Need opinions on Alltimeter

[Frodo2801]

Hi guys, I'm thinking about buying my first alltimeter, I will be using it for mainly mid power rockets but I want to get the best for the money so in case I get the HP bug it will be expandable.
Thanks in advanced for your help.
David

 

[edwardw]

You really can't go wrong with a Missileworks RRC2. At $90 it is a great deal. They even come in 40K MSL versions.

Also, Perfectflite has the MAWD, which does datalogging along with Dual deployment. It is $100, but if you get the cable and such it runs around $120.

Either is great - I have both

Edward

 

[llickteig1]

Seems like this question gets asked quite frequently.

What my man edwardw said is 100% true. I also own both and both have worked flawlessly for me. I probably have 15-20 flights on each. I will add the following.

1) Smallest tube RRC2 will fit into is 38mm coupler. MAWD will fit a 24mm tube but I'm not sure a 9V battery will. If you want to fly your altimeter in small rockets, this is a consideration.

2) The manual for both are on the mfgrs' web sites. Check them out and get an idea for the different features and how they would be used by you.

3) I like MAWD feature of reporting last altitude recorded on power-up. Also, advertises up to 3 seconds of power interruption. I don't know if this is really true, but if it is, that is a very excellent feature.

4) I like the RRC2 feature of more substantial connector terminals. The RRC2 seems more rugged all-around, but I've never broken either. I have put my RRC2 in the water twice and it is no worse for the wear.

5) I would buy the RRC2X instead of RRC2 because a) the battery terminals seem to be a failure point due to too much stress on the PCB and corrosion; b) I might like to mount the battery a little further away from, underneath, or beside the altimeter.

I can't say which I like better. Look at the features and see if anything stands out for you.

HTH, --Lance.

 

[bsexton]

I have the Missile Works RRC2 and it has been a great unit. It is a little larger than some others, but the support and customer service from Missile Works is A++.

 

[RocketboyG80]

Also, advertises up to 3 seconds of power interruption. I don't know if this is really true, but if it is, that is a very excellent feature.

I can verify that that really works. My first flight on my MAWD had a battery disconnection (my fault) at the main deployment of 500' (43.15 seconds into the flight). The altimeter did not shut down until 385' (46.35 seconds into the flight). Therefore it stayed on for about 3.2 seconds due to its good sized capacitor. Also, a recent firmware revision to the MAWD allows the user to extract data even when power is lost during flight. This is why I could get the those numbers even though the altimeter never registered a landing. PerfectFlite has an excellent product in the MAWD.