Well it's been a long a very fun ride, but it's close to ending this great build thread.
Previously a few posts back I showed the pre-flight charge making, & packing the recovery gear for flight. The only thing I can think of missing is how I install my tracker & the "twist & tape" method of arming electronics. Sooooo...
Generally if I have room, the tracker gets installed into the fincan. By doing this, when you reach apogee and the payload separates from the fincan, the tracker signal will"jump". It is no longer inside the airframe and you get a signal increase.
No big deal on low altitude flights where you can see the event, BUT if you are out of site of the rocket, when the signal jumps......you know the charges fired & that you had a good event! Throughout the descent as the rocket tumbles and flutter, the orientation of the antenna changes and your signal jumps all over the place. Another good reason to use a small drogue, this stabilizes the fall, strings out the recovery gear in a straight line, keeping the antenna oriented in the same direction throughout the entire descent.
[if the drogue is sized correctly. that's another story]
Use electrical tape, NOT masking tape to install tracker on shockcord. I place it 2-3 ft down from the av-bay, keeping it clear from getting banged on the way down. Wrap tape around the tracker body & shock cord 2 layers thick. Do NOT tape the antenna to shock cord. [well ya can but I won't] I have seen numerous antennas ripped from the tracker due to some cord entanglement or other various snafu's.... I have not lost an antenna yet after hundreds of flights.
Disclaimer: once again my method only here, I'm sure many other ways work, just describing a tested and true one that's worked for me.
Once the wrapping is finished, bend over a tab on tape so you can find the end...when it's time to remove the tracker. Boy o boy finding the little bugger can be a real bear!
Finally after inserting the cordage, slide the tracker in last, I fold over the antenna so it's not down in the cords. [Another advantage of full coverage with tape....protects the tracker from ejection charge blast & BP residue]
Top off the stack with the payload and your done. Power up the receiver when battery is installed & once again when ready to fly, making sure you are getting a signal. More than once Iv'e seen rockets on the pad, we're back at the flight line & some yahoo wants to hold up the rack cause his trackers not putting out a signal. Invariably I'll ask..."Did you turn it on when you installed it "? and the answer is always "No".
I do place the tracker in the NC many times also. When flying around water & small rockets where there is no room anywhere else. Hence the payload section we did in the NC.
Twice I have had water recovery where rocket was totally submerged with the NC floating on the surface like a bobber and the Tracker dry inside just happily beeping away.LOl Several other flights I hit a ditch filled with water several feet deep.
One last thing
I have several pieces of masking tape stuck to the side of my receiver....with my frequency #'s written on them. Many times when out hunting you may inadvertently move a button or knob going in the thick brush,getting in & out of car etc. The last thing ya want is to be a mile or 2 out and lose signal cause of this & can't remember you channel settings. AND it does happen trust me. I could tell countless tales of this.
NEVER remove batteries from tracker till you are back at home base. In the event it gets dropped or misplaced along the way.....as long as its powered, you can go back and find. I've done it & so have others, but we always found them & some have lost theirs by not leaving it in, wanting to save the battery.
Anybody well versed in tracking will tell you all of the above are cold, hard facts!
Finally as a courtesy to others, try and find out if anyone else is using the same frequency you are. When back at home base, remove power so you don't interfere with each other. This actually happened at my last launch which was "BlackPearls" maiden flight. He was already on a rack when I powered up and got the Double Beep of death. So I had to untape and remove my tracker, power off till he was through with his flight & recovering it. That set me back an hour and a half....my fault though, I know better.
So there you go a quick "tracker 101"
Finally a finished loaded up BlackPearl ready to go!
Next: on the pad & flight summary of maiden voyage.
