Announcement of EOSS-90

LAUNCH DATE: 30-Apr-2005 (rain date, May 1)
LAUNCH TIME: 09:00 am MDT (15:00 UTC) (CHANGED)
LAUNCH SITE: Windsor, CO (directions)

EOSS Frequencies:

Global Frequencies

  • Preflight Net:
    • 147.225 MHz 107.2 Hz tone
  • Tracking and Recovery Operations
    • 449.450 MHz RMRL Repeater(103.5 Hz Tone)
    • 146.550 MHz simplex (same simplex for field and launch ops)
    • Repeater Coverage Pages - Listings of all repeaters available in the expected flight areas.
    • There may be FRS operations. See THIS PAGE for a list of channel numbers and their associated UHF Frequencies.
    • 7.228 MHz HF (sporadic usage)
  • Secondary Tracking and Recovery Frequencies
    • 145.295 MHz Stirling
    • 145.400 Mhz (123 Hz tone) Akron
    • 145.355 Mhz Kirk
  • HF Net
    • 7.228 MHz
      • The HF net may or may not be in operation for any particular flight. It depends on whether or not we get a volunteer net control station.
      • This net will move UP (away from Advanced and Extra band slices) to accommodate QRM. It should not set up above 7.250 MHz so if you don't hear it in that slice of spectrum, it is probably inactive. However station to station traffic for the Tracking and Recovery guys might pop up.

EOSS Frequencies

  • Beacon
  • APRS
    • 144.340 MHz (Payload Train)
    • 445.975 MHz (balloon envelop)
      • ID: K�YUK-11
  • ATV
    • 426.250 MHz
    • AM Color

University of Kentucky Frequencies

  • Beacon
    • 146.505 MHz
    • KG4YLM in CW
  • ATV
    • 922 MHz
    • AM
  • Packet Telemetry
    • 446.025 MHz
    • ID: KG4YLM-12
  • APRS
    • NO APRS PACKETS EXPECTED

Flight Systems:

EOSS-090

Balloon Manufacturer Raven
Balloon Type Plastic
Balloon Size 54,600 cu. ft
Payload  
Free Lift % calculated at fill
Ascent Rate 1000 fpm estimated
Descent Rate  900 fpm estimated
Parachute 10 ft
Peak Altitude determined after flight
Launch Conditions determined at launch

 

Payload Configuration:

Internet Gateway Stations:

Future I-Gaters:

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

Current I-Gate Station:

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 April 30, 2005

Location Grid X Grid Y
Intersection 71 and 14 (west) 20 60
Clarkville 76 45
Woodrow 25 16
Akron 45 28
Touchdown 43.4 24.9

 

Tactical Callsigns:

Valid for April 30th, 2005

Tactical Callsign Name Notes
Alpha WA0GEH Marty coordinator
Bravo N0NDM Larry  
Charlie K0JLZ and K0AEM Jim and Richard  
Delta K0LOB Jim  
Echo KB0YRZ and KB0UBZ Chris and Ben  
Fox K0ANN Ann  
India N0LP Nick Ground Station

Notes:

Our Customer

  • University of Kentucky

The U of KY will be flying Big Blue 3. Big Blue is an investigative program looking into the possibility of using inflatable wings on a Mars glider. For this experiment, the wing inflation pressure must be maintained by the inflation system for comparison with the previous year's flight with inflatable/rigidizable wings. UK's goal is to reach 100,000 ft where BB3 will experience density conditions analogous to those on Mars.

Check out the University of Kentucky's Big Blue Web Site for details on the system and the University's progress in making this technology a real possibility.

Big Blue Links

Big Blue at EOSS

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

Radio Coverage:

  • Green, you should be able to work the payload systems.

  • Red, is the border of the received signal. Red appears jittery because it is depicted topographically. Thus, the red dots on the eastern half of the map but well within the maximum distance show hilly terrain behind (east) which reception is not possible.

This is a generic 95,000 ft ASL coverage map for flights that depart from the vicinity of Windsor, Colorado. Flight day coverage may vary depending on upper air winds.

HF Radio

Usually starts 30 minutes, frequency posted above