[NLRS] ND Baloon Launch - August 27th

[Glen Overby]

I got the "okay" from Paul to forward this intact:

> From: Paul Seifert <seifert at cord.edu>
> Subject: Re: [NLRS] ND Baloon Launch - August 27th
> At 09:53 AM 08/22/2005, you wrote:

> >W0ZQ wrote:
> > > Valley City, ND,  appears to be about 1/2 way between Jamestown and Fargo,
> > > ND.   The heart of downtown is EN06xw.    From Bloomington, MN,  the
> > > bearing would be 305 degrees at 271 miles.
> >
> > > My 2m yagi at 50' has its first peak at 2 degrees and its first null at 3.9
> > > degrees elevation.    Will the balloon rise high enough to be into my first
> > > null ?    On 432 its three times "worse" with the first main peak at around
> > > 0.7 degrees and the first null at 1.3 degrees .... again, will the balloon
> > > rise high enough at that distance to get into my first null ?
> >
> > > Do they have an expectation as to how high "high" is, what time we may
> > > expect to hear it at 271 miles distance (yes, I know there are LOTS of
> > > variables, but a prediction would be nice), and for how long ?
> >
> > > 73, Jon
> > > W0ZQ
> >
> >Kevin Rezac told me there was one recent launch that burst at 90,000'... and
> >landed just a few miles away!
> >
> >I don't know what the target ascent rate is.  I've copied Paul to see if he
> >knows.
> >
> >Glen, kc0iyt

> Glen,

> The flight Kevin is talking about was with the U of M balloon last 
> September, launched from 12 miles south of Valley City.  It burst around 
> 99,500' over Lisbon, ND (about 30 miles SSW of Valley City), and landed 23 
> miles from the launch site.  That was not typical as far as distance 
> downrange.  Usually they go 60-80 miles.

> All the predictions I did last week using NOAA soundings had the balloon 
> running northeast or ENE, usually landing somewhere between Fargo and Grand 
> Forks, ND, or just over the border in MN.  I'm assuming a 1500'/minute 
> rise, with burst right around 100K'.  Burst will be somewhere in the 
> neighborhood of 90K-100K.  One prediction put the system downrange 120 
> miles, landing near Red Lake, MN.  I won't launch if it want's to do 
> that.  Of course, last week's wind soundings may have little or no 
> resemblance to the winds this weekend... ;-)

> Our primary launch site is about 12 miles north of Valley City in the Lake 
> Ashtabula rec area, on the east side of the Bald Hill Dam.  I have lat/long 
> for it, but it's at home on my GPS right now.

> I think the APRS packets should be easily received in Minneapolis.  A few 
> weeks ago, we picked up packets from the Montana State balloon out of 
> Bozeman when it was 60,000' and above, from about 850 miles away.  There is 
> a gap in digipeater coverage between Jamestown and Bismarck, so it's quite 
> possible those came in directly (it's also possible that a digipeater 
> closer to Fargo picked them up and relayed them).  No telling on the 440 
> simplex repeater.

> ********************************************************************************************
> There are 10 kinds of people: those who understand binary, and those who don't.
> ********************************************************************************************

> Paul Seifert, Ph.D.
> Assistant Professor
> Physics Department
> Concordia College
> 901 8th St. S.
> Moorhead, MN 56562
> KC0NSR

> (218)299-4612 

If he gets 1500'/minute, based on Donn's rainscatter figure of 35,000', we
should hear it 23 min, 20 seconds after launch.  It should hit 100,000' at 66
minutes.

I haven't decided if I'll go up there (I've put on a lot of miles this summer,
so I'm not sure that I will) but I'll probably set up somewhere to try picking
up a signal.  I don't have a TNC so I'll just listen for squaks.

Glen