$1.00 rocket locator beeper

I found a beeper ( Child Safety Keychain ) at Deals for $1.00. Deals is a "everything a $1.00 store in Cincinnati. Maybe they have them elsewhere but I don't know.

Anyway this beeper is just like the ones from Radio Shack that have been talked about in other threads. It is a translucent plastic, oval shaped and about 1 1/4 inch wide. I have noticed that many dollar stores carry the same stuff so you might be able to find it at other dollar stores.

$1.00 for a locator beeper. You can't beat that!

-Can you please post a pic of it?-thanks.

OK I'll take a picture when I get home.

But here is a link that shows it and how to modify it to work as a locator beeper. I did not write this review just linking it to show what I'm talking about.

The one I got looks exactly like that one. The only difference I see is that the one I got uses 3 L44 button cells instead of one 12 volt.
I was just giving a heads up to where you might find one for a dollar!

https://www.rocketreviews.com/reviews/scratch/rocket_beeper.html

OK Here is a picture of the $1.00 beeper in the package.

I use these all the time. Excellent for finding rockets, and they really help on night flights! Alot loud than you may think!
Karl

Those work great!

I got mine from eugenefl a long time ago and it screems "bloody murder" all the way down.

Unfortunately if the rocket lands in high weeds you would be suprised how close you have to be (within 100' or so) to hear it.

Helped me find my Mustang at NARAM!

If it lands in a tree...yer outta luck.

BTW...if you have a dog, don't test it in the house.

I've got one of the "pre-made" ones that fits nicely into a BT20, and it's perfect for use out in the Plaster City area where it's desert (no trees) but there are lots of small scrub bushes that rockets like to hide behind.

WW

What a good & cheap idea! We have those Deals stores here. I'm gonna have to stop by & pick-up a few. Thanks for the picture-now I know what to look for.

I checked my deals today & they didn't have them. I had to pick up a presciption at Walgreens so I looked there. They had the exact same-looking thing except the package said it was made by Smith & Wesson for $7.99. Needless to say, I didn't buy it.

laseradam

Thanks for letting us know at about it. I picked up 3 of them at our Deals here in Dayton, OH. I've been looking for them at Radio Shack with no luck, and they were priced at $12 each, as I recall. You can't beat $1 each.

Loud is right!

Ron

Some of you guys who can find these things easily at your local stores may have to help out some of the rest of us who cannot get 'em that cheap.
If I pay $1 for the beeper, $1 for a mailer envelope, $2 for mailing costs, and $1 for handling, it would still be cheaper than buying one for $12 at Radio Shack.
Anyone?

Originally posted by powderburner
Some of you guys who can find these things easily at your local stores may have to help out some of the rest of us who cannot get 'em that cheap.
If I pay $1 for the beeper, $1 for a mailer envelope, $2 for mailing costs, and $1 for handling, it would still be cheaper than buying one for $12 at Radio Shack.
Anyone?

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The best outcome would be buying 3 or 4 of them at once and having them mailed to you. I bought the last 3 at the Deals near me. Indeed, the sales lady originally thought they were out of them, but she discovered 3 on the shelf.

I'd be happy to keep an eye out for them and help you out if I see them again.

But I think Deals gets their "deals" by buying excess inventory items. There is no way to know whether they'll carry them again. I can try.

Ron

The next time I'm at the deals where I found them I will look again. I also would be happy to help others out. If I find some more I will buy them, post the cost to send them, and mail them out first come first serve.

Adam

Thank you for the help, Adam!

Originally posted by Rob Fisher
I checked my deals today & they didn't have them. I had to pick up a presciption at Walgreens so I looked there. They had the exact same-looking thing except the package said it was made by Smith & Wesson for $7.99. Needless to say, I didn't buy it.

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I'll tell ya what, after losing my D powered Baby Bertha in a clean-cut corn field, I'm thinking about buying it for $8 bucks now! I clearly saw the area where it landed, but could not find it after searching nearly an hour!!!!!! I swear, it's as if it just disapeared.
I need one of these now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'll keep checking for you. I've stopped by Deals a couple of times, but I haven't seen another beeper. Since it's such a "fine shopping experience," I'll go by every week or so to see what they've got.

I've still not tried my beeper--the weather during our scheduled launches has been poor.

By the way, beeper is not an appropriate term. Screamer might be more accurate.

Ron

I haven't been able to locate these either. If anyone comes across one for a dollar or so, please let me know.

In the meantime, I'll keep trying to my local Deal and Dollar Tree stores.

I just want to spend the time launching, not locating . . .

Originally posted by akpilot
I haven't been able to locate these either. If anyone comes across one for a dollar or so, please let me know.

In the meantime, I'll keep trying to my local Deal and Dollar Tree stores.

I just want to spend the time launching, not locating . . .

Click to expand...

-EXACTLY!!! I spent so darn much time searching for rockets, that I missed out on prime launching time.

I know if you shoot rockets in the middle of nowhere this may not help, but on of my loss prevention techniques is to include a small laminated "name/phone/reward" tag clipped to the nose cone when I shoot my rockets. If I lose it, maybe I'll get a call back when someone else gets it.

Hmm, maybe this could even be an intentional loss tactic... build a tiny rocket intended to strato-peak and most likely drift away...see how far/how long it takes to get a call on it...if ever.

