Rocket locator/beeper

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Jacktango22

Jacktango22

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Scratch building my first HP for Cert 1 attempt.

Three inch 29 mm 35 inches plus nose cone.

I am not trying for max. Altitude is not goal but limited space where club flies.

For that reason I want to create a small payload section with some gizmo that could help locate. GPS? Expensive
Buzzer or beeper?

looking for ideas.

thanks
 
It's a good idea to use one as your rocket may end up in very tall grass, or in the middle of some trees, or in the middle of a crop that's been planted. I failed my level 1 during the summer because the rocket landed in very tall grass and we never found it, knowing and seeing where it landed. Do a search on here is the topic has been discussed two or three times this past year, with lots of people posting up links of the ones that they use.
 
If you are a NAR member, the March/April 2022 issue of Sport Rocketry had an article on how to construct an audible 'screamer' like Dr. Wogz mentioned.

Not sure if this link will prompt you for a log-in or not... https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1456221-sport-rocketry-2-2022/5?

I built several for myself using the instructions in the article, and they seem to work fine (helped me locate a rocket in a bean field last flying season...)
 
Cheapest is to build your own.
If you want over the shelf products, Apogee has two sonic locators.
https://www.apogeerockets.com/Electronics-Payloads/Rocket-Locators/MicroBeaconhttps://www.apogeerockets.com/Electronics-Payloads/Rocket-Locators/Transolve-BeepXThe Microbeacon is out of stock on the Pratt Hobbies website.
Does not come with the battery. Order from the link.
Can be used in smaller rockets.
The Transolve BeepX is a little larger, will fit bigger rockets.
A little more expensive but still budget and has more features.
I have the Microbeacon. To turn it on put in the battery. To turn off remove it.
There is no battery cover so you will have to tape it in to prevent it from coming out at ejection.
Works but mine failed after sitting in a drawer for several months. Dead even with a fresh battery.
 
kuririn said:
Cheapest is to build your own.
If you want over the shelf products, Apogee has two sonic locators.
https://www.apogeerockets.com/Electronics-Payloads/Rocket-Locators/MicroBeaconhttps://www.apogeerockets.com/Electronics-Payloads/Rocket-Locators/Transolve-BeepXThe Microbeacon is out of stock on the Pratt Hobbies website.
Does not come with the battery. Order from the link.
Can be used in smaller rockets.
The Transolve BeepX is a little larger, will fit bigger rockets.
A little more expensive but still budget and has more features.
I have the Microbeacon. To turn it on put in the battery. To turn off remove it.
There is no battery cover so you will have to tape it in to prevent it from coming out at ejection.
Works but mine failed after sitting in a drawer for several months. Dead even with a fresh battery.
Click to expand...
I wish these could be turned on and off with a remote control that could also set their volume. I don't want to spend even 3 seconds hearing "an ear-splitting 105-decibel loud tone".
 
Funkworks said:
I wish these could be turned on and off with a remote control that could also set their volume. I don't want to spend even 3 seconds hearing "an ear-splitting 105-decibel loud tone".
Click to expand...
The Transolve product activates the screamer 25 minutes after turning it on. So you don't have to hear it at the launch pad, only in the field.
Hope it doesn't land near somebody's house.
At night.
Hanging from a telephone pole.
:D
 
Funkworks said:
I wish these could be turned on and off with a remote control that could also set their volume. I don't want to spend even 3 seconds hearing "an ear-splitting 105-decibel loud tone".
Click to expand...
A pull-cord is easy with the Pratt microbeacon. Cut a narrow piece of scrap plastic that will fit in between the battery and the spring connector. Wrap some tape around the microbeacon/battery section and your recovery harness. Take up a little slack from the recovery harness and tape that to the scrap plastic. When the recovery system deploys it will extract the plastic and the beacon turns on.
 
Here is my recommendation from another thread.

Tractionengines said:
We use a $15 ViFly Beacon (self contained and self powered lost drone beeper). It's small and light enough to fly in down to BT-50 size If not for the 105+db beeper, would not of even looked for a 1" dia 20" long rocket in a 100 acre corn field.

We did have a good line on direction. So my son (his rocket) and I went for a walk. When stopped and listening, we could hear it about 150-200 feet away. It was actually hanging in a small opening, which may have helped sound travel.
20210811_113547.jpg 20210807_152529.jpg
Here is website. Program is not optimized for rocket use. But works well enough. It's loud (without being too annoying if you hang it in a tree.) and will flash a very bright Blue LED if in a dark area, or at night.
https://www.viflydrone.com/viflybeacon.html
[ NOTE: Their Finder and Finder2 connect to the Drone, or R/C Plane, flight control, and battery connections. They stay at full charge from the main battery. If the power supply connection is broke it triggers alarm mode from the internal battery. Or the controller can trigger alarm mode. Or the pilot can trigger alarm mode. Lots of "wired" options. ]

This version (Beacon) is "stand alone" for smaller, simpler Drones, and "other uses" where a control system is not available.
Click to expand...
 
