Sonde Radiosonde Decoder (PC & Mac)

[iMONITOR]

Sonde Radiosonde Decoder (PC & Mac) Free to try
Decode radio transmissions from radiosondes (weather balloons)

Sonde Radiosonde Decoder

Windows and Macintosh app to generate DTMF CCIR1 CCIR7 PCCIR EIA EEA CCITT EURO NATEL VDEW MODAT ZVEI1 ZVEI2 ZVEI3 PZVEI DZVEI PDZVEI ICAO CTCSS CODAN SelCall Tones

www.blackcatsystems.com

 

[dlwtrunked]

Only works with some of the ones (LMS-6) currently used in the U.S. and the U.S, NWS is moving away from those.
For others used in the U.S. (RS41, DFM09, and DFM17), recommend the following (one really needs both)

SondeMonitor from COAA

 

[Ubbe]

The free RS41Tracker works great. RS41 RadioSonde Tracking Software (rtl-sdr.com)

/Ubbe

 

[iMONITOR]

Cool stuff! I never knew any of this software ever existed.

 

[ScannerSK]

What frequencies do these operate on? Just curious...

 

[dlwtrunked]

In U.S.
400-406 MHz (channels depend on the models) and
1676-1682 MHz, being phased out in U.S. to all 403 (400-406 MHz)

 

[dlwtrunked]

The free RS41Tracker works great. RS41 RadioSonde Tracking Software (rtl-sdr.com)

/Ubbe

The regular twice daily (around 0000 UTC and 1200 UTC) launches in my are LMS6 from two sites and DFM17 form one site (that switched recently from LMS6). Only experiment activities on occasion in my area seem to be RS41--in the U.S. relatively few RS41 launches in comparison . I am expecting more LMS6's to be replaced by DFM17. I have recovered LMS6 and LFM17 but had to buy an RS41 off eBay to actually get my hands on one of them.

 

[dlwtrunked]

The regular twice daily (around 0000 UTC and 1200 UTC) launches in my are LMS6 from two sites and DFM17 form one site (that switched recently from LMS6). Only experiment activities on occasion in my area seem to be RS41--in the U.S. relatively few RS41 launches in comparison . I am expecting more LMS6's to be replaced by DFM17. I have recovered LMS6 and LFM17 but had to buy an RS41 off eBay to actually get my hands on one of them.

In the above, "LFM17" should have been "DFM17"

 

[Ubbe]

The regular twice daily (around 0000 UTC and 1200 UTC) launches

They seem to release a lot more balloons in me area at other times of the day. I heard two today between 9 and 12 UTC and often some in the evening as well. They are short lived. I think it's just 1-2 hours before they burst at high altitudes at about 20.000 meters, 60.000ft as they climb at a 3-5m/s rate and then fall almost at a 50m/s speed, 100mph. When the conditions are right it's possible to monitor balloons over other countries.

/Ubbe

 

[dlwtrunked]

They seem to release a lot more balloons in me area at other times of the day. I heard two today between 9 and 12 UTC and often some in the evening as well. They are short lived. I think it's just 1-2 hours before they burst at high altitudes at about 20.000 meters, 60.000ft as they climb at a 3-5m/s rate and then fall almost at a 50m/s speed, 100mph. When the conditions are right it's possible to monitor balloons over other countries.
/Ubbe

They are much slower near the ground when the parachute deploys--not fast at all and often get stuck in a tree. Also, I have tracked many (hundreds) balloons here and all I have seen got to about 35,000 m (over 100,000 ft) . We must have better balloons here.

 

[Ubbe]

all I have seen got to about 35,000 m (over 100,000 ft) . We must have better balloons here.

It could be that they are deployed for different purposes. The cheaper rubber they use here, and they have no parachutes and the RS41 weigh only 100 grams, are probably sufficient to do a 20.000 meter level to predict the weather at ground level. Going higher you will probably do other types of additional measurements above the troposphere into the stratosphere.

/Ubbe

 

[dlwtrunked]

It could be that they are deployed for different purposes. The cheaper rubber they use here, and they have no parachutes and the RS41 weigh only 100 grams, are probably sufficient to do a 20.000 meter level to predict the weather at ground level. Going higher you will probably do other types of additional measurements above the troposphere into the stratosphere.

/Ubbe

Are yours actually rubber or are they latex like ours? Attached is a DFM-17 photo where one can see what is left of the exploded balloon, the parachute, the radiosonde, and string un-winder user a launch.

