RSGB high-altitude balloon (HAB) Competition – update

Posted on August 6, 2025 by David

Sadly no contact made, but I now have a couple of Yagi Antennas to use going forward.

On Saturday, 20 September 2025, at approximately 11 am BST, the RSGB will be launching a high-altitude balloon carrying a relay.

The flight will last around two hours, and the balloon will reach a height of 90,000 feet, approximately 27.5 km.

The challenge is to build your tracker and try to contact the relay, which will pass call details to the ground.

The recommended approach is to use the  LoRa Wireless Tracker ESP32-S3FN8+SX1262+UC6580  development board.

Lora Development PCB

Download the required software and use Visual Studio Code to build the software image, upload it to the board and configure it for use.

All that’s left is to get the highest gain Yagi you can and see if you can make contact.

I have the board, so I just need to build the image and test. At least I have a few weeks to prepare.

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Officially retired

Posted on August 3, 2025 by David

I am now officially retired.  It’s a bit strange not having a clock to watch, commuting, etc.

My first Monday in retirement is forecast to be unseasonably stormy, a good time to stay home.

I have a few projects that I can spend time on, such as the CW Morse Code Decoder DIY Kit, CW Trainer, and the Morse Code Decoder I bought on Amazon.  Learning Morse code (CW) is not a high priority, but I feel that I am not a valid amateur radio operator unless I can read and send using Morse code.

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One month in

Posted on May 9, 2025 by David

The first month of semi-retirement has come and gone. It has been an unusually warm and dry spell, so gardening is going well. Veg is growing, and flowers are in full bloom. The front garden is a building site as I have gone for a complete strip-out and replant. Prep time for this is going to be extensive, but it will be completed for next Spring, all going well.

I have also achieved my Amateur Radio license, and I am working on setting up a High Frequency Antenna and a separate VHF/UHF antenna.  Planning rules make this a bit challenging, as does the limited garden size.

I am already running out of available time, but enjoying every minute.

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Retirement arrives

Posted on April 2, 2025 by David

As of this week, I am working part-time to hand over my job role.  Frees up a bit of time to get on with other things.

Already running out of time to fit everything else in.

The mild spring weather has moved gardening to the top of list while I sort the other items  on  my to-do list.

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