Implementation of a Low-Cost Flight Tracking System for High-Altitude Ballooning

Caitlyn A. K. Singam

REVIEW 3 major objections 5 minor 20 references

Implementation of a Low-Cost Flight Tracking System for High-Altitude Ballooning

T0 review · 3 major / 5 minor · reviewed 2026-08-14 · deepseek-v4-flash

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Pith's one-line read This paper demonstrates that a low-cost, portable APRS ground station, assembled from a handheld radio, a GPS receiver, and open-source software, can track a high-altitude balloon on a live-updating map up to 9 km altitude with no…

desk verdict A useful build note for HAB trackers, but the headline offline capability is asserted, not demonstrated — worth a revise, not a reject. read the letter →

arxiv 1908.07834 v1 pith:X6ILBRHH submitted 2019-08-20 eess.SP cs.SYeess.SY

Caitlyn A. K. Singam This is my paper · ORCID

classification eess.SPcs.SYeess.SY

keywords high-altitudeballooningAPRSAX.25GPStrackingofflinemapdisplayopen-sourcesoftwareballoonrecoveryradiodirectionfinding

verification ladder T0 review T1 audit T2 compute T3 formal

The pith

A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.

The reading

The paper aims to show that a high-altitude balloon (HAB) can be tracked with inexpensive, handheld equipment and no internet connection, rather than the bulky and sometimes cellular-dependent rigs traditionally used. It introduces VIPER, a system built from a handheld VHF/UHF radio, a USB audio dongle, a GPS module, and two open-source programs, and reports field tests in which the system displayed the balloon's position and the chasing team's position on a live map. In the strongest reported test, VIPER followed a balloon up to 9 km altitude, lost the signal, and re-acquired it on descent at about 6 km. The paper also outlines how the same position data can drive antenna-pointing decisions by computing azimuth and elevation angles to the balloon. Taken together, these results describe an APRS-based ground station that a typical HAB program could afford and carry.

What carries the argument

The load-bearing mechanism is the audio-processing chain: a handheld VHF/UHF radio converts 144.39 MHz APRS signals into audio, a USB audio dongle feeds that audio to a small computer, an open-source soundcard AX.25 packet modem decodes the frames, and an open-source APRS map client plots the decoded positions along with the tracker's own GPS fix. The GPS module also supplies altitude, allowing the software to compare balloon and tracker positions in three dimensions and derive azimuth and elevation angles for aiming a directional antenna. VIPER's contribution is the integration of these off-the-shelf parts into a miniaturized, foot- or vehicle-portable unit that needs no cellular data connection.

What would settle it

Run VIPER with a stock installation of its map client in a location with no network access and no preloaded map tiles; if the live map renders as a blank background, the system as described cannot deliver its central promise of internet-independent visualization.

Watch

Extended reading notes

Core claim

The central claim is that VIPER is a working, low-cost, offline Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS) tracking capability for high-altitude balloons. During the NS-75 balloon flight, the system tracked the balloon and displayed a live-updating map up to 9 km altitude, at which point the signal went out of range, and it re-acquired the balloon when the payload descended to about 6 km. The paper states that the system operates independently of an internet connection; the path by which the map software obtains background map data offline is not described. VIPER also plots the chase team's own GPS position on the same map, which the paper argues enables real-time azimuth and elevation calculations for pointing high-gain antennas.

Load-bearing premise

The internet-free promise rests on the map client having offline map tiles available, but the paper never states how the map software obtains or caches map data without a connection.

Editorial extensions

If this is right

A chase team can run VIPER on foot or from a vehicle without a subscription service or a cellular data connection.
Balloon groups can assemble the system from widely available amateur radio and hobby electronics parts at a fraction of the cost of a roof-mounted mobile rig.
Because VIPER re-acquired the balloon's signal during descent, it can help locate a payload after landing even when the signal was lost at altitude.
The simultaneous display of balloon and tracker positions can guide chase routing and support real-time antenna-pointing corrections.
The same receive chain works with any APRS-equipped balloon payload, not just the specific tracker used in the test.

Reading between the lines

Editorial extensions of the paper, not claims the author makes directly.

