Eggfinder receiver reporting it is receiving data and that it lost data at the same time

[amiliv]

Something odd happened on the last launch.

I turned on Eggfinder Mini and LCD receiver. The receiver got the signal from the transmitter, and started happily beeping. All fine and good. I proceed to the pad, put the rocket at the rail... And notice that receiver started counting seconds... While still beeping. AFAICT, this should never happen. It's either getting data from transmitter (and beeping), or it's not getting data from transmitter (goes silent and starts counting how many seconds ago it lost the data link). But never beeping *and* counting, right?

So, I turn off the mini, and the receiver stops beeping. I turn back on the mini, and the receiver starts beeping. But the display still insists there's no connection. I powered off and back on the receiver to reset it, but same thing happens again. It displays waiting for sync, starts beeping, but still displays it is not getting data from the transmitter.

This was going to be low enough flight that I really didn't need GPS tracking working, so decided to send it up anyhow. The receiver kept showing me the coordinates of the pad throughout the flight and subsequent recovery.

Once the rocket was on the ground, the receiver went silent. Once I got close enough to the rocket, the receiver started beeping again. But still showing the rocket was on the pad some 600-700 feet away!?

When I got home, I put transmitter outside on the porch, the receiver in the kitchen window... And let them sit for about an hour. This time they worked perfectly.

What happened there out on the field?

FWIW, the receiver is a long time veteran that worked perfectly for many years. This particular transmitter was newly built, first time using it in the field (tested it couple of times at home, once or twice after it was built, and the day before flight).

 

[cerving]

Sounds like a battery issue, or something may have come loose and you lost the fix. Do you remember if you got the "beep-beep" sound from the LCD receiver while it was waiting for the fix? If you did, it was sending data but didn't have a fix; if you don't hear any sound at all then it's not picking up any signal from the transmitter.

BTW, if you press the button during "Waiting for Fix" it will display the last fix... which would probably have been on the pad. It will still do the beep-beep if your transmitter is sending data but doesn't have a fix yet.

 

[amiliv]

Sounds like a battery issue, or something may have come loose and you lost the fix. Do you remember if you got the "beep-beep" sound from the LCD receiver while it was waiting for the fix? If you did, it was sending data but didn't have a fix; if you don't hear any sound at all then it's not picking up any signal from the transmitter.

BTW, if you press the button during "Waiting for Fix" it will display the last fix... which would probably have been on the pad. It will still do the beep-beep if your transmitter is sending data but doesn't have a fix yet.

Yes, there was continuous "beep-beep" from the receiver. But I don't think I ever seen counter (last number in the first row on the display) increasing while data is being transmitted to it.

 

[cerving]

That 2-position space either shows the number of satellites in the fix and an HDOP bar graph OR the time since last fix received if it's been more than 5 seconds since it received a fix from the transmitter ("**" means it's been over 99 seconds). It counts up while it's waiting for a fix if you lose the signal... it's in all of the screens so you know during flight if you lose the fix. What screen were on on during flight?