EVENT LDRS 39

The Rocketry Forum

Help Support The Rocketry Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Wear a hat the covers the neck. Wear long pants. Cover any exposed skin even ear lobes with sun block with SPF 40 twice a day.

Wear an old pair of shoes on the Salt Flats and carry an extra pair of shoes in the car. When you get to the hotel parking lot, take off the old shoes and put on the other pair.
 

Attachments

  • 20190802_144651.jpg
    20190802_144651.jpg
    79.1 KB · Views: 66
Ahhhhhhh,
One ought to remember that GPS trackers have an edge out on the playa and plan accordingly. The Ham radio stuff on the 2 meter and 70cm band definitely has a range edge on the lower powered 900Mhz stuff but the key is getting that “last known” position just before the rocket hits. That’s where a good antenna system and if necessary, a higher powered tracker comes in. I’ve been told that out on the salt flats, once down on the playa, the salts soaks up Rf energy like a sponge so the “ground footprint” of a tracker is ridiculously small. Been told GMRS/FRS voice walkie talkies don’t carry very far. Guys have emailed me that they had a b!tch of a time trying to get an RDF fix using that method out there with really extreme flights and came close to and sometimes did lose a rocket using that modality.
One wants to get that last GPS fix as close to the ground/landing site as possible. They can miss every fix through the flight but if they get that “one last fix” before the rocket hits/touches down, they’ll get it back.
My experience is if using a 100mW, 900Mhz tracker, then a minimum diameter J powered project that lands 2 miles away is easily found in a Midwestern site.
Out on the playa with no obstruction to effect in air range (unless the rocket goes behind a mountain!), the in air reception might be even better but on the ground, the ground footprint is really short if lying on the salt flats. Plan accordingly. A Ham Technician license is easily obtainable if one wants to experiment on those bands.
Have fun. Kurt
 
Ahhhhhhh,
One ought to remember that GPS trackers have an edge out on the playa and plan accordingly. The Ham radio stuff on the 2 meter and 70cm band definitely has a range edge on the lower powered 900Mhz stuff but the key is getting that “last known” position just before the rocket hits. That’s where a good antenna system and if necessary, a higher powered tracker comes in. I’ve been told that out on the salt flats, once down on the playa, the salts soaks up Rf energy like a sponge so the “ground footprint” of a tracker is ridiculously small. Been told GMRS/FRS voice walkie talkies don’t carry very far. Guys have emailed me that they had a b!tch of a time trying to get an RDF fix using that method out there with really extreme flights and came close to and sometimes did lose a rocket using that modality.
One wants to get that last GPS fix as close to the ground/landing site as possible. They can miss every fix through the flight but if they get that “one last fix” before the rocket hits/touches down, they’ll get it back.
My experience is if using a 100mW, 900Mhz tracker, then a minimum diameter J powered project that lands 2 miles away is easily found in a Midwestern site.
Out on the playa with no obstruction to effect in air range (unless the rocket goes behind a mountain!), the in air reception might be even better but on the ground, the ground footprint is really short if lying on the salt flats. Plan accordingly. A Ham Technician license is easily obtainable if one wants to experiment on those bands.
Have fun. Kurt

Fortunately, any rocket painted other than white is very easy to see from quite a distance on the salt flats.
 
Wear a hat the covers the neck. Wear long pants. Cover any exposed skin even ear lobes with sun block with SPF 40 twice a day.

Wear an old pair of shoes on the Salt Flats and carry an extra pair of shoes in the car. When you get to the hotel parking lot, take off the old shoes and put on the other pair.

+1 on the hat with neck/ear protection! And on the long pants. I have heard that if you are wearing shorts/skirts/kilts that are loose, you can get sunburned underneath from the sun reflecting off of the salt into areas where you did not apply sunscreen.

I also usually wear long-sleeve hiking shirts - the loose, breathable, sweat-wicking kind. Protects better than sunscreen. (Me at Grand Canyon, not a launch, but you get the idea.) It ain't pretty, but some of us have just given up on appearances anyway.

IMG_1374.JPG

I apply SPF 50 every 1.5-2 hours. I also try to ensure that I drink 16-32 oz of water or Gatorade during the same time period. I use the shift changes at the RSO table as my time markers.


