BARF-1
(Blossomland Atmospheric Research Flight-1)
Launched in memory of our friend, Larry, KE4PM (sk). He pushed us to launch our first balloon; and he was the driving force behind BARF-1. Larry was passionate about amateur radio, and always had fun.
Launch Date: October
17, 2009
APRS--144.390 MHz
Voice Beacon (300 mW) 146.565 MHz
Time: 8:32 am to 10:19 am (107 mins)
Average Ascent 1050.7 ft/min
Average Descent 2220.0 ft/min
Maximum altitude: 80, 709 ft
Final landing location 41° 48.224' 85° 35.877'
we landed 5.8195 statute miles from the predicted landing location
BARF-1 photos from the ground
BARF-1 photos from the balloon
Here is the actual path of the balloon's trip on Saturday morning. The 300 mW beacon was copied the entire chase; and there are even reports of the beacon being heard in Toledo, Ohio. Below the actual path is a copy of the projection for an 80,000 ft burst--very close to the actually flight. In fact, the burst occurred right where we projected. The payload came down faster than anticipated; therefore it landed further north than predicted. All in all, it was a great day!
80,000 ft burst projection
2008 Balloon photos
Amateur Radio High Altitude Ballooning
Flight Path Prediction Website
Track the W8MAI-11 balloon on-line