WSPR Spot Database

February 14th, 2023, K9YO, Missing in Action, KD9UQB, 7th Circumnavigation.

/ Cary Willis, KD9ITO / 9 Comments

Pico Balloon K9YO last reported on February 11th at 00:48 zulu near Hagemeister Island after 123 days and 18 hours of flight.

Hagemeister Island is an uninhabited island in the U.S. state of Alaska, located on the north shore of Bristol Bay at the entrance to Togiak Bay. The island is 16 miles long, has a land area of 115.9 square miles, and its highest point is 604 feet. It has no permanent population at the 2000 census. Wikipedia

The 84 hour NOAA Hysplit Trajectory showed Pico Balloon K9YO making the 7th circumnavigation on February 13th around 18:00 zulu, and then traveling north of the Day/Night Change Line.

Below is a screen shot from Ventusky from February 11th showing the possible wind speed and direction. The darker colors near Hagemeister are 63 mph, the green color further north is 24 mph.

Ventusky is interactive, you can change the date at the lower left hand corner and slide the time at the bottom. This is a nice site to play with, search a location, and change the parameters on the left. Clicking on any location on the map will open a screen with information for that location.

The links for Ventusky and NOAA are on our Locate and Track page for each balloon.

Two of the several programs we follow to track our balloons are NOAA and lu7aa.org NOAA showed us going in a general eastward direction, lu7aa showed us going northeast. Pico Balloon K9YO on lu7aa

lu7aa shows a projected location using Ventusky. Projection seen below for February 15th 2023, 03:58 zulu, Grid DQ14er, 4 days and 3 hours from our last official report.

For now we are calling Pico Balloon K9YO Missing in Action.

Pico Balloon KD9UQB was launched from Neumayer Station III in Antarctica on November 24th 2022, completing the 7th Circumnavigation, on February 14th 2023 at 18:12 zulu at Grid ID52vd.

Pico Balloon KD9UQB last reported flying at an altitude of 11,560 meters, 37,928 feet, completing the 7th time around the world in 82 days and 12 hours of flight.

The 84 hour NOAA Hysplit Model shows Pico Balloon KD9UQB heading north also by Ventusky for February 14th 18:00 zulu

We update the NOAA Hysplit Model and Ventusky every day our balloons report. The WSPR Spot Database is updated automatically everytime our balloons receive a report.

Though you may not be seeing regular posts here, we update our Locate and Track page daily when our balloons are reporting. The WSPR Spot Database is updated automatically everytime our balloons receive a report. Pico Balloon K9YO and Pico Balloon KD9UQB have their own WSPR Spot Database link on our site and the easiest way to see when our balloons report. The WSPR Spot Database shows the reporting station and the distance to our balloon in Km and miles.

Thank you for following the NIBBB. 73, Cary KD9ITO

January 16th 2023, KD9UQB, 4th Circumnavigation

/ Cary Willis, KD9ITO / 1 Comment

Pico Balloon KD9UQB was launched from Neumayer Station III, Grid IB59UI, Antarctica, on November 24th 2022. After 53 days and 1 hour of flight, Pico Balloon KD9UQB made its 4th Circumnavigation around the world.

Pico Balloon KD9UQB had reached Grid ID65LE at 07:32 UTC flying at an altitude of 10,840 meters, 35,566 feet, completing the 4th Circumnavigation around the world.

With several more hours of sunlight and flying north over warmer temperatures. Pico Balloon KD9UQB has been reaching altitudes of 11,100 meters.

The 84 hour NOAA Hysplit Trajectory model and Ventusky shows Pico Balloon KD9UQB traveling in a faster Jetstream arriving south of New Zealand around January 20th 2023.

NOAA Hysplit Model for 84 hours
“Best Guess” Pico Balloon KD9UQB around January 20th 2023, Grid RC54HJ

Our Locate and Track page has been updated for Pico Balloon KD9UQB showing the 84 hour NOAA Trajectory, Ventusky for windspeed and direction, and APRS for current location on the world map. The WSPR Spot Database updates automatically. We are seeing Radio Station KFS reporting at 09:22 UTC from Half Moon Bay, south of San Francisco California, 15,137 Km or 9,406 miles from our balloon.

Also on our Locate and Track page is the Sondehub link showing all Pico Balloons in flight around the world. Below is from Sondehub showing the past 3 day path and forward projected path based on different altitudes.

