Lost Weather Balloon!

GeForce · 25 Apr 2009 at 23:13

Evening guys

£50 reward

We launched a weather balloon today with an electronic radio communications payload on board. Unfortunately we lost it somewhere around the Lincoln area.

It could be as far north as S****horpe (scun-thorpe - word filter!), as far south as Peterborough, or could be somewhere around Nottingham.

If any of you have PMR446 walkie-talkies (8 channels), could you please spare a couple of minutes and help us!

Tune it to channel 5.
Stand at an open window as high as possible.
Listen for modem-type noises. They will be about 2 seconds in length and once per minute.

Even if you don't hear anything please post back, so we know where it isn't.

Would be extremely grateful if a few people around there could do this!

Thanks a lot,
Jon

Combat squirrel · 25 Apr 2009 at 23:16

Good luck with the search, the word filter thing is making me laugh something silly however,lol.

deuse · 25 Apr 2009 at 23:17

I hope you find it

NightSt@lk3r · 25 Apr 2009 at 23:22

I just saw what looked like a UFO could that be it?

mbrej · 25 Apr 2009 at 23:27

The last pressure reading was 500mb ish which gives 15000ft (5000m). Running a prediction gives a landing site of 10km from the last known location, using a fall rate of 5m/s (i think is right jon please confirm). On the map the arrow shows the last known location and where it is likely to land

Matt

GeForce · 25 Apr 2009 at 23:30

Cheers guys.

Yes Matt that prediction is correct.

I forgot to mention the £50 reward if you find it, you lot need an incentive!

I estimate we've only got a couple of days before the payload stops transmitting, so if people can just spare 5 minutes ASAP that'd be great

NightSt@lk3r · 25 Apr 2009 at 23:31

Just out of curiosity how did you manage to lose it? isn't it supposed to be tethered to the ground?

Ice Globe · 25 Apr 2009 at 23:32

I was always under the impression that weather balloons were expendable. Is this design different or am I wrong?

GeForce · 25 Apr 2009 at 23:32

It's a free balloon - ie. non-tethered. We confirmed an altitude of 72,000ft, but we think it probably got to around 90,000ft.

Ice Globe said:
I was always under the impression that weather balloons were expendable. Is this design different or am I wrong?

This one isn't - but you are correct, some designs are indeed expendable.

Jon

Mik3 · 25 Apr 2009 at 23:33

Is this a college project? Can you you share the schematics? Wouldn't mind having a go at this.

Burnsy2023 · 25 Apr 2009 at 23:36

Ice Globe said:
I was always under the impression that weather balloons were expendable. Is this design different or am I wrong?

The balloon is expendable, the payload isn't

Le_Petit_Lapin · 25 Apr 2009 at 23:37

Ice Globe said:
I was always under the impression that weather balloons were expendable. Is this design different or am I wrong?

hes actually lost his ufo.

mbrej · 25 Apr 2009 at 23:42

Mik3 said:
Is this a college project? Can you you share the schematics? Wouldn't mind having a go at this.

We do intend do to a full technical writeup in the end. In brief, the payload is controlled by a single board linux computer, which is attached to a GPS, radio modem and some custom microprocessor (PIC) based electronics which connects to sensors, a camera, and a few other things. The whole project could be just done with a PIC, although this does impose some limitations. (and yes a school project)

Matt

Andr3w · 25 Apr 2009 at 23:43

Ohhh i drive along the a17 quite oftern (to the north west of the cirle) if i see it i will put it in the boot of my car, take it home and then let you know

JBuk · 25 Apr 2009 at 23:44

A weather balloon you say? I've heard that excuse somewhere before!

Gerard · 25 Apr 2009 at 23:45

/cue majick to tell us he seen a ufo while driving through Nottingham.

megatron · 25 Apr 2009 at 23:49

mbrej said:
We do intend do to a full technical writeup in the end. In brief, the payload is controlled by a single board linux computer, which is attached to a GPS, radio modem and some custom microprocessor (PIC) based electronics which connects to sensors, a camera, and a few other things. The whole project could be just done with a PIC, although this does impose some limitations. (and yes a school project)

Matt

That sounds very advanced stuff for a school project. Was it simple to interface the different parts?

jr1104 · 25 Apr 2009 at 23:51

Is there any chance it could be travelling at a tilt?

Le_Petit_Lapin · 25 Apr 2009 at 23:53

You have mentioned it to the police? Some chap might already have found it and handed it in to lost property or whatever.

Though chances are these days it'll be mistaken for a terrorist bomb and the police will do a controlled explosion on it.

mbrej · 25 Apr 2009 at 23:57

Andr3w said:
Ohhh i drive along the a17 quite oftern (to the north west of the cirle) if i see it i will put it in the boot of my car, take it home and then let you know

Thanks a lot! Much Appreciated

megatron said:
That sounds very advanced stuff for a school project. Was it simple to interface the different parts?

Everything is just RS232 really, (old but easy

) There are linux modules to interface with the GPS and the modem. To communicate with our PIC electronics we had to make a simple protocol for them to understand each other. To control the camera you just send different length pulses down the USB line (with custom firmware to control it).

For those who are interested here is the GPS track which we picked up, and displayed on google earth

The straight line is 90miles long and was covered in 38min (142mph

) The GPS does not give out any readings >70,000ft ish, so we didnt know where it was during this point

Matt