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
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> 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 - Office Phone
714-323-5968 - Cell
714-968-7076 - Fax
MikeL@xxxxxxxxxxx
From: 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
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 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 - Office Phone
714-323-5968 - Cell
714-968-7076 - Fax
MikeL@xxxxxxxxxxx
Dennis Dinga dennis@xxxxxxxxx
H: 909-860-1515 C: 951-313-5192
1024 Twin Canyon, Diamond Bar, CA 91765
N6DD TRA 8427 L3
Dennis Dinga dennis@xxxxxxxxx
H: 909-860-1515 C: 951-313-5192
1024 Twin Canyon, Diamond Bar, CA 91765
N6DD TRA 8427 L3
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