[aprssig] BALLOON unproto paths

[Russ Chadwick]

Bob,

EOSS is somewhat different from other balloon organizations in that we don't
consider our payloads expendable.  The payloads are expensive in terms of
dollars or time invested or both.  Also, the student payloads generally use
on-board data storage and so must be recovered for the data to be analyzed.
Therefore, we almost always launch and recover in the eastern half of
Colorado.  We always have recovery teams down range at launch time.  You
won't see any EOSS balloons on multi-state trips, at least we hope not.
That's why we usually don't use the 144.390 MHz frequency, but rather rely
on direct transmission from the balloon to an I-gate.  Therefore the path we
use is generally not an issue.

In the summer when the stratospheric winds are easterly, we often launch the
balloon to a burst altitude of 100,000 feet and the payload may come down
only 10 miles away from the launch point.  They key thing here is that the
tracking teams have APRS capability in their vehicles, and move toward the
predicted landing point.  On the last flight, EOSS87, the payload was
recovered within 30 seconds after landing.  However, sometimes there are
hours of driving around the country roads of eastern Colorado (where there
are no trees or mountains) listening for beacons from the payload that is
now on the ground.  But the key thing is that there is a good estimate of
where it is because the tracking teams could hear the APRS beacons down to
1000 feet.  Back at the launch site, we may not hear the APRS beacons below
15,000 feet

When we do use 144.390 MHz, we always have used a single WIDE to hit the few
WIDE digis we have on mountain tops and this packet gets digipeated to a
normal I-gate.  The Relay stations are not involved.  If we now change the
relay stations to WIDE1-1 and send from the balloon a path of WIDE1-1, then
the mountain top digis will repeat the packet and now all the (formerly
Relay) stations will also repeat the packet.  Won't that cause more
collisions and lower the probability that the packet from the balloon makes
it to the I-gate?

Russ   KB0TVJ

-----Original Message-----
From: Robert Bruninga [mailto:bruninga at usna.edu]
Sent: Monday, April 04, 2005 12:34 PM
To: russ at wxqa.com
Cc: hanksn at aol.com; manes at attglobal.net; mgriffin at centrosystems.com;
n0ndm at comcast.net; rick at fastmail.us; Robert Bruninga;
mmccaslin at worldnet.att.net; kb0yrz at yahoo.com; wocbh at yahoo.com
Subject: RE: [aprssig] BALLOON unproto paths


Russ,

If we are successful with the APRS New n-N Paradigm
in getting rid of RELAY and WIDE in the USA, this will
impact Balloons where we have always recommended
the use of the single hop path of WIDE.

So maybe its time to start shifting the Balooner's over
to the use of the equivalent  which is now WIDE1-1.
The advantage of WIDE1-1 is that it will be digipeated
by fringe area FILL-IN digis as well.

And it works now.  So you can  begin transitioning
over your Balloon receommendations now.

Let me know if you see any problems with this...
Bob, WB4APR