The 9 km ceiling is likely set by the whip antenna and line of sight rather than by the radio or decoder, so swapping in the listed magnetic-mount or a directional antenna should extend range; this is a testable consequence of the paper's own hardware suggestions.
If offline map tiles are preloaded, the same system generalizes into a portable APRS ground display for any packet source, not just balloons.
The antenna-pointing geometry described in the paper could be closed into an automated rotator control loop, but the control loop itself is not built or tested.
A side-by-side comparison with the traditional vehicle-mounted receiver would quantify the range trade-off; the paper reports single-flight results with no baseline comparison.

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Signed reviews

No signed human review yet.

Editorial analysis

A structured set of objections, weighed in public.

Desk editor's note, referee report, and a circularity audit.

Desk Editor's Note

read the letter

Colleague,

This is a short, plain engineering write-up of a low-cost APRS ground station for high-altitude balloon tracking. The hardware is a handheld Baofeng radio, a USB audio dongle, a Raspberry Pi with a GPS module, and open-source software (DireWolf for packet decoding, YAAC for mapping). The paper's real contribution is the specific integration: a completely open-source, internet-independent APRS tracker on a Raspberry Pi. It is a modest extension of the APRSDroid smartphone approach, but the author does not cite a prior Pi-based, offline tracker, so it qualifies as a new system configuration.

What it does well: the build is clearly described, the parts are cheap and available, and the field tests give real evidence that the chain works. During NS-75 the system decoded packets and plotted the balloon's position up to about 9 km, then re-acquired on descent. That is a believable result for VHF line-of-sight to a high balloon, and the screen captures show actual APRS traffic. The author also correctly identifies the operational problem that matters: once a payload lands in foliage, you need a portable receiver that can chase on foot, not just a fixed station with internet I-gates.

The soft spots are mostly missing documentation. The biggest one is the offline claim. The abstract says the system operates independently of the internet, but nowhere does the paper say how YAAC gets map tiles without a connection. YAAC normally fetches OpenStreetMap tiles over HTTP; without a pre-populated cache or an offline tile source, the live map will not render. The test reports do not say network interfaces were disabled, so the evidence does not actually demonstrate offline operation. That is not a nit — independence from cellular data is the stated motivation for the design.

Other issues: the range figure is from a single flight with no uncertainty or comparison to a baseline system; Section II.B.3 duplicates the preceding paragraph verbatim; and the antenna gain discussion in Section III.D says a 15-degree boresight error causes 'nearly 20% reduction in gain' without specifying linear or dB. Also, no code, wiring diagrams, or config files are provided, which makes exact reproduction harder, though the parts list is enough for a competent hobbyist.

Is it worth a referee? Yes, at a venue that takes practical engineering notes. The central idea is plausible and the field tests are honest, but the offline-map gap needs to be fixed with explicit instructions and a test with network disabled. I would encourage the author to add those details rather than reject outright.

For a reading group, it is a ten-minute read and the offline-map issue is a nice example of a claim that needs the right negative evidence. But it is not a paper that changes how I think about tracking.

Referee Report

3 major / 5 minor

Summary. The manuscript describes VIPER, a low-cost ground tracking system for high-altitude balloons that receives APRS signals using a Baofeng handheld radio, a USB audio interface, and a laptop or Raspberry Pi, with the open-source programs DireWolf and YAAC used for decoding and map display. The paper claims that the system operates independently of an internet connection, presents preliminary results from two balloon flights (NS-75 and NS-77) including a maximum tracking range of 9 km, and discusses possible applications such as directional antenna pointing. The central claim is that VIPER provides a low-cost, handheld, offline-capable alternative to conventional APRS tracking setups.

