June 28th, 8 days and 23 hours into flight 11:58 UTC 6:58 am

June 28, 2022June 28, 2022 / kd9ito / Leave a comment

W9BLN was awake at Grid FM05sb near Salemburg, North Carolina at 11:38 UTC, 6:38 am CDT. Over almost 9 days we took a nice trip over a big circle over of the United States and we’re ready to move on. W9BLN is now heading east near Kenansville, North Carolina, about 70 miles to the Atlantic Ocean.

We’re going to be watching this carefuly today, expecting to move a little south over the ocean then change direction and go northeast towards Paris, France or Southeast towards Casablaca. As we are getting closer to the Atlantic Ocean, we lost a little altitude and are now rising to 22,000 feet.

Tomorrow morning’s Jetream looks a lot smoother over the Atlantic Ocean which you can view here June 29th 7:00 a.m. Jetstream over the Atlantic Ocean

After my report last night, we were seeing some activity for KB9LM, at 00:32 UTC June 28th, that was 7:32 pm June 27th, still in the Grid of DL79 over northern Mexico, but reporting up to 6,000 feet in altitude. We are still watching KB9LM. The reporting started closer to 10:00 am yesterday, so we’ll be watching for more activity from KB9LM later this morning.

Till this evening, 73, Cary

June 26th 2022 coming up on 7 days of flight

June 26, 2022June 26, 2022 / kd9ito / Leave a comment

At 9:00 this morning we will have been in flight for 7 days

W9BLN woke up this moning near the Chickasaw Nation in Ada, Oklahoma at Grid EL14LB at 13:38 UTC, 7:38am CDT.

W9BLN wake up near the Chickasaw Nation in Ada Oklahoma

We are still flying at 29,000 feet, and receiving from far away. We heard from station VK4CT in Australia at 7:58 am, 13,400 Km away from our balloon.

Will we continue to head north as the Jetstream passes over Chicago, or loop around to Florida and back up towards Nova Scotia, or come around for another loop around the midwest? Click on the Ventusky link and make your predections.

We use UTC for Univeral Time Coordinated so Amateur Radio Stations can communicate at the same time wherever they are around the world. W9BLN has been going to sleep in it’s flight, (instead of sleep walking, we’re sleep flying) starting around 7: 38 pm which is 00:38 UTC the next day. We start transmitting again when the sun’s elevation is high enough to power the solar panels and we’re heard by an Amateur Radio Station.

Our Links to Locate and Track tab on our menu tabs has been updated for tonight’s Jetstream for 6/27, 00:00 UTC, 7:00p.m. hover your mouse over the map to see the speed and direction of the Jetstream at 9,000 meters. I’ve added another link in our Links to Locate and Track to follow the other QRP-Labs U4B Balloons and trackers that are flying around the world.

We have 19 followers on our website that are free to comment. We hope to hear from you.

Till this evening, 73, Cary

June 20th 2022 W9BLN and KB9LM

June 20, 2022June 21, 2022 / kd9ito / Leave a comment

We launched W9BLN and KB9LM on June 19th and only heard from W9BLN, until this evening. We are now tracking two balloons. KB9LM started transmitting at 12:32 UTC this morning and last transmitted near Birmingham Alabama, at 23:12 UTC at Gridsquare EM63lr Is it a ghost? we’ll find out tomorrow.

W9BLN last transmitted at 23:28 UTC at Gridsquare EM54lg Just South of New Albany Mississippi with a new heading going north, at a breakneck speed of 6 knots per hour, W9BLN may be going in circles for a while. W9BLN has been pretty steady at 9,000 meters, just over 29,000 feet.

W9BLN Gridsquare EM54lg Just South of New Albany Mississippi

KB9LM was launched using our board with 7 panel Polycrystalline Solar panels with one breaking before launch and a 36″ clear Chinese balloon.

W9BLN was launched using the QRP-Labs U4B with 7 panel Polycrystalline solar panels with one breaking before lauch and a 36″ clear Chinese balloon.

We’re tracking W9BLN on the QRP-Labs U4B tracking software and KB9LM using wspr.rocks Please go to the tab above “Links to Locate and Track” for tracking these two balloons and the Jetstream on Ventusky.

until tomorrow 73, Cary KD9ITO

W9BLN Day 2, June 20th 2022 12:18 UTC 7:18am CDT

June 20, 2022June 21, 2022 / kd9ito / Leave a comment

Good Morning, W9BLN would like to welcome you to Mooresville Alabama Gridsquare EM64NO. Looks like we’re still in a slow moving pattern. QRP-Labs has us flying at 8940 meters around 29,300 feet and travelling at 8 knots.

I’ve updated our Links to Locate tab at the top of the page for Ventusky from Huntsville Alabama at 9,000 meters so everyone can follow our balloon.

Over Mooresville Alabama 29,300 feet travelling at 8 knots

73, Cary KD9ITO

June 19 2022 Father’s Day Launch, Tracking W9BLN

June 19, 2022June 21, 2022 / kd9ito / Leave a comment

We met this morning at 8:00 am CDT to launch 2 balloons, our own tracker using callsign KB9LM for Stewart Spies and the QRP Labs U4B tracker using callsign W9BLN for John Walsh. We haven’t heard from KB9LM but are currently tracking W9BLN at 9000 meters (29,500 feet) altitude at 30 knots speed 17:48 UTC. http://qrp-labs.com/track/20313_W9BLN.html

Both tracker packages came in just over 10 grams, one balloon was filled to 17.4 grams the other at 17.7 grams, almost 7 grams lighter than our previous successful launches. Both trackers used the polycystalline solar panels and 36″ clear Chinese made balloons purchased from the Party World Store at around $2 each.

Michael Seedman AA6DY has spent countless hours designing, building and testing these trackers and solar panels. It’s really a great feeling watching our balloon take flight.

We’re currently tracking W9BLN near Morroco Indiana on the Illinois Indiana border at 29,000 feet.

Assisting in our launch today were Michael Seedman AA6DY and his daughter Danielle Seedman KD9PAP, John Walsh W9BLN and his son Collin, Stewart Spies KB9LM, Jim Janiak KD9UQB and myself, Cary Willis KD9ITO

Wishing everyone a happy Father’s Day I will update this site prior to sundown

73, Cary KD9ITO