This Special Edition of the ARRL Letter has been sent to members in the Atlantic, Hudson, and New England Divisions.

Help Students Track a High-Altitude Balloon on August 19

ARRL members across the Northeast can help a group of high school students learn firsthand about the significant reach of VHF signals.

On Wednesday, August 19, 2026, the Kopernik Observatory & Science Center in Vestal, New York, will launch a high-altitude balloon carrying a student-built science payload. The balloon is expected to reach more than 100,000 feet, providing an opportunity for radio amateurs to receive images and track its progress.

The launch is planned for 10:00-10:30 AM Eastern (1400-1430 UTC).

Radio amateurs are invited to:

• Receive SSTV images on 145.600 MHz FM, using Martin 1 mode.
• Track the balloon via APRS using the callsign K2ZRO-11 on APRS.fi.
• Send received SSTV images and signal reports to [email protected], including your location.

Last year's flight produced SSTV reports from stations across New England, Canada, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Maryland. The Kopernik team will share the reception reports and images with the students to help demonstrate how altitude affects VHF propagation.

Your station could become part of the students' experiment. If you receive an image from the balloon, please send it along and let the students know how far their signal traveled.

Thanks to ARRL Life Member Drew Deskur, KA1M, Executive Director of Kopernik Observatory & Science Center for this information.

73, ARRL