Are there amature weather telemetry ham repeater baloons?

[Beamin]

This is something I can find little about. I think that would be a fun hobby to either make your own weather balloons and send up radio beacons on HAM bands or use them for insane distance VHF repeaters to try and get vhf/uhf over mountain ranges by sending up a baofung radio. I know they stay up for a long time and go up 100k feet. On the internet the only telemetry devices are weather snodes which have insanely expensive base stations and you can't use the snodes without it because of encryption and proprietary activation. Also they don't seem "hackable" because of the low part count: like trying to repurpose an iPhone into an 800mhz radio. I would just like to send up gps with altimeter and see where it goes. I'm sure there are areas where they wouldn't be in commercial air space or they would pass quickly through the 30-40k feet where jets fly or maybe not and that's why no one does it. I wouldn't want to be on an airplane flying into one but the chances of that would be very small given the right launch area.

[babysitter]

Hi,

there are irregular amateur radio balloon projects, usually announced in ham radio media. Besides the baloon they usually carry a radar reflector to make them visible and at least a beacon broadcasting its GPS position on VHF or UHF, sometimes nice pictures on ATV or SSTV, I am not aware of any recent but a VHF/UHF crossband repeater wouldn't be impossible and I think it was at least done in the past. Also, sensors! pressure-based altimeters, geiger counters.

To get used to ballon, you can practice tracking of national weather service baloons depending on your location. Hunting them is like a sport here for some.

Also, a member here reported about his experimental balloons with beacons: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/you-might-find-this-interesting/

Best regards
Hendi

(ham call see below) v

[hendorog]

Have you seen these:

https://arhab.org/
https://tracker.habhub.org/

Also this low altitude one is interesting:
http://www.qsl.net/zl1rs/oceanfloater.html

[VK3DRB]

I was involved in such a fun weather balloon experiment about 25 years ago. It would transmit on 144 MHz in human speech: the time since lift off, altitude, rate of ascent, temperature inside and outside the pod. The power output was only about a hundred milliwatts FM, but the signal from central Victoria could be picked up from Queensland and South Australia. We discovered a temperature inversion layer as the balloon went up. It was launched on a hot day, but the temperature got down to -45 deg C, but at its maximum altitude it increased to -30 deg C.

The balloon was launched in Shepparton, got to an altitude of 65,000 feet before it burst over Wangaratta (where I lived at the time), and somehow found its way to the Tumbarumba Forest, where it was awaiting for a generous cash prize for the ham to found it.

These days, life is a lot more easy. GNSS receivers cost little and weigh nothing, there is much easier and more powerful technology around and better sensors. I would like to do a balloon experiment again in a year or two. With a camera.

[hendorog]

VK3 is Victoria isn't it? You might see this one out the window if it's still going. Currently on it's second lap around the planet!

http://qrp-labs.com/flights/bb05.html#tx

[Beamin]

Have you seen these:

https://arhab.org/
https://tracker.habhub.org/

Also this low altitude one is interesting:
http://www.qsl.net/zl1rs/oceanfloater.html

That's cool they have balloons all over the place. I didn't realize the solar panels were so light. There are even balloons over where I live I would think that having too many would be hazardous to air planes. If you have ADSb on your SDR you can see the skies are very crowded with  planes flying on top one another. 

[daveshah]

I think it's different in many parts of the world, but in the UK amateur radio licenses forbid any airborne use, including HABs.

Luckily, several of the ISM bands do not (including the 500mW allowance at 869.525MHz, good for image telemetry), and you can go a long way with even 10mW of LoRa.

[bd139]

Yep UK is a dick. Need CAA permission as well.

[Harb]

I think the VK5's launch balloons quiet regularly......you can track them on the net.


*****EDIT******
Here you go

http://www.areg.org.au/archives/category/activities/project-horus

[Red Squirrel]

I'd like to do it one day, would be a cool project.  Probably use APRS but it would be good to use ADS-B as well so planes can see it.  Someone on here had done it if I recall.  If you use those aluminium birthday balloons instead of actual weather balloon they last long and might even circle the earth before they fail or are shot down by NK. 

[Beamin]

I'd like to do it one day, would be a cool project.  Probably use APRS but it would be good to use ADS-B as well so planes can see it.  Someone on here had done it if I recall.  If you use those aluminium birthday balloons instead of actual weather balloon they last long and might even circle the earth before they fail or are shot down by NK. 

Never thought of that. NK would probably think it was some type of spy device and might spark an international incident over who has the "bigger button" on their desk. You could make it remotely drop payload when over a particular spot too. Put a DVD in it of "The dictator" for Kim jong il. That would be too funny especially if you could get over the right area.

[Red Squirrel]

I'd like to do it one day, would be a cool project.  Probably use APRS but it would be good to use ADS-B as well so planes can see it.  Someone on here had done it if I recall.  If you use those aluminium birthday balloons instead of actual weather balloon they last long and might even circle the earth before they fail or are shot down by NK. 

Never thought of that. NK would probably think it was some type of spy device and might spark an international incident over who has the "bigger button" on their desk. You could make it remotely drop payload when over a particular spot too. Put a DVD in it of "The dictator" for Kim jong il. That would be too funny especially if you could get over the right area.

That crossed my mind too.   Especially if you can find the coords for Kim's compound and drop USB sticks with memes. 

[bd139]

NK are used to it  https://www.theverge.com/2015/4/8/8368689/north-korea-defector-the-interview-balloon-dvd