On Sunday afternoon (7/23/06) TABEL-4 launched during a brief lull in some 10 knot gusts. Launch was at 1422 and landed at 1644.
Participants for this Launch were:
Terry Trapp, KE4PJW
Jenna Trapp, KG4QQK
Tilghman Lesher,KI4KUA
Bruce Martin, KQ4TV
Susan Martin
Thanks!
Payloads (Including parachute)
Parachute 0lb 14oz
Beacon 0lb 4oz
Tracker 1 1lb 13oz
Experimental Payload 4lb 5oz
Total Payload 7 4
Filling Assembly 1lb 10oz
Desired Free Lift 2lbs 8oz
Scale during inflation should display 8lbs 2oz
It was very difficult to measure the lift as the surface gusts where pretty stout.
It was all we could do to hang on to the balloon and filler assembly.
Looks like we had 2.5 lbs of free lift as desired.
Launch was at 1422 20070723, @
Decimal Degrees: 36.23315N 86.47052W
Degrees/Decimal Minutes: 36 13.989N 086 28.231W
Degrees/Minutes/Dec. Seconds: 36 13 59.3N 086 28 13.9W
Universal Transverse Mercator: 16S 0547580 4009939
Military Grid Reference System: 16S EF 47580 09938
Maidenhead Grid Locator: EM66sf
Landing was at 1644 20070723, @
Decimal Degrees: 36.16350N 86.27883W
Degrees/Decimal Minutes: 36 09.810N 086 16.730W
Degrees/Minutes/Dec. Seconds: 36 09 48.6N 086 16 43.7W
Universal Transverse Mercator: 16S 0564863 4002324
Military Grid Reference System: 16S EF 64863 02323
Maidenhead Grid Locator: EM66ud
Landing was in a 60ft tree. Once we had the recovery tools it only took us about 30 minutes to get it out of the tree and we wre on our way home in about an hour. The in-flight video captured the landing in the tree.
TABEL-4:
For the record:
GROUP: Tennessee Balloon Group, NT4BG
CONTACT: Bruce Martin, KQ4TV
Program WEB PAGE URL: http://www.groovin.net/ke4pjw/balloon/
FLIGHT ID: TABEL-4
DATE and TIME of release: 2007-07-23 1422
ENVELOPE model: Kaymont KCI 1500
PAYLOAD WEIGHT and CAPABILITIES:
14 oz.
48" Parachute
4oz.
50mW 2m (146.565MHz) FM/morse code ID Beacon
1lb 13oz.
Main Tracker: 12v battery pack, OT1x, & Maxon DM-0515 in the
bottom with the Garmin 18 LVC wedged into the top of the container
with dipole antenna.
4lbs 5oz
Main Payload: 2-9v & 2-6v battery packs, HTX-200, OT1v4,
Holux GR-213 GPS, Basic Stamp flight computer,
Alinco DJ-41 for command reception and confirmation,
Sony DSC-P50 2.1 megapixel digital camera pointing down and recording .mpg video,
Olympus D-510 2.1 megapixel digital camera pointing out the side recording still pictures every 45seconds.
FREE LIFT: estimated at 2.5 lbs
ASCENT RATE: 1100ft./min.
MAXIMUM ALTITUDE ASL: 95,587ft.
GROUND TRACK DISTANCE: 11.7 miles
PREDICTED LANDING to ACTUAL LANDING DISTANCE: 7.1 miles
As a result of three flights we feel that the Holux GPS units are unsuitable for high altitude ballooning.
TABEL-2 & TABEL-3 used a Holux GM-210. While reports to about 77,000 feet were received the there were none higher and the horizontal precision was way off.
TABEL-4 used a Holux GR-213. Similar results were obseved as seen in the GM-210 except that above about 70,000 ft the GPS lost track.
The Holux GM-210 uses a SiRF II chipset and the Holux GR-213 uses the SiRF III chipset.