Launch Announcement - Haddenham Cambridgeshire

[Steve]

Hi folks,  a heads up for an inaugural launch out of Haddenham
Cambridgeshire this coming Friday, Saturday or Sunday (TBD)

Mainly testing old equipment comprising:

    Horus 4FSK 100 tracker on 434.250MHz callsign Xpico

    PITS SSDV Mode 1 on 434.170MHz - callsign XPi

    PITS SSDV Mode 4 on 869.850MHz - callsign XPi5 - frequency subject
to change.

    Steve




--
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG antivirus software.
www.avg.com

[Roger M1CDQ]

I will leave my station set up to RX  your horus and pits lora  ssdv  on the 434
I'm just wondering what i can set up to rx  your lora ssdv on 869.
I've an old ttgo v1.2 and a heltec v2  both 868  used to be on the mesh network  but now surplus to a new life
any suggestions to firmware i can put on them for rx and share the data
my QTH  is Grimsby  IO93WM  
does not look like the winds  over the weekend will bring it my way. but i have a good takeoff to the south  of me  

[Steve]

I'm using Dave's Lora Gateways for upload (a Raspberry Pi zero + RFM)  https://github.com/PiInTheSky/lora-gateway

I do have some rx gateway code running on the pi pico (Pi pico + RFM98) under Arduino - but it only uploads to Sondehub (and not ssdv) at the moment.

Dave has some code for the TTGO beam board but I don't know much about it - https://www.daveakerman.com/?p=2727

You could certainly make a rx gateway using the heltec v2 (ESP32 + SX1262) - but it would need some programming.  My pico gateway might be a starting point.

The 869 signal is 250KHz wide and low power (an HD picture every 50 seconds) - so range is limited to about 120Km dipole to dipole - I generally keep in that range in the chase car.  Grimsby would be a stretch unless you have some RX antenna gain.  

    Steve

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "UKHAS" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to ukhas+un...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ukhas/2bce9303-d748-4580-a447-c113f7706bcfn%40googlegroups.com.

Virus-free.www.avg.com

[Roger M1CDQ]

i managed to get this to work 

Dave has some code for the TTGO beam board but I don't know much about it - https://www.daveakerman.com/?p=2727

though due to when it was created and today there has been an update to the esp32 libraries and breaks it  but there is a simple code fix
and i managed to get it  connect up to my hab base vie bluetooth

[Roger M1CDQ]

I have managed to get Dave Akermans  Lorabluetooth to run on a Heltec 868 board and TBTracker on a lilygo T-beam also on 868
soon to be connected to antennas on my mast and will set up other radios on the 434   on thurday night and leave them running over the weekend.
in the hopes of getting a signal on some band 
Roger M1CDQ

[Steve]

The launch should go ahead tomorrow about 2pm.  Details as below - but with one change:

        PITS SSDV Mode 4 on 863.150MHz - callsign XPi5

This is the multimedia section of the 86xMHz band (IR2030/33/1) which allows continuous streaming of multimedia with a bit more power (10mW) - since the PITS is sending both images and text I think its fair to call it multimedia.

As bonus the balloon will also be carrying a 868MHz Meshtastic node (869.525 MHz) - hopefully the 863MHz SSDV won't de-sensitize the uplink too much - I'm going to place the Meshtastic node well away from the others - it will be interesting to see what sort of contact range is achieved.

    Steve

On 07/10/2025 15:31, 'Roger M1CDQ' via UKHAS wrote:

--

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "UKHAS" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to ukhas+un...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ukhas/2bce9303-d748-4580-a447-c113f7706bcfn%40googlegroups.com.

Virus-free.www.avg.com

[John Laidler]

The Meshtastic node is a great idea!

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ukhas/d7927224-a8d7-4a80-8b2f-44bb4ec5cdac%40randomaerospace.com.

[Roger M1CDQ]

Set up to rx  

Hope i pick up one of your signals

My location is Grimsby on the mouth of river humber. Several of my rx show up on amateur.sondehub. also set for your  ssdv on 863. Prob won't pick anything up. But you don't know if you don't try 

You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the Google Groups "UKHAS" group.
To unsubscribe from this topic, visit https://groups.google.com/d/topic/ukhas/glsx9iYyg8Q/unsubscribe.
To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to ukhas+un...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ukhas/CAJn3SCo8w-X7sQV2LiCRQ0B1hjFzNntc-K%2B%3D%3DjViorwgdqqQqw%40mail.gmail.com.

[Mark Jessop]

Is the Horus Binary transmitter using the 'standard' 270 Hz shift, or something different?

This will matter to stations using Horus-GUI, that will need to disable the frequency mask estimator.

73

Mark VK5QI

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ukhas/CAP6M4R3X8sY3FmW5ghOH3W%3DsRubVaOQ9Tf%3DALmq6QLRkdvTb%2Bg%40mail.gmail.com.

