Who is ready for a chase? Perhaps the best part of balloon flight
operations is the pursuit to recover the payload! The mystery of all the
planning and preparation unfolds as the providence of God reveals the true
journey undertaken by the balloon. Everyone wonders, “How close to the
predicted touchdown point will it land?;” “Will it be caught-up in a tree or
take a dunk in a lake?;” “Will it meet it a disastrous fate like landing on a
road and crushed by a passing car?;” “Or will we get the outcome of being able
enjoy seeing near-space from our own camera?”
Of course to know the
answers, the balloon must be chased and found! Here are four software /
hardware tools that can be run in the chase vehicle to provide near real-time tracking of data – altitude, latitude,
longitude, speed, direction – updated every few minutes – that will greatly
increase the likelihood of recovering your payload:
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| APRS.FI Screen Shot of a Balloon Flight |
Key Chase Vehicle Tools:
(1) APRS.FI Display [Available online for FREE] – You will want a dedicated computer to display your balloon's location from data transmitted by the payload ham radio and received on the APRS network. A mobile Internet connection can be achieved using a cellphone enabled hot spot -- but of course presumes there is good cellphone coverage in the chase area.
Computer App <--- TNC <--- Ham Radio <--- Antenna
(2) APRSpoint Display [Commercial Software and Hardware]– If forced to pick a single method to ensure receiving location data from the payload -- this is it. Configure a dedicated computer to a Terminal Node Controller (TNC) (e.g., Tiny Tracker) that in turn is linked to a ham radio tuned to the payload signal. APRSpoint will show on detailed maps the balloon's altitude, longitude, latitude, speed and direction. As long as the chase vechile can stay within a few hundred miles of the balloon, this system will provide the most robust method of staying connected with the balloon, removing the peril of lost Internet connection from poor cellphone signals in remote areas.
(3) SPOT App Display [FREE with SPOT purchase/rental] – The backup to the on-board ham transmitter is the SPOT tracker. The SPOT broadcasts location data to a network of commercial satellites, that in turn relay the data to the Internet enabling location data on a web browser. SPOT is the backup system as it has some limitations -- e.g. limited to working below 25,000 feet -- but it will provide information when needed the most - the last few thousand feet of the flight. The on-the-road display app is displays on a smartphone.
Computer App <--- TNC <--- Ham Radio <--- Antenna
(2) APRSpoint Display [Commercial Software and Hardware]– If forced to pick a single method to ensure receiving location data from the payload -- this is it. Configure a dedicated computer to a Terminal Node Controller (TNC) (e.g., Tiny Tracker) that in turn is linked to a ham radio tuned to the payload signal. APRSpoint will show on detailed maps the balloon's altitude, longitude, latitude, speed and direction. As long as the chase vechile can stay within a few hundred miles of the balloon, this system will provide the most robust method of staying connected with the balloon, removing the peril of lost Internet connection from poor cellphone signals in remote areas.
(4) Flight Prediction Tools Touchdown Zone [Five Tools Available FREE] – Be mentally prepared ahead of the chase by reviewing and having at the ready the flight prediction touchdown zone plotted on Google maps. (See separate post for specifics). An Internet link is necessary to make the last set of prediction runs just before launch, and are great to maintain during the chase to find the closest rural roads that lead to the landing spot.
