EOSS-361 Colorado Space Grant Consortium Summer Launch - Recap

One 3000g balloon was launched from the Limon Colorado Softball Complex on Saturday, August 3, 2024 and carried 11 Colorado Space Grant School's student-built payloads to approximately 99,000 feet. The balloon landed approximately one mile southeast of Rush, Colorado. This flight carried some payloads that were not flown on the canceled Spring flight in April.

EOSS member mileage reimbursement submissions at https://forms.gle/qJjy47iTHF5ywDPJ6 

Original Announcement: 

Edge of Space Sciences is hosting the 2024 Great Plains Superlaunch conference in Colorado Springs, Colorado on August 1-3, 2024. Details are at www.superlaunch.org. The conference will include a technical tour and social event on Thursday, a day of presentations on Friday, and a mass launch on Saturday. In previous years, up to 10 balloons have been simultaniously launched. This includes both latex balloons and pico balloons.

Current predictions for the Saturday flight path are shown at http://www.eoss.org/predict as flight EOSS-361.

  • 07-26-2024At the current time, the flight path prediction is to the southwest into mountainous and wooded terrain. It will be necessary to move the launch site from Meadow Lake airport to the softball fields in Limon Colorado. Maps to the launch site are available at www.eoss.org/node/2277 The coordinates of the launch site are included there. Driving instructions from Colorado Springs will be available at the pre-launch briefing.
  • 07-27-2024Note that the LAUNCH SITE HAS BEEN OFFICIALLY CHANGED to the softball fields at Limon as noted above.
  • 07-27-2024 Payload Plans Rev C have been issued
  • 07-29-2024 Payload Plans Rev D have been issued

Detailed links for this flight are available at http://wxqa.com/eoss361.html 

Edge of Space Sciendces will be launching a latex balloon carrying Colorado Space Grant Consortium student-built payloads from schools around Colorado. This will be one 3000g balloon or two 1500g balloons as follows:

Event Date: 
Saturday, August 3, 2024 - 00:00 to 23:45
Flight Coordinator: 
KC0RPS & K0NKK
Launch Site: 
Flights: 

EOSS-361 Heavy

This balloon carries Colordo Space Grant Consortium student-built payloads

Balloon Type: 
Totex 3000g Latex
Parachute: 
12 ft Rocketman with Remote Release Adam
Beacons: 
Beacons
FrequencyCallsignTypeNotes
145.535 MHzKC0D-2Remote Release/DFSecondary Beacon
145.765 MHzAEØSS-4Remote Release/DFFlight Qualification with cutdown David
144.340 MHzAEØSS-2APRS/Digi Alias = "DISC"Primary Beacon Timeslotted 0:11 & 0:41
Payload Plan: 
FrequencyList: 

EOSS Preflight Net:

A face-to-face preflight briefing will be held at the GPSL seminar site. The usual on-the-air net will not be held for this flight.

Flight Day:
Launch Site:
        • 446.050 MHz Simplex  
        (Note that some radios assume these are repeater frequencies and attempt to put a 5 MHz offset in the transmit frequency automatically)

Track & Recovery Operations:

        Repeaters:

 

    • Cheyenne Mountain Repeater Group, 147.345 +0.6 MHz TX/RX PL 107.2/107.2

 

        Simplex Frequencies:
        • 446.100 MHz Balloon #1 Field Simplex 
        • 446.150 MHz Balloon #2 Field Simplex
        • 446.200 MHz Balloon #3 Field Simplex
        • 446.275 MHz Car to Car drive out Simplex
        (Note that some radios assume these are repeater frequencies and attempt to put a 5 MHz offset in the transmit frequency automatically)

Digital Mobile Radio (DMR):

The decision as to which talkgroup use will be made by the EOSS RF Coordinator on a per flight basis.

  • Rocky Mountain Wide Network – Talk Group 700 - Rocky Mountain Ham Radio has approval to the use "Wide" for flight operations.
  • Central Colorado Regional Network – Talk Group 720 - On occasion, EOSS may use the Central Colorado Regional Network (Talk Group 720).

        Legacy 2M Simplex Frequency (not generally used due to desense/interference issues with the 2M APRS packets)
        • 146.550 MHz Simplex

2M Direction Finding Frequencies:

  • 144.340
  • 145.535
  • 145.710
  • 145.765

 

Tactical Calls: 
TacticalCall SignNameNotes
AlphaW9CN, NØJPSMike, John
BravoKBØYRZChris
CharlieKØNKK, KEØNLQNancy, (FC), Ann
DeltaKØSCCStephen
EchoNØRPFRobSaturday Only
FoxtrotN6BAJeff
GroundStationN2XGL, K5JK, KBØTVJJeff, Tom, Russ, Randy
GolfKCØL, WAØGEHJohn, Marty
Hotel
IndiaKFØPCWDoug L.
JulietKE0UWCGlenn
KiloKCØRPS, WØNFWJim (FC), George
LimaKBØUBZBen
YankeeKEØYALBrad