Significance. If the claimed performance and offline operation are substantiated, this system would be a genuinely useful and accessible tool for the high-altitude ballooning community, with the advantage of being based almost entirely on commodity hardware and open-source software. The paper includes real field data and is honest about the preliminary nature of the tests, which is a strength. However, the two central claims of internet-free map display and a 9 km tracking range are not adequately demonstrated, and they are exactly the features that distinguish VIPER from existing solutions. The contribution is potentially valuable, but the evidence currently falls short of what would be needed to recommend the design as reliable.

major comments (3)

[Section III.B and Abstract] The paper repeatedly states that VIPER operates independently of an internet connection, but it does not describe how YAAC obtains map tiles without connectivity. YAAC's default operation downloads OpenStreetMap tiles over HTTP, and unless tiles are pre-cached or an alternative offline map source is configured, the live-updating map cannot render when all network interfaces are disabled. The manuscript also does not report whether network interfaces were disabled during the NS-75 or NS-77 tests, so the field evidence does not demonstrate offline operation. This is load-bearing because internet independence is the main motivation stated in the Abstract and Section II.C; please specify the offline map mechanism and confirm that the reported tests were run without network access.
[Section III.C] The only quantitative performance figure, the 9 km tracking range, is based on a single flight and reported without supporting methodology. The paper does not state how the distance was measured, how many packets were received at various distances, what the balloon's altitude was when signal was lost, or what terrain and antenna conditions applied. No uncertainty, variability, or comparison with a baseline receiver is provided. As written, 'up to 9 km' is an anecdote rather than a measured system characteristic; please provide a more detailed description of the test procedure and either a range estimate with uncertainty or a more modest claim.
[Section III.A and III.B] The description of the miniaturized Raspberry Pi-based system is too sparse to be fully reproducible. The paper mentions a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+, a 7-inch touchscreen, and a direct GPS connection via jumper wires, but does not explain how the USB audio dongle is attached, how YAAC is configured for offline map caching, how the touchscreen is driven, or how the audio levels are set. Since one of the paper's contributions is a practical low-cost design, these implementation details are essential; please add a complete bill of materials and step-by-step setup description, or cite publicly accessible documentation that provides them.

minor comments (5)

[Section II.B.3] The paragraph beginning 'The connecting cable is generally an APRS-K2 TRRS cable...' is duplicated verbatim from the end of Section II.B; the duplicate in Section II.B.3 should be removed.
[Nomenclature] The entry 'STEM' is listed twice; please remove the duplicate.
[Fig. 1 caption] The caption says 'BaoFend audio jack' but should say 'BaoFeng audio jack'.
[Section II.C] The final sentence of this section ('Therefore, there is a need... are.') is grammatically incomplete; the word 'are' appears to be a typo and should be removed.
[Section II.A] The sentence 'The APRS protocol, which can be used to carry environmental and payload parameters...' is a sentence fragment; please reword.

Circularity Check

0 steps flagged · score 0.0 of 10

No circularity found: the paper makes no derived predictions and its central tracking claim is verified against external APRS transmissions from a live balloon flight.

full rationale

This paper reports an engineering implementation rather than a derivation. There are no equations, no fitted parameters, and no first-principles model whose outputs could secretly equal its inputs. The central claim, that VIPER tracked the NS-75 balloon and displayed a live-updating map up to 9 km, is tested against real APRS packets received from balloon-borne HABduino transmitters during an actual flight; that evidence is external to the design. The only self-citations (references [5] and [9]) concern prior balloon operations and are not load-bearing for any claimed result. The reviewer's concern about offline map tiles is a legitimate verification gap: the paper asserts internet-independent operation but does not state how YAAC obtains or caches map tiles without connectivity, nor that network interfaces were disabled during tests. That is a correctness or evidence issue, not circularity, because the system's observed APRS reception and map display do not reduce by construction to the paper's stated design choices. The evaluation is externally grounded, so the circularity score is 0.

Assumptions & free parameters 0 free parameters · 4 assumptions · 0 invented entities

The claim rests on off-the-shelf radios, GPS modules, and open-source programs behaving as specified, plus an unstated offline map data source. No free parameters or invented entities appear.

assumptions (4)

domain assumption APRS packets are transmitted on 144.390 MHz in North America and the Baofeng F8HP can receive this band.
Section I.A and III.A establish the frequency and the radio used; if the radio could not demodulate the HAB APRS signals, the system would not work.
domain assumption DireWolf and YAAC perform APRS decoding and map display as described.
Section III.B relies on these open-source programs without verifying their behavior on the Raspberry Pi.
domain assumption The Adafruit GPS module provides accurate position and altitude via NMEA sentences.
Section III.A uses the GPS module for concurrent positioning; no accuracy specification is given.
ad hoc to paper Offline map data is available locally on the Raspberry Pi.
The system is claimed to be internet-independent, but the paper does not explain how YAAC obtains map tiles without a connection.

