Balloons clustered in northern CA ???

[RockRidge]

Google’s Project Loon HBAL621 is off the California coast today.
58,000 feet and head north at 15 kts.
Because of my local topography, my normal max range is around 100 SM. However, I pick up the ballon at 220+ miles.

[Oblivian]

On second thought sat feed is more likely there.

Loons required a special antenna on your roof and was an odd frequency.

Usually released staggered to allow coverage as they moved past you to hand to the next..

First tested here in NZ in 2013



Sent from my XT1092 using Tapatalk

[Mirage]

Here is another Project Loon Balloon today on the same general path as the previous one but about 12 hours later, 7:00PM MDT. HBAL231. Crossed Idaho in the south central mountain ranges over Sun Valley on its way to Montana. I think you could be right about offering experimental LTE service to fire fighting crews.

Loon-HBAL231.PNG

[Oblivian]

It'll be either another well/badly timed test, or double as internet providing to the remote fire guys to assist.

Googles good like that. Did similar after a quake. But also get in trouble..

https://www.ktvz.com/news/mystery-in-sky-solved-google-balloon-soars-over-co/775209216

[Mirage]

I am seeing HBAL425 over the Idaho/Montana border northwest of Idaho Falls, ID.
Project-Loon_HB425.PNG

[Mirage]

test

test HBAL425

[RockRidge]

Tracking the Google Loons can be very interesting and can give you an opportunity to test some different equipment.
HBAL271 is moving slowly at 17 knots and at 61,800 feet, it makes a great test target. Normally, an aircraft is moving too fast to change antennas or adjust anything.
This evening I have three balloons in my area! What great luck.
I very rarely see any aircraft pass my “Hey What’s That” expected range but the HBAL is 50+ miles over my normal range and showing -10.3 dBFS.
Also, the performance graphs can be distorted by the larger amount of data received. I am showing 300,000+ messages from one balloon alone.
HBAL271-2.JPG

[Oblivian]

Google Loons - remote internet via balloon

HBAL

https://forum.flightradar24.com/threads/7756-Google-Helium-Balloon?highlight=loon

https://forum.flightradar24.com/threads/7448-Google-Project-Loon-Balloons-over-United-States?highlight=loon

[GPutt33]

First post, so hello to everyone.

Have been watching some of the fire fighting operations in CA (Son lives in N. CA just West of the Redding complex).

Question, I am seeing about 8 or 9 balloons so far with different points of origin, and all between 50,000 ft to 60,000ft + altitude. Does anyone know what these are for ?

Furthest East spotted is NW of the Great Salt Lake. Several in the Redding area and a cluster down around Yosemite.