Coincidentally I just received some of those personal safety beepers off Amazon. Dirt cheap. I have 3 for $10.00 or so. Took one apart. The video above is very helpful as I was thinking on the best way to get the pull cord switch to activate, and I now have a starting point. Will also look at the VIFLY beacon. Thanks
 
One note. Alarms are good, till their not. As long as you are well away from any possibility of having one unrecoverable near a residence ( or maybe even a business or park ) the continuous 120-140dB sure helps find your rocket. BUT If you hang a rocket in a tree in someone's yard, ( or a light pole next to a soccer match ) you could be putting your flying field access at risk.

A repeating beep patteren at 90-105db is much less invasive, in these cases while still helping locate it in the last couple hundred feet. As long as you get to the general area.

Just make sure to evaluate the benefit vs any possible risk. Dry lake bed, vs Community park, could require different noisemakers.
 
@Tractionengines has a point about location. I would also consider the battery life. How long will they output that loud beep? 30 minutes or 30 hours? A very loud but short battery life may be acceptable in places where a quieter but longer life one would not. My Perfectflite CF isn't nearly that loud, but I have had them still beeping 5 days after being hung in a tree.
 
Actually, one does not need a very loud beeper if one knows approximately where the rocket landed.

I have heard the Eggtimer altimeter beeping out altitude from inside the ebay from 20-30feet away. It is not at all loud.

Same goes for the RF beacons I build. Range with a handheld receiver is about 50 feet. I have always been able to get close enough to hear the beacon in corn or grass fields. Then a little RDF to walk to it.

Since this is the HPR section, if the rocket is going to go really high and possibly out of sight, then A GPS or higher end RFD tracking is desirable. I had an OOS flight in January. A 54mm dia rocket to 2800 feet with cloud cover. Lost sight after drogue deployment and never caught sight of it again. An Eggfinder GPS pin-pointed the landing location for easy recovery.
 
After some trial and error I bought a VIFLY mini… self contained. Will try this weekend.
Would appreciate advice on how to insert in body tube. Let’s say for. BT 60 or larger.

Tie in to nose cone? Off of shock cord below parachute? Cover it in a shroud of nomax to protect? Thanks in advance.
 
Jacktango22 said:
After some trial and error I bought a VIFLY mini… self contained. Will try this weekend.
Would appreciate advice on how to insert in body tube. Let’s say for. BT 60 or larger.

Tie in to nose cone? Off of shock cord below parachute? Cover it in a shroud of nomax to protect? Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
get video for us if you can...... probably tying It Off to the nose cone or the shock cord, would both be equally as effective, it's very lightweight isn't it?
 
Here what I've done with mine.

1) Add a tether. Very carefully thread some kevlar through the heatshrink sleeve they have holding it together. Make it long enough that you can loop it thru itself and secure it to your attachment point.

2) Close off the open ends as much as possible with Silicone RTV Sealant. Do not close off buzzer opening or charging port. (A little bit behind the push button helps support it against the USB Body. ) Somewhere there is a light sensor that activates the blue flashing LED at night, don't cover it, but I haven't figured out where it is. The bright Blue LED is the white Square behind the USB charging port.. Also there is a charging LED.

3) There is a sensitivity adjustment covered in the book. Make it highly sensitive. This setting seems to trigger its "crash detection" on most flights.

4) I locate it as far from the ejection charge as possible, while also being one of the first things deployed. This usually means on the loop of shock cord at the nosecon. Unless its Head End Deploy, which I haven't done.

20230315_143235.jpg20230315_143249.jpg20230315_143342.jpg
20230315_151432.jpg
 
I just noticed something. You said you got the VIFLY- mini. My photos and descriptions are of the VIFLY-BEACON.

The "mini" by design it's for connecting to the drone/plane flight receiver. It uses the receiver battery to make sure it internal battery is "topped up". It can be triggered by a receiver signal. (OR) if the plug supplying the power is jurked out in a crash, it will automatically alarm off the internal battery.

The "Beacon" is stand alone entirely. There is no connection to a controller. It only triggers off a "no-motion" timer, and a shock sensor with a few sensitivity settings.
 
COSTransplant said:
How can you go wrong for less than $4.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256...Product&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa&_randl_shipto=US
Click to expand...
That device needs to connect to the Drone / Airplane flight controller. It then is signaled when to alarm via the Green BZ- wire.

It's internal battery will supply the alarm only if its been ON and connected to the flight controller, then suddenly looses the +5V supply. In that case it assumes the drone/plane crashed and the flight batter was pulled loose from the harness.
 
Yup. The ones that need to be connected to a flight controller will not work in a rocket. That is how I understand it. The Beacon simply comes on when the craft hits the ground. Happy to be corrected. If there is a way to use the new with a controller I am all ears. Thanks
 
I threaded some 100 lbs. Kevlar through the plastic cover. Will add some blue tape as well. We’ll see,
 

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