October 3rd 2022, Day 31, 01:24 UTC, North of Chengde, China

/ Cary Willis, KD9ITO / 1 Comment

This is truly amazing, we woke up far from where I thought we would be. We woke at 01:24 UTC, 8:42 pm CDT, northeast of Beijing China at Grid ON81XE. We received both our 1st and 2nd packets and now have our altitude at 13,960 meters, 45,789 feet.

Grid ON81XE North of Chengde China

While I started tracking our balloon this evening, I received an email from one of our new followers, Hisami 7L4IOU from Japan, who first saw spotted our balloon on our first time around the world. Hisami, emailed me to tell me he received our WSPR signal at 01:42 zulu and offered his congratulations on our smooth flight.

Now that we received 2 packets I was able to create a NOAA Hysplit model for 48 hours. We look forward to flying over Japan within a day or so.

We’re still a little slow to get all our data. From what I see, we’re in a Jetstream traveling 145 mph Jetstream from Beijing

I’ll be updating our links to locate and track tab as the information becomes available.

October 2nd 2022, 3:02 UTC, Day 30, near Barchidiv, Tajikstan

/ Cary Willis, KD9ITO / 1 Comment

AA6DY woke at 3:02 UTC, 10:02 pm CDT at Grid MM68.

I’m still waiting to receive our 2nd packet which would give us a 6 grid Maidenhead and true altitude. With our 1st packet received we have a minimum altitude of 13,000 meters, 42,640 feet. We’ve been flying over 46,000 feet and there’s no reason to expect a lower altitude, but until we receive our 2nd packet, that’s all I can report.

Grid MM68
Barchidiv, Tajikstan within Grid MM68

I’ll update our Links to Locate and Track tab in the morning. This is link that shows our Jetstream from our current location and time, Ventusky Jetstream We’re moving in a fast Jestream, heading east over China.

On our 30th day of flight, having flown around the world in 22 days, we’re now on our 8th day of our 2nd lap around the world,

October 1st, 2022, Day 29, Aghstafa, Azerbaijan

/ Cary Willis, KD9ITO / Leave a comment

Good Morning, AA6DY woke at 5:22 UTC, 12:22am CDT at Grid LN21RC, in northern Azerbaijan near Armenia and Georgia, between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. Our altitude is 14,060 meters, 46,117 feet. AA6DY is in a Jetstream moving southeast at about 80 miles per hour, then picking up speed moving northeast. We’re in an area of the world with few Amateur Radio spotters, but we were able to receive our coordinates and altitude and hope for more readings tomorrow morning.

Grid LN21RC 5:22 UTC, 12:22 am CDT

Below is the NOAA Hysplit Trajectory model for October 2nd and October 3rd, (48 hours). If we assume the same altitude of 14,060 meters, for 48 hours, this is where we will be going. (Calling all Sleuths, see below)

Now Calling all Sleuths out there. What general area will we wake up tomorrow, Sunday October 2nd and Monday October 3rd?

Using the Hysplit Model above, using the wake up time and find Log: and Lat: Go to Links to Locate and Track tab and enter that data into QRZ Gridmapper, scroll in and send me the City and Country closeset to that wake up map point. I’ll post the map and show who was closest to that City or Country.

Use Longitude and Lattitude for direction, wakeup on October 2nd around 04:00 UTC and, on October 3rd around 03:00 UTC wakeup.

We only have a few more days before we wind up over the water and harder to play this game

Please don’t pay any attention to the altitude, just look at the direction and wakeup coordinates on the Hysplit Model.

If you’re a follower on the NIBBB website, just add your comment with your guesses. Others can send me an email.

The Links to Locate and Track tab has been updated for Ventusky Jetstream, NOAA Hysplit and APRS.fi, (though you may see a different altitude, ours is 14,060 meters, 46,117 feet)

Please get your guesses in by 8:00 pm this evening October 1st

Have fun, 73, Cary, KD9ITO

September 30th, 2022, Day 28, Near Catania Italy, Over the Ionian Sea. Near Italy, Greece, and Albania

/ Cary Willis, KD9ITO / Leave a comment

AA6DY woke at Grid JM87ck at 7:02 UTC, 2:02 am CDT, at 13,960 meters, 45,800 feet. The General direction is Northeast, then East. We’re traveling in a Jetstream traveling around 80 miles an hour.

