PS-57 PICO balloon HF JT9 WSPR

[VK3YT]

Hi all,

FYI,

PS-57 is in the air.

Solar powered party balloon, 25mW TX
TX WSPR, JT9 on 30m only

Dial frequency 10.138700Mhz (standard WSPR dial frequency) for WSPR, JT9.
JT9 is at 1100Hz

See HF decoding info at http://picospace.net/?cat=34

Tracking as PS-57 on SNUS http://picospace.net/tracker/new
WSPR call sign is VK3YT http://wsprnet.org/olddb?findcall=vk3yt

TX scheduling
Minute - Band - Mode - Condition
:00 - 30m - 2 mins WSPR then two x 1 min JT9 - mandatory
:10 - 30m - 2 mins WSPR then two x 1 min JT9 - if batt full
:20 - 30m - 2 mins WSPR then two x 1 min JT9 - if batt full
:30 - 30m - 2 mins WSPR then two x 1 min JT9 - mandatory
:40 - 30m - 2 mins WSPR then two x 1 min JT9 - if batt full
:50 - 30m - 2 mins WSPR then two x 1 min JT9 - if batt full

Assistance with tracking is appreciated.

Regards,
Andy
VK3YT

[VK4ALF]

Great signals ,Actually the strongest rx signal here all day .

Loving the 10 Min intervals on 10 mhz .

Thanks

[VK3YT]

PS-57 crossed over to the Northern Hemisphere this morning.



Prediction

[VK5EI]

It appears after a wind direction change PS-57 may have experienced some rain conditions for a few hours

Descending slowly for a while and now back at a average altitude level

Time,Altitude
04:02:00,9066
04:32:00,8898
05:02:00,8916
05:32:00,7883
06:02:00,6879
06:32:00,5936
07:02:00,5234
07:32:00,5398
08:02:00,6230
08:32:00,6978
09:02:00,8544

Fingers crossed for the rest of the journey

[VK4ALF]

i haven't seen PS-57 for 5 hours now . Not sure if its propagation or something has happened \

Weather not looking great


(edit)

Jusl looked at HABhub and 57 has been seen a few minutes agu (0100 utc) Great news

Its lost altitude 3000 m and now 5915 meters

[ZL1RS]

PS-57 in "SOS" mode since 0326 UTC ... could be a weather effect again.
Fingers crossed ...

73,

[VK4ALF]

Just climbed another 1000m between beacons . That weather is playing hi jinks with PS-57

[ZL3OF]

Just started tracking Pico Balloons a few days ago, so I'm a complete greenhorn at this. Went out for a while and when I got back found the below on the screen. Is it for real, did I really copy PS-57 when it was near South Africa? If so I'm amazed as the ZS to ZL path is over the South Pole, a difficult path at anytime. Antenna is nothing special, a W3DZZ inverted vee only 10 metres high at the centre. Rig is a Kenwood TS 590S. Software WSJT v1.6.0-devel

Is it odd that the two JT9 packets have not been "stitched" together, and that the frequency is 1963 Hz to 1970 Hz, not 1100 Hz as documented ?

Ian ZL3OF


1916 -25 -1.6 1963 @ VK3YT3153WXK3
------------------------------------ 30m
1917 -26 -1.5 1963 @ 1-PW1/5Y09XJP
------------------------------------ 30m
1926 -26 -1.8 1964 @ VK3YT3153WXK3
------------------------------------ 30m
1927 -24 -1.8 1963 @ 1-PW1/5Y09XJP
------------------------------------ 30m
1937 -24 -0.5 1964 @ 1-PE1/5R0 3K7
------------------------------------ 30m
2006 -22 -0.6 1967 @ VK3YT3173PW-6
------------------------------------ 30m
2007 -25 -0.6 1967 @ 1-PC1/5E1T.KG
------------------------------------ 30m
2036 -24 -0.5 1970 @ VK3YT3383TW-8
------------------------------------ 30m
2037 -25 -0.5 1970 @ 1-OJ1/5C2Q2LD

