High-Altitude Balloon Launch

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Hi-impact, based on the Wirral, is planning another high-altitude balloon launch.

This one will feature on the team’s live-stream platform and be viewed by a number of schools across the UK and beyond.

The team is planning to launch two high-altitude balloons. One will be running with a HABDuino and the other with some help from AmbaSat, using LoRA. The HABDuino side will be running on the standard setup – 434.650MHz USB, 50 Baud RTTY, 450Hz Shift, 7N1 data format and with the callsign ‘hi-impact’.

If you’re planning to upload telemetry to SondeHub, you’ll need Dave Akerman’s HABBase software and Fldigi. The launch, from Cilcewydd in Wales, will be between 11 and 11.15am on Wednesday 3 May 2023.

Hi-impact’s - http://www.hi-impact.co.uk
Twitter - https://twitter.com/hiimpactconsult

Air Travel Chaos Looms as US Leeps 5G Altimeter Refit Deadline

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Air Travel Chaos Looms as US Leeps 5G Altimeter Refit Deadline

The US will not delay a deadline for airlines to refit planes with new sensors to address possible 5G interference, despite concerns the cut-off date could cause travel disruption.

Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg said on Tuesday that airlines were told the 1 July deadline would remain in place.

Airlines have warned that they will not be able to meet the deadline and may be forced to ground some planes.

Telecoms firms have previously delayed 5G rollout to allow airlines to adapt.

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Your MultiMeter Might be Lying to You

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Your MultiMeter Might be Lying to You

Multimeters are indispensable tools when working on electronics. It’s almost impossible to build any but the most basic of circuits without one to test and troubleshoot potential issues, and they make possible a large array of measurement capabilities that are not easily performed otherwise. But when things start getting a little more complex it’s important to know their limitations, specifically around what they will tell you about circuits designed for high frequency.

The issue that often confuses people new to radio or other high-frequency projects revolves around the continuity testing function found on most multimeters. While useful for testing wiring and making sure connections are solid, they typically only test using DC. When applying AC to the same circuits, inductors start to offer higher impedance and capacitors lower impedance, up to the point that they become open and short circuits respectively. The same happens to transformers, but can also most antennas which often look like short circuits to ground at DC but can offer just enough impedance at their designed frequency to efficiently resonate and send out radio waves.

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