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--></style></head><body lang="EN-US" link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class="WordSection1"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1f497d">The best thing I liked about this idea is the use of a digi path that does not use WIDEn-N at altitude nor a WIDE1-1 at the end. By making the balloon path be something like “DRONE” for the entire flight, then it will not bring u p any existing infrastructure, but we can use Drones, or RC aircraft, or tethered balloons, or mobiles with UIDIGI set to DRONE) to provide the final look over the last hill!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1f497d"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1f497d">Bob, WB4APR</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1f497d"> </span></p><div><div style="border:none;border-top:solid #e1e1e1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in"><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> aprssig <<a href="mailto:aprssig-bounces@lists.tapr.org">aprssig-bounces@lists.tapr.org</a>> <b>On Behalf Of </b>spam8mybrain via aprssig<br><b>Sent:</b> Thursday, June 11, 2020 9:46 PM<br><b>To:</b> TAPR APRS Mailing List <<a href="mailto:aprssig@lists.tapr.org">aprssig@lists.tapr.org</a>><br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [aprssig] FW: APRS Question (Drone tracking of downed balloons)</span></p></div></div><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Here's a silly idea: how about a _tethered_ balloon for your temporary digi? You can use the power cord for the tether, so you don't have to fly battery weight, and you can use thin wire to reduce tether weight and a higher voltage supply on the ground to overcome voltage drop in the tether (like Power over Ethernet). And you don't have to worry about it crashing and being another loss, unlike a drone with a dead battery. </p><div><p class="MsoNormal"> </p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">You probably can't get it much higher than the drone (given tether weight), but with a nearby location on a high spot, it should be doable. And you can always reel it down, stick it (inflated) into the back of a van to drive somewhere else if the first location doesn’t work. It just increases your helium budget.</p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"> </p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">Just my $.02.</p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"> </p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">Andrew, KA2DDO</p></div><p class="MsoNormal"><br><br>-------- Original message --------<br>From: "Stephen H. Smith via aprssig" <<a href="mailto:aprssig@lists.tapr.org">aprssig@lists.tapr.org</a>> <br>Date: 6/11/20 21:16 (GMT-05:00) <br>To: TAPR APRS Mailing List <<a href="mailto:aprssig@lists.tapr.org">aprssig@lists.tapr.org</a>> <br>Subject: Re: [aprssig] FW: APRS Question (Drone tracking of downed balloons) <br><br>On 6/11/2020 2:28 PM, Robert Bruninga wrote:<br>> Kameron KG7VSN asked a question about using a RC aircraft to act as a final <br>> digi for a balloon once it has landed. But I’d take it one step further.<br>> <br>> Put the APRS digipeater on a drone and also listen for the LAT/LON of the <br>> balloon. Then launch the drone once the balloon begins to descend. Program <br>> the drone to always go to the balloon position and maintain 1000 feet altitude <br>> until told otherwise. (or whatever is the legal height for drones…)<br>> <br>> <br><br>Maximum legal height for civilian-type drones is only 400 feet AGL. More <br>importantly, you have to maintain visual contact with the drone at all times; <br>i.e. you can't send it many miles away from your own control point.<br><br>The real question is how would you mount a digi on a drone?<br>The average consumer drone has next to no additional lifting capacity. Like a <br>space rocket where 80+ percent of the liftoff weight is fuel, about 2/3rds of <br>the weight of the typical drone is battery pack. I have been thinking about <br>putting a Big Red Bee APRS tracker on my Autel EVO which would be less than an <br>ounce added weight.<br><br>But an APRS digi would require a full TX/RX radio, a TNC-like device of some <br>sort sor and a battery system. Maybe one of those discontinued Alinco <br>credit-card-sized QRP 2-meter rigs and a TT4....<br><br>Most serious consumer drones (DJI, Autel, Parrot, etc) are powered by <br>proprietary lithium-ion battery packs with odd voltage outputs. One might also <br>have to factor in some sort of DC-to-DC converter if you want to steal power <br>from the drone's own battery pack. Note that the maximum run time for most of <br>these drones on a fully-charged battery is 15-25 minutes max, even before you <br>start sucking power from the battery pack for other electronic devices. Due to <br>the limited flight time, ou would have to launch the chase drone very close to <br>the end of a balloon flight, just before landing.<br><br><br>Note that the drone already has TWO radio systems on board. One for flight <br>control and camera control uplink and engineering data (battery state, <br>altitude, GPS data, etc) downlink. A separate radio provides the live HD or <br>UHD video feed down link. One would have to thoroughly test the EMI/RFI issues <br>before putting a third 2M VHF transmitter onboard.<br><br>___________________________________________________________<br>Stephen H. Smith wa8lmf (at) <a href="http://aol.com">aol.com</a><br>Skype: WA8LMF<br>EchoLink: Node # 14400 [Think bottom of the 2-meter band]<br>Home Page: <a href="http://wa8lmf.net">http://wa8lmf.net</a><br><br>----- NEW! 60-Meter APRS! HF NVIS APRS Igate Now Operating ------<br> <<a href="http://wa8lmf.ddns.net:14447/">http://wa8lmf.ddns.net:14447/</a>><br><br><br>11 Copies of UIview in Action on One Computer!<br>Live Off-The-Air APRS Activity Maps<br> <<a href="http://wa8lmf.net/map">http://wa8lmf.net/map</a>><br><br>Long-Range APRS on 30 Meters HF<br> <<a href="http://wa8lmf.net/aprs/HF_APRS_Notes.htm">http://wa8lmf.net/aprs/HF_APRS_Notes.htm</a>><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>_______________________________________________<br>aprssig mailing list<br><a href="mailto:aprssig@lists.tapr.org">aprssig@lists.tapr.org</a><br><a href="http://lists.tapr.org/mailman/listinfo/aprssig_lists.tapr.org">http://lists.tapr.org/mailman/listinfo/aprssig_lists.tapr.org</a></p></div></body></html>