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Re: Like to track balloons? How about tracking radiosondes!
Hank Riley
What a kick this is. There are many newer (presumably better) versions of this original Yagi Cad 4.1 program from the author Paul of Australia. They're ALL there including the very first version, 4.2, done in Quick Basic. Read the history to find out how the name 4.1 came about (it wasn't from Paul!) and other interesting tidbits, especially to the software writers on the GPSL list. _______________________________________________________________
On Wednesday, November 24, 2021, 08:03:51 PM EST, Barry L. Lankford wrote:
There's still a current website that has what appears to be the original WB2HOL design, although I think some of the links may be dead, particularly the onesfor the YAGI-CAD41 program: > http://theleggios.net/wb2hol/projects/rdf/tape_bm.htm I was able to find the Zip file for Yagi-Cad on one of my old hard drives, but I recall that the program had some issues even then with the then-current version of MS-DOS (Yes, that's right, YagiCad runs in MS-DOS, NOT Windows!). I wouldn't even think about trying to run it with Win10's DOS window!
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Re: Like to track balloons? How about tracking radiosondes!
(See the last paragraph for my experience with obtaining Raspberry Pis recently)
As for chasing radiosondes: Been there, done that! And yeah, it was a lot of fun. I think I started chasing ozonesondes around 2006 with Bill Brown WB8ELK and Gary Dion N4TXI. University of Alabama-Huntsville's (UAH) Atmospheric Science department was launching Ozonesondes every Saturday at 1:00pm. Around that same time, I believe, Joe Leggio WB2HOL put up his steel tape measure & PVC pipe Yagi antenna design on a website. It was a simple 3-element Yagi for 2 meters that had a nice cardiod pattern with a deep & narrow notch on the backside, a broad forward beamwidth, and even some gain. Don't recall the year, but it was near June I think. I recall going to Sears (R.I.P.) and getting a nice discount on 1 inch tape measure refills because they were having a Father's Day sale! Nowadays, in the US, you could get 25 foot x 1 inch tapes for free from Harbor Freight! The narrow notch was good for refining the direction. There's still a current website that has what appears to be the original WB2HOL design, although I think some of the links may be dead, particularly the ones for the YAGI-CAD41 program: http://theleggios.net/wb2hol/projects/rdf/tape_bm.htmI was able to find the Zip file for Yagi-Cad on one of my old hard drives, but I recall that the program had some issues even then with the then-current version of MS-DOS (Yes, that's right, YagiCad runs in MS-DOS, NOT Windows!). I wouldn't even think about trying to run it with Win10's DOS window! I have an Icom IC-R3 that works well at 403 MHz that I used in the "twenty-aughts" (or is it: "Twenty-naughties") with its extensible whip antenna, so I used YagiCad to re-tune WB2HOL's 2 Meter Yagi design to 403 MHz. Worked very well to replace the R3's whip -- I was able to pick up signals and direction from at least a mile away with the 'sonde laying on the ground in a tightly packed old residential area of a nearby city. No one else was able to get a signal at all, IIRC. When the balloon was a ways into the sky, I could pick it up from many miles away. I also built a Tape Measure Yagi from WB2HOL's original 2 Meter dimensions. Never used it much, but it seemed to work well to add some extra range to 2M HT comms. For both antennas, I didn't much like Joe's mechanical design, with its big worm-drive hose clamps and everything on the outside of the pipe, so I came up with my own design as you can see in the attached photos. I modified a spade-type 7/8th inch wood bit by grinding off equal amounts from each edge so it'd drill a 0.807" hole (I think that was the dimension - it's the outside diameter of 1/2 inch pipe). I used the modified bit to remove the shoulders inside the tee and cross fittings for the elements, so the tape would lay all the way through the fitting without kinking. The elements were clamped in place with 3/4" plugs which were longitudinally slit (band-saw kerf) and filled with RTV. I actually used Google/Trimble's "SketchUp" 3D modelling software to draw detailed plans of how to make all the PVC parts and assemble them with the tape measure elements, unfortunately I can't find the files now. The hairpin match was also moved inside the PVC parts. I had no problems at all soldering to the steel tape, but I used a single-cut mill bastard file to file off the paint AND the dull coating on the steel, until I got bright, shiny metal. It would've been easy to use RTV instead of PVC cement to assemble the antennas and make them watertight, and probably capable to being disassembled for repair if necessary. As for the Raspberry Pis, I just ordered and received a 4GB R-Pi 4B, a 8GB R-Pi 4B, an R-Pi Zero 2 W and an R-Pi Pico (along with a lot of other goodies) from The US Raspberry Pi Shop (Pishop.us) almost a month ago. The parts were priced the same as the Foundation's advertised prices (but shipping was extra). I got everything I ordered, but there were a few things I wanted that were out of stock. Barry N4MSJ On 11/24/2021 2:00 PM, Mark Conner N9XTN wrote: GPSLers,
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Re: Like to track balloons? How about tracking radiosondes!
