Adept T400 tracker

[Danh]

Any one know anything about these trackers ? What's the difference between am and cw versions?

https://adeptco.com/adeptinstruments/tracking.htm

 

[ksaves2]

#1. You have to be a Tech licensed ham radio operator.

#2 You have to have an H/T that can received the AM or CW modulation of either unit on the 70cm ham band.

That said, I have an old ICOM T-90A that will do AM or FM and received the AM tracker fine. A Kenwood TH-F6A is needed to receive the CW modulation on the "b" band. There are a few other receivers out there that can do that trick.https://adeptco.com/adeptinstruments/Receivers.htm
One cannot use an FM scanner to receive. It won't work as the range will be cut to nothing. Power is 8mW but the mode can help at the lower power along with a good receiver. I wouldn't use it alone with a flight that is expected to land
3 miles or more away but as a backup to a GPS tracker or primarily in a less rigorous flight it should be fine. I wouldn't consider unless you have the appropriate receiver on hand or am willing to invest in one. You could always call Tommy at Adept
and talk to him about them. I have to warn you, he is very averse to anyone who is not a ham or willing to get licensed so don't even consider asking to make an exception in one's case to sell a unit to an unlicensed person.
Kurt

 

[Danh]

I have my tech license , I passed the test last year and haven't done anything with it. Honestly I don't remember half the stuff that was on the test.

Thought these would be a good way to start learning rf Tracking and use as backup to gps.

 

[Buckeye]

I have my tech license , I passed the test last year and haven't done anything with it. Honestly I don't remember half the stuff that was on the test.

Don't worry. IMO, the test and study guide have very little relevance to finding a rocket with a tracker. Just a hoop to jump through.

 

[ksaves2]

I have my tech license , I passed the test last year and haven't done anything with it. Honestly I don't remember half the stuff that was on the test.

Thought these would be a good way to start learning rf Tracking and use as backup to gps.

If you want to do RDF, Beeline has RDF trackers that can be heard on any 70cm FM H/T. You just need to get a Yagi of your choice (Arrow Antenna)
and an attenuator: https://www.adeptco.com/adeptinstruments/attenuators.htm or https://www.west.net/~marvin/k0ov.htm . Marvin's unit you have to
provide your own project box and connectors. I have mine velcro'd to the beam of my Yagi. I can yank it off and replace it with a Tele-BT when needed.
Beeline trackers here: https://www.bigredbee.com/zc139/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=65&zenid=mp8i4591d461okkvdqd4goh467 .
Kurt KC9LDH

 

[Danh]

Thanks Kurt , my original plan was to get my ham then the beeline gps. Do you know if there is a radio that will do everything am ,fm ,cw and aprs? I looked at the radios on adept site but didn't see any that did aprs . I figure if I'm going spend money on a radio I want it to do everything so I won't have to buy a different one later .

 

[ksaves2]

The "everything" rig is a Kenwood D74A but it's pretty pricey. It's a cross between a D72A and a TH-F6A. A D72 will get you APRS and RDF on 2meters and 70cm. If you can live with that, it will work for you. For APRS you can plug it into a Garmin 60Cs
or CsX (can get'em used easily) and track a Beeline GPS pretty easily. Can plug it into a Windows tablet and use any APRS software you want to track on a map. Remember, you get what to pay for. If one opts for a cheap Chinese H/T, they have a tendency to have a weak receiver. Sure they're fine for hitting a local repeater but if trying to "hear" a low powered tracker at a distance, might not be so hot. Kurt

 

[wjmoser]

Any one know anything about these trackers ? What's the difference between am and cw versions?

https://adeptco.com/adeptinstruments/tracking.htm

AM is Amplitude Modulation and CW is Continuous Wave modulation. CW is basically Morse Code. AM is the same as the AM in your car radio AM/FM, though different frequency. The AM output from the adept is described as a BEEP/BOOP pattern of tones(adjustable.)

My recommendation is unless you understand Morse Code, use AM tones. YMMV.