The app is super cheap or the Big Red? I noticed big red to be 200 and up? (Tx+Rx)
Sounds like I'm probably going to want a license. I'm planning on being in the hobby for a while. It seems like from what is being said it would be worth it.
I suppose I'd want to get my license before asking prices. But, what range are we talking here? Say I wanted to license, first buy would be.....?
I feel like GPS without ham would cost more in the long run. Plus with Ham I can actually use it for radio purposes also.
GPS without Ham license can be economically cheaper if one can construct and use the EggFinder products. Nine years ago when I sat for a Tech and General ticket at one time, APRS was the only economical situation and then for a mapping solution it
was pretty close to $1000.00 for a setup. Kenwood D7A(g), charger (they're extra) a Garmin 60Cs handheld mapping GPS and Beeline GPS tracker. There were some Byonics 2 meter band trackers that required some serious cobbling together if one
wanted to fly one. The unlicensed setup for an ARTS 2 I think was pushing $1500.00. I'll echo all what's been said of the knowledge that can be gained by studying for a Ham license(s).
Range? Read about it here:
https://www.jcrocket.com/gps-tracking.shtml The page is dated but the basics about GPS tracking ring true. In a nutshell, the Ham bands carry farther 2m > 70cm > 33cm (ie 900Mhz) with the caveat that power output and
antenna efficiency on the transmit and receive ends factor in also. Does one need "all that power"? Weeelllllll, antenna height above the ground is one advantage one has with rocket flights! You get that last position packet while the rocket is 50 to 100 feet up in the air and it's probably going to touchdown nearby. Who cares if they can't keep receiving positions while it's down? As long as the wind is not blowing it away, ones receive station will get them to the "last known position" and that my friends is going to likely be within the ground radio footprint of the tracker. If one doesn't see the rocket by then, they'll be receiving fresh position packets/sentences.
Power? Hmmmm, Byonics had some 8 watt trackers available for awhile on a single board. Is that better? Given one's rocket could haul up the big battery it would take to feed such a beast the limiting factor is ones deployment electronics. Rf can dork
the altimeters. They can fire on the pad, they can fire on ascent, they might reset at an awkward time or not fire charges at all. Example here with a 2 watt Garmin GPS Dog tracker:
That was 16 foot tall, 12 inch diameter project that went in completely ballistic. Dog tracker locked up both altimeters probably after everyone left the pads. Telescoped into the ground and took a backhoe to dig up. Flier told me landowner had the backhoe and when they got up 5 feet of the rocket pieces, rest of the rocket was deep enough it didn't bother him. R.I.P. That wasn't my project but I was bit by Rf early in some small projects with
an apogee on ascent and deployment on the pad with some rockets.
Bottom line is test an installation or talk to people who fly the same equipment. Reality check: The lower powered Beeline GPS flies perfectly fine with a RavenII/III sitting right next to it with the antenna poking through the forward bulkhead.
Most economical unlicensed situation but ya haf' ta build it yourself or have some else build it for you: EggFinder tracker or TRS with an LCD receiver with an HC-06 BT module one gets off of Ebay.
The Android program GPS Rocket Locator now has an offline map download feature one can get some maps and carry them out to the field on their device. No phone or internet service needed. Opens up using
any Android device and not necessarily a phone. Pair with the EggFinder LCD that has the HC-06 and get ready for some "fun" tracking. I use a Nexus 7 2013. Another "pearl" the bigger the screen, the easier it is
to "see". See the comment on the "box" below too.
Ham Radio APRS? Of course Greg Clark's Beeline GPS trackers for a pure tracker or Altus Metrums Tele-GPS or their GPS deployment altimeters. Power? If one is a sport flier stick with 16mW. No need to go higher power.
If going with higher power, better to do a ground test with contained, bare ematches, turn everything on with the rocket in the upright launching position and let it run for an hour. This is more important if the deployment
electronics are going to be sitting in the Rf field. If going with a nosecone mounted tracker, with the electronics in an aft ebay a distance away like in a conventional DD, much less likely to be a problem.
16mW in the nose? I doubt there will be an issue but the AIM III altimeter (not the Extra) specifically stated in their instructions their altimeter doesn't work well with Rf trackers. I fly mine in projects that don't need Rf trackers.
Mapping solutions? There are a variety of APRS programs that will run on a laptop and tablets. Trust me. Some of these new, cheap tablets are good for portable use but put a matted screen protector on them and put' em
inside a box the inside of which is painted flat black. You'll be able to see the screen better in the sun light. Oh, it's hard to run around the field tracking with a laptop. Best for recording a flight from a stationary position if desired. UI-View can "record" a flight
in real time for saving and later "playback". Kinda neat. Oh, bring a hand held mouse. Winblows tablets aren't as nice as Android stuff. APRS Droid is possible software on Android with a Bluetooth TNC like a Mobilinkd:
https://www.mobilinkd.com/
As far as Ham Handi-talkies go, you take your chances with the cheap Chinese radios these days. I've seen some folks have a heck of a time getting them to receive APRS packets intact to allow an outboard TNC to decode them properly at fringe ranges so beware. I use a TH-F6A with a Mobilinkd along with a D72A. The F6A has the potential to work on the B band with the Com-Spec RDF stuff but I've never been able to do a side by side test with a native receiver.
Kurt Savegnago