Christopher Rose
Vilros.com for Pis
----------------------------------------- From: "Mark Conner N9XTN"To: GPSL@groups.io Cc: Sent: Wednesday November 24 2021 4:41:46PM Subject: [GPSL] Like to track balloons? How about tracking radiosondes! GPSLers,
Mike KD2EAT and
I did a presentation a couple of years ago about tracking NWS
radiosondes. At that time, the "price of entry" was a little
steep both in terms of Raspberry Pi setup and building a 1680 MHz
helical antenna with an attached LNA.
Since then, more
and more of the NWS sites have migrated to 400 MHz for their
sondes. In addition, some sites use Graw and Vaisala sondes
which have meteorological data that is decodeable by the Pi
software. The Lockheed Martin LMS-6 series only has
lat/lon/alt data that is decodeable. The user community
reports very good 400 MHz range performance (200 mi/300 km or more
if sonde is above horizon) using simple antennas (1/4 ground plane)
and no preamp necessary most of the time.
If you are near
a site that launches 400 MHz sondes, you can get into the tracking
business with these items:
For 1680 MHz tracking, you'd need these items:
A note about
Raspberry Pi's - they seem to be in short supply at the
moment. Pricing on Amazon is kind of high right now IMO and
availability is not so great. There appear to be plenty of 4
Gb Pi 4's available, but they're expensive and 4 Gb RAM is overkill
for this application. Pi 3's are priced well above the normal
MSRP of ~$35, even allowing for typical kit parts. More
extensive searching might be worth some time.
The Linux "radiosonde_auto_rx" software
is now installable within a Docker container. You do not need
in-depth knowledge of Docker to install the software, and Docker
manages all the library dependencies for you. Software
updates are really simple and Mark VK5QI is very active in
maintaining and upgrading this software.
https://github.com/projecthorus/radiosonde_auto_rx/wiki
has all the info about how the receiver software works and how to
install it. The instructions are very clear and the user
community is pretty helpful. radiosonde_auto_rx@...
is the email list.
sondehub.org is a central location for
tracking radiosondes. You can see where current stations are
receiving data (green circles) and where sondes are launched
(gray). When there are sonde flights in progress, you will
also see their tracks on the site. Clicking on a circle
brings up info about the type, timing, and frequency of sondes
being launched. If the sonde site reports the sonde type is
RSxx, LMS-6 403, or DFM-XX, you can receive it on a 400 MHz
antenna. This site is global in nature, with quite a few
European, US, and Australian users but only a handful of Canadians
appearing.
My own station
is a 1680 MHz setup that has been in operation since April 2020 -
at first, just a portable setup but now a weatherproof one outside
on a mast. The local NWS office will migrate to 400 MHz next
spring, so I need to get busy and build an antenna for
it.
This might make
a good winter project if the weather is too unfavorable for doing
ARHAB launches and chases in your area. Sorry if this seems a
little random, but I'm hoping more people in our community will
give this a try.
73 de Mark
N9XTN
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Like to track balloons? How about tracking radiosondes!
GPSLers, Mike KD2EAT and I did a presentation a couple of years ago about tracking NWS radiosondes. At that time, the "price of entry" was a little steep both in terms of Raspberry Pi setup and building a 1680 MHz helical antenna with an attached LNA. Since then, more and more of the NWS sites have migrated to 400 MHz for their sondes. In addition, some sites use Graw and Vaisala sondes which have meteorological data that is decodeable by the Pi software. The Lockheed Martin LMS-6 series only has lat/lon/alt data that is decodeable. The user community reports very good 400 MHz range performance (200 mi/300 km or more if sonde is above horizon) using simple antennas (1/4 ground plane) and no preamp necessary most of the time. If you are near a site that launches 400 MHz sondes, you can get into the tracking business with these items:
For 1680 MHz tracking, you'd need these items:
A note about Raspberry Pi's - they seem to be in short supply at the moment. Pricing on Amazon is kind of high right now IMO and availability is not so great. There appear to be plenty of 4 Gb Pi 4's available, but they're expensive and 4 Gb RAM is overkill for this application. Pi 3's are priced well above the normal MSRP of ~$35, even allowing for typical kit parts. More extensive searching might be worth some time. The Linux "radiosonde_auto_rx" software is now installable within a Docker container. You do not need in-depth knowledge of Docker to install the software, and Docker manages all the library dependencies for you. Software updates are really simple and Mark VK5QI is very active in maintaining and upgrading this software. https://github.com/projecthorus/radiosonde_auto_rx/wiki has all the info about how the receiver software works and how to install it. The instructions are very clear and the user community is pretty helpful. radiosonde_auto_rx@... is the email list. sondehub.org is a central location for tracking radiosondes. You can see where current stations are receiving data (green circles) and where sondes are launched (gray). When there are sonde flights in progress, you will also see their tracks on the site. Clicking on a circle brings up info about the type, timing, and frequency of sondes being launched. If the sonde site reports the sonde type is RSxx, LMS-6 403, or DFM-XX, you can receive it on a 400 MHz antenna. This site is global in nature, with quite a few European, US, and Australian users but only a handful of Canadians appearing. My own station is a 1680 MHz setup that has been in operation since April 2020 - at first, just a portable setup but now a weatherproof one outside on a mast. The local NWS office will migrate to 400 MHz next spring, so I need to get busy and build an antenna for it. This might make a good winter project if the weather is too unfavorable for doing ARHAB launches and chases in your area. Sorry if this seems a little random, but I'm hoping more people in our community will give this a try. 73 de Mark N9XTN
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Re: Does anyone recognize these HAB's?
