Tag Archives: Sonde

2013-03-31
16:54
by: trango

Good Friday Sonde Hunt

Another great day for Sonde Recovery here in sunny California. The winds are good, the weather is nice and the sun is still up at landing time giving plenty of light. This Sonde was originally predicted to land near Rancho … Continue reading →

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2013-03-08
16:28
by: trango

First Weather Sonde of 2013 Recovered

Spring is nearing and so is the 2013 Sonde season. Landings are still in the dark so not too good for video or pictures but that will soon change. This is Sonde #4 (SN 7037645), it was launched from Oakland … Continue reading →

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2013-02-28
21:48
by: trango

Mobile Sonde Receiver & SDR

Another winter project! Mobile Sonde hunting is difficult enough without having to worry about the radio moving around in the back seat as one drives. In the past, my R8500’s power or IF would disconnect depending on how fast a … Continue reading →

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2012-09-05
23:00
by: trango

WX Sonde #3 Tracked and Recovered

This Sonde was supposed to be landing near Davis, CA, but that didn’t work out. Instead it traveled toward Sacramento and ultimately landed near the Sacramento International Airport (SMF). With just 50 minutes to landing (well after the balloon burst) … Continue reading →

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2012-08-28
23:00
by: trango

WX Sonde #2 Tracked and Recovered

Once again, we’ve been lucky enough to track and retrieve another “Harmless Weather Device”! This weather Sonde was launched from Oakland CA and eventually landed just East of the Sacramento Airport (SMF) in an open agricultural field. Chase vehicle driver … Continue reading →

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2012-08-25
08:42
by: trango

Improved LNA for Sonde Tracking

I have been using a non-optimal high noise figure wide band LNA for last few months for sonde tracking. I have now replaced it with a more optimal DEMI LNA with a noise figure < 0.7 dB, 25 dB gain … Continue reading →

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2012-08-10
07:37
by: trango

WX Sonde Chase Redux

It’s been a couple weeks since my last effort in tracking and retrieving a weather sonde; luckily, this time the predicted landing sites don’t include any islands or water bodies. For this trip not only is there r00t providing realtime … Continue reading →

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2012-07-30
23:00
by: trango

WX Sonde Chasing

I happen to be in the bay area and so decided to take advantage of a sonde launch from the Oakland airport. The goal was to track and retrieve the sonde. I regularly receive and track these sondes from home, … Continue reading →

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2012-07-12
10:17
by: trango

Sonde Tracking Setup

I have been having fun tracking WX Sondes lately. Here is a screenshot of my setup. Telemetry is received from WX Sonde on L-Band and is decoded real time. The telemetry contains GPS information which is then used to automatically … Continue reading →

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2012-06-17
21:16
by: trango

WX Sonde Received

In the USA there is apparently some use of WX Sonde in L-Band. Well, it’s confirmed now with this excellent signal from a sonde launched from Reno, NV. Dish was positioned at point that was predicted for ballon burst (the … Continue reading →

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