Dave Akerman’s Raspberry Pi Pico balloon tracker combines a GPS receiver, a LoRa radio and a small computer to send a balloon’s position and other telemetry to the ground. It can also estimate a landing point from wind data gathered during ascent. It is a tracker build—not a complete balloon-launch kit, and the project materials do not establish a verified peak altitude for a particular flight.
What the Pico tracker does
A balloon tracker reads its position from GPS and transmits it by radio so a ground station can receive the signal. Ground equipment can forward telemetry to an internet database and display the balloon on a live map. Akerman’s Pico version adds environmental measurements and an onboard landing estimate. His project is described in a Raspberry Pi article published 3 February 2021, with hardware and code notes in his Pico HAB Tracker repository.
The project’s core components are a Raspberry Pi Pico, a u-blox GPS receiver, an SX1278-based LoRa radio module, and a BME280 environmental sensor. A battery supplies power; a solderable prototyping board connects the electronics. A Pico alone is not a functioning tracker: it needs compatible GPS and radio hardware, a suitable antenna and power source, working firmware, and a ground receiver.
How position and telemetry get from the balloon to the ground
GPS provides the position
The receiver sends NMEA data over a serial connection. That data can include date, time, latitude, longitude and altitude. The Pico’s program validates the incoming information and keeps the useful values for telemetry. A critical configuration step is enabling an appropriate high-altitude flight mode: Akerman’s article says a receiver without that setting may stop providing new positions at about 18 km.
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The repository recommends a u-blox module intended for 3.3 V power and describes a high-altitude configuration capability up to 50 km. That figure is a stated GPS operating capability, not evidence that a specific Pico balloon flight reached that altitude. Check the exact receiver’s voltage requirements, supported configuration and wiring before connecting it.
LoRa sends the data
The Pico connects to the LoRa module over SPI and uses a GPIO status signal. The firmware waits for the radio to be ready, sends a telemetry message, then waits for the module’s status before transmitting again. Messages can carry GPS values, a balloon name, sensor readings and the calculated landing estimate. The repository specifies an SX1278-based module with SPI connections and DIO0 brought out; radio frequency and legal operating conditions must suit the launch location and ground equipment.
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Sensors and battery monitoring add context
A BME280 connects over I2C to provide pressure and humidity readings. Akerman notes that pressure is particularly interesting for balloon tracking. The repository places the sensor outside the payload when measuring external temperature, so its position matters if that is the intended measurement.
The Pico can be powered by a battery through its onboard buck-boost converter, according to Akerman. The build measures battery voltage through a potential divider and averages readings in software because changing power demands from external devices can make the ADC reference noisy.
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Why the build uses a soldered board and polling loop
Akerman mounted the Pico, GPS receiver and LoRa transmitter on a prototyping board rather than relying on a breadboard. He explains that intermittent breadboard connections can look like software faults and waste debugging time. A soldered assembly also avoids relying on loose connections in a payload exposed to balloon burst and landing shock, though it still needs sound mechanical protection and secure wiring.
The firmware is written in C. In the default Pico toolchain described in the project article, the modules are handled with a fast polling loop rather than threaded code: the program checks the GPS and radio, processes data, and responds to their status. The repository is the place to consult for the project’s source code and board-specific details.
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How the onboard landing estimate works
An online forecast made before launch is different from an estimate updated by the tracker during flight. Akerman’s onboard method records changes in latitude and longitude for 100-metre altitude sections as the balloon ascends. At intervals, it combines the current position with an estimated descent profile, calculates the time spent in each altitude section, and applies the wind displacement recorded for those sections. After burst, the actual descent rate helps refine the assumed parachute performance. The resulting horizontal movements are summed to produce a predicted landing point, which can be included in telemetry.
This is an estimate, not a guaranteed recovery location. It depends on wind observations collected during ascent, descent-rate and parachute assumptions, and a simplified atmospheric model. Akerman says an independent onboard prediction is useful because mobile data can be patchy while chasing a balloon; that estimate complements rather than replaces pre-launch flight-path forecasting and active tracking.
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What to verify before adapting the build
Akerman’s sources document one project, not a head-to-head test of alternative hardware. When considering different components, verify how they connect, what power they require, whether the GPS supports the needed high-altitude configuration, whether the radio works with your receiver and is lawful for your location, and how the combined payload’s mass and power draw affect the design.
- GPS: Confirm supply voltage, serial interface and high-altitude configuration. A module that works on the bench may not continue reporting at balloon altitude without the appropriate mode.
- Radio: Match the module, antenna and ground receiver, and check applicable regional frequency and operating rules.
- Power and payload: Account for battery capacity, voltage compatibility, sensor and radio demand, total mass, and secure assembly.
- Construction and software: Plan for soldering, firmware configuration and testing the complete signal path from GPS input through radio reception to the ground display.
A tracker is only one part of a balloon launch
Building the electronics does not cover the rest of flight preparation. A Raspberry Pi Pi in the Sky article published 25 July 2014 discusses permission, flight-path prediction, tracking arrangements, balloon filling, balloon and parachute sizing, and payload attachment. Its discussion of permission and NOTAMs is UK-specific and historical, not a statement of current rules for every location.
Before any launch, check current aviation, radio and launch requirements with the relevant authorities for your location. Plan the flight path and recovery arrangements, choose balloon and parachute sizes for the payload, and make sure the tracking setup is ready. Buying or assembling a tracker board does not by itself make a launch prepared or compliant.
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