Thanks for the input. Like I mentioned, I am new to this hobby and jumped in with both feet without realizing the complexity of flying large rockets. The rockSim software is cool but a little overwhelming.
p.s.: I have gotten conflicting info on locating the CP on the Apogee Sat V and Semroc Sat1B: Do I measure from the tip of the capsule or tip of the tower?
One caveat about Rocksim that can turn into a BAD "gotcha" moment if you're not aware of it...
MAKE SURE that when Rocksim is displaying the stability in calibers, that it is using the LARGEST FRONTAL DIAMETER for the stability calculation and NOT the diameter of the first tube. On rockets with towers, this can cause a situation where it will display something like 3 calibers of stability, but if it's using the tube size of the tower or a narrow upper section (for a small nosecone or something above the main body of the rocket) it is showing the stability margin in terms of THE SMALL TUBE'S CALIBER (Diameter) rather than the rocket. If this is the case, and say it shows your rocket having 3 calibers of stability, if the tower is say 1/2 inch diameter, that would equate to the CP being ONLY 3/4 OF AN INCH behind the CG-- FAR, FAR too close for a stable flight! If launched the rocket would likely get tipped off by the breeze and go unstable and crash, since CP moves FORWARD with angle of attack!
On one of the menu's at the top of the Rocksim screen when building a rocket, there is a selection box with a drop down menu to select what method Rocksim uses to calculate CP-- Rocksim, Barryman, or Cardboard cutout method. Just below it should be a box/menu to select HOW to display the CP/CG relationship, select "use maximum frontal diameter" or "maximum tube diameter" (can't remember exactly how it's worded at the moment) and it will calculate the stability and display the margin in calibers of the main body tube diameter, which is what you want to get a TRUE measure of the stability margin of the rocket.
This very thing caused one of the Mercury Joe rockets to crash when they put a bigger engine in it-- Rocksim showed 5 caliber stability or something, but it was 5 times the tiny diameter of the tower tube, not the main rocket, so the rocket was actually neutrally stable with the selected engine, or close to it, and when the bigger (heavier) engine was installed, it moved the CG BEHIND the CP and made the rocket totally unstable, leading to a BAD DAY...
(Google "mercury joe" for more info/cool vids)
Later and good luck! OL JR