2022-07-30

August 5th 2022, KD9TPM wakeup over Southern Belarus KO42na 04:12 UTC

/ Cary Willis, KD9ITO / Leave a comment

We had a good travel overnight going from the Northern border of Belarus and Russia, and travelling to the southern part of Belarus waking up near Mazyr, Belarus at Grid KO42na. We’re holding steady at 33,500 feet in altitude.

And first to our contenstants to Guess the Grid Square. We had 3, Jim, KD9UQB with Grid KO44gi, Doug, KD9TPM with Grid KO43lm and Tami, KD9IXB with Grid KD43qw. All three contestants were less than 100 Km from each other. The closest to KO42na was Doug, KD9TPM at 165 Km away.

Congratualtions to Doug as our 2nd winner for the KD9TPM contest. Wendy Berg KD9RDV was the winner yesterday.

As I mentioned we had a good flight overnight now flying over Ukraine.

Below is an image of yesterday’s flight leaving Estonia, traveling over Russia, going to sleep at the Belarus-Russia border as see on the top of the page. We woke up in southern Belarus over Mazyr Belarus and are now over Ukraine.

And now on August 5th at 13:52 UTC we are approaching Moldova at KN48og. We are now 6 days and 32 minutes into our flight

With the Jetstream starting to turn south and east, we should be catching a faster Jetstream traveling east. I’ve update our Jetstream link on Ventusky for today.

For those intersesting in Guessing the Grid Square on Awakening, please go to Links to Locate and Track and follow the instructions on the bottom of the page. Please send me your Grid Square guess by 9:00pm CDT this evening August 5th.

From Ireland to Maldova

73, Cary, KD9ITO

August 4th 2022, asleep, 16:22 UTC Grid KO45ko, Belarus

/ Cary Willis, KD9ITO / 2 Comments

WSPR Rocks has KD9TPM over Belarus at Grid KO45ko near Karpeki Belarus. We slowed down a little bit during this leg of our flight. On our 6th day, around 5 days and 2 hours of flight. We’re at 10,240 meters, just over 33,500 feet in altitude. This has been pretty consistent throughout our flight.

The image below is from HabHub, which shows we have some company in our area. KD9TPM is center top on the Belarus/Russian Border.

To follow where we’re headed, links to WSPR.Rocks, HabHub, Ventusky etc. click on the “Links to Locate and Track” tab on our website. Sunrise is around 5:30 am where we’re headed, add about another hour for our solar panels to wake up our tracker. Wake-up will be around Midnight our time.

I’ll take your Grid Square guesses until 9pm this evening. Winner will be announced tomorrow morning. Click on Contact Us or send me an email. 73, Cary KD9ITO

August 4, 2022, awake 4:52 UTC at Grid KO47hq, Russia

/ Cary Willis, KD9ITO / Leave a comment

KD9TPM awoke near the City of Pskov, Russia, Grid KO47hq at 4:52 UTC August 4th, 11:52 pm CDT on August 3rd. We are now in our 5th day of flight having travelled 4 days and 23 hours. With a slight change in pressure we are at an altitude between 33,500 and 33,800 feet.

So, let’s start with the contest news, before we get into where we’re going. We had two contestants for Guess the Gridsquare. Luckily WSPR Rocks has a Ruler in the map tools to measure distance from Point A to Point B. What’s amazing to me is that all the factors that have to come into play before we get a signal report. To look at the Jetstream direction and speed and guess the time to wake, and report.

Wendy Berg, KD9RDV at Grid KO76av near Tver Russia and Doug Mulley, KD9TPM at Grid KO34wg near Minsk Belarus. The distance between KO47hq to KO76av was 353Km, the distance between KO47hq and KO34wg was 403Km. The difference to target was 50 Km and Wendy Berg, KD9RDV is the first winner of the KD9TPM contest. I suppose in this part of the world, I have to be careful about talking about distance to target.

We travelled from Estonia to Russia in a slower moving system.

It looks like we’ll be moving a little bit slower, heading south till we pick up the faster Jetstream towards Istanbul.

