Amateur Radio Pico Balloons Advancements

Presented by Bill Brown, WB8ELK, at Hamvention 2025. The presenter kicked off the BalloonSat Forum by diving into the world of high-altitude ballooning with amateur radio payloads—a pursuit he's been involved with for nearly four decades. He described how his first launch from a farm in Findlay, Ohio, carried an ATV transmitter and a CW beacon, marking the first TV balloon flight of its kind in the U.S. The talk then explored the evolution into modern pico balloons, which are ultra-lightweight, solar-powered, and capable of circling the globe multiple times. These miniaturized trackers, some weighing less than 11 grams, transmit data and images via APRS, CW, and slow scan TV—making them ideal educational tools that engage students through smartphone integration. The presentation also covered balloon construction, launch strategies, and real-world examples, including a balloon that traveled over 22,000 miles before being recovered in a tree in Ohio. Attendees learned how to track and decode telemetry, recover radiosondes, and even convert them into amateur radio tools. A segment was dedicated to Meshtastic, a mesh networking platform that uses small, low-power nodes capable of transmitting environmental data over great distances when lofted on balloons. With hands-on demos, technical insights, and tips for recovery and FAA coordination, the session highlighted the accessibility and innovation of modern amateur high-altitude ballooning.