Trackers

I will be in the market for a tracker this year and was wondering what is the over all best tracker to get. Bear in mind I want the best out there since you really only need to buy at least the receiver once but may need to get a new transmitter if necessary. Thanks for all input on this topic.

Hi Exidor:
We need to know a little bit more about what type of flying you do and where you fly to help optimize your choice. Having said that, in the USA, the most popular choices are probably (in no particular order)

https://www.com-spec.com/rocket/index.html
https://bigredbee.com/
https://www.walstonretrieval.com/main.htm
https://www.altusmetrum.org/index.html

Another one: https://www.radiotracking.com

I've had good luck with Big Red Bee; a number of friends south of here use the F&L trackers from LL Electronics.

-Kevin

Just bought the Comm Spec at Christmas. I have been experimenting with it for a few weeks and love it, even though I have not used it the field yet. A fellow flyer in our club has one and I have seen flights that no doubt would have resulted in a lost rocket come back time and time again. I've never seen anyone with one of these lose a rocket! Company claims 5 miles on the ground and 50 in the air. I have been able to find it in town from 2.1 miles - that's with power lines and houses between me and the transmitter. In the field I'm sure you would get the advertised 5 miles.

Golfpro62 said:

In the field I'm sure you would get the advertised 5 miles.

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If there was no terrain, sure. Otherwise there's no way you'll get 5 miles on the ground without standing on a high spot or using a pole. But the Com-spec works very well and I haven't lost a rocket with one yet. I would recommend it without reservation though the receivers are pricey.

Note that all of the RDF and most of the GPS options require a ham license (Walston is in a gray area). AFAIK, the only ones that don't are the Garmin Astro dog tracker and the BRB900 from Big Red Bee (and Eagle Tree, GPSflight, RDAS, and TLA, all of which use unlicensed 900 MHz).

For anyone just starting with trackers, fly them in rockets that are easy to find, and use the tracker to get you there. That way, you get the badly needed practice before you NEED the tracker.

Using a tracker is a skill that takes time to master.

-Kevin

I personally would avoid any of the handheld "tracking" units. Get yourself a 2M/70CM handheld radio, Handheld dual-band yagi antenna, and (if not included with the antenna) a variable attenuator. This will allow you to DF most of the trackers out there rather than locking you into anything.

Disaster_Guy said:

I personally would avoid any of the handheld "tracking" units. Get yourself a 2M/70CM handheld radio, Handheld dual-band yagi antenna, and (if not included with the antenna) a variable attenuator. This will allow you to DF most of the trackers out there rather than locking you into anything.

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Almost no handheld unit will track the CW Com-spec. The Com-spec is expensive and the transmitters could be smaller, but it's a turnkey solution that won't require you to buy a separate transmitter, receiver, attenuator, and yagi from 3-4 different places. If you don't mind doing that, fine, to each his own.

These are the best Trackers I have found.

Mark

Personally, I love the Communication Specialist trackers. It has successfully found two of my rockets in the woods around the field in Orangeburg. The cost of the receiver and transmitter was about half the cost of one project I got out of the woods. They are not very hard to use. The first time I used mine was on an M Hypertek flight to around 9000 ft. Altough main was at 1000, it drifted and was recovered about 1/2 mile from the pad. I could not visually see the area behind some buildings where Roll the Dice landed, but the tracker took me right there.

Wow!!! That must be a pretty big rocket to get all those guys in. I guess the advantage would be that they carry it back for you?

Annywayyyyyyy......................

I am sold on the Garmin Astro. On one flight when both altimeters went off at apogee at exactly 25.15 seconds into the flight (who would have guessed?) apparently the shock of a double ejection charge was enough to break the shear pins and jar the nosecone loose. Main at 10,000'.

The Garmin never lost a beat on the way up or cross country. We followed it to it's resting place which was 5.29 miles straight line distance from the launch pad. We drove as far as we could and walked right up to it with the receiver giving a running commentary of the distance and direction.

Installation consisted taping it securely to the shock cord and set up was a matter of just turning it on.

Two altimeters, 98mm hardware, recovery harness and Skyangle XL cert 3 parachute not to mention the rocket itself would never have been found. This tracker paid for itself in one flight.

Brent said:

Personally, I love the Communication Specialist trackers.

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I agree with Brent. I consider insurance. Since I started using them, I have not had a single lost rocket. Consider it insurance.

mikec said:

Note that all of the RDF and most of the GPS options require a ham license

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The Technician class (lowest rung, which allows you to use the 70cm and 2m bands) ham license is easy and inexpensive to get, so this is a very minor limitation, really. There's a class near me that does it as a 1-day class, for $30, including lunch. I used the free materials provided by the instructor to study before the class, and tested my knowledge with hamexam.org. It was so easy I have considered going back for my General class just because I can.

