Let’s start with the updates. Our home page has information to help navigate the rest of our site. Thanks to Doug Mulley, KD9TPM for organizing our Locate and Track tab which is now grouped by the balloons we’re flying. Click on the link above and please comment.

We’re in the planning stage of launching additional balloons including 3 of our youngest members, Gordie Mulley KD9TVR in 6th grade, Kelsi Mulley KE9LSI a Sophomore in high school and Mikaela Streicher KD9VIW a Senior in high school all Generals. You can view a recent picture of our group on our home page https://nibbb.org/.

Besides flying Pico Balloons, we’re working on updating our Technical Page with information on how others can build and fly Pico Balloons, this page is a work in progress. When we started our project in June of 2021, we were learning from scratch, trial and error. We’re now testing chips at lower temperatures, trying different ways to secure the balloon valve, updating our solar panel packages for changes in the suns elevation and updating our software to improve the data we collect. Our Technical Page when complete will have step by step instructions for building and flying Pico Balloons including video presentations.

Now to our Flights

K9YO launched on October 10th 2022 is now asleep over the Ligurian Sea, part of the Mediterranean Sea at Grid JN42MV. K9YO is flying at an altutude of 12,540 meters 41,131 feet. The general direction is east traveling in a Jetstream at about 50 miles per hour

AA6DY launched on September 3rd 2022, is now over the South Pacific Ocean east of Nauru, Oceania. Nauru is a tiny island country in Micronesia, northeast of Australia.

We’re only receiving our 1st packet giving us a 4 Grid Maidenhead of RI68. I used a 6 Grid Maidenhead of RI68bn to get the map below and update our Jetstream and NOAA Hysplit models. The general direction is east towards South America, moving at about 40 miles per hour at an altitude of 14,300 meters, 46,904 feet.

AA6DY is receiving our location from 2 receiving stations, VK4CT near Brisbane, Australia, 3,566 Km from our balloon and VK3AG near Melbourne, Australia 4,908 Km from our balloon.

The NOAA Hysplit models of direction over 48 hours, Ventusky Jetstream and other balloon information is now updated for both our balloons on our new Locate and Track tab.

We invite all to become followers of the NIBBB, to receive your invite, please email me at Contact Us on our website or find me on QRZ, 73, Cary KD9ITO