Wanted PerfectFlite altimeter needed for TARC team

[SpacexNate]

Hello everyone!

I am part of a TARC team located in Edgewater, Maryland. In one of our test flights, the nose cone became detached from the rocket along with the altimeter, and we lost the altimeter. The final qualification flights are due on April 4th, and we are unsure if we can get an altimeter shipped to us in time.

Is there anyone local in Maryland that has a PerfectFlite altimeter (we currently use the Firefly altimeter) approved for the TARC challenge and would that would be willing to lend it to us for our qualification flights?

Thank you so much in advance! Let us know if you can help!

 

[heada]

Hello everyone!

I am part of a TARC team located in Edgewater, Maryland. In one of our test flights, the nose cone became detached from the rocket along with the altimeter, and we lost the altimeter. The final qualification flights are due on April 4th, and we are unsure if we can get an altimeter shipped to us in time.

Is there anyone local in Maryland that has a PerfectFlite altimeter (we currently use the Firefly altimeter) approved for the TARC challenge and would that would be willing to lend it to us for our qualification flights?

Thank you so much in advance! Let us know if you can help!

Do you need a recording alt or a deploying alt? If you need recording only, I have a Alt15K/WD that I purchased 10-ish years ago and have never used. I'll donate it to a TARC team. Send me your mailing address and I'll send it.

Edit: here is the link to my original post offering the 2 I had, now just this one.

https://www.rocketryforum.com/threads/perfectflite-alt15k-wd-rev2.160757/

 

[cwbullet]

Moved to yard sale. WANTED!

 

[BEC]

Do you need a recording alt or a deploying alt? If you need recording only, I have a Alt15K/WD that I purchased 10-ish years ago and have never used. I'll donate it to a TARC team. Send me your mailing address and I'll send it.

Edit: here is the link to my original post offering the 2 I had, now just this one.

https://www.rocketryforum.com/threads/perfectflite-alt15k-wd-rev2.160757/

TARC requires one of three Perfectflite altimeters: APRA, FireFly, PNut. No other options are permitted. So he can't use your older devices.

I'd offer up one of mine, but there's no time. Scores are due on Monday at midnight EDT and I'm on the west coast.

 

[Johnly]

I'll post the request to the NAR Sections forum and see if that helps find an altimeter for them.

 

[BEC]

That's a great idea, John.

 

[heada]

TARC requires one of three Perfectflite altimeters: APRA, FireFly, PNut. No other options are permitted. So he can't use your older devices.

I'd offer up one of mine, but there's no time. Scores are due on Monday at midnight EDT and I'm on the west coast.

They must have removed the Alt15k in the last year or two. It was a valid option in 2020

 

[SpacexNate]

Thanks for your responses! We hope to get the altimeter in in time, but I'm not sure on the shipping status.

Keep me posted on the NAR forum please!

 

[BEC]

They must have removed the Alt15k in the last year or two. It was a valid option in 2020

This not correct. I have copies of the rules going back to 2012 on my computer. In 2012 the Alt 15K/WD was allowed. That was its last year. For 2013-2015 the only choices were Pnut or APRA. In 2016 the FireFly was added. The later units (Pnut, FireFly, APRA) have much better pressure sensors than Alt 15k/WD.

This is a screen clip of the 2020 rules.



This is 2012:



This is 2013:

 

[heada]

In that case, a team used an invalid alt for their qualifying flight 2 years ago.

TARC should open the list up to other manufacturers and other alts. Having just 1 manufacturer and 3 alts is too few and we know that Perfectflite has been crazy busy getting devices ready every year.

 

[Brian2007]

Hello everyone!

I am part of a TARC team located in Edgewater, Maryland. In one of our test flights, the nose cone became detached from the rocket along with the altimeter, and we lost the altimeter. The final qualification flights are due on April 4th, and we are unsure if we can get an altimeter shipped to us in time.

Is there anyone local in Maryland that has a PerfectFlite altimeter (we currently use the Firefly altimeter) approved for the TARC challenge and would that would be willing to lend it to us for our qualification flights?

Thank you so much in advance! Let us know if you can help!

My TARC team will be doing qualification flights at MDRA on Saturday or Sunday, if you're there then I could let you borrow a Perfectflite Firefly altimeter for the day.

