frozen, brittle, UV and can break)

Tangle in lines and parachute


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Batteries Must survive cold

External capsule temperatures -70F & below

Internal capsule temperatures -20F

Last the duration of the flight & recovery

All your $ is riding on these SARA APRS Flight tracker life 24+ hours

SARA uses new lithium batteries everyflight.

Experiment with rechargeable Lithium Ion


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Why Flight Computers?

Record sensor data

Control cameras and mirrors

Control experiments Control cut downs

Servo functions i.e. release glider


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Flight Computers

NearSys Kits

Flight computer BalloonSat Mini $19

BalloonSat Easy $30

BalloonSat Extreme $12 (PCB only)

Flight computer w/ APRS transmitter NearSpace Ultralight $TBD

NearSpace Easy $TBD

Others including RF controls (repeater controllers)

Home built No limits


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Experiments Temperature

Photography

Still digital

Video recorded

Video live ATV Geiger Counters

Inferred Thermometers Long Range VHF/UHF

repeaters


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Experiments Cont.

Low atmospherepressure

UV

Only limited byyour imagination.


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Audible Tracking

Audible Alarm

Assist ground team in locating downpackages

SARA-Pod II: audible Siren uses two Alkaline9V batteries for 8+ hour life without freezing.

Alkaline batteries freeze at low temperatures.

(can increase battery life.)Scares people and wildlife when falling from

the sky.


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Flight Predictions Flight Predictions

Software Balloontrack

Atmospheric Surroundings data.

Performed several days before and the night

before the flight.Look for a good

landing site.

Where to look if you

lose contact with the

balloon capsules!


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Launching

Latex Gloves Soft tarp dont pop it

Hang on hard to hold down 20lbs of lift. Ground crew with duties assigned.


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Landing

Have a plan for the recovery crew. Terrain

Swamp Forest Trees/Brush Lakes

Farms Audible Alarm Bright colors

GPS Compass Triangulation software


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Visualizing the Flight Path

Use raw packet data from aprs.fi

Convert data in to Excel spread sheet

This can be very time consuming

Import the data into Google Earth

Results in a pretty picture of balloon flight


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Club Launched ARHAB (Why?)

Fun/Educational

Going in to Near Space

Technical challenge

You get to play w/ your radios

Get outdoors Be the first Minnesota radio club to launch a ARHAB.


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University of Minnesota Course Near Space: Approaching the Final

Frontier for Cheap

James Flaten PhD.


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The End

Questions?

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Amateur Radio High Altitude Ballon 02-13-10