NOAA Hysplit Model October 1st through October 2nd Traveling over the Caspian Sea late October 1st.

Still early to tell, but I see us heading towards Uzbekistan in 48 hours.

The Links to Locate and Track have been updated, if you wish to follow our balloon or other Pico Balloons around the world, Jetstream, Sondehub, NOAA.

Take notes, pretty soon we’ll be taking bets, when we’ll be returning back our way.

We’d like to congratulate Tom Medlin who’s flying W5KUB-112 after 110 days in flight went to sleet over Ninivak Island over the Bering Sea. W5KUB launched on June 11th is now 110 days of flight and still flying. You can follow Tom’s flight at W5KUB-112

September 29 2022, 27th Day, lap 2, Morocco

/ Cary Willis, KD9ITO / Leave a comment

Good morning everyone. We are now on Day 27 of our 2nd lap around the world. After a nice travel over the Atlantic Ocean, again, we woke at 8:44 UTC, 3:42 am CDT at Grid IM63SA. Near Khouribga, Morocco, just west of Casablanca. Our altitude is 14,180 meters 46,500 feet. We always track our altitude, so we can discuss as a group, where we’re headed.

Though we flew over Morocco this morning, we are now over Bechar, Algeria and heading west.

I’d like to introduce you to our Pilot of AA6DY, now on our 27th day. Michael Seedman, AA6DY is one of our Co-Founders of the NIBBB. Michael has been very patient throughout our 24 launches, and we’re really excitied to be flying his balloon and for now our longest flight.

Now onto some other business.

Everyone knows I love to write about our program and expecially these successfull flights. Besides having fun, we at the NIBBB consider this a learning experience. As a team we meet to discuss, plan and build our tracking devices. We also look at our available resources to help determine where our balloons will go once launched.

So we have this very nice model called the NOAA Hysplit Model which shows a foward Trajectory, if we know the GPS location and altitude. It’s been a very relieable model for us to predict that Casablanca was our general direction for arrival.

After our last build session on Septmeber 10th, I dropped off some nice solar panel packages that our kids built. While with Michael, I discussed our projected flight and my predictions that we would drop down to just over 10,000 meters in altitude and recover. After a less than heated discussion we left with a bet. If it dropped, I would win, if not, he would win. I lost.

We have this NOAA model below which is current for today. Yesterday it showed that we would drop to 13,000 meters by this afternoon, then recover. Looking below you can see the nice smoothe line across Europe for our forward trajectory and the ziggly line over the section of Meters AGL (Above Ground Level).

Whether we win or lose, or I lose, and lose some more, it’s all in the fun. But we also have this large group of followers who look at this information and can help explain.

What would cause a sudden drop in altitude, and then a full recovery?

While we’re pondering this flight, I have updated our Links to Locate and Track tab for your viewing pleasure. I’ll be updating this inforation throughout the day, who know’s maybe we will have a sudden drop and recovery.

Please feel free to comment on this post, and we’ll be happy to share your thoughts.

September 28th 2022, Day 26, Lap 2, North Altlantic Ocean,

/ Cary Willis, KD9ITO / 1 Comment

AA6DY woke at 9:22 UTC, 4:22 am CDT at Grid HM71om over the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Marrakesh, Morocco. Our wake altitude was 14,120 meters or 46,300 feet. Our general direction is northeast, then east towards Morocco.

Below are three images, 1) Grid Map of our location on wakeup, 2) NOAA Hyslit Trajectory model by altitude and time for 48 hours and 3) Amateur.Sondehub our current location and projected direction with a wide variety of possible altitudes, through October 1st. The orange color is our altitude

Septeber 28th 2022 at Grid HM71OM, at 46,300 feet altitude heading east
NOAA Hysplit Model September 28th through September 30th, 48 hours
From Amateur.Sondehub, our projected path by altitude through October 1st 2022

By the time of this writing we have a new reading at 12:22 UTC, Grid HM82RT at 14,180 meters, 46,500 feet in altitude. We expect minor changes in altitude throught the day.

