RDF vs. GPS the thing to remember is how long one’s project is going to remain out of sight. If the rocket is going to remain out of sight for the entire flight. The risk that one might lose the rocket goes up if RDF is the sole device used for tracking. If one can get a visual on a descending rocket, then they’re in great shape for recovery no matter what Rf tracker is used. RDF or GPS, doesn’t matter in that case.
The problem is with a totally sight unseen flight. That can be with something as small as a Wildman Jr. Rocket with a baby J motor. Mine landed 1.6 miles away and nobody saw it coming down. I knew where is was with the mapping GPS program I was using with a 70cm/400Mhz ham band Beeline GPS tracker. My handheld Garmin 60Cs was wired to my radio and navigated me directly to the last known position and by golly, when I got within range, I got a final lay as the GPS had a shot at the sky with the rocket on the ground. If it was in a really bad, tall vegetation area, I could have switched on the attenuation, used the Yagi antenna and homed in, in that fashion. Nonetheless if one has to fly a tracker in their rocket, try to get a noisemaker on the harness as RDF and/or GPS can get one in the vicinity of the downed rocket but one’s ears are the BEST terminal tracking device one can use. Oh, the Wildman Jr. had a nominal flight as the main was stretched out over the ground very nicely and not a nick in the paint job!
I had a flight where I got into the general location of the rocket, valid GPS positions where coming in and I had a fantastic signal strength on the radio. Still no rocket! I didn’t have a noisemaker on the harness. I was right on top of the rocket icon according to the map................... Except stupidhead didn’t have the map zoomed down appropriately! I zoomed the map in finally and shoot, I was still 20 to 30 feet away. Went in the right direction and found the rocket. It was in a harvested, no till cornfield with stubble still standing. If I would have had a noisemaker on the harness that would have cued me in to the position by ear even with the map zoomed out. I did learn a lesson though. As one gets closer to a downed rocket on a mapping program, zoom in the map! Still found the rocket. Kurt Savegnago