What's in your Range Box?

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Good call Terry. I’m in Electrical Engineering, and take instrument quality for granted. I’d add on that, if possible, buy a name brand instrument such as Fluke (there are others such as Keysight, etc) - someone in the test and measurement business if you can swing it. A good DVM is truly an investment in that the tool can be used for many years to come. I still have a Fluke DVM from my second job out of college (circa 1985) that still works like a champ. And as Terry noted, buying purely on price point isn’t necessarily the best move for a tool you can rely on.

+1 on getting a quality meter. It's a lifelong investment that need not cost an arm and a leg, although there certainly are offerings out there that fetch more than a kidney would go for on the black market!

There are just times when a Simpson 260XLP 'feels right'! On another note, I have a Fluke 27/AN that did 9 military deployments with me, and after 30 years, is still going strong.
 
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I'm still using an old Micronta analog multimeter, bought from Radio Shack about 30 years ago. It's the only thing that gives me accurate resistance measurements down to 1 ohm. I have bought a couple of the cheap Harbor freight units, but they can't decide what range to use for low resistance ematches.
Just did a search on Amazon, the Craftsman they have costs over $100:
https://www.amazon.com/Functions-Craftsman-Multimeter-Voltmeter-34-82141/dp/B01FM5QKHY/ref=sr_1_15?crid=ITF1TE6QYYWI&dchild=1&keywords=craftsman+voltmeter&qid=1608207520&sprefix=craftsman+voltmeter,hpc,192&sr=8-15
Does anyone have this model? If so, can you recommend it?
1608210172467.png
This is the model I have, looks very similar; it has really jumped in price. I bought it about two years ago for $20. It's on ebay for $50 plus $10 shipping:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/CRAFTSMAN-...720012?hash=item4b8029088c:g:~qUAAOSwAhtfRQPm
 
I have a Fluke 75 series III that I grabbed when a company I worked for was liquidating all of its equipment (and employees, natch). Got one for myself and one for my father. It's nice to have a good-quality multimeter.

That Craftsman model doesn't have auto-ranging or (apparently) auto-shutoff, which would make it a no-go for me, certainly not for $100. I haven't shopped them recently so I don't have any up-to-date recommendations, though.
 
PML sells a little measuring spoon that measures out one gram of BP. After getting that, I've never had to bother trucking a scale to a launch. Much easier to use if it's a little breezy too. Costs a quarter for it on their website, find it at the bottom in the "CPR Systems" category.
 
PML sells a little measuring spoon that measures out one gram of BP. After getting that, I've never had to bother trucking a scale to a launch. Much easier to use if it's a little breezy too. Costs a quarter for it on their website, find it at the bottom in the "CPR Systems" category.
https://m.publicmissiles.com/cpr_erm_parts.aspx
Right at the bottom of the page.

The alternate is to hit up a buddy that has Lee reloading scoopers and get the one you need from him and adjust with some epoxy fill. 1gram of Goex 4F is ~.07cc
 
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Thanks for the reply Terry, and I also appreciate g.pitts and neil_w's comments.
I'm really putting Terry on the spot though, I ordered it on Ebay for $64.39, which isn't a big deal, but it's for Sharon, so I hope she likes it, or Terry might be in a world of hurt....
Just kidding of course, she loves her signed copy of Experimental Composite Propellant.
 
My Craftsman is nearly identical to the one linked. It's a good instrument. I like the Kype K thermocouple input too. But I really like analog for the "movement" of a needle. Craftsman IIRC are rebrands of 20201217_124227.jpgGreenlee.?
 
PML sells a little measuring spoon that measures out one gram of BP. After getting that, I've never had to bother trucking a scale to a launch. Much easier to use if it's a little breezy too. Costs a quarter for it on their website, find it at the bottom in the "CPR Systems" category.

FYI - PML includes one of these scoops in some of their kits. They included one in the AMRAAM 4" I got from them last summer.
 
FYI - PML includes one of these scoops in some of their kits. They included one in the AMRAAM 4" I got from them last summer.

I bought measuring spoons (for baking) that are a smidgen, pinch, and dash. I measured them and they work out to ~1/4g, 1/2g, and 1g. Very convenient.
 
all thread, big and little for pulling forward closures out, along with eye bolts for the closures (ex, and 75 mm and above)
my famous liner cutter, a technology that was given to me by Ed Romani
Dowels of various sizes to push out the liners if they'll come without a fight
17 year old boy, rocket fetching device :>
 
Get a decent voltmeter. The cheap ones at Horrible Fright and the like often do not measure low resistance well, which is one of the more common things to measure with a voltmeter (motor starters).

