Meet the DRA818V A few years back I was building an APRS tracker using an Arduino and a GPS. My goal was to be able to make an APRS tracker, for my desert off-road vehicle travels, so I could be found if troubles occurred. Ultimately, I never finished the project, but along the way I […]
One of the goals of the Flying Squirrel #4 (FS4) mission was to stay warm. Prior Flying Squirrel flights either froze to death or appeared likely to do so had another failure not terminated the flight early. For FS4, our Squirrel carried it’s own personal heating blanket to keep warm in the sub-zero temperatures. […]
The Flying Squirrel #4 High Altitude Balloon took flight on June 17th, 2019 10:09Am PDT. This movie visualizes the GPS data collected on the flight via a radio link using FT8 telemetry protocol. Flying Squirrel #4 flew to an altitude of 83,936 feet before the balloon burst. Some data was lost during the drop due […]
FS4 launched at 10:09am PDT into light winds. The flight followed the predicted route very closely, however the balloon burst at 83,936 feet altitude. The prediction was for 100,000 feet. Had the balloon reached the predicted altitude it would have followed the route closely to the end. When the balloon burst, it was over the […]
It looks like we will have very good flying weather. The prediction has remained about the same as prior runs and the surface winds at the time launch time 10AM PDT are light. Its a good day to fly! 73s de Don KJ6FO Please follow and like us:
Today’s prediction is more of the same. And that is good news! All systems “GO” for launch tomorrow morning. I will do one last check early tomorrow, but usually there is little change in predictions this close to launch day. Stay Tuned.. 73s de Don KJ6FO Please follow and like us:
Good morning Ground Squirrels! The upcoming Flying Squirrel #4 flight is only a few days away (June 17th). This mornings prediction run for flight time is looking about the same. Just like your local weather forecasts, the predictions are based on NOAA weather data and tend to get better and more “Stable” as you get […]
Another brave squirrel is preparing for flight and a perilous journey to the sky next Monday. Development on the FS4 payload is complete and only a few last-minute assembly tasks remain to be completed prior to launch. Barring adverse weather conditions (Wind), Flying Squirrel #4 will launch on Jun 17th 2019 from the area around […]