For those playing the Guess the Gridsquare, I’ve update the Links to Locate and Track page, but to make it easier, here’s the link for this evening Ventusky August 5th 0600 UTC For other tracking hints please go to Links to Locate and Track

For those playing, please get me your 6 Grid MH in by 8pm.

August 3rd 2022, Asleep at Grid KO28ht, Estonia

/ Cary Willis, KD9ITO / Leave a comment

KD9TPM is now flying at 10,240 meters, just over 33,500 feet for 4 days and 3 hours. We’ve been awake and transmitting for about 13 hours today. We are now just south of Rapla, Estonia at Grid KO28ht asleep at 16:42 UTC, 11:42am CDT traveling due East.

Pico Balloon KD9TPM is receiving 2 packets of data, 2 minutes apart on the 2’s and 4’s of a 10 minute timeslot. It’s the 2nd packet on the 4’s that gets us among other data, our altitude in meters and 6 Grid Maidenhead (MH) Gridsquare. This 6 Grid MH will give us a location in a 3 mile by 5 mile rectangle grid or area of 15 square miles.

To receive our location, we rely on our onboard GPS chip and the Amateur Radio stations around the World that receive our signal. Without a receive signal, we won’t know our location. In some parts of the World we may not receive a signal, which could delay a report for several days.

Keeping that in mind, we’re expecting to wakeup this evening around 10pm CDT, so if your participating in “Guess the Gridsquare”, please get them to me by 6pm CDT August 3rd. For information on finding our location, please go to the tab on our website “Links to Locate and Track”

Launched from Northbrook, Illinois on July 30th, Pico Balloon KD9TPM woke up on August 3rd over Sweden and now alseep over Estonia, 4 days and 3 hours of flight.

Till this evening, 73 Cary

August 3rd 2022, KD9TPM awake at Grid JO68ab, Sweden

/ Cary Willis, KD9ITO / 1 Comment

We passed over the North Sea and awoke over Gothenburg Sweden at 0514 UTC, 12:14 am CDT. In the short time I was writing this, we went from Gothenburg just past the North Sea to Norrkoping Sweden coming up to over the Baltic Sea,

We are just over 33,000 feet and now just over 3 days and 19 hours of flight without a lot of sunshine ahead

Ventusky has been updated for today’s Jetstream. Other links on our “Links to Locate and Track” include APRS.fi Clicking on “KD9TPM APRS” and links within the label will get you a Street View from where the balloon is, handy for those vacationing on a tight budget. The Habhub link will show you who of the other Pico Balloon community sharing our airspace.

For those playing our game. The three countries where we have to turn off our GPS when we fly over…. the U.K, Yemen and North Korea.

Jim KD9UQB thought we would be over JO26,

For those that want to play tomorrow, going to our Links to Locate and Track tab, click on WSPR.Rocks, type in KD9TPM on TX call and last 24 hours, search, click on map and hover the mouse where you think we’re going will give you a 6 grid Maidenhead in the upper left corner of the page.

KD9TPM awaken over Gothenburg Sweden at the North Sea and during this writing the Balloon is now over Norrkoping Sweden att he Baltic Sea
From our first awakening to Sweden total flight 3 days and 19 hours

Now, Let’s see if I can get a couple of hours of sleep. Not easy to sleep when we have a balloon going around the world. 73, Cary

August 2nd, 2022 KD9TPM Grid io62bv, 18:02 UTC Ireland

/ Cary Willis, KD9ITO / 2 Comments

We are now at 3 days and 4 hours into our flight and have made it over Rathnavogue, Ireland. Still flying around 33,000 feet and moving in a faster Jetstream. Our wakeup may be delayed. There are 3 countries that don’t allow us to transmit while flying over their country, Can you name them? I’ll report on that tomorrow. Wakeup for our balloon may be around midnight our time. Where will we be? Who Knows… Who doesn’t like Schnitzel? I Love it!