Sondehub Float showing past 3 day path and forward projection of Pico Balloon KD9UQB

Congratulations to the NIBBB Team, and many thanks to our followers.

73, Cary KD9ITO

December 16th 2022, K9YO and KD9UQB

/ Cary Willis, KD9ITO / Leave a comment

Pico Balloon K9YO woke on December 14th over Russia and then went north into darkness and silent.

Pico Balloon KD9UQB launched from Neumayer Station III, Antarctica is reporting on December 17th at Grid LC99EH over the Southern Ocean at 01:32 UTC with plenty of sunlight ahead. KD9UQB was within the Day/Night Change Line and getting some sleep.

The 84 hour NOAA Hysplit model shows the general direction will be east and then south for longer reporting times. The Sondehub Float below shows a continued direction east.

Pico Balloon KD9UQB is flying at an altitude of 10,540 meters 34,571 feet

KD9UQB at Grid LC99EH altitude 34,571 feet

Our Best Guess for KD9UQB on December 20th 2022 based on the 84 hour NOAA Hysplit Model

Best Guess December 20th Grid NB08MA 12:00 UTC

The Sondehub link from our Locate and Track page under Pico Balloon KD9UQB, the Float track longer than 84 hours.

At the top of our Locate and Track page, the Sondehub link is currently showing 41 Pico Balloons in flight around the world.

Our Locate and Track page has been updated for Pico Balloon KD9UQB. Information of this flight has been moved to the top of the Locate and Track page including a picture of the solar panel package Jim, KD9UQB built for this launch.

The Ventusky link shows KD9UQB in a slow moving system for the next few days. The WSPR Spot Database updates automatically showing the reporting station and their distance to the balloon.

Station VE6JY from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada was received at 01:32 UTC, 19,112 Km, 11,876 miles away.

Please bookmark our Locate and Track page for continued updates between posts.

73, Cary KD9ITO

October 29th 2022, K9YO and AA6DY

/ Cary Willis, KD9ITO / 1 Comment

AA6DY was able to reset and is tracking well

K9YO woke at 10:40 UTC at Grid JO27SK over the North Sea near Norway and Denmark, flying at an altititude of 12,720 meters, 41,722 feet. The general direction of K9YO will be east over China in 84 hours by November 2nd.

K9YO at Grid JO27SK, 10:40 UTC, Altitude 41,918 feet

AA6DY woke at 9:14 UTC at Grid HL90ii, just west of Nouachott, West African Atlantic Coast, flying at an altitude of 14,360 meters, 47,101 feet. The general direction of AA6DY is east towards Sudan in 84 hours on November 2nd.

AA6DY at Grid HL90ii, 9:14 UTC, Altitude 47,101 feet

Our Locate and Track page has been updated for APRS Tracking, NOAA Hysplit model for 84 hours, Ventusky, and Sondehub for tracking Pico Balloons around the world. We also have a WSPR Spot Database for our balloons which is updated automatically. The WSPR Spot Database is our 1st packet reporting system, and an easy way to track our balloons by time reported, the reporting station, a 4 Grid Maidenhead, altitude and distance from balloon to the reporting station.

In our 1st packet we receive the larger of the two altitudes received in dBm. AA6DY has consistently reported 47 dBm power rating which gives us a 14,000 meter altitude. K9YO has consistenly given us a 40 dBm power rating which us 12,000 meters.

The 2nd packet would give us a 6 Grid Maidenhead, and finer altitude in 60 meter increments starting at 3 dBm and rising in 4 and 3 blocks. 3, 7, 10, 13, 17, 20, 23, 27, 30, 33, 37, 40, 43, 47, 50, 53, 57 and 60.

These same blocks when received in the 1st packet provide increments of 1,000 meters per block. 40 is 12,000 meters and 47 is 14,000 meters.

Today, AA6DY reported 47dBm for the 1st packet and 20dBm for the 2nd packet, giving us an altitude of 14,360 meters.

K9YO reported 40dBM for the 1st packet and 40dBm for the 2nd packet, giving us an altitude of 12,720 meters.

If you visit APRS or Sondehub you may only see the altitude from the 1st or 2nd packets. If you do happen to see an altitude of 720 meters, you would know that we’re not on the way down. (What a relief)

AA6DY is now reporting for 56 days of flight, and K9YO is reporting for 18 days and 18 hours of flight.

The Header on our Web pages are showing part of the Pico Balloons around the world, also shown below. This map is provided by Sondehub.