Jerry

Kid Safe Alarm with 110 Decibel Screech is (was?) marketed by Smith & Wesson List price $7.99

https://ir.smith-wesson.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=90977&p=irol-newsArticle_Print&ID=543982&highlight=

https://www.safe-t-line.com/psd.html

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en...D:en&q=safe-t-line+kid+safe+alarm&btnG=Search

https://www.walgreens.com/store/product.jsp?CATID=100373&navAction=jump&navCount=0&id=prod398597

Originally posted by bobkrech
Kid Safe Alarm with 110 Decibel Screech is (was?) marketed by Smith & Wesson List price $7.99

https://ir.smith-wesson.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=90977&p=irol-newsArticle_Print&ID=543982&highlight=

https://www.safe-t-line.com/psd.html

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en...D:en&q=safe-t-line+kid+safe+alarm&btnG=Search

https://www.walgreens.com/store/product.jsp?CATID=100373&navAction=jump&navCount=0&id=prod398597

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That's the one I saw at Walgreens! Now I'm gonna just gonna pay the $8 & buy it. Hey-it's cheaper than replacing the rocket.

I got back around to the Deals store where I got the $1.00 beepers. They didn't have anymore.

I've found them at drugstores on clearence.. usually around $3-5
not necessarily the same brand.. but we have a drugstore on every corner .
$1 would be a sweet deal!

I tried my egg beeper for the first time this weekend. I placed it in a BT-80 based CHAD rocket (Miss Piggy). I learned some lessons.

I arranged the beeper so that the pin would be pulled during parachute deployment—the method described elsewhere. While loading, I noticed the beeper could pitch about 45 degrees in the body tube and become mildly wedged. But I didn’t worry about it too much. I packed it in this order: wadding, shock cord, parachute, and beeper.

This was the 7th launch of this configuration so I knew worked well at least without the beeper. I launched it with a D12-0/D12-5 combination. Ejection was at least a second after apex. The nose popped off, but the beeper and parachute do not come out of the body tube. The descent, because of the flailing nosecone, was semi-stable. Of course, the beeper never activated. But the nosecone must have slowed the descent enough because there was little damage.

What did I do wrong? Perhaps the order of loading should have been: wadding, shock cord, beeper, and parachute. Then maybe the parachute would have been pulled out by the ejecting nosecone. Then the chute force could have snatched the beeper out.

I’ve also considered taping small fiberglass insulation sheets (the type you wrap around pipes) around the flat sides of the beeper so it couldn't pitch and jam in the body tube, i.e., the longitudinal axis of the beeper would remain parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rocket. That would make it more cylindrical so it would slide out more easily. Does that make any sense?

Originally posted by ronhill
What did I do wrong? Perhaps the order of loading should have been: wadding, shock cord, beeper, and parachute. Then maybe the parachute would have been pulled out by the ejecting nosecone. Then the chute force could have snatched the beeper out.

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If the beeper is attached to the nose-cone, then the exiting nose cone would immediately take the beeper with it, perhaps upside down so that the pin is then pulled because it's attached further down the shock cord, close to the parachute attachment. The shock of the parachute opening would pull the pin, the nose cone pulls beeper out immediately because it's essentially one piece.

Problem solved?


EDIT: Attach with snap swivels to the bottom of the beeper and to the end of the pin so you can quick attach/detach the device from your rockets for use in several. Snap attach beeper upside down to nose cones, pins the base of parachute attachment.... as above.

JBeau,
I am in the process of modding my beeper alarm and was wondering if you have a pic of what exactly it is you are talking about when it comes to the snap swivels or whatever and what the alarm actually attaches to. A picture would be worth 1001 words here. I was thinking of just taping everything, but this is going to be used on mid power rocket and would like it to be right. Thanks for any help here- from anyone.... T. J.

Originally posted by JBeau
If the beeper is attached to the nose-cone, then the exiting nose cone would immediately take the beeper with it, perhaps upside down so that the pin is then pulled because it's attached further down the shock cord, close to the parachute attachment. The shock of the parachute opening would pull the pin, the nose cone pulls beeper out immediately because it's essentially one piece.

Problem solved?


EDIT: Attach with snap swivels to the bottom of the beeper and to the end of the pin so you can quick attach/detach the device from your rockets for use in several. Snap attach beeper upside down to nose cones, pins the base of parachute attachment.... as above.

Click to expand...

That attachment I used was exactly as you described. But I think the problem was the loading order. I didn't use the power of the parachute opening to pull the beeper from the body tube. I often forget that an ejection charge isn't really the gases pushing the load out of the tube, it's actually more the nosecone pulling the load from the tube.

With a better loading order, the nosecone/parachute combination would have snatched the beeper from the tube even if it had been a little jammed.

I haven't had the opportunity to try it again.

For what it's worth, I've been seeing these alarms in WalMart here in Dayton. They're priced at less than $6. At the Super WalMart here near Dayton, they're in the smoking materials area near the checkout.

I notice that the Kid Safe alarm is listed (earlier in this thread) as 110 decibels. That's loud, but nowhere nearly as loud as the 140 db claimed by the Radio Shack one. The decibel scale is logarithmic, so a difference of 30 decibels translates to a multiplier of 1000. I.e., if the ratings are correct, the Radio Shack egg is fully 1000 times as loud as the Kid Safe one. The others people are finding may vary in volume too.

The Noise Center Decibel Levels link below gives a good list of example sounds and their decibel levels. Among other things, it says:
* The OSHA allowed limit for exposure to 110 db is just under a minute and a half.
* Above 140 db, even one exposure can damage hearing.
* 110 db is equivalent to someone shouting in your ear.
* 140 db is like an airplane taking off.

The Howstuffworks link below says:
* 110 db is like a car horn.
* 140 db is like a gunshot.

I notice that Radio Shack has their 140 db alarms listed at $4.97. I think I paid at least twice that for mine.

References:
What is a decibel?
RadioShack.com - Home & Office Home security & safety Personal safety Mini Egg Personal Alarm with Keychain
Noise Center Decibel Levels
Howstuffworks What is a decibel, and what is the loudest sound I can listen to before it hurts my ears

Originally posted by highrolla7
I was thinking of just taping everything

Click to expand...

Works for me