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I was thinking about sending a weather balloon payload up to the lower stratosphere or so, and thought that a live video feed would be a cool idea. The camera would be a webcam connected to a Raspberry Pi, and what I need help with is determining the cheapest possible way to connect it to the Net. Much of this is still in the rough, so I am not sure if it is a feasible idea. My only thoughts were a 3G MiFi device or similar on-board.

Thanks in advance,

Mercury

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Have you even begun to consider the legality of a balloon such as this? – Matt Young Nov 23 '12 at 3:47
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A disposable phone, is light weight, would provide a camara, data feed, and maybe GPS. Have a reward for the its return. – Optionparty Nov 23 '12 at 4:19
You might have better off the shelf product selection luck by visiting X10.com. They may have exactly what you need for this. – Doug Nov 24 '12 at 6:17

closed as off topic by Leon Heller, Brian Carlton, Kaz, Dave Tweed, W5VO♦ Nov 29 '12 at 5:24

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1 Answer

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No, you absolutely can't use a cell phone in the air like that. It is illegal for good reason. Imagine how many cell towers it would light up, until it finally got high enough to not light up any. Also cell tower antennas are directional horizontal, so won't even work well when you are too high.

If you are going to do this via radio, and that is probably the only realistic option, then the bandwidth and power you will need will almost certainly require explicit licensing. Perhaps there are off the shelf solutions that have already done this, I don't know. In any case, this is not a do-it-yourself radio link project.

This is a long shot, but if you can put a array of IR LEDs on the bottom facing down, you might be able to rig up a passable receiver on the ground by putting a telescope in front of it. Keep in mind that IR refracts differently than visible light, so you probably want a reflector. This only works line of sight and it will require the telescope to accurately track the balloon.

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