After getting five el-cheapo voltmeters from Jameco some time back, and finding that not one would measure low resistance, I bought a Craftsman unit.

Best -- Terry

Totally agree with that.
My electronic multimeter measures to 001 ohms +- 1 ohm. There is no decimal. That's why I bring my very old Radio Shack analog meter along. Once zeroed, the needle will wiggle and can interpret reading to 0.1 ohms. It's old school, but much better for low resistance than the electronic multimeter.
 
I always bring a tray along with me. About 14" x 9" and 1/2" deep. I always dump all the AT reload parts in the tray and sort them before assembly. Also any screws, small parts, etc. removed during disassembly of a rocket go into the tray. Checking for left over parts in the tray during and after assembly can be a flight saver. Being 1/2" deep keeps things from rolling away. In the field, nothing is level and keeping it all in the tray prevents losing rolling parts to gravity! Putting my folding table in the middle of a blanket also make finding small parts fumbled from my thick fingers or that sneak out of the tray and off the table much easier to find than in grass, gravel, or dirt.
 
I have an old analog VM somewhere in my stash of stuff. But, it's not a portable unit because it's AC powered. IIRC, the meter driver circuit uses tubes....
 
I had a old Simpson with the metal case - from the 1960s. Developed a short to case fault, got a nice zap testing 220v
 
Been searching for a good generic Range Box, and like this one:

Nice! Looks like a great range box!

This past weekend, I finally bit the bullet on the longer 54mm and 75mm motor cases and repurposed an old, cheap rifle case I used to use to bring guns back and forth to the range. It doesn't fit all of them (so, will need another cheapo case, unfortunately), but does a pretty good job.

PXL_20210126_164024003.jpg
 

Looks awesome - love the stickers!

One of the nice things about revamping my range box last year (beginning of this thread) was it provided a platform for all the vendor stickers I get with the products. I used to throw them out or give them to my kids, now it is a separate enjoyment to find an open spot and plaster it with a cool vendor sticker :)
 
I'm still using an old Micronta analog multimeter, bought from Radio Shack about 30 years ago. It's the only thing that gives me accurate resistance measurements down to 1 ohm. I have bought a couple of the cheap Harbor freight units, but they can't decide what range to use for low resistance ematches.
That's exactly my go-to meter (Micronta analog from Radio Shack) -- 30 years old and still the best I've used. Easy to read to 0.1 ohm precision and always able to zero it. Haven't yet found a reasonable DVM that can match it.
 
I travel light. Enough to, at the minimum, fly with a club’s equipment and make whatever field repairs I have time for.

I use a horse grooming tack box carrying the following:
  • Every motor and casing that I may want to fly or share, organized by type into individual half-sandwich-sized Ziploc bags
  • A half-sandwich Ziploc bag of igniters and plugs
  • My hobby knife, secured to a leash which is tied to the handle
  • A pair of needle-nose pliers
  • Scotch tape. Good for two-stagers. Also good for flying black powder motors in rockets with no motor block, like my Estes Star Orbiter.
  • Masking tape. Good for various other purposes.
  • Two bottles of CA glue for quick repairs.
  • Two tubes each of epoxy resin and hardener. I break these out at multi-day events when I’m OK with a rocket being out of action while the epoxy sets.
  • Two bags of “dog barf” wadding
  • A few sheets of sandpaper, various grades
  • My copy of G. Harry Stine’s Handbook of Model Rocketry, 7th Edition.
  • If flying by myself, I also pack my launch controller. This is always loaded with fresh batteries before every outing and tested prior to departure. I also carry a couple of spare batteries.
  • If I’m planning on a night flight, I’ll pack a clear plastic nose salvaged from my Estes Phantom, along with a blinky and a few extra batteries for it. That will go on my Generic, no problem.
A few items that aren’t strictly in my box but I rarely, if ever, leave at home:
  • My truck or another vehicle
  • A folding chair
  • A folding table
  • A folding shade canopy
  • My row of rocket spikes.
  • A container of Vaseline for putting together reloadable motors.
  • A roll of paper towels
  • A few creature comforts. Water bottles, snacks, sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, extra clothing, just a few things to make an extended stay at the range more comfortable.
  • Watch, wallet, keys, and phone (I sing this to the tune of “head, shoulders, knees, and toes” as I’m leaving my house to make sure I have these)
  • Phone charging cable. The phone doubles as my camera, so I want that to be charged up if possible.
  • A ladder and long pole, so I don’t have to feed the rocket-eating trees as often.
  • If I’m flying by myself, I’ll pack a complete launch pad and rod.
Anything else? What did I forget? 🤔

….oh yeah! My rockets!
 
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