Okay, so, I got this idea to track a balloon, like, see where it goes, you know? I started by grabbing a regular party balloon, bright red so I could spot it easily. Then, I needed a way to, like, follow it.
I thought about attaching a GPS tracker, the tiny ones you can put on your keys. I found one online and ordered it. While waiting for it to arrive, I did some research on how to best attach it to the balloon without weighing it down too much.
Prepping the Balloon
When the tracker arrived, it was smaller than I expected, which was good! I charged it fully and tested it out by walking around the block. Seemed to work perfectly. I then used some strong, lightweight string – fishing line, actually – to tie the tracker securely to the balloon’s knot.
The Launch
- I picked a day with clear skies and a gentle breeze, I didn’t want the thing to just shoot straight up or get lost in a storm.
- I went to a large, open field near my house. I wanted plenty of space, away from trees and power lines.
- With the balloon inflated and the tracker attached, I simply let it go! It rose steadily, drifting slowly eastward.
Tracking the Journey
I used the app that came with the tracker to monitor the balloon’s progress on my phone. It showed a little icon moving across the map, pretty cool! I followed it in my car for a while, keeping a safe distance, of course. I didn’t want to scare anyone by seeming like I was chasing a runaway balloon.
After a couple of hours, the signal started to get weaker. The balloon was either getting too far away or the battery was running low. I lost the signal completely when it was over a large wooded area. I guess that’s where it landed, although I never actually found it.
It was a fun little experiment! I learned a bit about how far a balloon can travel, and I got to mess around with a GPS tracker. I might try it again sometime, maybe with a bigger balloon and a longer-lasting tracker.