[VK3YT]

Just started tracking Pico Balloons a few days ago, so I'm a complete greenhorn at this. Went out for a while and when I got back found the below on the screen. Is it for real, did I really copy PS-57 when it was near South Africa? If so I'm amazed as the ZS to ZL path is over the South Pole, a difficult path at anytime. Antenna is nothing special, a W3DZZ inverted vee only 10 metres high at the centre. Rig is a Kenwood TS 590S. Software WSJT v1.6.0-devel

Is it odd that the two JT9 packets have not been "stitched" together, and that the frequency is 1963 Hz to 1970 Hz, not 1100 Hz as documented ?

Ian ZL3OF


1916 -25 -1.6 1963 @ VK3YT3153WXK3
------------------------------------ 30m
1917 -26 -1.5 1963 @ 1-PW1/5Y09XJP
------------------------------------ 30m
1926 -26 -1.8 1964 @ VK3YT3153WXK3
------------------------------------ 30m
1927 -24 -1.8 1963 @ 1-PW1/5Y09XJP
------------------------------------ 30m
1937 -24 -0.5 1964 @ 1-PE1/5R0 3K7
------------------------------------ 30m
2006 -22 -0.6 1967 @ VK3YT3173PW-6
------------------------------------ 30m
2007 -25 -0.6 1967 @ 1-PC1/5E1T.KG
------------------------------------ 30m
2036 -24 -0.5 1970 @ VK3YT3383TW-8
------------------------------------ 30m
2037 -25 -0.5 1970 @ 1-OJ1/5C2Q2LD

Hi Ian,
That is PS-59 that you saw, sorry I didn't get a chance to post it here until now
Regards,
Andy

[ZL3OF]

Thanks for that Andy, thought it was too good to be true. Still, stranger things have happened.

As I said before I'm just getting into this, I'm really enjoying tracking them. Thanks for all your good work with the balloons.

Ian

[ZL3MH]

Not really knowing what I am doing. I am running a FT847 on
10.138.700 MHz USB to an 80m and 40m Crossed Inverted
V on the same feed line. The Computer is a AMD 1.80 GHz
with 448 MB of Ram. The program is WSJT-X V 1.6.0- devel
Timing is from the RNZ pips on the radio.

Below is what I have just received

Murray ZL3MH


Band Activity


2016 -17 -2.3 1946 @ VK3YT3F93RWM9

2017 -19 -2.5 1946 @ 1XHX2N445G9J5

2026 -21 -2.5 1946 @ VK3YT3F93RWM9

2027 -22 -2.5 1946 @ 1XHX2N445G9J5

2036 -21 -2.1 1945 @ VK3YT3F83RXDA

2037 -20 -2.1 1945 @ 1XM52NKN5H4JV

2046 -20 -2.3 1946 @ VK3YT3FA3QX8A

2047 -18 -2.2 1945 @ 1XNJ2NPJ5GPJ

2106 -19 -2.3 1946 @ VK3YT3E73RXP9

2116 -17 -2.3 1947 @ VK3YT3E83QYEC

2117 -17 -2.3 1947 @ 1XR/2N/?5HNL9

2126 -15 -2.6 1946 @ VK3YT3EA3QY6A

2127 -16 -2.5 1947 @ 1XTG2O3R5HFLF

RX Frequency

2046 -20 -2.3 1946 @ VK3YT3FA3QX8A

2047 -18 -2.2 1945 @ 1XNJ2NPJ5GPJ

2106 -19 -2.3 1946 @ VK3YT3E73RXP9

2116 -17 -2.3 1947 @ VK3YT3E83QYEC

2117 -17 -2.3 1947 @ 1XR/2N/?5HNL9

2126 -15 -2.6 1946 @ VK3YT3EA3QY6A

2127 -16 -2.5 1947 @ 1XTG2O3R5HFLF

[ZL1RS]

Hi Murray,

That is PS-59 at 1950 Hz 'offset' ... and currently SE of ZL. It is also transmitting WSPR with callsign VK3ANH at minute x4.
PS-57 is at 1100 Hz 'offset' ... and currently in the Indian Ocean. It is also transmitting WSPR with callsign VK3YT at minute x0.
PS-58 is at 1700 Hz 'offset' ... and currently east of Vanuatu. It is also transmitting WSPR with callsign VK3ANH at minute x0.

