Just ran across this Wired magazine article about a new cellular technology called SkySite to carry traffic. You launch a cellular transceiver attached to a disposable balloon, it rises to an altitude of about 20 miles, and then it relays cellular calls for hundreds of square miles with a single balloon. The balloon eventually drifts out of position, at which point, the electronics package is released and parachutes back to earth and it radios its position back to the company. The balloons are dirt cheap compared to building cell towers, so even though you have to repeatedly send up more balloons as they drift out of position, you're still way ahead, cost-wise. They're going to try a single trial balloon for North Dakota, and if successful, they claim they can go ahead and provide coverage for the whole state with just three balloons!

Of course, in higher density areas, you'd need more balloons, but the gain in efficiency and potential robustness is pretty impressive. If you need more capacity, say the Olympics are in town, just send up more relatively cheap balloons. Hurricane coming your way? No problem, the balloons fly higher than the weather systems. Earthquake? Major blackout? Ice storm? No problem--well, at least on the balloon's end. And North Dakota could economically provide cellular coverage where it is currently uneconomical to do so, so that's great for public safety out in the boonies. Cool, a poor man's sat phone network! <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I wonder if regular cellular handsets will perform the same with these balloons, particularly indoors, considering the distance from the balloon to the ground.

Just a thought, as I don't know about this stuff...

How high do these balloons get? If they are able to get into the 20,000 ft level, they could be affected by the polarfront jetstream (which often exceeds 205 mph), couldn't they? I wonder how long they would be effective at that speed?

Sue

Sue, the article mentions that the balloons reach an altitude of "up to 20 miles" and that they drift along at 30 mph. They would have to pass through the jet stream on the way up, but I have no idea how long they would be carried along in it before the balloons climb out of it.

Sounds like a job for unmanned aircraft to me! Solar powered or on long duration engines flying in a race track pattern would give extended precision coverage with a completely reusable package.

And at 20 miles altitude, -(some 100,000 feet!, -Stratosphere or Better!-Spacecraft Re-entry begins only 4 times farther away), -This is well above aircraft flight levels too! Far and Away! Gosh!, -Thats even higher than the SR-71 flew! (My Most Beloved of all Aircraft!).

Brings to mind a Question, -What was the name of that government Stratospheric Balloon Project, -of the 50s or 60s, -which I pretty well recall as beginning with a "P"?

(I'm not referring to Kittinger's 1961 jump, -though thats a Great, Fondly Remembered thing too!) [color:"black"] [/color] [email]Arney[/email]

Project Manhigh?

Sue

I wonder if this could be used on a smaller scale some day.

Say you have a few ballons that you can send up after a crash landing that give you a window of time to make some phone calls. Probably cost prohibative, but fun to think about.

Are these balloons biodegradeable or are we just going to litter the stratosphere? It would be nice if the balloon could be retreved along with the transmiter. This is why I like the unmaned solar powered cellular transmiter plane idea. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Yeap, they are recovered. The balloons are degradable in the sun.

The company that sends them up will send out the GPS coordinates when they land and let people go find them for a bounty. My dad has found one for them. Got $50 to find it and hold onto it until they could come pick it up from him.

I've heard of it being done for HAM radio in a short term setup with tethered balloons.

Yeah, I was wondering about that myself. I would hate to start seeing whales wash up on shore with a big latex balloon stuck in its throat. <img src="/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

The article only mentions that the balloons eventually burst from internal pressure once they float high enough. I assume that the remains will land somewhere, like someone's front lawn, rather than disintergrate somehow on the way down. There's no bounty on the balloon, so you'll have to dispose of it yourself if it lands on your property.

Oh, so it's like a geocaching thing where they have like a website of downed transmitter coordinates? Pretty smart. Don't have to hire many people to recover them then. $50 a transmitter is way cheaper than the cost of keeping a bunch of people on the payroll to go out and recover these units from who-knows-where.

Yeap, they kinda market the recovery to the geocachers since they have the experience of tromping through the woods to find stuff.

The box was a styrofoam thingy with the antenna on one end and a parachute on the other. Sort of boring but cool at the same time.

Are the balloons plastic or mylar or something else?

Sue

the parts left on the box were latex or something like it and were falling apart just touching it. Wasn't much left of it after a few days in the outdoors.

I don't think they are a health risk after a few days of UV light.

Thanks! I realy like they went that far to think of the environment! <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

That's the way I took it too.

We tried something similar many years ago. Got a surplus weather balloon and attached a small dual band amateur walkie talkie. Set the walkie in cross band repeat mode and raised it on the teathered balloon. Worked great, but was quite expensive to purchase the gas.

Then we tried it on a para-wing type kite. A rather large one. This worked better as no gas was needed. In both cases we tried to raise a long wire antenna and the weight of the wire (super flex antenna wire) was too much. The walkie was a bit lighter, but I think it had something to do with the way the wire loaded the balloon and kite. Sagged quite a bit. I keep a kite in the camper now. Hmmmm that was fun to do. Think I will try it again now that I have more time to play with it. An advantage of being retired.<smirk>

Those of you who are interested in what these weather balloons and radio systems look-like, I highly recommend you "check this link." mvastro As you can see, the ballon was sucessfully tracked by the Herrett Center Telescope (follow the links for more info, BTW that is me [stargazer] sitting in the wheelchair.) We believe this is the first ever civilian video following one of these balloons. The cargo consists of a radio telemetry package using the local HAM bands. Additional gear is Slow Scan TV, Still Photography, Minor Weather and GPS equipment. Using the tracking trailer, we follow the progress via the APRS radios until touchdown and usually recover the balloon and equipment ourselves. Sorry, we are not paying to recover anything, but we are offering a reward for the one we did lose. As another poster has said, the gas is very expensive. <img src="/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> We are planning a launch this April from the Herrett Center parking lot on either the 22nd or 29th. I will know which date this coming Saturday when the group meets for a monthly star party and astronomical society meeting.

Enjoy the videos.

Take care,
Stargazer

ASAP = Always Suspicious, Always Prepared

No, -I think "Project Manhigh" refers to something else. But the name does ring something of a bell.

Its also since occurred to me, -that the "P" beginning as I talked of, -probably refers to its base of operations, -Palestine Texas. And that the Program / Project went by something of the likes of "National Atmospheric / (or) / Balloon Research....(whatever)". Thanx anyhow! [color:"black"] [/color] [email]Susan[/email]