SkyQuest 2              Bulletin #3               Thursday, 05/28/98



           Potential reach of the SkyQuest 2 Radiosonde



Here's a table of balloon optical lines-of-sight vs. elapsed
flight time (based on 1000 ft./min. ascent velocity, which
is about what is expected Saturday, but may be slightly higher).

The significance of the figures is that with this kind of
low power, the signal is not apt to be received *strongly* on earth
at least until your receiving station is included in the line-of-sight
of the balloon.

The figures also show, however, that the line-of-sight becomes
formidable in just ten minutes after liftoff!

DXers (greater than 150 miles distant) note that you may not even expect
the start of signals for 15 - 30 or more minutes after liftoff, so be
patient!  Don't give up before you can even expect a whisper.  The balloon
should still be talking loud and clear over an hour from liftoff, so hang
in there.  As far as the 90 minute duration listed below, that's about
the max time before the balloon will burst.  70 - 90 minutes is a reasonable
range for elapsed time.


Elapsed time(minutes)           Optical/radio range(statute miles)

    1                                   39
    2  ................................ 55 ....... Group 1
    5                                   87
    10                                  123
    15 ................................ 150 ...... Group 2
    20                                  174
    30                                  213
    50 ................................ 246 ...... Group 3
    70                                  325
    90 ................................ 369 ...... Group 4


    Group 1: New London, CT; Springfield, MA; Portsmouth
    and Manchester NH;

    Group 2: Bridgeport, CT; Mass-NY border; Rutland, VT;
    Lincoln/Woodstock NH; Lewiston, ME

    Group 3: New Jersey, New York City, NH-VT-Canada border

    Group 4: Maryland; Washington, DC; Williamsport, PA, Rochester, NY;
    Ottawa and Quebec, Canada; Caribou, Maine-Canada border

Hank, N1LTV
h1riley@umassd.edu

http://www.oocities.org/CapeCanaveral/3161/hablic.htm