Why has it been 5 years before I hear about the shoe trick? <Bangs head on desk>


I’ll definitely be playing with my 70cm 100 mW beacon (no GPS). On the Flats, I’m mostly worried about getting a compass bearing before landing. Then it’s just a nice hot hike.

One of the things that I really like about the salt is that we can drive to pick up our rockets. Not permitted at our usual launch site. Definitely a benefit.
 
Last edited:
Being a desert rat for most of my life, covering up is standard practice. Sharon and I both take the extra steps to be safe out on the salt. At the 2015 Hellfire, I flew my 54mm MD Blackhawk on a CTI L640 dual thrust to 22,535 ft.
035.jpg


Won a trophy at the banquet for highest flight. It took quite a while to find it, despite the Eggfinder and CSI tracker beacon. GPS lost lock on boost, and the CSI beacon was weak and unreliable. Still found it, black rocket on the salt is easy to see, once you get close enough.

Here's Sharon with her "Jimbo Jart", well protected from the sun, with sun gloves and a hydration pack ready for recovery.

021.jpg


One thing that didn't work was the plastic tarp, much better to get a RV patio mat, like the one in the background here:
003.jpg


The tarp just collects salt, but the woven mat lets it fall through, and you can keep it cleaner. It also works well to remove salt from your shoes.
Another thing to remember is that EVERYTHING exposed to salt will corrode. I washed under the truck and spend several dollars at the self serve car wash cleaning, and still found piles of salt on the driveway weeks later. The little trailer had massive rust all over it, even after washing it. Galvanized tent posts rusted. Our old 98 GMC truck will never be the same. Don't take anything made of metal out there if you want to keep it in good shape.
 
I drive away from the Salt flats with one set of wheels on the rumble strip and then the other before I wash underneath. That helps shake all loose salt off in chunks. I don’t want to soak a big deposit of salt. Then when I get home I crawl underneath with my pressure washer. I’m still driving the same SUV as I was whenever I was there last (2013 maybe) with no abnormal rust.
 
For us my wife told me about the two pair of shoes. We usually put newspapers on the floor of the car, when we leave the launch site. After crossing the Salt Flats and getting back to the asphalt road, we get out of the car and change shoes.

On Sunday we drive about 2.5 hours back to Brigham City. That trip knocks off some of the salt. When we get to our home, I park the car in the street and disconnect the utility trailer and take the car to the local car wash and buy one of the more expensive washes, especially a wash that sprays the under-carriage. I then go back to the house and get the garden hose out and spray the under-carriage with a good spray nozzle on the end of the hose and I spray the utility trailer, too. I have had the same utility trailer since 2007 and have taken it to the Salt Flats every year. I have had some repair work done on the trailer including the tail lights. Overall, the original cost of about $600 for the trailer has paid for itself. I get down on my hands and knees to spray under the car. I get almost all of the salt off, maybe a small clump will fall later, maybe even during the winter months. The under-coating that I bought from the car dealer has worked great. I have not detected any rust or corrosion on our cars over all these years.
 
Since I’ve never been to UROC’s annual Hellfire Launch (held on the flats) before... I have to ask:

How far from the end of the pavement & marker (40.7626, -113.8957) is the flight line?

Does it depend on the year & salt conditions?
 
Since I’ve never been to UROC’s annual Hellfire Launch (held on the flats) before... I have to ask:

How far from the end of the pavement & marker (40.7626, -113.8957) is the flight line?

Does it depend on the year & salt conditions?

The location is the same regardless of conditions. It’s about a five mile drive on the salt.
 
More LDRS 39 updates:

The range will be set up to handle any launches up to a complex O. If you are planning on flying anything larger than that, or any Class 3 project for that matter, please contact us at [email protected].

Hotel registration is up and running! Our discounted rate is available for the nights of Wednesday, July 29th through Monday, August 3rd. Please follow this link to get the phone numbers and discount codes to use: Official LDRS 39 Hotel

Also, don't forget to get registered for the launch itself: LDRS 39 Registration Info
 
Thanks Mr. Dugway!!! We will also be able to handle up to NON-Complex "T" from the same pad. Remember the 25K AGL Waiver! :)
 
Got some projects moved along for LDRS. Thought it would be fun to try some high performance builds out on the salt since I'll hopefully be able to find them again.
My 38mm build came in at well under a pound for everything not motor related. Only thing missing on the 38mm airframe is the 3D printed fincan I picked up form Addative Aerospace for making the build easy. Guess we'll see how fast those printed cans can go on the salt.
IMG_1397.JPG IMG_1400.JPG
 
Guess we'll see how fast those printed cans can go on the salt.

