Agreed. But it would get around the no metal rule that is being discussed.In the following scenario, there would be no difference between wood, resin, or metal tips:
Agreed. But it would get around the no metal rule that is being discussed.In the following scenario, there would be no difference between wood, resin, or metal tips:
They won't care. The lawyers, and everybody else but you evidently, are sensible enough to know the nosecone tip plays zero part in the scenario you presented.
I also find it really, really weird that you're being such a safety honk aboit materials, yet in another thread, you're relentlessly arguing on the merits of mercury switches for deployment. Further showcasing a poor understanding of physics, safety and common sense.
The separate metal nosecone tip gives you a number of options.
For Head End Dual Deploy and smaller rockets, I like to replace the screw with an eye bolt to use as an attach point. This also aids in tightening the bolt - take an appropriate length of PVC pipe - maybe 1" or 1/2" diameter (or sized to your nosecone diameter/eyebolt size) and cut a slot on the end that the eye of the eye-bolt fits into and you have the perfect tool to tighten your bolt to the metal tip. I do not usually epoxy the tip to the bolt in these cases, but I do use blue Loctite.
Here is the one I use on my 5" WM Goblin:
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For normal DD rockets where the nosecone is big enough that I want to use it as an AV bay (tracker, etc), I replace the screw/bolt and use a long piece of all-thread that goes through the NC AV Bay and use a threaded eye-nut to hold everything together. I use metal screws/PEM nuts to hold the AV Bay in place (just like holding the AV Bay to a payload bay) and the sheer pins go in the AV bay coupler. The AV bay is built out internally as normal. Here is the nosecone to my 4" Darkstar. I flew it 3 times this weekend at MDRA and used a Marco Polo in the nosecone all three times. One of the flights on a K400 landed way out by the highway and the Marco Polo worked perfectly to guide me in from the road.
For these setups, I use red Loctite on the threads of the metal tip. That way I can get them apart again if I really have to.
I plan to be at Red Glare - stop by and I can show you some of these setups.
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That's a neat setup, what I'm planning to do now is similar except that the coupler will not be detachable. I'm going to make a sled to attach the tracker to and slide it onto the threaded rod, have a nut above the sled to prevent it from moving, and maybe a couple of stops on the inside of the coupler, if just doing the nuts up tightly isn't enough to keep it from rotating
I take it then that there are no signal issues with the metal rod being right next to your Marco Polo tracker? Again, RF stuff is mostly voodoo to me.
Sounds about right for a NC ebay sled - for something like the Marco Polo. For those rockets, I do a really simple sled. Here is a photo of the sled from the NC pictured in the other post. It is just a scrap pieces of G10 I JB welded to some aluminum tubing. Easy day. More than enough for a Marco Polo. For more complex tracker setups (I also have Eggtimer and Missile Works tracker systems), I do use a better sled design, but I save that for rockets that have a high probably of going far, far away.
Note in this photo, I don't have any nuts holding the sled in place. I use this sled in multiple NCs, so I made it fairly short and secure it in place with nuts each time I move it. Works great and is quick and simple.
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The Marco Polo system works for about 90% of the launches I go to. That is mostly MDRA in the winter and METRA in the summer. For those fields, I am rarely launching anything that isn't going to land in some roughly visible area. It may be far away, but I have yet to have a rocket at those fields land somewhere that I at least didn't have a general clue about the touchdown spot. The MP is excellent within a quarter mile or so and does not seem to be affected by the metal in the nosecones, although, the final resting orientation of the antenna can reduce its range. But, again, at METRA and MDRA, that is not an issue because I have always been able to get fairly close before I needed the MP to guide me in the last 300-500 yards.
If you are going to fly someplace really big (Kansas, Utah, Nevada, etc) and high or someplace with a more complex landing arrangement (hills, trees, etc), the MP may not be adequate. If you mostly launch at MDRA, it should work great.
... the visceral reaction that inexperienced people and non-rocketeers have. They see a metal tip and they immediately imagine people being skewered.
Thanks, I really appreciate the advice. I was indeed going to just go with the Marco Polo as I mostly fly at MDRA. I started thinking about trackers when my level 3 design showed hitting 7000-8000 feet and me planning main deployment at 1000 feet for a big parachute, but GPS still seemed like overkill. I'd like to try out the Marco Polo in a rocket I don't expect to go beyond visual range before relying on it to lead me to a rocket I lost sight of though, which is why I'm putting one in this project.
I'd like to try out the Marco Polo in a rocket I don't expect to go beyond visual range before relying on it to lead me to a rocket I lost sight of though, which is why I'm putting one in this project.
Unless that club is MDRA, I'm good. And I would really rather NOT paint it since this rocket is a scale model of a rocket that did have a metal tip.
It's rather easy to paint balsa with silver paint...
Violations of land owner's rules is idiotic at best and dishonorable.
Ok instead of balsa, carbon fiber. If RocketLab can use carbon fiber, surely there is a way.The club that has that rule is not MDRA, so I'm good. Also, it's a high power rocket and balsa would not be suitable.
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