Tree Recovery?

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After 2 weeks my rocket with camera and sonic beacon is still dangling by its shock cord about 50 feet up in a tree. The sonic beacon beeped for 3 days before the battery went dead. It is hanging high above a popular walking path so between the loud beeping and the 8 foot pink and silver mylar streamers, it got lots of attention.

I was thinking about building something with a timer to automatically sever the shock cord 10 minutes after launch if it's not disabled. I would lose the nose cone but the rest of the rocket and electronics would (hopefully) fall to the ground. I think I could do this using an upper stage ignition timer and an E-match wrapped around the base of the shock cord. Has anyone tried anything like this?
 
I need one of THESE . . .

That is the "Big Shot", available from Sherrill Tree. As someone mentioned on the previous page we've had some success with rocket removals using that as the basis for access. That slingshot will throw a 12oz bag trailing 100# kite line (Sherrill sells some dynema line that is uber slippery, I'm cheap...) clear over your house. With some practice you can get pretty accurate shot placement. Biggest problem is that the shot generally tends to get a lot of tree in addition to going over the rocket shock cord. Some cleverness is required to try to isolate the rocket as much as possible. Other required items: loppers, a chainsaw, patience, slightly larger ropes than the kite line (swap out the kite line with the heavier rope), 100ish feet of 1/2" 3 strand rigging rope, a Masdaam rope puller, some tubular nylon slings, gloves, two small buckets, and one Michelle.

We have retrieved around 16 high power rockets, all with motor hardware, most with electronics. Not all survive the retrieval in perfect shape, but the expensive bits get gotten back. Biggest one yet was a 8" M motor project a MARS member flew at LDRS.

If you have questions about our techniques and equipment, I'd be happy to share.

N
 
Here's a method that works well after you get used to it,, take a plastic water bottle, tie a string around the neck. Then throw it over the branch, or in one case for me, over the tubular nylon, and use it to pull the rocket or branch down. If it is beyond normal over hand throwing range, twirl the bottle and throw. Usually works well half full, ~10oz or so to weight the bottle. You can also tie a heavier rope to the light line after you get it over the branch, nylon etc and you can almost pull the tree over if need be.

Tom

That's how we got my Level 3 rocket out of the tree it landed in. Actually landing in the tree was a good thing. The tree prevented the rocket from dropping into a 20+' deep ravine with some really nasty water at the bottom or landing in a farm pond filled with equally disgusting water.
WE put a ding in the body tube and a small rip in the main chute. I had one of my TAPS look check out the rocket before we removed it from the tree to document that the damage was done after the "landing."
 
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