I hate to say it but I remember the "old days". ARTS had a GPS system that integrated into their fine deployment altimeter but if I recall correctly it was close to $1k for all the bits. I have a system downstairs I bought second hand for way less. (It has a pretty big footprint.)
Beeline GPS was something like $234.00 back in the day. One had to be a Ham radio operator (at that time) and have an APRS receiver (likely a D7A(g)) so likely pushing a little less than $1k.
Add a Garmin 60Cs or 60CsX into the mix with the D7A(g) gave real time live map tracking. That definitely pushed the cost in the $1k range. I had a BL GPS go in on a core sample rocket and losing ~$250.00 in the tracker and battery hurt not including the deployment electronics. A D72A works well now.
At a much later time, I had an incomplete chute deployment and lost an EggFinder I got at a $50.00 holiday sale. I just shrugged my shoulders and thought it's like fishing, if one wants to catch fish, they're going to lose lures. Fifty bucks was a lot easier to swallow than losing a Beeline GPS.
I will say though the GPS trackers saved many rockets that made the investment/losses worth it.
I laugh when you people gripe about getting the cheapest GPS tracker as the technology cost a heck' uva a lot more back in the day.
I did try to make a super cheap GPS tracker by using 3Dr radios like are used with drones. Problem is the radios expect two-way communication. I saw where there was supposed to be a one-way switch in the software setup but life got in the way and I never completed the project. With two way communication, if signal is lost between units, they shut down. It's advantageous to have one way communication (ie. tracker transmits no matter what whether receiver is in range or not.)
It was kind of cool as I was able to use some GPS chipsets that used the American GPS system and the Russian Glonass system for extra accuracy. I think that's the standard now. The limit of error was incredibly small. As I mentioned, I abandoned the 3Dr thing as life got in the way and I hadn't sorted out the one-way communication thing. There were also some 3Dr radios in the 70cm Ham band and I couldn't use a "cheapo" GPS chipset to get my callsign into a comment line in the NMEA sentences.
A base tracker without considering my labor was (at the time) about $35.00 for the tracker alone. I just looked and I see I tossed a system on the top of the freezer. Once my son gets done with the computer with the scanner on it, I'll post a scan of the system.
It did work mind you though the "receiver" had to be plugged into a USB port of a laptop to work with tracking software.
Kurt Savegnago a.k.a KC9LDH
Beeline GPS was something like $234.00 back in the day. One had to be a Ham radio operator (at that time) and have an APRS receiver (likely a D7A(g)) so likely pushing a little less than $1k.
Add a Garmin 60Cs or 60CsX into the mix with the D7A(g) gave real time live map tracking. That definitely pushed the cost in the $1k range. I had a BL GPS go in on a core sample rocket and losing ~$250.00 in the tracker and battery hurt not including the deployment electronics. A D72A works well now.
At a much later time, I had an incomplete chute deployment and lost an EggFinder I got at a $50.00 holiday sale. I just shrugged my shoulders and thought it's like fishing, if one wants to catch fish, they're going to lose lures. Fifty bucks was a lot easier to swallow than losing a Beeline GPS.
I will say though the GPS trackers saved many rockets that made the investment/losses worth it.
I laugh when you people gripe about getting the cheapest GPS tracker as the technology cost a heck' uva a lot more back in the day.
I did try to make a super cheap GPS tracker by using 3Dr radios like are used with drones. Problem is the radios expect two-way communication. I saw where there was supposed to be a one-way switch in the software setup but life got in the way and I never completed the project. With two way communication, if signal is lost between units, they shut down. It's advantageous to have one way communication (ie. tracker transmits no matter what whether receiver is in range or not.)
It was kind of cool as I was able to use some GPS chipsets that used the American GPS system and the Russian Glonass system for extra accuracy. I think that's the standard now. The limit of error was incredibly small. As I mentioned, I abandoned the 3Dr thing as life got in the way and I hadn't sorted out the one-way communication thing. There were also some 3Dr radios in the 70cm Ham band and I couldn't use a "cheapo" GPS chipset to get my callsign into a comment line in the NMEA sentences.
A base tracker without considering my labor was (at the time) about $35.00 for the tracker alone. I just looked and I see I tossed a system on the top of the freezer. Once my son gets done with the computer with the scanner on it, I'll post a scan of the system.
It did work mind you though the "receiver" had to be plugged into a USB port of a laptop to work with tracking software.
Kurt Savegnago a.k.a KC9LDH