[roc-chat] Re: Small DD altimeters...

  • From: Ed Holyoke <bicyclop@xxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: roc-chat@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Tue, 25 Dec 2012 19:26:50 -0800

Howdy Jeff,

Most trackers do operate on ham frequencies. It's easy to get a technician license. The Raven altimeter uses a 110mAhr battery and fires Q2G2 matches reliably. They're going to draw less than 2 amps at 4 volts. I flew my red Formula 54 on it, burrito style, on Saturday. I had a BigRedBee beacon in it and used my homemade yagi to DF it about two miles away. Those winds aloft were vicious. Josh flew his extended Formula 75 with one and with a BigRedBeeGPS. He has a Yeasu VX-8GR with built in GPS and APRS packet decoding and walked straight to it. Having a handi-talkie to call for help isn't a bad idea when you're walking around out in the desert.

I've been using Ravens for about a year and a half. I have previously flown twice, firing 3 matches each time without changing the battery. I'm fitting up an avbay for the TeleMini for next month in a 29mm minimum diameter rocket so I'll get to see how well it works. It is tiny. I've got a netbook that I modified for sunlight readability and I'll plug the teledongle into that. It works on the bench. If it makes me happy, I'll probably get a TeleMetrum for a series of 54mm minimum diameter rockets I'm working on.

Pax,

Ed Holyoke

On 12/25/2012 12:19 PM, Jeff Gortatowsky wrote:
Thanks for the 411... both are interesting... I just think thing that using small two cell lipos, say 450 to 500mah with 15-20C discharge rates (8 to 10 amps burst), seem lot cheaper in the long run than single 9v. Of course I have the charger already for lipos and am aware of what can happen on impact went lipos are punctured. Are all tracking devices requiring a HAM license? Or do we operate under a group?

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Jeff Gortatowsky, Redondo Beach, CA | Twitter: JeffGortatowsky | Yahoo: indanapt "(Scientific) Skepticism is not a set of beliefs, it is a set of methods for asking questions about reality." -- Doctor Steven Novella
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*From:* Ed Holyoke <bicyclop@xxxxxxxxxxx>
*To:* roc-chat@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
*Sent:* Sunday, December 23, 2012 11:14 PM
*Subject:* [roc-chat] Re: Small DD altimeters...

Take a look at the TeleMini. It's absolutely dinky, does dual deploy, and radio telemetry/tracking. You do have to make room for an antenna, though.
http://auric.gag.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=78

The Raven works great with a tiny battery.
http://www.featherweightaltimeters.com/The_Raven.php

Ed Holyoke

On 12/23/2012 10:10 PM, Jeff Gortatowsky wrote:
What do y'all recommend for the smallest of DD electronics? When I say small, I mean with battery. How many units out there can use small LiPos for deployment??
 Thx 4 the 411

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Jeff Gortatowsky, Redondo Beach, CA | Twitter: JeffGortatowsky | Yahoo: indanapt



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