First Presbyterian Academy for Greenville and Simpsonville

What’s New… Two Balloons launched in February 2024

/ Cary Willis, KD9ITO

We’d like to welcome our new followers, here at the NIBBB. Since our last Stretchinator session we’ve launched two Pico Balloons. Ken Daniel, K9YO visited his Granddaughter’s 5th grade class at the First Presbyterian Academy in Greenville, South Carolina and presented our Pico Balloon project. It was at that session that the kids named their future balloon launch “Happy Cone”

We now have two Happy Cones. Pico Balloon K9YO-1 was launched on February 4th 2024 from Grayslake, Illinois using Ken’s newest tracker and a SAG balloon. This test tracker was transmitting on two different amateur radio frequencies with two different antennas, a first for us. The 20 meter WSPR band was using a 33 ft. Dipole antenna with the tracker package in the middle. The tracker was also transmitting on 2 meter APRS with a 40 inch guitar “G” string as the antenna horizontal from the tracker.

Pictured below is the tracker, solar panel and both antennas.

Pico Balloon package for K9YO-1, Happy Cone 1

Happy Cone 1, Pico Balloon K9YO-1, made it’s first circumnavigation on February 14th after flying for 10 days. Today, February 21st 2024, Pico Balloon K9YO-1 has crossed the International Date Line for a 2nd time after 17 days and 2 hours of flight. This balloon was last flying at 44,422 feet and is expected to make its 2nd circumnavigation around February 24th.

Pico Balloon K9YO-1 Happy Cone, February 21st 2024 at Grid AM54II 20:34 UTC

Happy Cone 2, Pico Balloon KD9ITO-1, was launched on February 18th 2024 from Grayslake Illinois. For this tracker, we were using the ICT tracker and SAG balloon. Assisting in this launch were Ken Daniel K9YO, Gordie Mulley KD9TVR, Doug Mulley KD9TPM, Jim Janiak NE9JJ and Cary Willis KD9ITO. A 9 picture slide show of the launch is below

  • ICT tracker, 7 cell polycystalline solar panel and 33 ft Dipole Antenna
  • Ken Daniel K9YO and Doug Mulley KD9TPM preparing the package and balloon
  • 32 inch partially filled SAG balloon waiting for launch
  • Gordie, Jim, Ken and Doug preparing for launch
  • Doug holding the balloon in place, Gordie holding the middle of the monofilament line and upper antenna
  • Jim holding the lower antenna
  • Doug releasing the balloon and Gordie releasing the line
  • Ken running with the tracker package so it doesn’t touch the ground
  • The Pico Balloon is launched

Pico Balloon KD9ITO-1 was launched late February 18th and didn’t report until the next morning, February 19th at Grid FN84, 12:02 UTC near Nova Scotia, Canada. Pico Balloon KD9ITO-1 was flying at an altitude of 12,850 meters, 42,148 feet.

Pico Balloon KD9ITO-1 went to sleep on February 19th 2024 at Grid GN86ET at 18:22 UTC just east of St Pierre and Miquelon and south of Greenland. Below is the projected trajectory over 84 hours. While we’re waiting for Pico Balloon KD9ITO-1 to report, for now its Missing in Action.

To track our balloons, please go to our Locate and Track page. This page will be updated with current locations and projected trajectories. You’ll also find links for APRS and Sondehub for tracking all Pico Balloons flying around the world.

We invite you to visit our home page for current NIBBB projects NIBBB Home Page and our Blog as well as our other pages for builds on the menus at the top of our webpage. Our new webpage Header shows both Pico Balloon KD9ITO-1 and Pico Balloon K9YO-1 with other balloons around the world.

We’re also preparing for our other member’s launches and new tracker with a weather sensor so stay tuned.

73, Cary KD9ITO

November 28th, 2023, naming a Balloon is like naming a Star

/ Cary Willis, KD9ITO / 1 Comment

Our team member Ken Daniel, K9YO visited his Granddaughter and her 5th grade class on Friday November 10th 2023, at the First Presbyterian Academy for Greenville and Simpsonville in South Carolina. 

After a presentation on Pico Balloons, the class decided on a name for their balloon, the “Happy Cone”

The Happy Cone 1, flying as K9YO-16 using a QRP Labs U4B and our Standard Solar Array was launched on November 19th 2023, at 8:00 a.m. CDT.

Ken Daniel, K9YO with the “Happy Cone 1” November 19th 2023

We had a few days of reporting before the Happy Cone went missing.

This is the message Ken sent to the class.

Happy Cone 1 was launched on Nov 19th at 8:00 AM.  It rose quickly to 12,500 m (41,000 ft, over 7 miles).  As it rose, the speed increased to 100 kph (60 miles per hour – speed of a car on a highway).  During the first day, the balloon reported its position every 10 minutes as shown on the map by each circle. The direction of travel followed the Jetstream as shown in the figure. 

“Happy Cone 1” reported spots from November 19th through November 23rd 2023
Jetstream for “Happy Cone 1” launched from Grayslake, Illinois, north of Chicago November 19th 2023

The balloon went to sleep at the expected time before sunset, when the sun was too low in the sky to produce power.  After a great first day, things went badly.  The next day we received only one transmission early in the morning and the next day we received only three transmissions.

These were short transmissions that did not contain all the normal data.  We think that one of the cells of the solar panel may have cracked.  Consequently, there is not sufficient power to transmit. 

Happy Cone 1 may still be flying, but it is not telling us where it is.  We will be working to put up another balloon soon.  The launch may be delayed due to the low sun angle (low power) during the month of Jan.

Ken Daniel

This wouldn’t be the first time that our balloons had gone missing. It’s very possible that the balloon is traveling north of the Day/Night Change line and not receiving sunlight to power the solar panels.

We’re calling this balloon Happy Cone 1, because we’re preparing for Happy Cone 2. You can follow the Happy Cone on our Locate and Track page and click “Traquito (by Douglas Malnati) tracking K9YO-16”.

On another note… we received an email from one of our followers, Perry Moore, KD9NGV who launched his Pico Balloon This morning. I spoke to Perry who was very grateful for the information we provided to help him build and launch Pico Balloons.

Perry designed a vertical triangular shaped solar panel to catch the lower sun angles during our winter months in the Northern Hemisphere. (Perry’s information below)

Attaching a pic of the payload.  Wt. is 11.62 grams.   I put it through a 30 hour test last weekend and it is activating at about 15 degrees. Three MPT 3.6-75s.  I’ll be on 10 meters again.  Planning on 5 grams of Free Lift using Helium

Pico Balloon KD9NGV Package, using a 3 panel Triangular shaped vertical Solar Panel, with a QRP Labs U4B tracker

Pico Balloon KD9NGV-15, last reported on November 28th at 21:50 UTC at an altitude of 12,350 meters, 40,551 feet, with the sun’s elevation at 3.6 degrees. Congratulations to Perry, KD9NGV for a great build. According to Perry, Pico Balloon KD9NGV-15 should awake near Newfoundland tomorrow morning.

Pico Balloon KD9NGV launched November 28th 2023 near Hardin, Illinois

You can follow Perry’s balloon on our Locate and Track page by clicking “SondeHub Balloon Tracker” and follow KD9NGV-15 as well as all Pico Balloons flying around the world.

You can learn more about Pico Balloons starting at our Home Page https://nibbb.org/ at Ken’s Home Page https://sites.google.com/view/picoballoonsbyk9yo/home and one of our earlier teachers, Pico Balloons by Doug and Mark and their new Traquito Tracker.

73, Cary KD9ITO