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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.
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)
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.
Start of Radio Log:
NOVA: 16142m +4 37.9km 52.0437, 0.5862 -01° -1kt Cut=0 Why=0 14:24:35 up=55 dn=0 ap=161 c=0 Fix=1 Sats=7 8.03V -14.0°C NOVA: 16186m +4 38.1km 52.0434, 0.5878 -01° -1kt Cut=0 Why=0 14:24:45 up=55 dn=0 ap=161 c=0 Fix=1 Sats=9 8.03V -14.0°C
Final few messages:
NOVA: 2173m -9 57.4km 51.9609, 0.8375 -01° -1kt Cut=104 Why=3 14:58:28 up=89 dn=19 ap=200 c=0 Fix=1 Sats=) 7.80V -19.0°C
: 2078m -9 57.5km 51.9604, 0.8382 -01° -1kt Cut=104 Why=3 14:58:38 up=89 dn=19 ap=200!)0 Fix=1 Sats=9 7.79V -19*0°C
NOVA: 1607m -9 57.9km 51.9569, 0.8418 -01° -1kt Cut=105 Why=3 14:59:28 up=90 dn=20 ap=200 c=1 Fix=1 Sats=9 7.77V -18.5°C NOVA: 1424m -9 58.1km 51.9557, 0.8430 -01° -1kt Cut=105 Why=3 14:59:47 up=90 dn=20 ap=200 c=1 Fix=1 Sats=9 .79V 0.5°C
Final 2 messages:
LOVA: 390m -8 59.0km 5!.9512, 0.8u`)01° -1kt Cut9-51 Wiy=3 15:ŠÒ¢¢ªÁ=92 dn120ap?6p1 k=1 FiêŠSqt3=< '.81V -16.5°C nOVA:2Àj -8 51.0ci 5!m9%1 pF¾ª’jÂÃã¥ÏmÑ Cut=-51 Why=3 15:01:55°up=92 dn=22 ap=s 0`pO2çáŸlÚ0“M19 wº8HJvrª‚