Recap of EOSS-132

03/02/2012 15:50 (CDT): Flight Systems chart filled out, audio added, additional telemetry charts added. Recap essentially finished. But, more data arrives and I'll update it. This notice will be removed in a month or two (perhaps:-).

Flight Coordinator: Mike Manes, W5VSI

LAUNCH DATE: October 4th, 2008
LAUNCH TIME: 08:13 MDT (14:13 UTC)
LAUNCH SITE: Crow Valley Recreation Area, Briggsdale, CO (see directions)

Pre-flight Prediction and Actual Track


Blue = Actual Track
Green = Predicted Ascent Phase
Red = Predicted Descent Phase
Map made with MapPoint
 Prediction made with Balloon Track

 


Green Track = Ascent
Red Track = Descent
Prediction and Actual tracks made with Balloon Track
Maps by Google Earth


 

Launch Site - Crow Valley Park
-----------------------
Launch Point: 40.64443� lat.   -104.33895� long.
Grid: X=-14.70 Y=22.36
Ascent Rate: 1000 feet per minute
Descent Rate: 1000 feet per minute
Altitude: 4840 feet
Predicted Landing Site
-----------------------
Landing Point: 40.70617� lat.  -103.60073� long.
Grid: X=24.0 Y=26.6
Altitude: 4500 feet
Flight Time: 118 Minutes
Bearing: 83.5� True
Range: 38.9 Mi.
Actual Landing Site
-----------------------
Landing Point: 40.71235� lat.  -103.7167� long.
Grid: X=17.9 Y=27.0
Bearing: 81.6� True
Range: 32.922 Mi.
Difference from Predicted to Actual Landing Site
--------------------------------------------------
Bearing: 274.0� True
Range: 6.086 Mi.

Prediction History is available here

EOSS Flight Day Frequencies:

Tracking and Recovery Frequencies

  • Preflight Net:
    • 147.225 MHz 8 pm MDT preceding Saturday night
      • 145.160 MHz simulcast in the Springs
    • 146.640 MHz will serve as a backup frequency
  • Tracking and Recovery Operations
    • 449.450 MHz RMRL (103.5 Hz Tone)
    • 145.295 MHz (100 Hz Tone) - Sterling Repeater
    • 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

EOSS-132 Balloon Payload Frequencies

  • Beacons
    • 145.600 MHz
      • CW ID: AE0SS
  • APRS
    • 144.340 MHz
      • ID: AE�SS-11
      • DIGI: EOSS
      • Node: BALNOD
      • APRS Time Slotted Every 30 seconds at 0:00 and 0:30
        • power up at 58 seconds past the GPS minute to properly slot telemetry
      • Telemetry once a minute
      • Sample Data
  • 147.555 MHz
  • ID: W0WYX (no SSID)
  • Crossband Repeater
  • 445.975 MHz input
  • 147.555 MHz output
  • ID: W0WYX
  • ATV
  • 426.250 MHz AM
  • GPS Location overlay
  • ID: AE0SS

Flight Systems: 

EOSS-132

Balloon Manufacturer Kaysam
Balloon Type latex
Balloon Size 1200 gram
Neck Load 13.4 lbs.
Neck Lift 17.4 lbs
Ascent Rate 968.47 fpm average launch to burst
Descent Rate 1196.7 fpm average below 10K
Parachute 5 ft
Peak Altitude 85,325 ft ASL
Launch Conditions calm, overcast (waiver)

 

Payload Configuration:

Tracking and Recovery Info:

Breakfast

  • Ft. Morgan McDonalds (Google Map)
  • 06:00am to 06:40am
  • note: Ft. Morgan is still almost 60 miles from the predicted landing site, thus the early times

Grid

Location Grid X Grid Y
West Intersection of SR-14 and SR-71 20 20
TrackPoint Test Coordinates 40� 45' N, 103� 45' W 16.2 29.6

Tactical Callsigns

Tactical Callsign Name Notes
Alpha WA0GEH & N0AUS Marty and Al coordinator
Bravo KB0YRZ Chris  
Charlie KC0RPS, W0NFW, N0SSQ Jim, George and Harlan  
Delta WB0DKT, KB6KDF Glenn and Loren and Chris  
Echo N0NDM, W0CBH Larry and Benjie  
Foxtrot KB0LP Dave  

Internet Gateway Stations:

as seen on Findu.Com

For AE0SS-11

  • K0ANI-7 - Larry Cerney, Denver CO (maybe mobile)
  • KC0D-3 - Mark Patton, Foxfield, CO
  • KC0VJE - Louis Perley, Nunn, CO
  • N0EB-1 - Richard Beggs, Northglenn, CO
  • N0PSJ - Christopher Holmes, Arvada, CO
  • W0PSS-1 - Paul Swanson, Monument, CO

For W0WYX

  • KC0D-3 - Mark Patton, Foxfield, CO

Welcome to Paul Swanson from Monument. Thanks for joining the iGate team. Haven't seen your face in any of the recovery team photos for a bit. Hope you can get back out for that sometime. Predictions for your station will appear for our next flight.

Louis, I see I didn't have you in that DB, so I've added you and your location will be predicted for as well. Might be of interest for Deer Trail Launches I guess.

Richard, I've corrected your call sign from K0AEM to N0EB in the DB.

EOSS wishes to express our sincere appreciation to the stations above who iGated the balloon APRS telemetry onto the internet. Did you know I publish predictions for i-gates? I keep a list of everyone who has ever i-gated an EOSS balloon flight. You're all in the list so if you're wondering when the balloon will pop up over your horizon, check out this page for future flights.  Currently predictions are being made for 29 i-gates.

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 can often maintain the data flow.

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 or maximum elevation, 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.

Text Recaps

Photos

Launch Site

Recovery Area

 

Audio

Pre-Flight

  • 1_eoss-132_preflight_net.MP3 -3MB - The Friday evening net just before the flight. N0KKZ (me) can't be heard because the receiver used to record the net is de-sensed by the transmitted signal from his rig.

Flight

Played sequentially, you will hear all the Tracking and Recovery audio. The recorder is voice activated so silences longer than 3 seconds are automatically removed.

  • 2_eoss-132_launch.MP3 - 5.7MB -Preamble to launch which actually occurs 5:25 into the recording and ascent to just before burst.
  • 3_eoss-132_burst.MP3 - 2MB - From Burst to just after touchdown
  • 4_eoss-132_recovery.MP3 - 2M - Recovery ops. However, actual recovery is not heard on this audio as the team recovering was out of radio range in a topographic depression.

Video


Launch Sequence by Jim Langsted, KC0RPS

Data

AE0SS-11

Text

Spread Sheets

Mapping Files

W0WYX

Text

Spread Sheets

  •  none

Mapping Files

  •  none

Charts