[aprssig] K6RPT-11 Strato-Floater Balloon Update - Coast-to-Coast and Still Going!

[Steve Noskowicz]

The last packets I see shows a V166 which is below the level reported (here) as being where Tx power begins to decrease (V1A1), so isn't battery voltace lower than 'normal'?

I also noticed that the altitude in the packets (109373) had not changed for many packets, even though the posit did, which makes me wonder if something was already not working correctly.


20111213084231,K6RPT-11>APBL10,VE1YAR,WIDE2*,qAR,VE1GX-1:!3901.87N/06732.80WO101/133/A=109373V166 CNSP-11

It sure would be cool if it appeard 'over there'.

-- 
 73, Steve, K9DCI   
--- On Tue, 12/13/11, Stephen H. Smith <wa8lmf2 at aol.com> wrote:

> The K6RPT APRS-equipped high-altitude
> balloon left the U.S. mainland,  headed out over the
> Atlantic about 0330 UTC Tuesday after a coast-to-coast
> crossing of the US from the San Jose, California launch
> site.
> 
> Radio contact was lost about 400 miles off the New Jersey
> coast. At that point it was still transmitting and reporting
> normal battery voltage, holding altitude around 107,000 ft,
> and headed toward the Straights of Gibraltar at about 150
> MPH (240 KM/h).
> 
> It may yet be heard in Europe Tuesday afternoon or evening
> UTC  --IF--  the balloon's latex envelope survives
> another day of UV exposure, and the transmitter's battery
> lasts that long.    Line of sight radio range at
> 100,000 feet is approx 400-450 miles (640-720 KM).
> 
> Live Track  UIview/Precision Mapping 9 display with
> last-heard location at:
> 
> <http://wa8lmf.net/livetrack>
>