Okay, so I got this crazy idea to track weather balloons. I’d seen some cool videos online and thought, “Why not give it a shot?”
Getting Started
First things first, I needed to figure out what I actually needed. It’s not like you can just go to the store and buy a “weather balloon tracking kit,” right?
So, I did a bunch of searching and reading. Turns out, it is possible, just need to spend some time to do research and study.
The Gear
After I messed around with the hardware, it was time to put it all together. I’m no engineer, but I can follow instructions.
- Weather Balloon: I bought online, seemed robust enough.
- Parachute: for slow down the speed when it is falling.
- GPS Tracker:for locating the Landing site.
- String: connect all of the above.
The Launch and The Wait
Launch day! I picked a wide-open field with no trees or power lines. Filled the balloon, tied everything together, and let it go! It shot up pretty fast, which was kinda exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time.
Then came the waiting game. I used a GPS tracker that I connected before, keep eyes on it.
The Chase and Recovery
Kept an eye on the GPS. After a couple of hours, the signal stopped moving – it had landed!
It was quite a trek, but I finally found the landing site. All the pieces were there. Success!
It was a pretty fun and educational project. Now, I’m looking for new ones. Maybe track migration birds? Could be fun!