ARHAB (AMATEUR RADIO HIGH ALTITUDE BALLOONING) RicKØBRennan Stillwater Amateur Radio Association

Transcription

1 ARHAB (AMATEUR RADIO HIGH ALTITUDE BALLOONING) RicKØBRennan Stillwater Amateur Radio Association

2 High Altitude Ballooning Using a weather sounding balloon to send stuff in to Near Space (65k-125k Feet)

3 What is ARHAB Like Ham radio, it is many things to many people Science and Experiments Engineering Photography Fox Hunt / RDF Space Geocache Fun

4 Why ARHAB Find a new activity. Attract younger people to HAM radio. Attract more people to the club.

5 What we found An active outdoor HAM activity. New mode: APRS & ATV New technologies NEAR SPACE Ya, we ve been there! Assisting the U of MN MNSGC U of MN students are new HAMs Heck, it is just plain fun!

6 The First Launch KCØUHY & KØBR attended as observers (and we were put to work)

7 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!

8 A Ballooning Radio Kenwood TH-D710A Built in TNC Computer interface GPS interface Dual Band Dual Receive Use a single antenna Yaesu FTM-350R???

9 The TNC Hardware type is BEST! Software Sound Card does work AGWPE Software Requires lots of fiddling with to make it perform.

10 Mobile Antennas Don t use a high dollar 5/8 wave Lobes do not extend upward Do use a simple ¼ wave Vertically polarized cloud burner! Some dual band 2m and 70cm work well. Comet CA-2x4SR - KØBR

11 Most important part of your ground equipment is. TO KNOW YOUR EQUIPMENT!

12 The Near Spacecraft Payload APRS TX Experiments APRS Transponder at top and bottom of stack. Audible alarm on each APRS Transponder.

13 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 It s still a good idea to notify the FAA All others must meet FAR 101 Launch and flight path away from ATC air space.

14 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!)

15 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

16 Balloon Sizes 300g (not practical for ARHAB) 1000g 1200g 1500g 3000g Size is chosen by payload weight and altitude.

17 Airborne Stuff to Know Helium ~$60-$125 per tank. Two are need per 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/min with payload weight near the ground. Everything falls FAST at Near Space altitudes.

18 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 units Must work above 60k feet limit Light weight Battery life Garmin GPS 18X used by SARA (< 50ma)

19 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

20 Must survive cold Batteries 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 every flight. Experiment with rechargeable Lithium Ion

21 Why Flight Computers? Record sensor data Control cameras and mirrors Control experiments Control cut downs Servo functions i.e. release glider

22 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

23 Experiments Temperature Photography Still digital Video recorded Video live ATV Geiger Counters Inferred Thermometers Long Range VHF/UHF repeaters

24 Experiments Cont. Low atmosphere pressure UV Only limited by your imagination.

25 Audible Tracking Audible Alarm Assist ground team in locating down packages SARA-Pod II: audible Siren uses two Alkaline 9V 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.

26 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!

27 Launching Latex Gloves Soft tarp don t pop it Hang on hard to hold down 20lbs of lift. Ground crew with duties assigned.

28 Landing Have a plan for the recovery crew. Terrain Swamp Forest Trees/Brush Lakes Farms Audible Alarm Bright colors GPS Compass Triangulation software

29 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

30 Flight Track Google Earth

31 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.

32 University of Minnesota Course Near Space: Approaching the Final Frontier for Cheap James Flaten PhD.

33 Questions? The End