Help hearing RTTY 45 balloon

[n2nxz]

I was not sure where to post this,but did not want to only ask amateur radio operators as there are talented folks who enjoy hunting signals most hams can not or willing to do.
We sent a custom designed balloon into the sky with intentions of covering very long distance,the jet stream was the goal.The payload has a few hundred milliwatt RTTY transmitter on-board that operates continuously.
The frequency is 10.135 mhz USB and mode RTTY 45 standard amateur radio.
It was heard from launch site just over 2 hours.Considering we had rare Westerly winds here in WNY,we had hoped it would reach maximum altitude and then grab the Easterly wind stream.
Launch was 9am EST,last heard 11am EST.We regained the signal using a Michigan web tuner at 12:12 pm EST and lasted until 1:38 pm EST.
We are sure it was line of site reception and according to winds at low altitudes,it made sense to hear it there.But it seemed to fade away and that was the last we heard.Wind patterns showed it may have went North into Canada.By then it would have been night time and by now we think it may have reached the Easterly wind flow and took it towards the Atlantic ocean.
That is about all the info for now and hope the talented people in this group can check now and then for the signal.If it is heard,email instructions are in the data string.The transmitter should run for weeks even if in the water.
There is another RTTY signal heard mostly in Europe or Japan on the same frequency,but can not be decoded as of yet.
Thanks for the help in advance.
Jim,N2NXZ

 

[krokus]

This is why APRS tracking is used. Stations repeat the signal, and you can track it on the web.

Sent via Tapatalk

 

[n2nxz]

Too easy and no fun.Besides,how do you get APRS over the Atlantic or Pacific oceans?Or in the Deep Canadian North?We use APRS when we can,this was an experiment I thought some may enjoy looking for.

 

[robertmac]

I'm really out of my knowledge base here but isn't here APRS being done on that frequency? A local ham is beconing on that frequency which is being picked up by stations thousands of miles away. If the balloon was high enought, would it not reach some of these listening stations on 10.135?

 

[robertmac]

I am no expert at all. Some are using PSK63 on 10.147 600 MHz USB for APRS tracking on HF. Stations pick up signals long way away. Not sure how or if this is feasible with a balloon. However, there are balloons from England circling the world being picked up by various APRS repeaters world wide. I believe a problem is that the VHF/UHF frequency automatically shifts depending on country. May not be of interest to local people, but it is very interesting to look and see all the APRS balloons and aircraft on a map. Followed a Google Balloon locally while it was caught up in the jet stream and moving around.

 

[n2nxz]

I am no expert at all. Some are using PSK63 on 10.147 600 MHz USB for APRS tracking on HF. Stations pick up signals long way away. Not sure how or if this is feasible with a balloon. However, there are balloons from England circling the world being picked up by various APRS repeaters world wide. I believe a problem is that the VHF/UHF frequency automatically shifts depending on country. May not be of interest to local people, but it is very interesting to look and see all the APRS balloons and aircraft on a map. Followed a Google Balloon locally while it was caught up in the jet stream and moving around.

Any band or mode can be used for ballooning experiments.Depends on what the person doing it can afford basically.Since my balloons are custom made and designed,it saves me from buying latex ready to fly balloons which are ridiculous in cost as is the helium to go in them.APRS tracking are also custom made devices but not everyone has the ability to build these.The off the shelf APRS trackers are also ridiculous in regard to cost.And not to mention,not made to switch frequency when over particular regions around the globe.The sky is the limit (no pun) in what someone can send into the atmosphere.I chose the cheapest way and felt others will find an interest and tune in.If anything is learned,is the fact that most hams have no interest.I had one person who actually tried to listen for it.