If you're anywhere near Agoura, CA, here's a link to info on the class I took:
https://goodkin.net/hamclass/

There are links off that page to study material as well, so there are no books or anything to buy. Even if you're not near Agoura study up using that stuff, and I would guess there's a radio club near you that will give you the test for a nominal fee.

Santa just brought me a Astro 320 and DC40... I've planned to put in in my 4" ebays or nose cones... wrapped with foam pad to protect... been planning placement of the DC40 since last year on my rocket builds... Being a few hundred dollars for the DC40... I've interest in your just taping it to the shock cord method... any damage to the DC40 and how many times will it continue to work with exposure to the ejection charges? Thanks for any comments.

JoeG said:

Wow!!! That must be a pretty big rocket to get all those guys in. I guess the advantage would be that they carry it back for you?

Annywayyyyyyy......................

I am sold on the Garmin Astro. On one flight when both altimeters went off at apogee at exactly 25.15 seconds into the flight (who would have guessed?) apparently the shock of a double ejection charge was enough to break the shear pins and jar the nosecone loose. Main at 10,000'.

The Garmin never lost a beat on the way up or cross country. We followed it to it's resting place which was 5.29 miles straight line distance from the launch pad. We drove as far as we could and walked right up to it with the receiver giving a running commentary of the distance and direction.

Installation consisted taping it securely to the shock cord and set up was a matter of just turning it on.

Two altimeters, 98mm hardware, recovery harness and Skyangle XL cert 3 parachute not to mention the rocket itself would never have been found. This tracker paid for itself in one flight.

Click to expand...

You might want to re-evaluate your deployment charges or you shock cord length between the booster and payload section.

Running a longer cord and taping it in a zig-zag pattern will absorb some of the energy before it reaches the end of the cord.

Smaller charges might be in order as well.

What size charges did you use?

JD

JoeG said:

Wow!!! That must be a pretty big rocket to get all those guys in. I guess the advantage would be that they carry it back for you?

Annywayyyyyyy......................

I am sold on the Garmin Astro. On one flight when both altimeters went off at apogee at exactly 25.15 seconds into the flight (who would have guessed?) apparently the shock of a double ejection charge was enough to break the shear pins and jar the nosecone loose. Main at 10,000'.

The Garmin never lost a beat on the way up or cross country. We followed it to it's resting place which was 5.29 miles straight line distance from the launch pad. We drove as far as we could and walked right up to it with the receiver giving a running commentary of the distance and direction.

Installation consisted taping it securely to the shock cord and set up was a matter of just turning it on.

Two altimeters, 98mm hardware, recovery harness and Skyangle XL cert 3 parachute not to mention the rocket itself would never have been found. This tracker paid for itself in one flight.

Click to expand...

Just a consideration for the AstroDog trackers: those are MURS service and are not to be used more than 60' above ground level...

You can find the CFR regarding Will's comment here.

Specifically, 95.1315:

95.1315 Antenna height restriction.

The highest point of any MURS antenna must no be more than 18.3
meters (60 feet) above the ground or 6.10 meters (20 feet) above the
highest point of the structure on which it is mounted.

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-Kevin

95.1303(b) looks interesting also:

MURS operation is not authorized aboard aircraft in flight.

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Whether that means manned aircraft, I don't know.

Here is the deal with MURS... It is made up of a group of frequencies that used to be commonly called DOT channels. The reason for this is that they were a pool of business band itinerant frequencies that were included in many brands of inexpensive portable radios. To keep track of what would work with what, a colored dot was added to the radio.

Because of how there were marketed, very few people got licenses for them, the interference on them was horrible, and it all went down hill from there (anyone remember trying to use a CB in the early 90's?). Throwing their hands in the air just like they did with CB, the FCC changed these channels into a general purpose license by rule service.

As a license by rule service with the intent of reducing interference the FCC restricts antenna height, power, and use in aircraft. The same is true of FRS and GMRS. The reason that MURS is utilized in the Garmin products is that it is the only such service that permits telemetry.

With that said just remember that the reason that MURS and CB no longer require licenses is because the FCC couldn't enforce the rules and license requirements on these bands. I really wouldn't worry about breaking the antenna height / flight provision for about 90 seconds during flight.

robbdm said:

Santa just brought me a Astro 320 and DC40... I've planned to put in in my 4" ebays or nose cones... wrapped with foam pad to protect... been planning placement of the DC40 since last year on my rocket builds... Being a few hundred dollars for the DC40... I've interest in your just taping it to the shock cord method... any damage to the DC40 and how many times will it continue to work with exposure to the ejection charges? Thanks for any comments.

Click to expand...

