Nevada Space Grant
Student
High-Altitude Ballooning
Student
High-Altitude Ballooning
NV SGC
This
program is generously supported by the Nevada Space Grant
Consortium
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Nevada Space Grant
Student High-Altitude Ballooning |
NV SGC |
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Max Transmitting Power: 1.5 W (only 1W on internal battery) This is the radio we currently use for our primary communications payload. We have the frequency shift set so that it transmitts our APRS (Automatic Position Reporting System) data (via a TinyTrack 3) on one frequency and receives the DTMF (cutdown) command(s) on a separate frequency. Pros: This radio is extrememly small and light, given the 1W output power rating. Can use both the 2M and 70 cm bands (Tx). We haven't had any problems yet. Cons: The rechargable Li-Ion battery does not last as long as we would like. Transmitting once every 30 seconds, the radio goes dead in about 9 hours. This seems like a long time, but is MUCH shorter than the TinyTrack (ideally both should die at about the same time). This really doesn't leave too much time to hunt for a lost payload before the radio goes dead. |
