Only the updated narrative for the day is on this page.  For the remainder of  Pico Serial #8  please  [click here].

Updated  August 11, 2025

Serial #9:  Yesterday, Rio Amateur Radio Club member Tom, WT5TX, launched a second Pico Balloon from his home around 7:00 AM. This marks the first time two balloons have been aloft simultaneously since he began building and launching them. This balloon is Pico Serial #9. Unlike its predecessor, it has been slowly drifting northeast. At the last report, it remained within 150 miles of the launch site here in Harlingen, Texas, having started transmissions at 8:48 AM.
The balloon steadily gained altitude throughout the morning, eventually reaching approximately 35,000 to 36,000 feet (about 10,900 meters). It traveled at an average speed of 15 to 20 MPH (25 KPH) during the day.

Serial #9 passed over Raymondville heading north, then shifted to a northeasterly course. Its final report yesterday came from roughly 150 miles from Harlingen. The balloon is now well beyond South Padre Island and out over the Gulf of Mexico.

What sets this balloon apart is that it actually consists of two balloon envelopes connected at the nozzles, with the payload suspended from that junction. Additionally, this is the first balloon in the series to operate on the 20-meter band. Its dipole antenna measures just over 32 feet—ironically close to 20 meters in length. This frequency band tends to be more open than the 10 and 17 meters used by previous balloons. Tom hopes to determine if this makes a difference, and the balloon will need to prove itself over the coming days.

Serial #8:  This balloon has now officially set the record for the longest flight launched by Tom (WT5TX). It lifted off on July 30, 2025, and has impressively remained aloft for 13 days. Hopefully, this longevity continues to favor the resilient balloon.
Overall, Serial #8’s journey has been both steady and insightful. From the very beginning, it took an unusual course—heading southwest into Mexico rather than east. It passed over Monterrey, then ventured out into the Pacific Ocean just south of the Gulf of California. From there, it traveled nearly due south to a point approximately 150 miles west of Puerto Vallarta.

The balloon spent the day circling in that area before making its way back into the Gulf of California, where it hovered again for another day. It then drifted just off the coast of Cabo San Lucas, lingering in that region for an additional day.

After these stops, it moved slowly in a broad arc—first south-southwest, then west—descending to around 7 degrees latitude before turning northward. Over several days, it traveled west-northwest before shifting course eastward. At the last report, it remained a couple hundred miles off Baja California, south of Ensenada, Mexico.

The upper-level winds over the Pacific appear to be swirling at the balloon’s current altitude of 41,000 to 42,000 feet. It is expected to resume transmitting around 12:20 PM today, and it will be interesting to track where it drifts during the evening hours.


— K5RGV Rio Amateur Radio Club

Tracking Balloons

To track Serial 8's global path, we now have three different sites for you to pick from. 

Traquito, [watch here]
wsprtv.com, [watch here]
WSPR.spot, [watch here}

To track Serial 9's global path, we now have three different sites for you to pick from. 

Traquito, [watch here]
wsprtv.com, [watch here]
WSPR.spot, [watch here}

Wondering what the heck a Pico Balloon is  well just [click here] and all your questions will be answered, well at least the first ones, but I am sure this will bring up others.