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Cite this review

Pith. "Pith review of Implementation of a Low-Cost Flight Tracking System for High-Altitude Ballooning." pith.science (2026). https://pith.science/paper/X6ILBRHH

@misc{pith2026190807834,
  author       = {Pith},
  title        = {Pith review of: Implementation of a Low-Cost Flight Tracking System for High-Altitude Ballooning},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://pith.science/paper/X6ILBRHH}},
  note         = {Machine review of arXiv:1908.07834}
}

read the original abstract

High altitude balloons (HABs) are typically tracked via GPS data sent via real-time radio-based communication systems such as the Automated Packet Reporting System (APRS). Prefabricated APRS-compatible tracker modules have made it trivial to transmit GPS coordinates and payload parameters in compliance with the requisite AX.25 protocol. However, in order to receive and track APRS signals, conventional methodologies call for the use of a Very High Frequency (VHF) receiver to demodulate signals transmitted on the 440/144 MHz APRS frequencies, along with a compatible antenna and custom methodology for visualizing the HAB's location on a map. The entire assembly is typically costly, cumbersome, and may require an internet connection in order to obtain real-time visualization of the HAB's location. This paper describes a low-cost, handheld system based on open-source software that operates independently of an internet connection. The miniaturized system is suited to tracking done either from a vehicle or on foot, and is cost-effective enough to be within the means of nearly any HAB user. The paper also discusses preliminary test results and further applications.

Discussion (0). Continue with ORCID to comment.

Reference graph

Works this paper leans on

20 extracted references · 20 canonical work pages

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Pith tools

Reviewed August 14, 2026 · model on record in the stance chip above.

[1] [1]

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Jones, W. V., “Evolution of scientiﬁc ballooning and its impact on astrophysics research,”Advances in Space Research, Vol. 53, No. 10, 2014, pp. 1405–1414

work page 2014

[2] [2]

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Voss, H. D., Dailey, J., and Snyder, S. J., “High-altitude balloon launches and hands-on sensors for eﬀective student learning in astronomy and STEM,”Earth and Space Science: Making Connections in Education and Public Outreach , Vol. 443, 2011, p. 340

work page 2011

[3] [3]

Microbiome of the upper troposphere: species composition and prevalence, eﬀects of tropical storms, and atmospheric implications,

DeLeon-Rodriguez, N., Lathem, T. L., Rodriguez-R, L. M., Barazesh, J. M., Anderson, B. E., Beyersdorf, A. J., Ziemba, L. D., Bergin, M., Nenes, A., and Konstantinidis, K. T., “Microbiome of the upper troposphere: species composition and prevalence, eﬀects of tropical storms, and atmospheric implications,”Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vo...

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UV-resistant bacteria isolated from upper troposphere and lower stratosphere,

Yang, Y., Itahashi, S., Yokobori, S.-i., and Yamagishi, A., “UV-resistant bacteria isolated from upper troposphere and lower stratosphere,”Biological Sciences in Space, Vol. 22, No. 1, 2008, pp. 18–25

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[5] [5]

DesigningBiologicalExperimentationSystemsforHighAltitudeBallooning,

Singam,C.,“DesigningBiologicalExperimentationSystemsforHighAltitudeBallooning,” Academic High Altitude Conference, 2017

work page 2017

[6] [6]

Project Zephyrus: Developing a rapidly reusable high-altitude ﬂight test platform,

Hall, H., Donitz, B., Kim, L., Srivastava, D., Albee, K., Eisner, S., Pierce, D., Villapudua, Y., and Stoica, A., “Project Zephyrus: Developing a rapidly reusable high-altitude ﬂight test platform,”2018 IEEE Aerospace Conference, IEEE, 2018

work page 2018

[7] [7]

APRS: Automatic Packet Reporting System,

Bruninga, B., “APRS: Automatic Packet Reporting System,” , 2015. URLhttp://aprs.org/

work page 2015

[8] [8]

APRS-IS,

Loveall, P., “APRS-IS,” , 2018. URLhttp://aprs-is.net/

work page 2018