Personal Alarm Tracking

[timothyterpsalot]

Hello all,
I realize this has been talked about before but I picked up a personal alarm at a garage sale for 10 cents and figured I would use it in a rocket. As to how to put it in....that's where I'm lost. I've heard of people mounting in to the shock cord as below:
http://www.thefintels.com/aer/deployalarm.htm
But I'm thinking that isn't an acceptable method of attatching it (ie electrical tape and a sock). I am reluctant to mount it in the ebay as that might prevent the sound aubile at longer distances. Thoughts?

[Green Arrow]

Hello all,
I realize this has been talked about before but I picked up a personal alarm at a garage sale for 10 cents and figured I would use it in a rocket. As to how to put it in....that's where I'm lost. I've heard of people mounting in to the shock cord as below:
http://www.thefintels.com/aer/deployalarm.htm
But I'm thinking that isn't an acceptable method of attatching it (ie electrical tape and a sock). I am reluctant to mount it in the ebay as that might prevent the sound aubile at longer distances. Thoughts?

I modifiy mine with Kevlar cord. I attach mine to the chute's clasp and the another point farther down the shock cord. I have had no problems and it has saved me many times from losing a rocket and I fly in corn and potatoe fields (potatoes being the worse).

[roadkill]

potatoe fields (potatoes being the worse).

This message approved by Dan Quayle...

[hognutz63]

Hello all,
I realize this has been talked about before but I picked up a personal alarm at a garage sale for 10 cents and figured I would use it in a rocket. As to how to put it in....that's where I'm lost. I've heard of people mounting in to the shock cord as below:
http://www.thefintels.com/aer/deployalarm.htm
But I'm thinking that isn't an acceptable method of attatching it (ie electrical tape and a sock). I am reluctant to mount it in the ebay as that might prevent the sound aubile at longer distances. Thoughts?

What's not "acceptable" about taping it to the shock cord? It may not be the "sexiest" way of getting it in your rocket but probably the most functional and practical way. I tape my tracker to my shock cord all the time and works perfectly.

[Mikus]

I modifiy mine with Kevlar cord. I attach mine to the chute's clasp and the another point farther down the shock cord. I have had no problems and it has saved me many times from losing a rocket.

Same here.

[BAR0051]

I tape mine to the cord with filament strapping tape and have never had one come off.

[Sailorbill]

This weekend I used the personal alarm in all of my flights ranging from a 3.9" Fat Boy to a 7.5" Fat Boy. Attachment ranged from tying off with Kevlar cord to zip ties. They all worked but I lost the activation pin when the attachment cord untied.
Interestingly I actually never needed the alarm as all my flights were easily found.
The alarm was hard to hear on the 7.5" Fat Boy as it landed under the nosecone which was under the parachute.

[DTH Rocket]

Does anyone know of a personal alarm that would fit (or could be modified to fit) in a 29mm body tube? I'm building a rocket that'll go about 5000 feet and need a cheapish way to find it again.

[brianc]

Does anyone know of a personal alarm that would fit (or could be modified to fit) in a 29mm body tube? I'm building a rocket that'll go about 5000 feet and need a cheapish way to find it again.

http://www.jbgizmo.com/page6.html

(if you're not opposed to DIY)

[Green Arrow]

Does anyone know of a personal alarm that would fit (or could be modified to fit) in a 29mm body tube? I'm building a rocket that'll go about 5000 feet and need a cheapish way to find it again.

Come fly with us at MAple Island and rent a tracker from our club for $10 or $15.

www.tsmrockets.com

[gpoehlein]

This weekend I used the personal alarm in all of my flights ranging from a 3.9" Fat Boy to a 7.5" Fat Boy. Attachment ranged from tying off with Kevlar cord to zip ties. They all worked but I lost the activation pin when the attachment cord untied.
Interestingly I actually never needed the alarm as all my flights were easily found.
The alarm was hard to hear on the 7.5" Fat Boy as it landed under the nosecone which was under the parachute.

This is an example of Applied Murphology in action. If we posit that Murphy's Law (everything that can go wrong, will go wrong) is correct, then we must consider the corollary - If we plan for it go wrong, it won't (Murphy's Law applied to itself). Thus, Applied Murphology - you planned for it to go wrong, so it didn't. If you HADN'T put the alarms in your rockets...

[BAR0051]

Does anyone know of a personal alarm that would fit (or could be modified to fit) in a 29mm body tube? I'm building a rocket that'll go about 5000 feet and need a cheapish way to find it again.

That will be well out of sight. I think a Pratt MicroBeacon would fit.
http://www.pratthobbies.com/proddetail.asp?prod=MB%2D12
You might try putting colored powder in with the shoot to make it easer to see on top but unless you are using dual deployment I would suggest using a radio tracker like the Beeline. The Beeline will fit in a 29mm tube, but the tracker and required radio receiver are not exactly cheep.

[m85476585]

How about one of these
http://www.mouser.com/Search/Product...HzPgb6FpBeM%3d
Basically a fire alarm siren. At 53mm diameter, it's not for small rockets, but it should be loud! One or two A23 batteries will power it for a few hours.

[n5wd]

How about one of these
http://www.mouser.com/Search/Product...HzPgb6FpBeM%3d
Basically a fire alarm siren. At 53mm diameter, it's not for small rockets, but it should be loud! One or two A23 batteries will power it for a few hours.

OMG did you look at the data sheet? Too funny! One of the programmable tones is a "Pelican crossing" alarm. I think I'm going to have to go down to Mansfield and get one of those just to see what that sounds like!

Where's Opus when we need him?

[m85476585]

The data sheet is a little confusing. It shows all the different modes of operation, but the dimensional drawing doesn't show any kind of switch to set the modes. Page 1 also says the sweep rate is 4hz, while the various modes listed on page 2 have sweep rates between 0 and 7hz.

[n5wd]

The data sheet is a little confusing. It shows all the different modes of operation, but the dimensional drawing doesn't show any kind of switch to set the modes. Page 1 also says the sweep rate is 4hz, while the various modes listed on page 2 have sweep rates between 0 and 7hz.

Yeah, it is a bit confusing, but what I'm guessing is that the variable alarms are for a different version of the unit.

Man, I just gotta find a pelican crossing alram!