Actually, the Jetstream tomorrow is getting a little trickier. I changed the Ventusky link on our “Links to Locate and Track” tab for tomorrow’s Jetstream at 1:00 am CDT

I’ll just wait till tomorrow morning to report, 73, Cary

Pico Balloon KD9TPM is now asleep over Rathnavogue, Ireland. Current Flight 3 days, 4 hours and 32 minutes. Flying at 10,050 meters around 33,000 feet.
KD9TPM asleep over Rathnavogue, Ireland 18:02 UTC, 1:02 pm CDT at 33,000 feet

August 2, 2022 8:02 UTC KD9TPM wakes at Grid HN87OU

/ Cary Willis, KD9ITO / Leave a comment

KD9TPM is getting up a little earlier than I am, 8:02 UTC is 3:02 am. It’s now 7:52 am and we’ve been making pretty good distance. At 2 days and 23 hours of flight, we’re ready to start our 4rd day this morning.

Below is our current location at 13:12 UTC, 8:12am, we’re travelling at 10,180 meter, 33,400 feet at Grid IN19XJ. My best guess is that we’ll fly over Garranes County Cork, Ireland. We’re travelling close to 100 mph as we get close to land and then pick up speed. I’m sure the view is beautiful at 33,400 feet. We may be heading over Germany before we turn south.

Enjoy the Ride!

KD9TPM is flying at Grid IN19XJ approaching Ireland at 33,400 feet altitude close to 100 mph.

August 1st 2022, KD9TPM 20:14 UTC Grid HN07MK

/ Cary Willis, KD9ITO / 1 Comment

We are now 2 days 6 hours and 32 minutes into our flight. We are flying at an altitude of 10,180 meters, 33,400 feet over the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Our direction is East, Northeast heading toward Dublin Ireland, my best guess. For your best guess please go to our Links to Locate and Track, click on Ventusky to follow the Jetstream for the coming days.

If you’re a Follower, post your comments where you think KD9TPM will awake. All the tools are on our Links to Locate and Track or click on Contact Us and send me an email with your Gridsquare prediction.

Until tomorrow, 73, Cary

KD9TPM is over the Middle of the Atlantic Ocean heading towards Dublin Ireland.

August 1st 2022 KD9TPM awake at 9:54 UTC 5:54am EDT

/ Cary Willis, KD9ITO / Leave a comment

Good morning all, now that we’re travelling east, morning comes a little bit earlier. KD9TPM awoke at Grid GN38LH just before 6am Eastern Time. We woke up over Trinity Bay, Newfoundland. An now at 6:42 am just northeast of St. John’s Newfoundland over the North Atlantic Ocean.

We are now 1 day and 22 hours into our flight. Flying at 10,180 meters close to 33,000 feet increasting speed from about 60 miles per hour and heading towards Dublin.

Our links to locate and track have been updated, with Jetstreram and APRS tracking

Pico Balloon KD9TPM is now over the Atlantic Ocean just Northeast of St. John's Newfoundland. We're heading towards Dublin
KD9TPM Flight, 1 day 22 hours, over the Atlantic Ocean

July 31st 2022, KD9TPM 22:32 UTC 5:32pm CDT

/ Cary Willis, KD9ITO / Leave a comment

From our launch yesterday morning, we are currently tracking KD9TPM. Our last report is at Grid FN49XW, 22:32 UTC North of Quebec City, Canada. Our heading is towards St. Pierre and Miquelon Territory South of Newfoundland. KD9TPM has been tracking close to 10,000 meters around 33,000 feet. We’re happy to be flying again.

For those that are tracking our balloon, I’ve updated our Links to Locate and Track tab on our website with the current tracking information for KD9TPM to help you predict the location. Click on Ventusky, scroll out to see where we’re headed, change the calendar date at the bottom of the page for tomorrow’s Jetstream. We’re between two fast Jetstreams that should be merging tomorrow morning, where it goes from there, I’ll leave it up to you.

Until tomorrow, 73, Cary

Pico Balloon KD9TPM is located North of Quebec City Canada, heading East towards St. Pierre and Miquelon Territory
KD9TPM at Grid FN49xw 22:32 UTC