Tip for next year: get more than you need at first, so you have backups in case you lose any.

 

[SpacexNate]

Thank you all for offering! Luckily our altimeter came in today. We hope our qualification flights go well tomorrow.

It amazes me how supportive this community is. Thank you again!

 

[cerving]

In that case, a team used an invalid alt for their qualifying flight 2 years ago.

TARC should open the list up to other manufacturers and other alts. Having just 1 manufacturer and 3 alts is too few and we know that Perfectflite has been crazy busy getting devices ready every year.

Not sure how that could happen... the NAR observer is supposed to know which altimeters are permitted. I do get why they're limiting it to a single manufacturer... different vendors have different ways of determining apogee, so they don't want teams "shopping" for altimeters. One vendor, one apogee algorithm. PerfectFlite has also been a pretty good TARC sponsor over the years, kudos to them.

Historical Note: The name "Eggtimer" came from the idea that it was going to be used for TARC flights. I was already well into the design/testing phase of the original Eggtimer Classic when I found out that PerfectFlite had a lock on it. I liked the name, though, so I kept it.

 

[softwarehopper]

Hello, not sure if I should create a new topic for this, but I am in need of one of the 3 mentioned altimeters mentioned above as well for TARC. I found this one of 2pnut+data cable for 85$ an hour ago and when I went to but it I was aghast and found it gone https://www.ebay.com/itm/155267894321 10min before I was about to buy it. ARGHHhhh, wish I got to it faster, words cannot describe how much I would've loved to buy that. Everywhere I look these are out of stock. They really need to open up the rules this is so frustrating.

 

[softwarehopper]

Someone helped me to find pnut and firefly which appears to still be in stock, I found APRA which had 1 in stock in another location, which I bought. Still sad about missing those pnuts on ebay.

 

[Swany]

You can purchase the altimeters directly from the perfecflitedirect.com website. According to the website this morning, the Pnut and Firefly are in stock.

 

[BEC]

https://perfectflitedirect.com/pnut-altimeter/

 

[softwarehopper]

I got one of those as well, good to have backups. Thanks for the help, sorry I was so frantic, I think I was looking at just the APRA and didn't actually look at the rest of the site :/

 

[BEC]

APRA is out of production. With the FireFly, which is far lighter and less expensive yet equally capable (save for beeping out the altitude so that it can be "read" without getting it out of the model), there really is no good reason to fly an APRA except if you already have one, which is why they are still on the TARC list.

PerfectFlite devices are reliable and consistent, which I believe is why they are the choice of those who organize TARC.

 

[softwarehopper]

Oh, ok, thank you! Unfortunately it looks like things got more expensive, there was only a $5 diffrence between the APRA and the Firefly I found and purchased. I expect to make good use of the locator beacon feature of the APRA however in other personal projects that go to higher altitudes which makes it more worthwhile for me.

 

[BEC]

True....I'd forgotten about the "find me" warble. The Pnut does that, albeit more expensively.

The FireFly's price has increased by $5 recently (no surprise) which narrows the gap between it and the last APRA price.

 

[ChicagoDave]

If you're still looking for a StratoLoggerCF for TARC, please DM me.

 

[Gus]

two PNuts available on ebay

 

[BEC]

If you're still looking for a StratoLoggerCF for TARC, please DM me.

Stratologger is not approved for TARC. Only Pnut, APRA, or FireFly.

 

[WillMarchant]

There are Pnuts and fireflys up for sale at PerfectFlitedirect.com as I type…

 

[BEC]

two PNuts available on ebay

That's a screaming deal for one older Pnut, one of the current version plus a data cable....well, assuming that they are working properly anyway.

I don't need any more or I'd be tempted to snap that up.

 

[rocketfinn]

Hello everyone,

We are a team from Seattle, WA and now we are in Virginia for tomorrow competition. But, unfortunately, our altimeters got broken (both 2 of them)
I know that we should’ve more careful, should’ve have more than 1 back up but now we just want to seek for help from you all.

If anyone have a pnut/firefly altimeters for sale or know anywhere near Manassas, Virginia sell them, please let us know. We can drive to pick it up.

Pleaseeeeee help!

Thank you very much!