Sandringham students operating the GB16YOTA amateur radio station, December 1, 2016
Students at Sandringham School plan to launch a High Altitude Balloon with a Raspberry Pi payload into near-space and transmit back pictures.
The downlink from the balloon is expected to be in 434 MHz and at the maximum 30 km altitude the radio signal should have a range of up to 800 km enabling reception by radio amateurs across the British Isles and into Europe.
The launch is planned for Science Week, March 13-17, and the students will use the download data they collect from near space for analysis and use in lessons.
Earlier this year Sandringham students used amateur radio to talk to UK astronaut Tim Peake GB1SS on the International Space Station, see https://amsat-uk.org/2016/01/08/bbc-tv-sandringham-school-amateur-radio-iss-contact/
Further details on the balloon launch at
http://www.sandringham.herts.sch.uk/?q=news/sandringham-returns-space-high-altitude-balloon-launch
HAB Flight Launch Assembly leaflet
http://www.sandringham.herts.sch.uk/sites/default/files/users/moanef/HAB%20Flight%20-%20Launch%20Assembly.pdf
What is Amateur Radio? http://www.essexham.co.uk/what-is-amateur-radio
Find an amateur radio training course near you https://thersgb.org/services/coursefinder/
A free booklet is available aimed at introducing newcomers to the hobby that can also be used as a handy reference while getting started, see
http://rsgb.org/main/get-started-in-amateur-radio/alex-discovers-amateur-radio-2/
