Huntsville Alabama
Great Plains
Super Launch
The premier High Altitude Ballooning Experience
June 15-17, 2023

About the Event
Welcome to the Great Plains Super Launch website, your go-to source for information about the premier high altitude ballooning event in North America. For over two decades, the GPSL has been bringing together the brightest and most innovative amateur balloonists from the US and abroad.
Started in 2001 by Paul Verhage, the GPSL has grown into an annual event that attracts enthusiasts from around the midwest, and beyond. In 2023, the GPSL will be co-sponsored by the University of Alabama and the Huntsville Space Hardware Club.
The symposium will be held on Friday June 16th, following a pre-conference tour of the Space and Rocket Museum on Thursday June 15th. The event will culminate with a mass balloon launch on Saturday the 17th. Stay tuned for updates and details about the 2023 GPSL symposium, and join us for an unforgettable experience.
2023 Symposium Venue
Dates
Event Registration
Event registration for GPSL 2023 in Huntsville, Alabama is now open. Registation is $10 for attendees, or $5 for students.
Bottles of Hydrogen gas are available for purchase. If you are planning to fly a Pico Balloon, Helium lifting gas will be provided on a first come, first serve basis. Please add the free Pico Balloon gas to your shopping cart to reserve your lift.
GPSL Groups.io Reflector
-
Re: WB8ELK flies a balloon at Dayton
Great Plains Super Launch May 27, 2023 | 02:19 amI have suggested dithering the GPS data in the WSPR version to make these things easier to recover after landing, or to smooth out the sawtooth tracks when used as slow-moving ocean buoys. The problem is that grid squares aren't[…]
Read more... -
Re: WB8ELK flies a balloon at Dayton
Great Plains Super Launch May 26, 2023 | 20:28 pmI have found two so far. Both were Skytrackers and both were APRS in operation. One was spotted visually after a grid search and seeing something that looked like a field tile drain but was in fact the balloon remnants from[…]
Read more... -
Re: WB8ELK flies a balloon at Dayton
Great Plains Super Launch May 26, 2023 | 18:51 pmAnd the second one (W8BI-12) seems to have been more successful, reaching Newfoundland while the first one (W8BI-11) only made it to West Virginia. I was hoping that W8BI-12 would have been picked up again on the east side of[…]
Read more... -
Re: WB8ELK flies a balloon at Dayton
Great Plains Super Launch May 26, 2023 | 17:53 pmHi Phil, You filmed the first one W8BI-11. We launched W8BI-12 about 45 minutes later from the same spot but much higher winds. I figured with all the open flames and heat from the food trucks, it would provide[…]
Read more... -
Re: WB8ELK flies a balloon at Dayton
Great Plains Super Launch May 26, 2023 | 03:05 amBill, I was running between two forums so I didn't catch everything. Which was the one I saw and recorded? I think this was on Friday. On 5/25/23 18:01, Bill Brown via groups.io wrote:
Read more... -
Re: WB8ELK flies a balloon at Dayton
Great Plains Super Launch May 26, 2023 | 01:01 amThe Dayton Hamvention pico balloons were W8BI-11 and W8BI-12. Both APRS Skytrackers on Yokohama balloons using helium with about 7 grams free lift. Launched in 10 to 15 knot winds from the food court area. - Bill WB8ELK
Read more... -
Re: WB8ELK flies a balloon at Dayton
Great Plains Super Launch May 25, 2023 | 14:41 pmSteven Driver wrote:Phil Karn
Read more...wrote:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfT07eT3oyUWhat was the call sign used?Two balloons were launched: W8BI-11 and W8BI-12 -
Re: WB8ELK flies a balloon at Dayton
Great Plains Super Launch May 25, 2023 | 12:26 pmWhat was the call sign used?
Read more... -
WB8ELK flies a balloon at Dayton
Great Plains Super Launch May 25, 2023 | 06:02 amhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfT07eT3oyU
Read more... -
Re: APRS reception concern Huntsville
Great Plains Super Launch May 25, 2023 | 01:47 amI've only run APRS on 144.39the low balloon looking for 26-30k ftthe high balloon looking for 138k ftI'm not sure if the tracker is timed by power on, still got to look into what transmitters i'll flyCarltonki4nhk
Read more...