Recap of EOSS-149

03/02/2012 15:50 (CDT): Finished, updates additions and corrections welcome

by Colin Glennan, WG0E

Foothills Academy Students with their recovered experiment

Flight Coordinator: Rob Wright kc0uuo@eoss.org

LAUNCH DATE: January 16th, 2010 (wx delay +1 day)
LAUNCH TIME: 07:20 MST (14:20 UTC)
LAUNCH SITE: Deer Trail, Colorado (directions)

Pre-flight Prediction and Actual Tracks

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

Map Files available in the Data Section below

Launch Site - Deer Trail
-----------------------
Launch Point: 39.61137� lat.   -104.04255� long.
Grid: X=8.18 Y=53.07
Ascent Rate: 1324 feet per minute
Descent Rate: 950 feet per minute
Altitude: 5205 feet
Predicted Landing Site
-----------------------
Landing Point: 39.37334� lat.  -103.60089� long.
Grid: X=31.8 Y=36.6
Altitude: 4500 feet
Flight Time: 128 Minutes
Bearing: 124.8� True
Range: 28.7 Mi.
Actual Landing Site
-----------------------
Landing Point: 39.32295� lat.  -103.76623� long.
Grid: X=23.0 Y=33.2
Bearing: 143.4� True
Range: 24.773 Mi.
Difference from Predicted to Actual Landing Site
--------------------------------------------------
Bearing: 248.6� True
Range: 9.488 Mi.

• Final Pre-Flight Prediction is available here
• Prediction History is available here

Payload Experiment Designer

• ACCESS � community college student DemoSats
• Foothills Academy Elementary - biology (seeds)

Experimenters are welcome to submit websites for linking or overviews which I will post on a page on the EOSS website.

EOSS Flight Day Frequencies:

Tracking and Recovery Frequencies

• Preflight Net:
  • 147.225 MHz 8 pm local time the evening preceding the flight
    • 145.160 MHz simulcast in the Springs
  • 146.640 MHz will serve as a backup frequency
• Tracking and Recovery Operations
  • 448.450 MHz PPFMA (100 Hz Tone) - Primary
  • 147.060 MHz (103.5 Hz Tone) - Secondary (Genoa)
  • 146.895 MHz (103.5 Hz Tone) - Tertiary
  • 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-149 Balloon Payload Frequencies

• Beacons
  • 147.555 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

Flight Systems:

Payload Configuration: 

• EOSS-149_Payload_Plan_RevC.pdf

Internet Gateway Stations:

as seen on Findu.Com

AE0SS-11

• KC0D-3 - Mark Patton, Foxfield, CO
• KC0MWM - Roger Hammond, Grand Island, NE
• KC0VJE - Louis Perley, Nunn, CO
• N0PSJ - Christopher Holmes, Arvada, CO

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.

Tracking and Recovery 

Quick Links are a new method being used to connect payloads together on the flight string. SEE THIS PAGE on instructions on how to properly open them upon recovery enabling easy transport of shorter lengths of the payload train.

Breakfast

• McDonalds at Limon (I-70 exit 359 south side)
• 06:00 MST
• Need to depart to the field no later than 06:30.

EOSS Grid

Tactical Call Signs. 

Text Recaps

Photos

Launch Site

• by Larry Cerney, K0ANI
• by Nick Hanks, N0LP

Airborne

• by Doug Gentges, N0IX

Recovery Site

• by Marty Griffin, WA0GEH
• by Jim Langsted, KC0RPS
• by Nick Hanks, N0LP
• by Mike Manes, W5VSI
• by Colin Glennan, WG0E
• by Rob Wright, KC0UUO

Prediciton Central

• Some screen captures of APRS.FI by N0KKZ

Audio

recorded but not yet edited

Video

Data

AE0SS-11

Text

• eoss-149_ae0ss-11_findu.txt - Findu Log
• eoss-149_ae0ss-11_findu_ts.txt - Findu Log with findu timestamps
• eoss-149_ae0ss-11_airborne.txt- airborne only KPC3 Log
• eoss-149_ae0ss-11_kpc3_log.txt - Onboard KPC3 Log with annotation by w5vsi

Spread Sheets

• eoss-149_ae0ss-11_Flight_Data.csv - airborne only KPC3 Log ripped to spreadsheet format
• eoss-149_ae0ss-11_Telem_Data.csv - KPC3 Telemetry log (internal temps channel being used to test a new baro device and is NOT an accurate temperature measurement)

Mapping Files

• eoss-149_ae0ss-11_recap.ptm - MapPoint file of the above recap
• eoss-149_ae0ss-11_track.kml - Google Earth Track of the flight
• eoss-149_predict_track.kml - Google Earth Track of the predicted flight path

Charts

• by Nick Hanks, N0LP