No damage at all and that was after pulling it out of a tree. The attachment was with several wraps of plastic tape wrapped around the unit itself in two places and then wrapping the antenna in one place to the shock cord. This unit has been used this way several times with n deterioration due to ejection charges. It is protected in the rocket by a nomex blanket and the unit itself is pretty well sealed due to being designed to be dragged through the woods on a dog's neck.

JDcluster said:

You might want to re-evaluate your deployment charges or you shock cord length between the booster and payload section.

Running a longer cord and taping it in a zig-zag pattern will absorb some of the energy before it reaches the end of the cord.

Smaller charges might be in order as well.

What size charges did you use?

JD

Click to expand...

The rocket has several flights on it in the same configuration and this is the first time there was an issue.

Shock cord is already 35 feet long. Ejection charges are 4 grams for a 7.5" x 24" space which works perfectly on the ground. 4 grams gives a pressure of around 8PSI. I use 4, 4-40 shear pins. The nose cone could have been a tighter fit but my point is that the tracker worked amazingly well.

I will continue to fly this one the way it is but add an apogee delay to one of the altimeters. I just never thought it was possible that they would both go off at exactly the same time.

We have the Comunications Specialists and have lost at least 7 or 8 rockets, I am talking gone. But we had the CS Inc. transmitters in all of them then walked right up to each one. Some were in weeds some were in trees and others were just laying there flat on open ground. One landed about two miles away through the grape vines, past the canals, through more grape vines and into the trees, not a problem we just followed the signal and fine tuned as we progressed and got a $200 rocket back. That $ does not include the electronics or motor case. So we have saved hundreds of $$ by using that tracking device. I have no regret dropping $400 on the system we use. Only downfall the sender is a bit bulky.
Just look at my signature...

I own both a Comm Spec system and the Garmin Astro. Both are excellent, but I like the Garmin Astro best. Just my $.02

Steely

troj said:

For anyone just starting with trackers, fly them in rockets that are easy to find, and use the tracker to get you there. That way, you get the badly needed practice before you NEED the tracker.

Using a tracker is a skill that takes time to master.

-Kevin

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I will certainly heed this advice. A little playing around with this device has proven that already. Starting to understand and learn but some real experience in the field will be critical I think.

Golfpro62 said:

I will certainly heed this advice. A little playing around with this device has proven that already. Starting to understand and learn but some real experience in the field will be critical I think.

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We can put two trackers in your rocket, so that if you have problems, someone can give you a hand

Golfpro62 said:

Just bought the Comm Spec at Christmas. ... Company claims 5 miles on the ground and 50 in the air. I have been able to find it in town from 2.1 miles - that's with power lines and houses between me and the transmitter. In the field I'm sure you would get the advertised 5 miles.

Click to expand...

mikec said:

If there was no terrain, sure. Otherwise there's no way you'll get 5 miles on the ground without standing on a high spot or using a pole. But the Com-spec works very well and I haven't lost a rocket with one yet. I would recommend it without reservation though the receivers are pricey.

Note that all of the RDF and most of the GPS options require a ham license (Walston is in a gray area). AFAIK, the only ones that don't are the Garmin Astro dog tracker and the BRB900 from Big Red Bee (and Eagle Tree, GPSflight, RDAS, and TLA, all of which use unlicensed 900 MHz).

Click to expand...

Jimmy F. said:

We have the Comunications Specialists and have lost at least 7 or 8 rockets, I am talking gone. But we had the CS Inc. transmitters in all of them then walked right up to each one. Some were in weeds some were in trees and others were just laying there flat on open ground. One landed about two miles away through the grape vines, past the canals, through more grape vines and into the trees, not a problem we just followed the signal and fine tuned as we progressed and got a $200 rocket back. That $ does not include the electronics or motor case. So we have saved hundreds of $$ by using that tracking device.

Click to expand...

I've used Com Spec for 3 years and would have lost at least 6 HPR rockets without them. Yes, the electronics are a bit pricey, but it has easily paid for itself several times over with the safe recovery of parachutes, altimeters and motor casings (which are also pricey), not to mention the rockets themselves and the time invested in building 'em. Also, you can factor in an increase in the enjoyment level of your launch when you reduce the stress factor in finding it. Unsolicited testimonial is that it has been the best investment in rocketry hardware I have made. And I have recovered a rocket from over 4 miles, laying in a field on the other side of thick woods. It had good hang time, and I followed it on foot from the launch site, so the actual line-of-sight distance was probably slightly less, but I had a continuous signal for the over-an-hour hike to get to it. A cell phone call got me a ride back. (Thanks, honey).

The Ham license Technician Exam is straightforward. A lot of useful info is here on the forum. You can study online and take the test locally, a total investment of $14, good for 10 years.

Trackers go in all my rockets now after spending 4 hrs searching for my Harpoon a year or so ago. I got the ComSpec and four xmitters.

Tom

I use a Walston and LL Electronics transmitters. Paid for itself again last weekend.