Securing a JL Altimeter1/2/3 in a LPR

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neil_w

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Next year I will be diving into electronics a bit, and a JL Altimeter 2 or 3 will probably get me started (unless I decide to go Chute Release first, but that's a separate question).

Anyway, I'm not really talking about an AV bay here, just sticking an altimeter in a BT50 or BT60 payload section. Beyond cow-hitching it to the nose cone, to what extent does it need to be "secured"? I'm looking for the simplest and lightest method that will ensure safety and proper operation.
 
Others will chime in with their recommendations. I take a 12" long piece of kevlar cord (150-200 lb test), and tie it into a loop. Then I cow hitch that to the altimeter and then to the nose cone loop. I'm never scared to also hitch it to just the shock cord when that's easier. Of course if the shock cord were to break, it might be hard to find on the ground. The one time that happened to me, three of them tied together fell 1000 feet to a concrete tarmac, and were okay.

It's always a fine idea to wrap it with something to protect it a bit from being "slapped" against the nose during ejection, and from the gases themselves. I'm probably a little cavalier with them because I make them (and can thus replace them easily), but I don't baby mine at all and I haven't had one break on me, except for core sampling flights.
 
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