I can’t figure why you wouldn’t argue with gravity during LDRS and dance above the salt, but, hey, it’s your rocket.

I thought on the salt was... bad... for rockets.

If you want to go on the salt, I’m gonna suggest you wait a week after LDRS — that’s when speed week is held for land speed records.
 
I just want to pass along this notice from the UROC web site in case anyone is hesitant to register for the launch:

The LDRS 39 Team's priority is always to keep our attendees safe. At this time, we are hopeful that COVID-19 will be contained long before LDRS 39; however, our team is planning for every possibility. We will allow full refunds of your early registration up to July 14th, 2020.
 
Awesomenesss and very forward thinking. Thank you! This virus will pass and we will be stronger for the next one.
 
I just want to pass along this notice from the UROC web site in case anyone is hesitant to register for the launch:

The LDRS 39 Team's priority is always to keep our attendees safe. At this time, we are hopeful that COVID-19 will be contained long before LDRS 39; however, our team is planning for every possibility. We will allow full refunds of your early registration up to July 14th, 2020.

Thanks for that. If it comes to that would it be possible to allow people to convert the registration fees (or some portion of them) into a donation to UROC rather than seeking a refund? Is UROC a 501(c)3?
 
I just saw on the UROC website that the administrators are stating that LDRS-39 is still on schedule. The feeling is that in about 2 months the Covid-19 close-down will have passed with plenty of time to hold LDRS-39 as normal. More information can be found at the UROC website listed below. If registrants are concerned about signing up in advance, refunds will be available up to July 14th.

https://www.uroc.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=591702&module_id=365434
 
Here is the official announcement that was posted today on the UROC web site:

Dear Rocketry Community:

The Utah Rocket Club (UROC) LDRS 39 organizing committee held a Zoom meeting recently. The purpose of the meeting was to review the current and projected status of COVID-19 as it relates to UROC conducting a successful LDRS 39 launch.

With country-wide layoffs and furloughs, the income of a significant portion of rocketeers will most likely be impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic. Even if safety restrictions are relaxed, the committee believes that many of the hopeful registrants may not be able to afford the costs of travel and registration for the trip to Bonneville. It is more likely that flyers will attend local and regional launches for the remainder of 2020, and that's assuming local launches can be safely organized.

After much listening, discussion, careful consideration, UROC has made the difficult decision to postpone LDRS 39 until 2021. Given the reality of COVID-19 and the unknown impacts on a large launch like LDRS, UROC believes this is the correct decision. The health and well-being of rocketry participants, spectators, and staff is our top priority.

With a unanimous vote, the Tripoli Board of Directors supports this decision and has graciously agreed to allow UROC to host LDRS in 2021. At this time, UROC believes the dates will be Thursday, July 29 through Sunday, August 1, 2021.

Some of you who already registered for LDRS 39 may need that money now more than ever. Anyone who has paid for registration (including shirts and banquet tickets) can receive a full refund upon request. Send a request to [email protected] with your name and phone number, and someone from UROC will be in touch promptly.

You also have the option of keeping your registration, (including shirts and banquet), and volunteer slots on file for LDRS 39, 2021.

Any registrant that reserved a room at the event hotel should cancel their reservations. There's no cancellation fee, but you must cancel through the hotel. Please note, you may have to call several times or leave messages as the hotels and casinos in Wendover are currently shuttered. UROC will provide new hotel information as the new dates approach. The event hotel may change for next year's event.

The LDRS 39 Committee will contact any vendor who has already committed prizes or goods directly. UROC will work with vendors regarding how they would like the committee to proceed with their donations.

UROC is grateful to Tripoli for allowing us the opportunity to host LDRS 39 and share the Salt Flats with our rocketry community!

Please stay safe and fly high (if you can). See you in 2021!

The Utah Rocket Club


https://www.uroc.org/content.aspx?page_id=5&club_id=591702&item_id=53867&
 
Back
Top