Trackers: T3 vs Featherweight vs ??

Well, the LCD-GPS Module in the LCD receiver gives you the distance and the arrow/heading to get to your rocket, that's basically what you'd get with an app.

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Thanks! I didn't see the compass direction and travel heading when I first read the LCD Rx page.

cerving said:

Well, the LCD-GPS Module in the LCD receiver gives you the distance and the arrow/heading to get to your rocket, that's basically what you'd get with an app. And it doesn't require another device so it doesn't matter what's in your pocket. The problem with an app is that there are more pieces to maintain, and invariably if you have an app that talks to hardware there are going to be incompatibility issues at some point in the natural upgrade process. With everything in one box, all those issues go away.

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Cris is right. Before the Eggfinder Rx LCD had a GPS in it, I used the Rocket Tracker app on an Android tablet to watch where the rocket went. Plugging the coordinates into an iOS app worked well too (Rocket Finder, I think). With the GPS in the Eggfinder Rx LCD, I no longer use the other things. (It is cool to record a log of your flight using Rocket Tracker on Android though...except the Eggfinder can record your flights on an OpenLog.)

That said, that works for me here in the Nevada desert. I don't need any navigation info other than a direction & distance. If you need maps so you can find roads to get around farmers' fields, you may have different requirements.

I'm sold on the concept and wrote Cris. Thank you.

Rockethound said:

Thanks! I didn't see the compass direction and travel heading when I first read the LCD Rx page.

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You have to press the button, it flips you back and forth between the coordinate display screen and the headings/distance navigation screen.

(On the subject of the button,yes, I realize that an external button has almost become a necessity. If I can find one that I like that's not pricey I'll stop including the little tactile button and include an external one instead. Haven't found one, yet...)

Will remember that detail. Thanks for the prompt service with my order. It will be part of my L2 cert flight at LDRS.

cerving said:

There's an app called Rocket Track out there too, I have not personally tried it, but some people I know that have like it better than GPSRL.



Well, the LCD-GPS Module in the LCD receiver gives you the distance and the arrow/heading to get to your rocket, that's basically what you'd get with an app. And it doesn't require another device so it doesn't matter what's in your pocket. The problem with an app is that there are more pieces to maintain, and invariably if you have an app that talks to hardware there are going to be incompatibility issues at some point in the natural upgrade process. With everything in one box, all those issues go away.

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Rocket Track needs a live data link to get maps. GPSRL one can cache maps and use a WiFi only device.

The Ham radio apps APRSIS/32, YAAC and Xastir can be modified to work with the NMEA, trackers and actually
do better presentation on a map and collect the received data better. The data is much easier to get at.
The problem is they are a P.I.T.A. to set up.

If I want something totally easy to map track albeit requires a Ham ticket, Kenwood D72 or Yaesu VX8GR (GR only)
with a single wire connection to a Garmin 60CS or 60CsX.. Can track all day in the sun and no diddling with settings or software. Use Beeline GPS 70cm or 2 meters, Tele-GPS or any APRS tracker. The Garmin screens can be read in direct sunlight very easily. If I just want to fly on a map "sight unseen" on a moments notice I go with a rocket that has an APRS tracker. Yes I know one can do fine with lat/long on a screen but I prefer an idea of what's going on in flight. Kurt

So I guess straight RDF is out of fashion these days.

grouch said:

So I guess straight RDF is out of fashion these days.

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Yes it is. Last seen in 1974 to track a moose. :duck:

grouch said:

So I guess straight RDF is out of fashion these days.

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Not for everyone. The most experienced people in my local club use RDF xmitters still for more rockets than GPS trackers. They use Kate for their largest rockets, but a Walston, though long in the tooth, can be added as an afterthought; it doesn’t need to be designed in.

I wouldn’t trade for mine. Not sure I’m fangled enough for the new style GPS whatchamacallits.

grouch said:

So I guess straight RDF is out of fashion these days.

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RDF definitely still works like a champ!

grouch said:

So I guess straight RDF is out of fashion these days.

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I still use my Walston. I do not have a GPS unit- yet.

I have seen some weird things with GPS- lock issues mostly that cause issues in finding the rocket. In 18 years of RDF I have had one rocket I could not find. That was due to my error- underestimated the tracker mount needed on a pretty high g flight- and the transmitter broke. I could hear the beep, it took off, and I heard a strange high pitched chirp and nothing.

A good friend of mine who had GPS issues saw me find a friends rocket with a Walston in it. It was about two miles away in the middle of a soybean field. Since then, he might still fly the GPS, but he always flies a transmitter so he can RDF with the used Walston he picked up.

I love my T3, but I still put the RDF in if I expect it might get out of visual range. I still don't trust the GPS, too much that can go wrong.

The last flight with the T3 showed the rocket location where it had hit apogee which was close to 90 degrees in the wrong direction and 2000 ft. from where we watched it actually land. The GPS location never moved from that wrong location until I took the receiving unit with me and moved toward the rocket. The GPS track slowly kept moving on a straight line from apogee to where the rocket actually landed as I got closer to it. I was at the rocket for several minutes as the GPS track kept moving and finally indicated the actual location? I have no clue what caused this, but I now trust the T3 much less than I used to.

I'll still keep the RDF setup and keep practicing with it.

cerving said:

I've seen other people with similar RL issues. That's why I recommend using the LCD receiver with the Bluetooth module... if you lose the Bluetooth feed or the software craps out, you still have the coordinates as a backup.

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I just did a comparison test of RocketLocator, Bluetooth GPS, and RocketTrack on my Samsung S6 when paired with the T3. My winner = RocketTrack

When the receiver loses the signal, RL and BTGPS run the risk of losing the last known coordinates. Merely rotating the phone orientation from portrait to landscape will cause the logs screen to go blank! Big problem.

RocketTrack will preserve the last coordinates when signal is lost, even when rotating the screen. However, it will erase the info if you switch back and forth with other apps on the device. Still a big problem, but not as bad as the other two.

Moral of the story: Use RocketTrack. Keep the RocketTrack app active on the phone. Take lots of screen grabs, just in case!

Note: RocketTrack is not on Google Play. It was posted here on the forum as an apk download requiring a manual installation.

One will have to hit a button on their Android device to allow installation from unknown sources to get RT in. Plus they will have to have a live online access to get the maps on their screen as there is no large scale map caching with RT. They are nice photomaps so it is nice to see where the rocket is headed.

GPSRL is confined to Open Source line maps that do the job. Google nixed GPSRL except if one cached their maps to their device before they went away. First thing I did was go to work on a weekend and downloaded 750mb of photomaps for GPSRL of various zoomlevels at two of my closest sites to fly. Kurt

Installed RT and will give it a test at our next launch.