Flight Recap of EOSS-1  Western Vision Network Flight 1

Before there was EOSS, there was WVN. Western Vision Network was a Denver Colorado based Amateur Television group. We just wanted to fly an ATV setup and see some pictures, but that flight hooked the core of EOSS members. WVN as a group didn't really want to tie itself down to an on going balloon launch schedule, so we created a new and separate group. Seems to have worked out ok.

WVN published a newsletter called the "Monitor". In the issue immediately following this flight I included a recap. Thanks to Bob Schellhorn [N0TI, formerly W6ORE] for saving that issue of the monitor, I asked him to forward a scan of that issue. Here are the pages relating to the flight of "WVN-1".

Launch date: November 18, 1990
Launch time: 16:30 UTC
Launch site: Robert Clement Park
                   Littleton, Colorado  USA
 Launch coordinates:  39.60865 deg NORTH
                               105.07388 deg WEST
Max Altitude: 96,000 ft.
Touchdown time: 18:03 UTC +- 5 minutes
Touchdown site: 10 mi. North of Stratton, Colorado USA
Touchdown Distance: 107.61 Miles
Touchdown coordinates:  39.2833 deg NORTH
                                     103.1000 deg WEST

Payload Systems:

  • ATV - 426.250 MHz
  • Beacon - 147.555 MHz
  • Pressure Sensor used to determine altitude
  • Temperature sensors (internal and external)

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  Flight Highlights
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The flight of EOSS-1 was really the flight of WVN-1. Western Vision Network, the local ATV group, decided a balloon flight would be an interesting activity. We organized a group of our members and sought out folks from other disciplines of amateur radio and set out to launch it! 

Bill Brown, WB8ELK, was very helpful on this flight. He loaned us a TV camera, a 10 meter beacon, sent us copies of his program BALLTRAK and answered any questions we could dream up.

The Lead for this first flight was Jack Crabtree, AA0P. He worked closely with Merle McCaslin, and Dave Clingerman to design, build, and launch the payload.

ATV Picture was fair quality. The 2 meter beacon disappeared at touchdown. An airplane flown by Vince Lawrence, N0UA, with Paul Ternlund, WB3JZV and Tim Armagost, WB0TUB, aboard used the 10 meter beacon to locate the package just before dark. They had a false tally-ho when they found an old parachute from the NOAA weather service. The paper parachute was torn down the middle. This type of parachute is not strong enough for our weight of payload.

 
Jack Crabtree and others tying off the balloon prior to flight. Not 100% sure of this picture actually coming from EOSS-1