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--- communication:nova4_recovery [2007/03/11 11:55] – rocketboy
+++ communication:nova4_recovery [2008/07/19 23:33] (current) – external edit 127.0.0.1
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 ====== NOVA 4 Recovery (by RocketBoy) ======
-NOVA 4 was launched from Cambridge about 1:30pm - I began to track it from Felixstowe Cliff tops at about 2:20pm. NOVA was transmitting on 434.650 - alternating 50 and 300 baud RTTY messages.  I used my usual YAGI and stand into my Ham Radio rig and trueTTY software on the PC - I used the 300 baud messages throughout the flight.
+NOVA 4 was launched from Cambridge about 1:30pm - I began to track it from Felixstowe cliff tops at about 2:20pm. NOVA was transmitting on 434.650 - alternating 50 and 300 baud RTTY messages.  I used my usual YAGI into my Ham Radio rig and trueTTY software on the PC - I used the 300 baud messages throughout the flight.
-I started to log data from NOVA at 14:24 (at which time it was about 10Km West of Sudbury Suffolk) the and carried on to after landing at 15:02 - the last full message was from 1424m up (14:59:47)  - I lost some messages due to re-tuning -  but I got partial messages from 390m and then one more timed at 15:01:55 - based on the 8m/sec descent rate the last message must have been from about 300m (about 1000ft)
+I started to log data from NOVA at 14:24 (at which time it was about 10Km West of Sudbury Suffolk) and carried on to after landing at 15:02 - the last full message was from 1424m up (14:59:47)  - I lost some messages due to re-tuning -  but I got partial messages from 390m and then one more timed at 15:01:55 - based on the 8m/sec descent rate the last message must have been from about 300m or lower.
 The path distance from Felixstowe to the landing spot is about 35Km - the NOVA team used the 1424m reading and the latitude from the 390m reading to estimate the landing spot as about 51.952257, 0.848971
-I drove to that location and got there about 15:55.  I got a weak signal from NOVA on the whip antenna inside the car - so I used the yagi again - the signal was plenty strong enough to copy the messages fully on trueTTY - which showed the actual landing spot was about 800m East. I programmed the landing spot into my Garmin etrex - followed it to the nearest location to the road - which was the entrance to a field - the payload and parachutes were clearly visible in the field.  The NOVA team turned up about 30mins later.
+I drove to that location - arriving about 15:55.  I got a weak signal from NOVA on the whip antenna inside the car - so I used the yagi again - the signal was plenty strong enough to copy the messages fully on trueTTY - which showed the actual landing spot was about 800m South East. I programmed the landing spot into my GPS - and followed it to the nearest location to the road - which was the entrance to a field - the NOVA payload and parachutes were clearly visible in the field.  The NOVA team turned up about 30mins later.
+{{communication:nova4.gif|}}
 **Start of Radio Log:**
 NOVA: 16142m +4 37.9km 52.0437, 0.5862 -01° -1kt Cut=0 Why=0 14:24:35 ...
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-{{communication:nova4.gif|}}