We recently completed the finishing touches on our new VHF and Satellite Tower. The first step was to install a second set of entry conduits into our shack and a new ground block for our satellite antennas…
Our Tower is finally complete! We’ve added an additional entry into our shack for coax and control cables and we’ve installed 7/8″ hardline coax cables to reduce losses in our 6m, 2m, 70cm, and 23 cm feedlines. You can see some photos and details of this part of our project via the link above.
We are working on upgrading our Flex-6700 SDR based Remote Gateway to include Satellite operation. Stay tuned for an article on this part of our project.
The new Icom IC-9700 transceiver has begun shipping and we’ve recently added one to our Satellite Station. The addition of the new radio completes a key part of our Satellite Station 4.0 upgrade plans.
IC-9700 Display and Waterfall – Working FO-29
The new Transceiver features a Spectrum Scope and several useful satellite features….
We received our new IC-9700 Transceiver and have it set up and working with our Satellite Station. The integration of the new radio with our software and other elements of our Satellite Station went smoothly and we expect to use the new radio with our portable satellite station at Field Day and our upcoming License Classes. You can read more about our early experiences with the new radio via the link above.
We will again be launching from the Elementary School in Winchester, NH at around 10:30 am. Preparation for our launch will begin at 8:30 am.
Our HAB carries video cameras that allow us to see what the HAB sees as it travels through the atmosphere. You can click on the video above to see what a HAB flight is like including video taken at over 90,000 ft above sea level!
HAB Camera Insulation and Heating System
High Altitude Balloon 4 (HAB-4) will be the first to launch with our new camera insulating and heating system. This arrangement is intended to keep the cameras from freezing and shutting off early. The cameras will also carry the smaller, lighter weight batteries that we used on HAB-1. Together, we hope these improvements will allow us to capture video throughout HAB-4’s ascent, balloon burst, descent, and landing.
HAB-4 Flight Parameters
The graphic above shows the final flight parameters for HAB-4. We are expecting HAB-4 to burst at around 110,000 ft a.s.l. with the flight lasting about 2 1/2 hours.
HAB Flight Path Prediction – Saturday, April 6thHAB Flight Path Prediction – Sunday, April 7th
The images above show the initial flight path predictions for the first HAB-4 launch window. The weather and Jetstream forecasts are still fairly unreliable at this point (6 – 7 days in advance of the first launch windows). These will likely change quite a bit between now and this coming Thursday evening when we will make a final go/no-go launch decision for the April 6th / April 7th launch window. We will also be looking closely at the Ground Weather for acceptable ground wind speed under 15 mph at launch and either clear skies or limited cloud cover to permit HAB-4 to be launched.
Stay tuned to our Forums for additional updates and the final go/no-go decision as the week progresses. If the first launch window does not work out, we’ll begin counting down to the second window (April 13th / April 14th). We hope that you’ll join us in Winchester, NH for our launch!
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