The map at http://spacenear.us/tracker/fullscreen. ... S-58;PS-59 shows the position of all three.

At the present time (22 UTC) you will probably just receive PS-59. The others are too far way for day time 30m band propagation, but might come in during the night.

73,

[ZL3MH]

I am at the moment building an Inverted V for 10.138MHz

Some questions

In WSJT-X V1.6.0- devel I have ticked Telemetry and location. If I push F2 I get to the

UDP Server 127.0.1

UDP Server Port number 2237

Is this the right address for the Pico Balloon server to decode my information as my info does not seem to reach the abve server ?

Another question, Is there a stand alone program to decode the
recieved data ?

Thanks Murray ZL3MH

[ZL1RS]

... as my info does not seem to reach the abve server ?

All you need to do is 'tick' the Telemetry and Location boxes on the special version of WSJT-X. No idea about the UDP server and post number, I see them in the settings but never touched them. None of the boxes on the Settings - Reporting tab need to be 'ticked'. The special version of WSJT-X 1.6.0-devel was modified to send the decodes to the picospace server simply if the Telemetry and Location boxes are 'ticked', nothing else is required in that regard (except that the computer is connected to the Internet obviously).

The tracking map information box(es) show the callsigns of those who had a decode of the last "second JT9 telemetry block" to be transmitted. The map shows the "radio towers" of the stations who have the Location box 'ticked' as long as they have decoded any JT9 transmission (from a balloon or elsewhere) during the last day or so.

You appear to have had one decode uploaded to the server at 00:47 UTC. It was a decode of a "second JT9 telemetry block" so your callsign would have been displayed with the others who decoded PS-59 at that time, then your call would have disappeared 10 minutes later when the balloon transmitted fresh data that was decoded by others and not you.

Another question, Is there a stand alone program to decode the received data ?

The short answer is "No". There is a manual process for the masochistic which was posted in this "Satellites and Balloons" Forum category at http://www.vklogger.com/forum/viewtopic ... 701#p50323 ... I am not sure if the exact format is currently used. (Be aware that the 'space' character is one of the 42 in the encryption).

73,

[ZL3MH]

Ian ZL3OF has been around and we ran the MFJ259 antenna analyzer
over the 10 MHz Inverted V . To decouple the coax I used a Jaycar L15
Toriod with 8 turns through it ( RG58 Small 50 ohm coax ) The length of the V was 23 feet on a US on line calculater . I will go out and include a Pic. It it held up there by Baling twine halve way up the tower.

Thanks to everyone Murray ZL3MH

[VK6MT]

Hi All

Just thought that I'd pop up and say Hi.

I'm currently using a 80/40/15m trap dipole, which seems to receive OK on 30m. I should prob try a 30m Inverted V as described.

Anyway thank Andy, for putting the balloons up!

Mal
VK6MT

[VK6MT]

And it looks like it's come down, the last telm was from alt of 1392m RIP

Just need to wait for the next one to come around.



Mal
VK6MT

[VK3YT]

PS-57 went down last night after 4 week 1 day and 39,663km, with last packet received by Mal VK6MT

Thanks everyone for the massive tracking effort.

Regards,
Andy

[VK5EI]

Great flight Andy well done

A summary of flight details (data from habitat payload telemetry)

Approx flight time: 686 hrs
Average Speed: 59.4 km/hr
Maximum speed: 136.8 km/hr

A bizarre approximate final landing area for PS-57 was grid reference MH80

Thanks again
Joe