 

[N7ZDX]

Just saw this thread. I've been tracking and recovering the WX balloons out of Salt Lake City, Utah, Elko, Nevada, and Boise, Idaho for the past few years as a fun and challenging hobby and to get me out of the house. I was starting to receive a lot of inquires on my personal Facebook page about it so I started a Facebook group titled No Weather Balloon Left Behind - North America Radiosonde Chase Group. The purpose of the group is to share experiences and offer information on how and where to track the balloons. Anyone interested is welcome.

Also, I've been using Sonde for decoding LMS6 (403 & 1680) and I find it more reliable for decoding than SondeMonitor. Unfortunately the developer isn't interested in adding an NEMA GPS output for mapping, and last I checked, DFM-17 isn't an option. Still hoping he adds it.

Auto_RX is a feature-rich system with live prediction of landing area based on realtime balloon trajectory and will decode DFM-17, but requires a Raspberry Pi and knowledge of Linux. I'm getting ready to setup an Auto_RX station in Southwest Idaho so we'll see how that that goes. Cheers everyone.

 

[Ubbe]

Are yours actually rubber or are they latex like ours?

It's probably rubber to keep them at lower altitudes. I tracked one yesterday at 10UTC that burst at 16000 meters. I've only found one balloon myself when I was a kid and it was the same rubber as in party balloons and I've seen pictures of crashed balloons of today and it seems to be the same rubber and no parachutes but often has a radar reflector.

/Ubbe

 

[dlwtrunked]

It's probably rubber to keep them at lower altitudes. I tracked one yesterday at 10UTC that burst at 16000 meters. I've only found one balloon myself when I was a kid and it was the same rubber as in party balloons and I've seen pictures of crashed balloons of today and it seems to be the same rubber and no parachutes but often has a radar reflector.

/Ubbe

All latex and no radar reflectors but with parachutes and small parts of the latex balloon on the 10 that I have I have recovered.

 

[shajoe44]

How can you find out what States and Cities they are launched from? I live on the SC-GA border near Augusta. I would love to tinker with this. I already have 2 airspy dongles I use for DSDPlus activities. Thanks

 

[dlwtrunked]

How can you find out what States and Cities they are launched from? I live on the SC-GA border near Augusta. I would love to tinker with this. I already have 2 airspy dongles I use for DSDPlus activities. Thanks

In your case, the nearest launches are from Altlanta, Charleston, and Jacksonville. My (possibly outdated) information says the first two are 1680 MHz LMS6 (actual frequency can be 1676, 1678, 1680, or 1682 MHz), the recent launch from Charleston was on 1676 MHz, reperted as 1676.06 MHz, while Jacksonville is an RS92-NGP using same frequencies so your AirSpy will not do. Note where there are more airports, there will be more launch sites. I do not know which channels they are using as no one down there seems to watch. Note I have been told many site will switch to "403" (actually channels in the 400-406 MHz range) MHz in the future. I see no "403" MHz ones anywhere near you but there may be university research ones on ocassion. Worldwide, standard observation times (for then non-research ones) are 0000 and 1200 GMT. In my case, I see launches from 3 NWS offices but also from 2 universities at times (all mine are "403" MHz) and I use an AirSpy for them. I have 10 of them sitting on the floor in this room (7 from NWS and 3 from a university) but a good number end up "permanently" stuck in high trees in this part of the country. The research ones from universities are hard to know when/where and even when I contacted one to inquire after recovering one, their office said "must be one of our grad students but do not know who".
Usually you will see them move easterly but they go about 3 times as high as a commercial jet and reception of up to 100 miles is often possible.
See

SondeHub Tracker

Live tracking of radiosonde flights. Data via SondeHub v2. Includes weather overlay, predictions, and access to historic radiosonde flights on sondehub.

sondehub.org

 

[shajoe44]

Thanks for the information

 

[littona]

So what do you do with them after you recover them??

 

[dlwtrunked]

So what do you do with them after you recover them??

For ones for test purposes, lower the power and replace the antenna with a dummy load. For some, I keep one intact and one opened up as my own little "museum" of each model. I go after them as mostly an exercise of skills and physical exercise (my area has a lot of woods, hills, and fields). Also an exercise in diplomacy of speaking to the land owner. I know some are working on how to turn some models into APRS weather but have not seen any success. When retired, one has time to do such things.