Flight Recap for EOSS-184

Recap Maps | Frequencies | Flight Systems | Payload Config | I-Gates | T & R | Text Recaps | Photos | Audio | Video | Data | Charts

03/28/2013 11:08 (CDT): Added GoPro Hero2 video, added SamCam II photos

Flight Coordinator: Chris Krengel  with help from Jim Langsted
LAUNCH DATE: March 16th, 2013
LAUNCH TIME: 10:00:25 am MDT (16:00:25 UTC)
LAUNCH SITE: Manzanola, CO (driving directions Manzanola Launch Site)

Pre-flight Prediction and Actual Tracks

E0SS-184 AE0SS-11


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 (NO DESCENT TRACK)
Prediction and Actual tracks made with Balloon Track
Maps by Google Earth 

Launch Site - Manzanola, CO
-----------------------
Launch Point: 38.104� lat.   -103.86683� long.
Grid: X=11.17 Y=28.35
Ascent Rate: 1329 feet per minute
Descent Rate: 950 feet per minute
Altitude: 4283 feet
Predicted Landing Site
-----------------------
Landing Point: 37.88314� lat.  -102.10743� long.
Grid: X=107.1 Y=13.1
Altitude: 5000 feet
Flight Time: 118 Minutes
Bearing: 98.5� True
Range: 96.9 Mi.
Actual Landing Site
-----------------------
Landing Point: 38.12128� lat.  -102.31081� long.
Grid: X=95.7 Y=29.5
Bearing: 88.7� True
Range: 84.538 Mi.
Difference from Predicted to Actual Landing Site
--------------------------------------------------
Bearing: 326.1� True
Range: 19.823 Mi.

 

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

EOSS Flight Day Frequencies:

Tracking and Recovery Frequencies

Preflight Net:

Our next flight is in Manzanola and we will probably not conduct a full net prior to flight but simply make a few announcements. This is due to the fact that folks will be spread across the state

  • 147.225 MHz 8 pm MDT preceding night
  • 447.575 MHz 8 pm MT preceding night (backup)
  • 146.640 MHz will serve as a backup frequency

Tracking and Recovery Operations

Drive from Denver to Manzanola

During Recovery

  • Repeaters 
    • 449.650 MHz (100Hz tone) (input -5 MHz) La Junta
    • 449.500 MHz (123Hz tone) (input -5 MHz) Lamar
  • Field Simplex Frequencies  
    • 446.100 MHz simplex for field recovery operations for EOSS-184
    • Note: Some radios insist on incorrectly placing a negative 5 MHz offset when selecting frequencies from the simplex portion of the 70 CM band. Check your radio and if this is the case. Consider programming in this simplex frequency to a memory channel as some radios have demonstrated the annoying habit of re-inserting the offset if you momentarily shift to a repeater then return to the simplex freq. Check the operation of your radio on this simplex freq to be ready for however your radio behaves.
    • 146.550 MHz Backup field simplex
  • 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.

Ground Stations Frequencies

  • Launch Site Simplex
    • 146.550 MHz
  • HF - Possible ops
    • 7.235 LSB

 

EOSS-184 Balloon Payload Frequencies  

  • Beacons
    • 147.555 MHz
      • CW ID: AE0SS
    • 147.420 MHz
      • ID: K0SCC-11
  • 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
  • 147.420 MHz
  • ID: K0SCC-11
  • slotted 15 and 45 after the minute
  • 445.975 MHz
  • ID: KC0UUO-11

Flight Systems: 

EOSS-184

Balloon Manufacturer Totex
Balloon Type latex
Balloon Size 1200 g
Neck Load 12.1  Lbs.
Neck Lift 15.7  Lbs.
Ascent Rate 1329 fpm estimated
Estimated Burst Alt 87,000 ft. ASL
Descent Rate 950 fpm estimated
Parachute 5.8 ft.

 

Payload Configuration:

Payload Experiment Designer

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

Internet Gateway Stations:

as seen on Findu.Com (listed alphabetically)

EOSS-184, AE0SS-11

  • AE0SS - Nick Hanks at the Ground Station
  • KB0TVJ  - Russ Chadwick, Launch Site
  • KC0UUO - Rob Wright, Mobile tracker and iGate
  • KD0MBL - Heal Tew, Pueblo, CO
  • N0EB-1 - Richard Beggs, Thornton, CO
  • N0PSJ - Christopher Holmes, Arvada, CO

 

EOSS-184, K0SCC-11

  • AE0SS - Randy Collander at the Ground Station
  • KD0MBL - Neal Tew, Pueblo, CO
  • N0SPB - Shaun Bryant, Commerce City, CO

 

EOSS-184, KC0UUO-11

  • KB0TVJ  - Russ Chadwick, Launch Site
  • KD0MBL - Neal Tew, Pueblo, CO
  • N0IX-13 - Doug Gentges, Mobile Igate

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 30 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.

Breakfast in Pueblo

Breakfast will be held at Doss Aviation.

Start time 7 AM MT

Cost $3.00 per person

Tracking and Recovery Grid    

Location

Grid X

Grid Y

Punkin Center

20

80

Grid Test   38.50� N , 103.25� W

44.3

55.9

 

Tactical Call Signs

Tactical

Call sign

Name

Notes

Alpha

WA0GEH, WA9WWS

Marty, Don

Tracking Coordinators

Bravo

KC0UUO, N0IX

Rob, Doug

Tracking, Recovery

Charlie

K0SCC ++

Steve, Parker ++

Tracking, Recovery, plus 2

Delta

KC0RPS, N0SSW

Jim and Harlan

Co-FC, Tracking, Recovery

Echo

KB0YRZ, KD0BOE

 Chris and Aubrey

Co-FC, Tracking, Recovery
Foxtrot KB0LP Dave

Tracking, Recovery

Golf

WB0DKT, KB6OKA

Glenn, Edna

Tracking, Recovery, BWB

Hotel

W9CN, KD0SEM

Mike, Dave

Tracking, Recovery
India KE7KCK Tom

Tracking, Recovery (New Call)

 

Text Recaps

Photos

Breakfast at DOSS Aviation

 

Launch Site

 

Airborne

  • by SamCamII

NOTE: The SamCam was somehow mis-configured. It was shooting and saving both JPG and Camera Raw images. Not sure how that happened but the result was a HUGE increase in storage usage for each photo and thus we only have ascent photos and they end at around 27,000 ft. ASL. This strangeness has been fixed and we should get a full flight's worth of pictures next time we send the camera aloft.

 

Recovery Operations and some Lunch Pix

 

Audio

EOSS-184 Lamar Repeater Audio -  Mike Coletta ( KG0UFO ) creator of satwatch.org monitored and recorded our activities on the Lamar KC0HH repeater. This is his recording.

Video

 

EOSS-184 Retrieved from Power Lines and Trees
 

by Dave Galpin, KB0LP

  

The rescuers from Lamar Power & Light were Curt (in the bucket) and Evan

   

Launch of EOSS-184

by Nick Hanks, N0LP

 

GoPro Hero2 Flight Video

GoPro Hero2

 

 

Data

EOSS-184 AE0SS-11

Text

 Spread Sheets

Mapping Files

 

EOSS-184 K0SCC-11

EOSS-184 KC0UUO-11

EOSS Student Outreach Payload

by Doug Gentges

Charts