Why would you bother doing that, negates the whole point of
having a GPS in the first place -- the GPS should be able to get
you with 30 feet. If the Kenwood radio doesn't support finer
granularity than .1 mile, then ditch it and use a cheapo
handheld GPS (or even your Iphone) and type the coordinates into
that (that's what I do) . Used Garmin Etrex's are $50 on ebay.
-- Greg
On Sun, Dec 18, 2011 at 5:06 PM, Lesnick, Mike <mikel@xxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:mikel@xxxxxxxxxxx>> wrote:
Richard,
Thanks for the input. So bottom line is that when I’m close
I would switch to the Yagi antenna and use it like a
traditional radio beacon (non-GPS) directional signal finding
radio. Is there a particular Yagi antenna you would
recommend for the 70cm transmitter, the BeeLine 70 cm GPS
transmitter?
Mike
Michael Lesnick
Axiom Healthcare Group
18135 Santa Lauretta Cir
Fountain Valley, CA 92708
714-594-5720 <tel:714-594-5720> - Office Phone
714-323-5968 <tel:714-323-5968> - Cell
714-968-7076 <tel:714-968-7076> - Fax
MikeL@xxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:MikeL@xxxxxxxxxxx>
*From:*roc-chat-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:roc-chat-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
[mailto:roc-chat-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:roc-chat-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>] *On Behalf Of *Richard
*Sent:* Sunday, December 18, 2011 12:52 PM
*To:* roc-chat@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:roc-chat@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>;
roc-chat@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:roc-chat@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
*Subject:* [roc-chat] Re: Anyone With The Kenwood TH-D72 GPS
Radio?
Hi Michael
I thrown in my experience in tracking. I have a Kenwood
F6A I use for tracking and a Arrow Yagi
antenna(http://www.arrowantennas.com/). You can also make
your own Yagi out of a old measuring tape do an internet
search also look up foxhunting, transmitter hunting. You'll
need some kind of directional ant. to aid in zeroing in on
you rocket transmitter. In the brush at the edges of the lake
you can walk by a rocket that is 50-100' if the brush is
dense enough. By moving the the ant. side to side and
watching the signal strength meter you can zero in the
location. It maybe necessary to tune your receiver off freq.
a bit to attenuate the signal as you get closer. A Yagi can
also aid you in locating the signal after the rocket has
landed. If the transmitter antenna is damaged (bent, wrapped
up in shock cords, etc.) or if it's in a low spot (ditch) the
signal can be lost. It is sometime necessary to get on a hill
or a rise to get a direction (think of a 10-15k flight on a
breezy day) members have found rockets on the other side of
the hills to the north. On a big level 2 or level 3 project
it's a little windy you launch and the main unexpectedly
deploys at apogee and now your looking for your rocket 4-5+
miles down range. Even with GPS you need the high gain of a
Yagi or similar antenna to get good data.
Practice, taking your Beeline out and get someone to
hide it and practice finding it. Your local ham clubs will
have transmitter hunts monthly in your area, talk to the
participants they'll have good advice.
Good luck
Richard C. Hall
TRA 11515 AF6IH
-----Original Message-----
From: Greg Clark
Sent: Dec 17, 2011 3:29 PM
To: roc-chat@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:roc-chat@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [roc-chat] Re: Anyone With The Kenwood TH-D72 GPS
Radio?
I don't use my Kenwood that way -- maybe turned on the GPS
once or twice. I use a handheld GPS to track down the rocket.
-- Greg K7RKT
On Sat, Dec 17, 2011 at 3:20 PM, Dennis Dinga
<dennis@xxxxxxxxx <mailto:dennis@xxxxxxxxx>> wrote:
OK Mike. I'll wait to others on roc-chat reply. I know that
Allen Farrington and maybe Rob Bringham use Kenwood APRS
radios. I'm hoping they will have your answer before I go
further. Greg K7RKT should have the answer too.
-Dennis
At 01:50 PM 12/17/2011, you wrote:
Dennis
Thanks for the quick reply. I’ve used the combination a few
time now and the transmitter and receiver work well
together. Unfortunately, the scale does not change when I
get close. If I’m closer than 1/10 of a mile, the reading is
simply 0.0 mi. If you have anyone who may have an answer
I’d appreciate it. If Im in a flat open deters (like the
lakebed 500 feet is fine, but if there are a lot of
obstructions it could be hidden and 500 feet resolution will
not be very good.
Mike
Michael Lesnick
Axiom Healthcare Group
18135 Santa Lauretta Cir
Fountain Valley, CA 92708
714-594-5720 <tel:714-594-5720> - Office Phone
714-323-5968 <tel:714-323-5968> - Cell
714-968-7076 <tel:714-968-7076> - Fax
MikeL@xxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:MikeL@xxxxxxxxxxx>
*From:* roc-chat-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:roc-chat-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
[mailto:roc-chat-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] *On Behalf Of *Dennis
Dinga
*Sent:* Saturday, December 17, 2011 1:41 PM
*To:* roc-chat@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:roc-chat@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
*Subject:* [roc-chat] Re: Anyone With The Kenwood TH-D72 GPS
Radio?
Mike-
I can't answer your question, but have you tried an actual
tracking test? /_Maybe_/ when you get to within 500ft of the
rocket, the TH-D72 automatically changes resolution.
If you don't get an answer here before Monday, drop me an
email and I'll ask the Stratofox trackers up in the Bay
Area. They mostly use the Kenwood APRS radios.
On a different note, a balloon was launched from NorCal last
weekend and was tracked via APRS all the way to the
Mediterranean Sea before it deflated north of Algeria.
Pretty good for amateurs. The track is still on www.aprs.fi
<http://www.aprs.fi/> Type in K6RPT-11.
73, Dennis N6DD
At 12:59 PM 12/17/2011, you wrote:
I have the Kenwood TH-D72 radio and the BeeLine 70cm GPS
transmitter. The Kenwood radio display screen shows the
distance from the radio to the transmitter as well as a
compass with an arrow that points the direction of the
transmitter.
The problem is that the distance scale is in 1/10 of a mile
(500 feet) increments. Does anyone know if the distance
scale can be changed to feet of meters or anything more
precise than 1/10 of a mile?
Mike
Michael Lesnick
Axiom Healthcare Group
18135 Santa Lauretta Cir
Fountain Valley, CA 92708
714-594-5720 <tel:714-594-5720> - Office Phone
714-323-5968 <tel:714-323-5968> - Cell
714-968-7076 <tel:714-968-7076> - Fax
MikeL@xxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:MikeL@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Dennis Dinga dennis@xxxxxxxxx <mailto:dennis@xxxxxxxxx>
H: 909-860-1515 <tel:909-860-1515> C: 951-313-5192
<tel:951-313-5192>
1024 Twin Canyon, Diamond Bar, CA 91765
N6DD TRA 8427 L3
Dennis Dinga dennis@xxxxxxxxx <mailto:dennis@xxxxxxxxx>
H: 909-860-1515 <tel:909-860-1515> C: 951-313-5192
<tel:951-313-5192>
1024 Twin Canyon, Diamond Bar, CA 91765
N6DD TRA 8427 L3
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