[Nick McCloud]

On Thursday, 9 October 2025 at 21:57:43 UTC+1 Mark Jessop wrote:

Is the Horus Binary transmitter using the 'standard' 270 Hz shift, or something different?

This will matter to stations using Horus-GUI, that will need to disable the frequency mask estimator.

Pending Steve's answer, what would your answer be?

ie, if it is the std, do we leave the FME on? Or off? Or is it safe to leave on even if std?

[Mark Jessop]

Steve didn't cc the group. He is using the standard shift, so no changes required.

--

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "UKHAS" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to ukhas+un...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ukhas/d8931eab-0944-425f-b6fe-e132d5a8b5dcn%40googlegroups.com.

[Lee West]

 

Meshtastic Node worked great. I exchanged messages from Northern Lincolnshire down to Witham and the Horus was nice and strong from just after launch.

 

Thanks for a bit of fun on a Friday afternoon.

 

Cheers

Lee (G4TNX)

 

Virus-free.www.avg.com

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "UKHAS" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to ukhas+un...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ukhas/d7927224-a8d7-4a80-8b2f-44bb4ec5cdac%40randomaerospace.com.

--

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "UKHAS" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to ukhas+un...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ukhas/CAJn3SCo8w-X7sQV2LiCRQ0B1hjFzNntc-K%2B%3D%3DjViorwgdqqQqw%40mail.gmail.com.

[Matt Taylor]

Congrats on a successful flight! I hope recovery is painless.

My Meshtastic mode was late to the party, but managed to ping a node in South London all the way from Leeds 😊

- Matt M0XIN

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ukhas/62C4BD42-3ACC-4733-AD9F-69C17925701A%40gmail.com.

[Ross G6GVI]

Listening to the 4FSK signal, I heard it "jump" in frequency a couple of times during flight (and each time thought that the balloon had popped).

Now I see that other receivers saw the same:

Any idea what caused that - a mechanical shock of some kind?

But I was pleased to receive so well on 863MHz - particularly as that frequency is right at the edge of my filter's passband:

And it's only the second time I've set up my home-made yagi:

(the previous one being for Dave's "Babbage Bear's jump" last year.

On Tuesday, 7 October 2025 at 13:59:01 UTC+1 Steve wrote:

[Steve]

Thanks to everyone that tracked and/or tried Meshtastic.  It seems the balloon Meshtastic was a great success - with stations being lit as far afield as Leeds, Sheffield and Eindhoven (Netherlands).  There are a couple of improvements I can make for next time.

The PITS SSDV Mode 1 on 434.170MHz (callsign XPi) didn't fly - for some reason the PITS was not fully booting - seemed to shut down part way through boot.  Maybe a problem with the Golden Power Lithium-iron-disulphide batteries - they put out 2.0V+ when fresh (as opposed to the Energizer which are about 1.8V when fresh) - I'm using 3x AAA cells to power the PITS and I'm wondering it was unhappy with 6.0V+. ??? anyway for investigation tomorrow.

Recovery was a absolute doddle - in the middle of a empty ploughed field - easily visible from the road - we missed the landing by seconds.  As we left I bumped into Alan (of JoAl flights fame)  - nice to have a chat!

We were using Starlink for internet access - rock solid for the entire drive (even under tree cover) - which is a big improvement over the usual 4G/5G rural coverage. Although it is a power hungry solution.

    Steve G8KHW

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ukhas/CAKH8nAK%2Bk3Wt22GWk-vgiBUwp8qWfqgX%3DzSTHkPXqUyWTDEuQA%40mail.gmail.com.

[John Laidler]

Steve,

Was the Meshtastic node using the callsign XABEN? I suspect so and it was picked up by quite a few nodes including one in Belgium.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Chg3BMgMJ/

John

M0WIV 

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ukhas/a04fceb2-fbb5-4986-9d7d-c9cda1c217f1%40randomaerospace.com.

[Roger M1CDQ]

Good flight. I see on some meshtastic groups there was surprise at some of the pings some stations were getting. Unaware of the balloon launch.  Managed to get somegood horus  signals. Going to up my game on the lora rx. A local friend  managed to rx your lora  

You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the Google Groups "UKHAS" group.
To unsubscribe from this topic, visit https://groups.google.com/d/topic/ukhas/glsx9iYyg8Q/unsubscribe.
To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to ukhas+un...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ukhas/CAJn3SCq6xa76H6pm4uzr1x8%3DeDLjd_s_8Vt_L-54O8Ef22YCPg%40mail.gmail.com.

[Nikotine]

Hi! 

I suddenly received a lot of nodes from the UK this afternoon.
I'm located near Ghent, Belgium.

This must've been because of your balloon, I found you through Google.

Very cool!

Op vrijdag 10 oktober 2025 om 18:32:23 UTC+2 schreef Matt Taylor: