Three High Altitude Balloons (HAB) have been launched in Essex today, and at the time of writing can be heard loud and clear across Essex.
These launches are part of the PITS (Pi in the Sky) project, sending Raspberry Pi computers to high altitudes using helium-filled balloons.
The three balloons in flight today represent educational establishments in Essex. Here are the frequencies:
- Prospects College of Advanced Technology, Basildon: 434.149MHz USB
- Stewarts Academy, Harlow: 434.0484MHz USB
- Boswells School, Chelmsford: 434.4486MHz USB
All three balloons were launched from lsworth, Cambridgeshire, and are transmitting strong signals at of 15:20pm
Here are three images captured by the amateur radio station of Pete M0PSX in Leigh-on-Sea:
More live images from active high altitude balloons can be found here: ssdv.habhub.org
More about HAB flights
You can find more information about high altitude balloon flights here: ukhas.org.uk
More about tracking HAB flights
For live data from HAB flights around the world, go to www.habhub.org
See also: Essex Ham’s guide on tracking high altitude balloon flights
More about amateur radio
Amateur radio is a technical hobby that encourages experimentation with radio. As well as being able to talk to other amateurs around the world, radio amateurs can make contact with the International Space Station. For more, see our video: What is amateur radio
