Blowing in the wind: the confluence of five hobbies and calling it science

Studying the movement insects and other biota in the lower atmosphere presents a significant challenge. The zone of interest is higher than humans can reach and too low for full scale airplanes to fly. Samples need to be collected in a wind-speed independent manner for accuracy and recision across weather conditions and supporting physical is required to allow the collected samples to be viewed through a quantitative lens. Challenging research is often attempted with the modification of technology used in different arenas. This problem was tackled using 5 different areas often viewed by the general public as hobbies. These areas were “staring off into space”, ham radio, radio control airplanes, building electronic gadgets and computer programming. Efforts to collect migrating Potato leafhopper and other biota will be discussed.