OziExplorer v3.95.4g. The last serial number for this program was added to our data base on July 14, 2014 172 visitors told us the serial is good, 300 guys said the number is bad -). × If you have your own working serial number for OziExplorer v3.95.4g and you want to share it with public, press 'Share my serial' button below.
OziExplorer is the kind of software that makes you be grateful that about the kind of technology we have today. This application will take you back centuries ago because of its outdated methods that do not bring anything to the table.
The question is what does OziExplorer do? This software is supposed to be a helpful GPS tool for your computer. With live tracking and map plotting, you might think that the goal of OziExplorer should not be complicated for the normal user to see. As you get more into the interface and features of the software, you start to notice that everything must be done by hand.
The plotting of maps and directions is not automatic as you even have to input the maps yourself. The only thing that is automatic with OziExplorer is your original location. Thankfully, the software supports most GPS devices and once you get past the plotting of your own maps, these maps can be uploaded to your GPS device.
This page is not intended to be a guide on how to launch a high-altitude weather balloon! Hopefully if you've come this far, you're in one of two situations:
- You're looking at chasing a radiosonde launch, or maybe help out with tracking someone else's balloon launch.
- You're launching your own high-altitude balloon, have tested your balloon payloads, and are well abreast of all relevant regulations relating to balloon launches!
Dave Ackerman's 'High Altitude Ballooning, From the Ground Up (and back again!)' blog post is an excellent guide to all things ballooning, and is well worth a read.
So, here are a few points on how to best make use of OziPlotter and the mapping systems.
![Speed Speed](http://zdnet3.cbsistatic.com/hub/i/r/2014/10/05/5477c3dd-4ca7-11e4-b6a0-d4ae52e95e57/resize/370xauto/6b2fa9fb1c41f46a14dd2dd565419065/20121128speedtest.gif)
Chase-Car Equipment
You will need at least the following equipment in your balloon chase car:
- 3G/4G Modem (either a dedicated modem, or phone tethering) - While OziExplorer does allow you to use saved topographical maps, it's often more useful to be able to switch to Internet Maps (i.e. Google Satellite) when getting closer towards landing, hence a reliable internet connection is advised. If you think you're going to be going on the fringes of mobile phone coverage, then get and use an external antenna.
- A laptop computer. Make sure that either the batteries will last, or you have some way of charging it!
- A Radio receiver. This could be:
- Some kind of SSB radio, to receive RTTY telemetry using dl-fldigi.
- A Raspberry Pi + RTLSDR, running radiosonde_auto_rx (This will need to be on the same network as the laptop computer!)
- Some form of LoRa receiver, either using Dave's LoRa Gateway or the Project Horus LoRaUDPServer.
- Antenna - For most balloon chases a simple 1/4-wave monopole on a mag-mount is sufficient. If you are far away from the payload when it lands it helps to have a higher gain antenna to switch in to get better signal. I use a Diamond CR-77 for most of the chase, and switch to a NR-770HB if I need more gain.
- A GPS receiver of some sort, so you can see your own position in OziExplorer. There's some information on how to set up a GPS with OziExplorer available here.
Before the Launch Day
Test everything as much as possible! As a very non-exhaustive list:
- Make sure telemetry payloads and radio receivers work as expected.
- Can you receive your payload's signal from further away than just across the room? Take it for a drive and see what range you get!
- If you're chasing a radiosonde, run a radiosonde_auto_rx station for a few days from home to make sure it can receive signals.
- Does your 3G/4G modem work? Do you have enough data quota?
- Check all the utilities available from the horus_utils repository. In particular:
- ChaseTracker - To plot your chase-cars position onto the HabHub tracker map - this lets those watching from home know where you are, and join in on the fun! You may need to use software like Franson GPSGate to split a single GPS between OziExplorer and ChaseTracker.
- 'SummaryGUI' - for displaying a quick-look view of payload statistics (altitude, speed, ascent rate). If you're running ChaseTracker, this display will also show you the position of the payload relative to the car - it lets you know where to look!For SummaryGUI to work, you need a source of 'Payload Summary' packets. OziMux can produce these, as can radiosonde_auto_rx, with the right configuration settings.
On the Launch Day (Before Launch!)
- Download the latest wind data using WindGrabber
- Configure oziplotter.conf with the particulars for your flight, including:
- Target Ascent Rate
- Expected Burst Altitude
- Expected Descent Rate (Calculator for this at the bottom of this page.)
- Check all your payloads are working before launch! Do they have GPS lock? Are they reporting a sensible position? If they report battery voltage, is it as expected?
- Fire up your receiver software, and OziPlotter - make sure data is appearing on the map!
After Launch - Chasing the balloon
With OziPlotter up and running, you should be looking at a map similar to the following:- The red arrows shows where you are (based on GPS), and the direction you are driving.
- The green line shows where the payload has been, and the 'Payload' marker shows where the payload is right now.
- The orange line shows the payload's predicted flight path, based on the data you have entered. Parameters like the ascent and descent rate will be updated based on what the payload is actually doing.
- The red line shows where the payload will go if the balloon bursts (or is cut away!) right now. Useful to know if you have a remotely controllable cutdown device!
- At the bottom right of the screen, the SummaryGUI application is shown. If the 'Payload Data Age' field turns yellow or red, it means there hasn't been any new telemetry data for a while - you should probably check on that!
As the flight progresses, and your guesses on burst altitude and descent rate turn into real data, the predicted landing location will move around. Your main objective should be to get as close to that predicted landing position as possible, and continue to follow it throughout the flight. With luck, you'll be in place to watch the payload land!Good Hunting!