<div dir="ltr"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:medium"><tbody style="box-sizing:border-box"><tr style="box-sizing:border-box"><td style="box-sizing:border-box"><div id="gmail-story" style="box-sizing:border-box;width:618.4px;font-size:16px;height:auto;float:left"><h1 style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:16pt">APRS and WSPR balloon completes 2nd circumnavigation of Earth</h1><p style="box-sizing:border-box">A balloon launched on May 20 by 'Amateur Radio Roundtable' web show host <strong style="box-sizing:border-box">Tom Medlin, W5KUB</strong>, and team has begun its third circumnavigation of Earth transmitting 144.390 MHz FM APRS and 14.0971 MHz WSPR<br style="box-sizing:border-box"><br style="box-sizing:border-box">The ARRL say:<br style="box-sizing:border-box"><br style="box-sizing:border-box">The balloon, at 43,000 – 45,000 feet, completed its second trip around the globe on June 19. It crossed the Atlantic ocean “in record time†at a speed of about 170 MPH, the balloon website reported this week.<br style="box-sizing:border-box"><br style="box-sizing:border-box">The balloon, identified as <strong style="box-sizing:border-box">W5KUB-18</strong>, carries APRS and WSPR amateur radio payloads. As of the afternoon of June 23, it was heading over Uzbekistan at over 100 MPH.<br style="box-sizing:border-box"><br style="box-sizing:border-box">As the balloon website states, the mission and goal are to launch a high-altitude balloon for long-duration and multiple trips around the world.<br style="box-sizing:border-box">The balloon, an SBS-13, is capable of flying up to 45,000 feet. “It will be filled with hydrogen to obtain higher altitude,†the website explains. “It will be solar powered only (no batteries, so it will only transmit during daylight). We will receive tracking every 10 minutes via WSPR on HF [14.0971 MHz].â€<br style="box-sizing:border-box"><br style="box-sizing:border-box">Tracking transmissions will be turned off over the UK, Yemen, and North Korea due to regulations.<br style="box-sizing:border-box"><br style="box-sizing:border-box">Read the full ARRL story at<br style="box-sizing:border-box"><a href="http://www.arrl.org/news/balloon-launched-by-popular-web-show-host-completes-second-round-trip" target="_blank" style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0,51,102);text-decoration-line:none">http://www.arrl.org/news/balloon-launched-by-popular-web-show-host-completes-second-round-trip</a><br style="box-sizing:border-box"><br style="box-sizing:border-box">W5KUB-18 Balloon Information  <br style="box-sizing:border-box"><a href="http://tmedlin.com/balloon-3-2/" target="_blank" style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0,51,102);text-decoration-line:none">http://tmedlin.com/balloon-3-2/</a></p></div></td></tr></tbody></table></div>