Hank Riley
This is what Luis is referring to:  ___________________________________________________________________
On Monday, November 22, 2021, 10:07:01 PM EST, Luis Eduardo Pacheco <stratocat.iespana.es@...> wrote:
AFAIK it was the balloon that appeared near Sendai, Japan on June 2020. Still a mystery for me who and where launched it.
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Re: Does anyone recognize these HAB's?
Luis Eduardo Pacheco
AFAIK it was the balloon that appeared near Sendai, Japan on June 2020. Still a mistery for me who and where launched it. The only thing I remember is that it was not so high in the sky... If you find some data on it please let us know. Cheers 
Luis E.Pacheco
/ Editor
StratoCat - History and present of the use of stratospheric balloons in the fields of science, military and aerospace
El lun, 22 nov 2021 a las 23:40, Zack Clobes W0ZC (<zclobes@...>) escribió:
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Does anyone recognize these HAB's?
Zack Clobes W0ZC
I don't really have much background information to work with. I was asked if I could provide any information about these photos.  Join us on Facebook for the latest information: Project: Traveler is a research project of Custom Digital Services, LLC.
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Re: Circles in APRS.FI
Hank Riley
Joe, try to remember that Google is your friend, and he/she/it/them is smarter than ever. __________________________________________________________
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Re: Circles in APRS.FI
Mustafa Tan
Hi Joe, They are dead reckoning and radio horizon circles: http://blog.aprs.fi/2012/03/dead-reckoning-and-horizont-circles.html TA2MUN
--
Mustafa Tan https://picoballoon.ist
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Circles in APRS.FI
Joe WB9SBD
This has been soooo long,
I forgot what the two circles mean on the APRS.FI Page? Joe WB9SBD
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Re: APRS
Joe WB9SBD
Direwolf was confusing enough.
toggle quoted messageShow quoted text
But this YAAC, is even moreso. Joe WB9SBD
On 11/17/2021 7:56 PM, Keith Kaiser,
WA0̷TJT wrote:
Why don’t you just use YAAC? Add in Direwolf if need be.
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Re: APRS
Keith Kaiser, WA0̷TJT
Why don’t you just use YAAC? Add in Direwolf if need be.
toggle quoted messageShow quoted text
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APRS
Joe WB9SBD
I am trying to get an APRS monitor system working. It is one that
many recommend and says works great.
It does not need a TNC, Anyone want to try to see if this works? Install them, and make them work? try to make these two work together? This is first to replace the TNC, http://uz7.ho.ua/packetradio.htm Then this would be the mapping program to work with. https://www.pinpointaprs.com/ Anyone? I am close, I have the soundcard TNC thing working just fine, decodes the packets great. I also have the mapping program also working great. It even says it is "Connected to the TNC" BUT,, the data being displayed by the soundmodem/TNC thing it's data is not getting plotted in the Map. o the two programs are working, and the map sees the TNC, but they are not sharing the map data. as seen here  I need someone better than I, to get these to work together, and then help me make my setup here do it too. Joe WB9SBD
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Re: Coating Compounds for EMI/RFI Shielding
Joe WB9SBD
I us a similar one back in the
80's early 90's
toggle quoted messageShow quoted text
it was not these people. But it was a copper based type. Joe WB9SBD
On 11/10/2021 3:09 PM, David Fields via
groups.io wrote:
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Re: Coating Compounds for EMI/RFI Shielding
Hi Joe, What recipe did you use? And do you think that Al powder (instead of silver) would work well? Thx, David N4HBO
On Nov 10, 2021, at 10:26, Joe WB9SBD <nss@...> wrote:
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Coating Compounds for EMI/RFI Shielding
Joe WB9SBD
I used similar stuff like this in
the past to make light weight yet shielded payload like the
repeaters and such.
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Service arrangements for Brian Tanner
Bill Brown
Brian Tanner of Spaceport Indiana passed away on Oct. 24th after 7 weeks on a ventilator with COVID. Services will be Sunday November 7th with visitation starting at 2:30 pm and services at 3:30 pm at Flora First Christian Church, 8 East South St, Flora, Indiana. For those coming earlier we will be meeting at Cosmos Coffee in Flora which is run by Brian and Lori.
I plan to be there and will be driving up from Alabama.
- Bill WB8ELK
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Brian Tanner RIP
K. Mark Caviezel
He was a fine man, chipper and upbeat. Sad to see him pass away so young. - Mark
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Re: Brian Tanner of Spaceport Indiana has passed away
L. Paul Verhage KD4STH
I am very sorry for your loss. I wish I had a chance to meet Brian in person.
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Re: Brian Tanner of Spaceport Indiana has passed away
Hank Riley
For some reason couldn't get both of these links to go in one post (the second link would replace the first and continue ad infinitum).
Brian Tanner obituary
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