Will It work for a rocket???

[Eat, sleep, and Fly]

I have been looking for an onboard tracking unit for a long time, I was leaning towards getting an AT-2B unit, but then i found this I understand that it has less range than the AT-2B, But it would work for me. what really sold me over on this product is that it is waterproof, unlike the At-2B... I fly at bong, so whenever I can have somthing waterproof, I will. The only problem is... this unit is in the RC Plane section, could it get chrushed or damaged by the higher G's in a Rocket? I obviously dont want to buy a product that doesent do what I am looking for it to do, so help he out.
eat, sleep, and Fly

[Pantherjon]

I don't see why it wouldn't work..

[amarillo_rocket]

Call the manufacturer to get a G rating and their input.

[mikec]

I expect it would work fine, but it does have a much shorter range than the AT-2B which has 50x more radiated power.

[New Ocean]

That range for the low power unit worries me.

[Eat, sleep, and Fly]

Call the manufacturer to get a G rating and their input.

I just got off the phone with the manufacturer... The lady told me that they do not have any of that infromation.
it has never been studied

[Eat, sleep, and Fly]

That range for the low power unit worries me.

I looked at that too... But i only really will be flying this in stuff that will go a MAX of 6k, and therefore wont drift that far... however, I will have to look into it more.

[JDcluster]

The first one looks just like the rocket hunter or same thing a few Rocket vendors sell (at least the enclosure).
http://stores.whatsuphobby.com/-strs...Categories.bok


It saved me from loosing a rocket back in July! The main came out at apogee; at a mere 12k. It proceeded to drift another 3.5 miles away. After about a day and half of tracking in a curly-cue manner I found it 20 ft up in a tree.

Without it, it would have been a write off.


JD

[1tree]

First, the range on the first transmitter is a pipe dream. You could get that kind of range from what they are talking about if (and only if) either the receiver or transmitter was significantly higher than ground level.

Part of your usable range will depend on how long you wait to break out the receiver. If you get an idea of where it is early, you will have a bearing to work from. From there, you should be able to follow the bearing and find the rocket reasonably along the line.

If you don't, then you have a significantly shorter range of finding.

As for the G rating, I seriously doubt that it would harm the electronics. If there was damage it would probably be from flexing of the board.

[Eat, sleep, and Fly]

Thanks so much for the imput everybody. At our club the AT-2B unit has become pretty much the standard. I think i am going to stick with what I know works. thanks, Ben

[davel]

I fly at bong,

If you are flying with WOOSH, they do have 2 RR-400 receivers that can be used by members. So you don't need to buy a receiver of your own.

Also, you will want to check with the club as to what frequencies are already in use so you can get an unoccupied one.

[blackjack2564]

I fly at Bong every summer & have been in the ponds more times than I like to remember.

I use the the 2B , just wrap it with electrical tape to make it fully waterproof.

Mine have been in the water for hours and still keep beeping no problem!

Most of my rockets that fly at Bong now have foam in the NC with a space for tracker & antenna.

I landed in the pond by the RC plane field. When I got there the only thing visible was the NC bobbing like a cork, just a beeping away. Rest of the rocket was sitting on the bottom!

[Eat, sleep, and Fly]

If you are flying with WOOSH, they do have 2 RR-400 receivers that can be used by members. So you don't need to buy a receiver of your own.

Also, you will want to check with the club as to what frequencies are already in use so you can get an unoccupied one.

Using the WOOSH recivers have been my plan all along... For me it makes sense to use the free club unit indtead of buying the $250 one

I will check about frequencies before I get a tracker... It could be a while, I have to get my HAM.

[Eat, sleep, and Fly]

I fly at Bong every summer & have been in the ponds more times than I like to remember.

I use the the 2B , just wrap it with electrical tape to make it fully waterproof.

Mine have been in the water for hours and still keep beeping no problem!

Most of my rockets that fly at Bong now have foam in the NC with a space for tracker & antenna.

I landed in the pond by the RC plane field. When I got there the only thing visible was the NC bobbing like a cork, just a beeping away. Rest of the rocket was sitting on the bottom!

I like the idea for foaming the NC and cutting a compartment for the tracker... I will have to try it sometime.
I had my wildchild land in the lake once, and the NC was foamed, but when we got there a good section of the booster was on land. I think that flight is my Avatar... but i flew it twice the same day on F40-7W.

[chadrog]

Using the WOOSH recivers have been my plan all along... For me it makes sense to use the free club unit indtead of buying the $250 one

I will check about frequencies before I get a tracker... It could be a while, I have to get my HAM.

Just in case you weren't aware, there are transmitters available that are not on the HAM frequencies. I'm going to get one of these this spring (the XLF 6v), and they work great with the club receivers.

http://www.radiotracking.com/xlf.html

[WaldoT]

Thanks so much for the imput everybody. At our club the AT-2B unit has become pretty much the standard. I think i am going to stick with what I know works. thanks, Ben

Good plan. I would be concerned with the limited range of the PT-1B... It won't save you any money if you lose it (and the rocket). You would be surprised how far a rocket can drift from 6,000' even using dual deploy, and any trees in your line of sight will further attenuate your signal. Best to go with more power. And the HAM exam is not difficult.

[Mikejl]

Just in case you weren't aware, there are transmitters available that are not on the HAM frequencies. I'm going to get one of these this spring (the XLF 6v), and they work great with the club receivers.

http://www.radiotracking.com/xlf.html

A non HAM transmitter.. love it. I'd like to see build / fitting pics. Set some feedback on how well it worked.