GPS tracking?

[trex]

I'm looking to start a new project. I want to have GPS on it. What is available?

Troy

 

[WillMarchant]

Lots of stuff. I use https://www.bigredbee.com/BeeLineGPS.htm on my projects.

 

[ben]

Lots of stuff. I use https://www.bigredbee.com/BeeLineGPS.htm on my projects.

Quick question do you know if that messes with Perfectflight altiemters? I know alot of people put it in the nose but I don't hae room in my 54mm MD bird!

Ben

 

[WillMarchant]

Quick question do you know if that messes with Perfectflight altiemters? I know alot of people put it in the nose but I don't hae room in my 54mm MD bird!

Ben

Are you using your nosecone for something else? The BeelineGPS will fit into a 38mm tube. https://www.bigredbee.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=38 has details.

https://www.bigredbee.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=13 has a discussion about interference. Putting *any* transmitter right next to *any* altimeter is a really bad idea. You might "get away with it" but you'll never really know how close you are to disaster unless you run fairly exhaustive tests.

Now, I think a relatively safe thing is to put the antenna on a short extension cable. You can put the body of the transmitter inside your e-bay and put the antenna "somewhere else."

 

[WillMarchant]

Sorry, Troy, I should have mentioned some of the other stuff instead of just saying "lots".

Probably the easiest thing to do is look at Frank's electronics offerings in his https://www.rebelrocketry.com/shop/index.php?cat=c24_Electronics.html store. I think he hits most of the big name rocketry items. A web search for "gps tracking" will turn up more. https://www.byonics.com/tinytrak/ has some cool stuff.

 

[...]

It all depends on what you are trying to do. The beeline is quite small/cheep, but it requires a HAM license and ham radio to use to receive the data.

The one I am working on (did the first 2 launches for the rev3 on 10/13) isn't much bigger, and is 100% ham license free, but isn't quite finished (needs more work done on the software side of things), and right now it costs about $700 to make. One of these days I am going to make a rev4 that will sell for $500 for a complete system shipped anywhere in the world.

There is also the Ozark ARTS...

 

[Arnold Roquerre]

The absolute simplest GPS iset up is two Garmin Rino units. You can use them as family radios and in a rocket. You can query the unit every 15 seconds for its' GPS coordinates. It will record the actual GPS points of the flight which can be downloaded to PC once you recover it. You can buy two units for under $300. Best of all, you can set the unit in the rocket to VOX and listen to the altitude once the drogue has fired. If you have a cheap altimeter set for only apogee, you will get max altitude just in case things go wrong. Also, just in case it cannot get a GPS lock after landing, the VOX will give you a homing signal. You do not need a Ham license and no programming. You just turn on the unit, make sure both linked to each other and you are done.



Link: https://www.thegpsstore.com/search....earchField=1&gclid=CMjrveas4o8CFSBMGgodgl8UCg

 

[jrcox]

Quick question do you know if that messes with Perfectflight altiemters? I know alot of people put it in the nose but I don't hae room in my 54mm MD bird!

Ben

Ben

If you search on the Bigredbee forums, there was one reported incident that the user thought that a Beeline (not the GPS version) had caused an interference problem with the altimeter. Interference was later ruled out an the altimeter had a different problem.

I have used Beelines and the BeelineGPS with both Altacc 2a and Mission Control Altimeters without any problems. I have mounted the beacons next to, above and below the altimeters. I also one ran an extended antenna coax right on top of a Mission Control without any interferance issues.

I would suggest that if you are concerned to either develop a ground test with the altimeter and transmitter, or can you have a motor deployment as a backup for the first flight?

Beeline products are very reliable and economical.

The absolute simplest GPS iset up is two Garmin Rino units.

Hmmm. You probably will not have too many FCC inspectors showing up at a rocket launch, but I beleive that the rules for using both FRS and GMRS require an operator at each radio. This is probably a violation of the FCC regs regarding usage of the Garmin Rino feature.

Since Beeline GPS or Beeline are amature radios, the owner (HAM) operator has the beacon set to periodically transmitt his/her call sign and is operating the unit within the guidelines.

John