2. SAFETY FIRST
If you are anyone else gets seriously injured (or worse) that’s seriously going to take the fun out of the
whole thing. So pay massive amounts of attention to safety, PLEASE…
Launch in a wide flat area: First off, the best place to launch is a flat area, a WIDE flat area, with no
obstacles for hundreds of meters in any direction; particularly obstacles involving power lines. A balloon
can often travel along for a while almost horizontally in the slightest breeze you don’t even realize exists, so
don’t assume anything is going straight up. Again, nowhere near or even in sight of power lines!
etermine wind direction: Ideal launch conditions are zero wind. But recognizing that rarely does one
have such a luxury, it is necessary before everything, to determine the wind direction; then choose the
launch site such that the balloon has the longest clear space to ascend into.
Launch from ground level: Don’t be tempted to launch from a roof, or a balcony, even if it seems like a
good idea (maybe you think it will get you higher than nearby obstacles). In the heat of the moment, your
attention could be so focused on getting your precious dream airborne that you’ll take unreasonable risks,
balancing precariously near the edge just to dislodge it or stop that last bit of antenna catching on
something… and before you know it, you’ll fall off to your doom. Better to stay on the ground, do a bit of
extra thinking to find a suitable launch site.
Mind hydrogen: remember, Helium is a non-explosive, non-flammable gas. Hydrogen has greater lift, is
cheaper, a renewable resource, and leaks more slowly – but is explosive. So if you decide to use hydrogen,
do some proper research about how to handle it properly, at the minimum following all safety instructions
directed by whatever container of the stuff you’ve got hold of.
Aircraft: An oft-repeated objection to high altitude ballooning is that it’s a danger to aircraft. Having spoken
to numerous commercial and private pilots about this, I have yet to meet one who did other than laugh at
the thought of something that tiny and delicate being any kind of danger to an aircraft. Modern aircraft
simply have too many built-in redundant systems and safety features, over-engineering etc for such a small
thing to be a hazard. Nevertheless, better not tempt fate, or risk any undue attention, by selecting a launch
site anywhere near an airport. Stay even further away from any military facility.
Rules, regulations: It’s your responsibility to find out what laws, rules, regulations etc apply in your
country. QRP Labs is not going to tell you, QRP Labs doesn’t know. No idea at all. So make sure you
undertake all necessary research and figure out what you can, and cannot do. Then make your own
decisions accordingly.
Test test test… OK this isn’t really part of safety. Well maybe it is, if you consider preserving your sanity an
important goal. TEST! Test, re-test, test every possible scenario you can think of. Solar power in the dark,
solar power as the sun comes up, goes down, spinning around, clouds, blah blah. Whatever you can think
of. If you’re writing your own BASIC program try to think of all the possible routes the code can take and
think of a way to check they all work properly. Test everything so thoroughly on the ground. There’s already
enough to go wrong with the wind, clouds, tangled antennas, leaks, miscalculation of gas volume, blah
blah… at least get the U4B set up correctly! Once it’s left your hands, you’re very very unlikely to ever see it
again. So you had better be sure it WORKS before you let go! This includes not breaking off the USB tab
until the last moment – because testing and fixing something is a whole lot harder without that.
Common sense: This list is not exhaustive! Above all, use common sense! Best to delay a launch, and
come back another day – there should be plenty – then risk injury or life.
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