The Links to Locate and Track tab have been updated for today showing Ventusky Jetstream, NOAA Hysplit, APRS.fi and Sondehub and will be updated throughout the day.

September 27th, Day 25, lap 2, North Altlantic Ocean

/ Cary Willis, KD9ITO / Leave a comment

AA6DY woke at 10:42 UTC, 5:42 am CDT in the same general area where we went to sleep at Grid HM02BO. Our altitude is 14,000 meters or 45,920 feet. Our general direction will be southeast then east towards Casablanca, Morocco. We were in a lull yesterday, but will be picking up some speed today and tomorrow.

Grid HM02BO at 10:42 UTC,

A feature of Sondehub is to track the projected path by altitude called Float. Going to our Links to Locate and Track tab, clicking on tracking Pico Balloons around the World, on the left side click our balloon AA6DY-15, then the float tab. The different colors represent different altitudes and are still pointing to the general direction of Morocco. In Sondehub you can search for a specific balloon, upper left hand corner in the search box type AA6DY-15.

Sondehub Float Projections for AA6DY-15

Our Links to Locate and Track tab has been updated for Ventusky Jetstream, NOAA Trajectory, Sondehub and APRS.fi I’ll update this link throughout the day.

September 26th, Day 24, 2nd lap

/ Cary Willis, KD9ITO / Leave a comment

Happy New Year to everyone. AA6DY woke at Grid HN01EM at 10:42 UTC, 5:42 am CDT. at 14,300 meters, 46,904 feet, south of Greeland over the North Atlantic Ocean

We may be headed over Africa, towards Casablanca, we’ll know in a couple of days.

Grid HN01EM Sept 26th 14,300 meters , 46,904 feet 2nd lap
NOAA Hysplit Model for September 27th and September 28th

Ventusky Jetstream, and all models have been update in our Links to Locate and Track tab

September 25th, 2022, 23rd Day, Day 1 of Our Second Time Around

/ Cary Willis, KD9ITO / 1 Comment

This one I’ll have to think about. This is now our 1st day of our second lap. AA6DY has left the Unitied States and woke at Grid FM87TQ at 12:02 UTC, 7:02 am CDT. Thanks to a chart provided by Michael Seedman, AA6DY, we find our waking altitude at 13,900 meters or 45,592 feet. 43 dBm Power in the 1st packet and 50 dBm Power in the 2nd packet.

One of the things we were looking at was the frequency of spotters and distance received to our balloon. We were thinking, possibly one of our antennas had loosened. Things seem to have worked out with multiple spotters comming in on the 2’s, with one from Northern California, 8900 Km away or 5500 miles. We’d like to thank Robert from Half Moon Bay California for keeping track of us.

FM87TQ 12:02 UTC Septmber 25th 2022, Second Time Around
Sept 26th thru Sept 27th NOAA Trajectory

For those that have been following our Hurricanes and Cyclones, we have a busy season in our area. We had survived Hurricane Dannielle during our first journey around and It looks like we’ll be travelling north and east of Gaston as seen in the next two images.

Our Links to Locate and Track tab have been updated, with today’s fight information.

September 24th, Around the World in 22 Days

/ Cary Willis, KD9ITO / Leave a comment

We have made our first Circumnavigation after 21 Days, 7 hours and 32 minutes. AA6DY at Grid EM67KM at 21:12 UTC, 4:12 pm CDT just southeast of Evansville, Indiana.

We launched AA6DY from Willow Hill Golf Course in Northbrook, IL on September 3rd 2022.

As we begin our 2nd lap, we would like to thank all those that have made this possible.

Grid EM67KM Southeast of Evansville, Indiana
AA6DY First Circumnavigation from Northbrook, IL September 3rd 2022 to Evansville Indiana September 24th 2022
Starting our 2nd Lap Around the World

Locate and Track have been updated with Jestream, our location and other Pico Balloons around the World.