Tracker Usage

[troj]

A while back, someone asked about "when to use a tracker". Let me give a real example of the benefits of a tracker, from this past weekend.

I flew my G3 on an unknown AMW motor -- K800, I think, but I'm not positive. The reason I don't know is I had previously assembled it for another rocket, then was unable to fly it, so I saved it for later.

Anywho, the rocket did a "lovely" thing and arced directly into the sun -- none of us could see it. The only evidence we ever saw of the rocket, once it neared the sun, was the puff from the apogee ejection charge. But because we saw that after it happened, nobody had a line on the rocket itself.

....but my tracker did. And I knew due to loss of signal that the rocket was down, and on the other side of a rise.

From that point, until I had the rocket in hand, was 15 minutes. Why? Because of the tracker.

Trackers are a great thing, when it comes to recovering rockets. Especially those you lose site of.

-Kevin

 

[dixontj93060]

Yep, but also for me my BRB's have some "six sense" quality, i.e., when I install it the rocket lands in plain sight; when I don't install it well...

 

[Kaycee]

Trackers are a great thing, when it comes to recovering rockets. Especially those you lose site of.
-Kevin

Yep, couldn't agree more.

Whether a MP or HP flight, my philosophy on trackers (whatever the brand or type), is simple--If it fits somewhere inside the rocket, it is used.

 

[TD Sky]

Yep Kevin(s), I agree, trackers practically eliminate the "what if" mind games that occur after the rocket leaves the pad. They are extremely valuable. I just started using the BRB900. Typically this time of year I don't fly rockets with corn being chest high and pasture grass that's nearly as high. The first time I used it a few weeks ago, I watched my Dart descend very far away over several hills in very tall grass. Once the rocket landed, I got the GPS location off the receiver and typed it in as a waypoint on my Garmin handheld. It told me it was .54 miles away. I started walking. Twenty minutes later, after snaking my way through reeds, grass, fertile land mines and cattails, my Garmin beeped and displayed "Arriving at waypoint". I looked up and the Dart was 10 feet in front of me. Without the tracker, I would have been wandering around on the wrong hill and probably lost (another) Dart. I will never fly without a tracker.

 

[Highpowerrocketyahoo]

The money invested in a tracker is just like the money invested in an Aeropack retainer, it's only "silly" until you kick a case...or in this case lose a rocket....trackers rule period! And so do Aeropacks!

 

[cwbullet]

Lost a 700$ rocket due to stupidity (no tracker). Will not fly with out one if going over 4000 ft

 

[CCR]

Troj,

Was that GPS or RDF?

Craig

 

[troj]

Was that GPS or RDF?

RDF -- standard Big Red Bee tracker.

-Kevin

 

[[POW]Eagle159]

For a LPR I don't think you need one in most cases... but for anything that costs more than $100 and flies more than 100' I would want one... But all I fly A-E...

 

[llickteig1]

Not only is a tracking system an insurance policy, tracking rockets with radio beacons is actually fun for me.

I routinely fly way above the altitude where I can see the rocket from the ground. Many times, I never see the rocket much past motor burnout and never even pick-up the 'chute. No worries. I wait for the tracker signal to become stronger, which gives me an indication that drogue charge has fired and the tracker is out in open air. I can get a bearing on basic direction while the rocket is still airborne. If the rocket lands beyond line of sight for the tracker, off we go in the direction of the indicated bearing. If the tracker can be heard from the launch site, that's a bonus, but if not, it's not a showstopper.

Sometimes, it takes a while to "hear" the tracker again. I stop every half mile or so and get out of the vehicle and scan for the familiar beeps. I change orientation between vertical and horizontal as sometimes the signal is stronger one way or the other. I'll make a couple full circle scans with both orientations and at some distance from the vehicle to avoid signal "bounce". If I don't hear the tracker, I move along to the next 1/2 or so mile point; looking for a hill, rise or other high spot. Once I pick it up, I usually circle the section looking for the strongest signal, giving me the most likely shortest path to the rocket. Now, the vehicle gets parked, I grab my cell phone and tracker and head off for the fox hunt.

This part of the rocket hunt is one of my favorite aspects of the hobby. I know my rocket is down and know the general area where it is located. I can then head off across the field, just me and a buddy, or me and my thoughts, breathing clean air and getting some much needed exercise. The sight of the rocket pieces laid out all pretty finally coming into view brings it all to a satisfying conclusion.

I rarely fly a rocket without a tracker, regardless of rocket size/weight or expected altitude. The tracker doesn't do anyone any good sitting in its bag and you never know when something goofy might happen or a rocket might try to hide behind a blade of grass or clump of sunflowers.

--Lance.

 

[cwbullet]

It is like "metal detecting" for radio waves.

 

[MarkII]

I haven't had a need for an electronic tracker yet (although I do make use of the human kind whenever possible) but I intend to look into them when my flights get high enough that good tracking could mean the difference between a successful recovery and going home empty-handed, and when the rockets and motors are large enough that failing to locate them would result in significant financial pain. At present no rocket that I have ever launched in my 11 years in the hobby has carried any kind of electronic payload, not even an LED or a beeper. My payload compartments are always empty. Speaking of losing a visual track due to glare, though, many of my flights lately seem to want to go right into the sun for some reason. I have been fortunate to have had extra pairs of eyes watching them, so I haven't lost anything. In fact, it has been quite a few years since the last time that I actually lost a rocket, even though the size, power and peak altitude of them have all dramatically increased during that time. As much as I agree with your argument, there is simply no room in my budget for an expensive tracking system right now, though.

 

[jaz]

Lance,
That is a good way of looking at it. I never really considered finding my down rockets as part of the hobby. Maybe if I look at it as a challenge and come up with a methodical strategy maybe I will enjoy it more. I always still seem to handle it like I did when I was 10. I just run out there and keep looking until I find it or get too tired and give up.
Heath

 

[n5wd]

This part of the rocket hunt is one of my favorite aspects of the hobby.

Kinda like the thousands of folks, worldwide, that participate in ARDF, otherwise known as fox-hunting.

 

[MarkII]

Rocket orienteering, anyone?