====== 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 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) 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 - 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 ...

NOVA: 16186m +4 38.1km 52.0434, 0.5878 -01° -1kt Cut=0 Why=0 14:24:45 ...

**Final few messages:**

NOVA: 2173m -9 57.4km 51.9609, 0.8375 -01° -1kt Cut=104 Why=3 14:58:28 ...

: 2078m -9 57.5km 51.9604, 0.8382 -01° -1kt Cut=104 Why=3 14:58:38 ...

NOVA: 1607m -9 57.9km 51.9569, 0.8418 -01° -1kt Cut=105 Why=3 14:59:28 ...

NOVA: 1424m -9 58.1km 51.9557, 0.8430 -01° -1kt Cut=105 Why=3 14:59:47 ...

**Last 2 messages:**

LOVA: 390m -8 59.0km 5!.9512, 0.8u`)01° -1kt Cut9-51 Wiy=3 15:ŠÒ¢¢ ...

nOVA:2Àj -8 51.0ci 5!m9%1 pF¾ª’jÂÃづÏmÑ Cut=-51 Why=3 15:01:55 ...