question about flying a Yaseu FT1D

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robertv2

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I got a FT1D for as cheap as I could get a 2m BRB I have a pair of them. It looks tough enough to fly and is easy to use, I have the space and the weight doesn't matter, so what do you think of mounting it tight and using it in the rocket?
 
I don't know all the features of that Yaesu but from my quick look it seems like a great idea to me. My only worry is having it destroyed in some kind of mishap. I would also ground test it with the deployment electronics to make sure there are no RFI issues.

Go for the gusto!
 
Your major hurdle will being certain the Rf from the FT1DR won't interfere with your deployment electronics. You would need to set it to transmit a position packet every 5 seconds and would be courteous if you didn't use the national 144.390 APRS frequency.
You might want to cut the power down to 1 to 2 watts and for heaven's sake, make sure you do a ground test with bare ematches in your altimeters and dry run them for 30 to 60 minutes before even going to a launchsite to fly.

Also look at this article by Michael Konshak on interference: https://www.apogeerockets.com/downloads/PDFs/GPS_Recovery.pdf especially the part about dog trackers.

This thread too if you haven't already seen it: https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?120809-Rocketry-Trackers-101

If Rf causes your altimeters to reset, they might not work leading to a ballistic recovery. If you are going to use the FT1DR in a rocket that is that large to contain it, it would be a really bad mess if the flight turned out totally ballistic. Dangerous too.

I had a 150Mw RDF tracker cause a rocket to deploy the chutes on the pad before I learned my lesson and a friend lost a 12" diameter, 16 foot tall rocket dual altimetered rocket to a Garmin 2 watt GPS dog tracker with a ballistic flight and complete altimeter failures. Please be forewarned that a large project coming in can be very dangerous if it hits life or property.

On the other hand, the 12mW Beeline GPS trackers play very well with most deployment devices. It behooves you to read Mike's article as he lists a few deivces that don't play well with Rf. Good luck. Kurt
 
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