Tracking Sky-Eye II - Flight 2002A
 As Conducted by Dave Putman - KG4KZZ and Bill McCourt - WF1L

Reported and Photographed By Bill McCourt - WF1L  on July 22, 2002

      Dave Putman - KG4KZZ and I started out from his house, near Leesburg, at about 0645 heading for our assigned spotting location west of Gerrardstown, West Virginia. We stopped for a quick breakfast at the "golden arches" in Winchester then took I-81 north to our exit. Reaching our location, we discovered that there was extreme QRM from the power lines which virtually blinded the 2 meter band so we went looking for another appropriate point to track the balloon.

Photograph by Bill McCourt - WF1L

      We ended up about 5 miles north of our planned location and settled on the parking/picnic area of the Arden, WV Methodist Church. We assembled our equipment, took a few pictures, set up the charting and compasses, mapped and reported our coordinates and also checked in on the 40 meter SSB link. We were "ready for action" by about 0830.

Photograph by Bill McCourt - WF1L

Dave Putman - KG4KZZ

      Almost immediately after launch we were able to acquire the balloon, which was sending out a very strong signal (Way to go, Tom!). We tracked the balloon as it ascended and traveled first North then East until it rose to the burst point and descended drifting West.

      Dave and I were taking independent observations using our DF antennas, our newly constructed "fox-box" attenuators and independent compasses.

      We then cross checked our results before reporting in.

      After the balloon was reported "Down" we were released from our fixed position and followed WV Route 45 west, back into Virginia, taking and reporting bearings along the way until we got back into the Winchester area.

Photograph by Bill McCourt - WF1L

Bill McCourt - WF1L

 

Photograph by Bill McCourt - WF1L

So - Where Is It ?

      By then the balloon's location had been pretty much determined to be in the Shawnee Land area west of Winchester and we joined the rest of the "chasers" searching that area until the final location was ascertained and then gathered with the "cheering section" while the more hardy souls among us effected the extraction of the payloads from the tree and brought them back out to the road to the acclaim of the crowd.

      Tired, happy and sunburned, we returned home after the club photo op on the roadside with the rest of the participants. Thanks to the club and notably John Rehwinkel - KG4L and Tom Dawson - WB3AKD for their fine work on the balloon payloads and providing the focus and drive to get the project through to execution.

Best Regards, Bill McCourt - WF1L of Reston, Virginia

NNNN