[NRVR-Members] Tracking Beacon/System Reccomendations?

[David Bloom]

Thanks.  What is the approximate range for the eggtimer as I read the BRB can do 40 miles?!  Also what is the rough cost of ET and BRB.  (I do not have radio license).
--------------------------------------------
On Fri, 8/24/18, Jordan Truesdell <jordan at truesdell.org> wrote:

 Subject: Re: [NRVR-Members] Tracking Beacon/System Reccomendations?
 To: "David Bloom" <dwskb at att.net>, "Peter Cadra via NRVR-Members" <nrvr-members at server2.nrvr.org>
 Date: Friday, August 24, 2018, 11:39 AM
 
 
                                         Kind of depends on
 where you are and how far you might drift.  I have not
 tried live tracking with the beacon because I haven't
 had the time to try foxhunting with it.
 The BRB GPS is very good and the
 range is great. I used it on both my L2 and L3. My L2 went
 out of sight >1/2 mile away and we drove straight to
 within a 100m of where it landed. The KML data I got from my
 L3 shows the exact location where I hit the New River.
 It's small enough for normal-people HPR, but won't
 fit in my 29mm minimum diameter (or I might have found it
 after the last flight). 
 
 I've only flown the RF-v16 in low power,
 and never lost sight of the birds, but it will happily text
 back its GPS coordinates confirming where it is. It also
 won't fit in a 29mm, and requires a GSM signal and an
 active SIM card. It's hard to secure to an ebay board as
 it doesn't have exterior mounting screws. I usually put
 it into a sealed compartment, but have also flown it once in
 a plastic container which was tied to the shock cord. 
 
 The Eggfinder appeared to have
 some assembly QA issues - aka I screwed something up during
 assembly).  It worked fine when I first finished it, and
 the receiver/BT link to my phone for finding the device was
 super convenient. OTOH, it was clearly less powerful than
 the Big Red Bee. Side-by-side, but completely unscientific*,
 testing showed probably a 2:1 or 3:1 range advantage for the
 Big Red Bee (*I left the trackers on the front porch and
 drover around my neighborhood with the receivers). After
 sitting for ~2 months, the next time I powered it up there
 was a lot of heat  in the transmitter IC and no RF signal.
 It would fit in a 29mm, but would have to be end-to-end with
 avionics - I couldn't get both it and my Raven to nest
 back to back in a 29mm coupler. The BRB does have a longer
 standard antenna as it operated on 430MHz vs Eggtimer's
 900MHz, and the Eggtimer does not require a
 license. 
 --Jordan
                         On 8/24/2018 11:12:12
 AM, David Bloom <dwskb at att.net> wrote:Which one
 works best for HPR?
 
 --------------------------------------------
 
 On Fri, 8/24/18, Jordan Truesdell  wrote:
 
 
 
  Subject: Re: [NRVR-Members] Tracking
 Beacon/System Reccomendations?
 
  To: "Peter Cadra via
 NRVR-Members" 
 
  Date: Friday, August 24, 2018, 10:49 AM
 
  
 
  
 
                                          I
 have four - a
 
  beacon on 70cm, a GPS on 70cm (both
 BigRedBee), an RF-v16
 
  (GPS tracker over GSM/SMS), and an
 Eggfinder (one which
 
  failed before I flew it but after testing,
 and one still in
 
  kit form). Any particular questions?
 
  --Jordan
 
                          On 8/24/2018
 8:59:59
 
  AM, Captain_Zero Residential School Bus of
 Ten Forward
 
   wrote:
 
  
 
  I was wondering what folks would reccomend
 for using as a
 
  means of tracking. I've looked at a
 couple of different
 
  types and methods, but beyond product
 descriptions and user
 
  reviews there are, I'm not too sure on
 the pros and
 
  cons.
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  Any suggestions/reccomendations from folks
 who routinely use
 
  tracking systems in their stuff?
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  Caitlyn A. Stone, KE8FNY
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  __
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  B.S. Aerospace Engineering
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  B.S. Meteorology
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State
 University, Class
 
  of 2018
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  __
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  P.O. Box 73
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  Mullens, WV 25882
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  __
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  castone at vt.edu
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  uss.defiant-a at live.com
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
                          
 
                                         
 
 
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