Recap of EOSS-98/99

LAUNCH DATE: 22-Oct-2005
LAUNCH TIME:

  • EOSS-098 = 07:56 am MDT
  • EOSS-099 = 08:49 am MDT

LAUNCH SITE: Windsor (driving directions)

EOSS Frequencies:

Global Frequencies

APRS Beacons were swapped for the balloons as AE0SS-11 was having trouble getting initialized. It flew fine on the second balloon

Data for Each Balloon System

See the recap maps, and download the data files for each flight from these links:

EOSS-098

EOSS-099

Payload Configuration:

Internet Gateway Stations:

as seen on Findu.Com

For EOSS-098 K0YUK-11

  • K0YG-7 - Mark Patton
  • KC0LNO - Michael M Skinner
  • KC0MWM - Roger Hammond
  • KI4GYZ - Art Hostmark

For EOSS-099 AE0SS-11

  • K0AEM-1 - Richard Beggs
  • K0YG-7 - Mark Patton
  • KC0LNO - Michael M Skinner
  • KC0MWM - Roger Hammond
  • KI4GYZ - Art Hostmark

For EOSS-099 K0ANI-11

  • K0UT - Bill Beach
  • K0YG-7 - Mark Patton

EOSS wishes to express our sincere appreciation to the stations above who iGated the balloon APRS telemetry onto the internet.

We are relying heavily on real time position information available on the net to allow the FAA controllers to have up to the minute location data to assist them in air traffic control.

Redundant stations for the balloon iGating provide excellent coverage. If you are able to iGate we invite you to join the Internet Gateway Team. Contact me (webmaster@eoss.org) to be put in touch with the coordinator. By joining the team, you are giving peace of mind to the iGate coordinator for that flight. He knows you'll be there and he can rely on you.

Naturally, anyone can iGate data onto the net and even if you aren't a member of the team we will welcome your contribution to the internet based tracking effort. If you callsign appears on the findu.com log, you'll be shown as a contributing station as those above are.

Having more than one station covering each APRS beacon means that should a station drop out momentarily, the others maintain the data flow quite nicely.

Thanks again guys! The FAA (and EOSS) are very grateful for your assistance in this endeavor.

Future I-Gaters:

Check out the EOSS I-Gate page for information on how to participate and why we need you.

Current I-Gate Stations:

Guys, the prediction program used to determine the track of the balloon prior to flight can now output a prediction for the Rise, Closest Approach, and Set of the balloon for each of your stations. I have posted a prediction page for stations that I have been able to discover geographic coordinates. See the I-Gate prediction page for an example. The page will not be updated daily, however, it will be updated the evening prior to flight for I-gate planning purposes.

I have often been asked by iGaters when they should expect to either start receiving signals (AOS) or expect to see those signals disappear (LOS). This prediction page should answer all those questions for you.

Tracking and Recovery Info:

Help us build a database of the best RDF/Observation sites in Eastern Colorado. See the Observation Site Database page for ideas on what we'd like to see in this DB and if you're interested in the Balloon Track use of that database.

EOSS Grid:

Grid for October 22, 2005

Location Grid X Grid Y
Last Chance 70 30
Ft. Lupton 5 54
Woodrow 70 47
Franktown 8 6
Launch Point -2.65 80.61
Touchdown 61.4 42.0

 

Tactical Callsigns:

Valid for October 22, 2005

Tactical Callsign Name Notes
Alpha WA0GEH and N0AUS Marty and Al coordinator
Bravo K0AEM and KI4GYZ Richard and Art  
Charlie W0CBH and N5LPZ Benjie and Mike  
Delta K0SCC Stephen  
Echo K0LOB Jim and Jade  
Fox KC0RPS and N0NFW Jim and George  
Golf KB0YRZ and K0ANN Chris and Ann  
Hotel N0NDM WG0E Larry and Colin  
India KB0UBZ and KA0ZFI Ben and Ann  
Juliet? AE0SS Nick Ground Station

 

Notes:

Our Customer

EOSS. Yep, we're flying this one to attempt an altitude record. The current thinking is that we really have NO IDEA what is going to happen to the 7000 gram balloon. Well we have some idea, but, the balloon is old making its behavior unpredictable.

So we've decided to fly a second balloon on the same day with the same goal. To beat the altitude record. The thinking is, "why drag everyone out there and have an old balloon go bust unexpectedly ruining the day when a backup flyer can increase the odds of a successful flight and better shot at the record at the same time".

note: customers are welcome to submit detailed synopses of their flights or web links to their own web sites.

Recaps:

Hello from Puerto Rico

Mark Patton, K0YG, discovered this and brought it to my attention.

Here is a brief excerpt from my log of the flight of EOSS-099. The interesting line is highlighted in red. It is third party traffic (aboard the KC0LNO I-Gate) and is an APRS message addressed to K0YUK-11. What makes this fun is it originated from Tony Santiago, KP4IA, a balloon group organizer from Puerto Rico. Thanks for that special hello Tony!

This excerpt is posted here because that packet was digipeated by EOSS aboard EOSS-099. So, Tony traversed (possibly) RF, then (definitely) the internet to KC0LNO where the packet was pushed out into the "real" world on RF again and then managed to zoom up the the balloon at around 18,000 feet ASL during descent and retransmitted to all of Colorado. Pretty neat.

K0YUK-11>APT310,EOSS*:/173028h3936.58N/10346.36WO000/000/A=005019/EOSS-99 Balloon
W0CBH-2>APZGCP,EOSS*,WIDE1-1:/221730z3940.83N/10347.86Wj001/052/A=004858 EOSS Trk & Recovery Team (C)
W0CBH-2>APZGCP,EOSS,N0KKZ*:/221730z3940.83N/10347.86Wj001/052/A=004858 EOSS Trk & Recovery Team (C)
AE0SS-11>BEACON:T#099,085,126,139,111,137,00110110
AE0SS-11>APRS:$GPGGA,173100,3933.9260,N,10338.7305,W,1,07,1.29,5669.5,M,-23.0,M,,*73
KC0LNO>APU25N,EOSS*:}KP4IA-1>APW279,TCPIP,KC0LNO*::K0YUK-11 :Greetings from Tony-KP4IA in Toa Alta, PR{002
K0YUK-11>APT310,EOSS*:/173128h3936.58N/10346.36WO000/000/A=005019/EOSS-99 Balloon
WA0GEH-9>APZGCP,EOSS*,WIDE2-2:/221731z3944.40N/10347.82Wk/A=005038 EOSS Trk & Recovery Team (A)
AE0SS-11>APRS:$GPRMC,173155,A,3933.6541,N,10337.9795,W,45.254,108.9,221005,9.6,E*51
AE0SS-11>APRS:$GPGGA,173200,3933.6384,N,10337.9082,W,1,07,1.30,5453.9,M,-23.0,M,,*76
K0ANI-14>APS221,EOSS*:@221732z3934.31N/10350.29Wk181/038/A=005070 EOSS Balloon Tracker. On 449.450 Rptr

Audio:

Audio Recordings from the Rocky Mountain Radio League's 449.450 MHz repeater. Generally they are in sequence. However, I try and find and edit in descriptive narratives made by the Tracking and Recovery coordinator and the launch site/ground station guy (Marty and Nick) to introduce the first two segments. So, that audio is lifted and moved into place to help explain what you are about to listen to.

Photos:

EOSS-098

Launch Site

Recovery Site

EOSS-099

Launch Site

Recovery Site

Video: