07/29/2026
Successful balloon launch and chase - Many thanks go out to everyone who participated in the balloon launch and chase on Saturday July 25th. Special kudos to Blake, N4BWR and Brian, WX4BK for pulling all of this together. Once again, Blakes flight predictions were spot on. The balloon itself launched at approximately 10:35 a.m. Saturday with a fairly aggressive ascent rate. The initial prediction was for a landing or "crash" zone south of Ephesus, Georgia. True to form, the balloon burst at approximately 105,000 feet of altitude and headed for the suburbs of Ephesus where the payload was recovered by Richard, KN4FRP Joshua, KF4DVW and Brandon, KJ4SHI with Marshall, KK4OHF and John, WD8LQT arriving just in time to share in the celebration.
Some takeaways from this launch. One - it is always best to have a backup to a backup. We had APRS (which the GPS freaked out above 40,000 feet and then came back to life on the way down), LORA-Meshtastic, and a Fox. All 3 items were used to locate the payload. Two - Probably a good idea to carry plenty of water next time when hiking into the abyss. Three - Sharpen your machete.
One camera videoed the entire ascent and descent. When the results are available they will be published.
