Would the all thread interfere?
PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! TRUE METALLIC PAINTS WILL BLOCK RF PERIOD!!!!! DON'T USE THEM ON A BAY THAT IS GOING TO CARRY YOUR RF TRACKER!!!. I found out the hard way but a person on the ground got a visual fix on the rocket coming down and I got it back. Had no signal even though my short ground test was o.k.
Yeah, I've painted a rocket with metallic paints but if I have a nosecone mounted tracker, I paint the nosecone with a non-metallic paint. Rest of the rocket below the signal path can be metallic paint. Don't find out the hard way like I did. I lucked out and got the rocket back then started researching metallic paints
and Rf tracking years ago and found out it's a no-no on a bay that contains the tracker and/or the antenna.
All-thread, I don't think is too much of a problem unless there is a bunch of metal in the bay. I've read where it may alter the transmitted pattern of Rf but I haven't had a problem with finding my rockets that have all thread in the ebay. That said, when I found out it was a possibility, I built the later rockets with a thick nosecone bulkhead that I could screw a hatch into and mount a tracker in there without all thread. The nosecone was painted with non-metallic paint and I've never had a range problem. I'd paint the body of the rocket below the nosecone with metallics if I wanted to with no problem.
Other thing about trackers. I'm a Ham and for a time used trackers 100mW or more output. Found out the hard way that such trackers can interfere with deployment altimeters. They can pop on the pad or shut down the altimeters so one has a lawn dart. If using trackers DESIGNED for rocketry (support our dealers) I've never had a problem.
The cheaper deployment altimeters were designed with a poor ground back in the day and were susceptible to Rf maladies. Been there done that.
EVERYONE and I mean EVERYONE who is flying a tracker rocket for the first time, should put bare ematches on the altimeter(s) turn the altimeter(s) on,
turn the RF tracker(s) on and let them sit upright for 30 to 45 minutes on a ground test. If the ematches don't pop or the altimeter(s) don't shut down, one
is likely good to go.
Saw a full-scale Phoenix missile (a big mother mind you) lawn darted with three altimeter failure/shutdowns dorked by a Garmin GPS dog tracker. Flier (not me) didn't do an adequate ground test. Had to use a backhoe to get the remains of the nosecone out of the ground. Fortunately the farmer was in good spirits and didn't take a field privileges away. Plus he owned a backhoe too! Kurt