[InHam] Balloon APRS Beacon

[Bob Burns W9RXR]

Quoting Stephen Parker <radiowr9a at gmail.com>:

> Observing good
> operating practices like this keeps the APRS network functioning
> properly and allows everyone to track the balloons with ease.

Thanks for bringing this up, Stephen.

I think one of the reasons that some amateur radio ballonists use long  
paths and fast beacon rates is that they are concerned about tracking  
the balloon during the last few moments of descent. That's where using  
available technology can help solve the problem. There are APRS  
trackers available that can switch "profiles" based on altitude. With  
these trackers, a slow beacon rate could be used, let's say above  
2,500 feet, but the tracker will automatically switch to a faster rate  
below that altitude. As for the path, while the folks watching from  
home want to see the balloon's path on aprs.fi, the real value of  
using APRS in a balloon is to assist the chase and recovery crew who,  
as you say, should be within one or two hop range of the balloon anyway.

We all have to remember that there is much more to APRS than just  
drawing a smooth track on a map. And we all have to remember that the  
APRS digipeater and I-gate network on 144.390 MHz is shared resource.

Bob...