Newbie to HAB's peoples Openions of GPS locators/Finding materials in the UK

[Deerchild]

First of all i must say thank you to all those who have contributed to
this group and provided such a wealth of information.

I have been researching launching my own balloon after wanting to do
it for sometime now, Im a filmmaker and so my primary goal is getting
some amazing footage.

From reading through the forum and picking up on previously use tech
im interested to find out peoples opinions on GPS locators such as the
Garmin GTU 10 (https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=67686) I
understand if people are opposed on account that the enjoyment of
constructing your own kit for transmitting & receiving is part of the
thrill... but for financial reason it seems reliable when looking at
the cost of radio receivers etc... Also i fear loosing my camera if my
self made tracker fails. I do understand that they will be ineffective
when at altitude.


Another question, in the UK where can i find suitable balloons? And
with that is there a retailer anyone would advise for Helium? for a
parachute i've found this site (http://the-rocketman.com/
recovery.html) which from reviewing videos of descents looks very
effective.

[Alistair Currah]

For balloons try Steve Randall at:  http://randomsolutions.co.uk/Random_Aerospace/Welcome.html 

Alistair

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[Steve Randall]

Hi

Personally I don't know of a 100% reliable method 

of tracking a payload - but the most reliable method is a radio

tracker IMO. The main advantage of the radio trackers are

continual updates on position and predicted flight path.

I don't know of any off the shelf system (Spot, InReach or

GSM tracker) that does that. I'm not really opposed to 

them - I just don't think there is a better method than 

a radio tracker.  In fact when I fly expensive kit for other 

people I always go for a radio tracker and a GSM tracker. 

The most commonly available GSM trackers use the

SiRFIII GPS chipset - which is known to pack up above 60K ft.

Some trackers get very confused by this and won't report their 

position on descent.  They tend to recover well after the payload

has landed. If it then lands upside down on the ground or in a hollow

or ditch with no mobile coverage - you have had it.  I have certainly

had flights in the UK carrying a GSM tracker where the only way I 

have found it has been the radio tracker. On the other hand I know 

of flights where the reverse was true due to dodgy hardware or code.

Having said that I would say that you stand a bit better than 

50% chance of locating the payload with a GSM tacker alone.  

I haven't tried a GTU10 - I have tried a TK102 (SiRFIII based as above) 

I believe the Loc8tor GSM device was used successfully on 

one flight. 

The other reason I'm in favour of making your own radio tracker 

is that it drives people toward UKHAS - where they can get lots of

help, guidance and encouragement from people experienced 

in HABing.

I personally hope that no-one ever offers a ready made solution

so that anyone can put one together without finding out about all 

the other aspects (e.g. safety, regulatory). 

Just a personal opinion.

     Steve G8KHW

Steve Randall

Random Engineering Ltd

st...@randomaerospace.com

+44 7802 242135

[Deerchild]

What as a rough guide would you estimate the cost of using a radio
tracker, Im trying to put together a budget as im hoping to get a
contributor to help with the costs.

Thanks for your reply

> >For more options, visit this group athttp://groups.google.com/group/ukhas?hl=en.

[David Robertson]

Hi,

Though I have not used these myself I've seen them used by some American HAB projects.
Only seen on youtube so I have no idea how well they worked.
http://www.findmespot.eu/en/

David

[Deerchild]

yea i looked at the SPOT SATELLITE GPS MESSENGER, it has quite a
number of bad reviews plus it has a subscription cost that puts me off
even more.

On Feb 8, 7:49 pm, David Robertson <da...@dr.eclipse.co.uk> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> Though I have not used these myself I've seen them used by some American
> HAB projects.

> Only seen on youtube so I have no idea how well they worked.http://www.findmespot.eu/en/

>
> David
>
> On 08/02/2012 19:36, Alistair Currah wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > For balloons try Steve Randall at:
> >http://randomsolutions.co.uk/Random_Aerospace/Welcome.html
>
> > Alistair
>

> > On 8 February 2012 19:26, Deerchild <r.t.gl...@gmail.com

> > <mailto:r.t.gl...@gmail.com>> wrote:
>
> >     First of all i must say thank you to all those who have contributed to
> >     this group and provided such a wealth of information.
>
> >     I have been researching launching my own balloon after wanting to do
> >     it for sometime now, Im a filmmaker and so my primary goal is getting
> >     some amazing footage.
>
> >     >From reading through the forum and picking up on previously use tech
> >     im interested to find out peoples opinions on GPS locators such as the
> >     Garmin GTU 10 (https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=67686) I
> >     understand if people are opposed on account that the enjoyment of
> >     constructing your own kit for transmitting & receiving is part of the
> >     thrill... but for financial reason it seems reliable when looking at
> >     the cost of radio receivers etc... Also i fear loosing my camera if my
> >     self made tracker fails. I do understand that they will be ineffective
> >     when at altitude.
>
> >     Another question, in the UK where can i find suitable balloons? And
> >     with that is there a retailer anyone would advise for Helium? for a
> >     parachute i've found this site (http://the-rocketman.com/
> >     recovery.html) which from reviewing videos of descents looks very
> >     effective.
>
> >     --
> >     You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
> >     Groups "UKHAS" group.
> >     To post to this group, send email to uk...@googlegroups.com

> >     <mailto:uk...@googlegroups.com>.

> >     To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
> >     ukhas+un...@googlegroups.com

> >     <mailto:ukhas%2Bunsu...@googlegroups.com>.

[go.ver...@googlemail.com]

I think Mike Castle is on this list and makes a commercial GPS tracker that transmits through the GlobalStar satphone network - can't remember the name but I think it would be great for someone to give it a try.
mfca...@gmail.com

Maybe we could club together to buy one and then share it for flights?

Ol

------------------

[James Coxon]

The SPot is okay, certainly doesn't work above 18km altitude - lots of
people in the US use it as their back, there is a subscription but if
you recover it then your costs go down for your next flight!

However... with quite a bit of work it can be adapted by changing the
GPS and spoofing the NMEA data - quite an involved task - certainly
not for someone new to the game!

James

[Craig Chapman]

For balloons I think Steve Randall that has been suggested here is 'the' uk supplier.

As for helium, it depends on where you are. I found that going directly to BOC was more trouble than it was really worth for the prices they offer. Instead I went to Mathew Lewis displays in coventry (my home town) and bought BOC gas cheaper than if I'd gone direct to them. (Mathew Lewis order regularly and therefore leverage discounts.)

It's worth searching your local area for businesses that might have similar discounts to buy and supply.

[daveake]

Yes, it's cheaper to get helium via someone who buys a lot of it.
Direct with BOC costs more. Online the cheapest I've found is
www.balloonhelium.co.uk.

Also worth mentioning that the Air Products cylinders are better -
lighter and have a level gauge. Seem to be in short supply though.

Dave

On Feb 9, 8:32 am, Craig Chapman <craigchapman.me...@googlemail.com>
wrote:

> For balloons I think Steve Randall that has been suggested here is 'the' uk
> supplier.
> As for helium, it depends on where you are. I found that going directly to
> BOC was more trouble than it was really worth for the prices they offer.
> Instead I went to Mathew Lewis displays in coventry (my home town) and
> bought BOC gas cheaper than if I'd gone direct to them. (Mathew Lewis order
> regularly and therefore leverage discounts.)
> It's worth searching your local area for businesses that might have similar
> discounts to buy and supply.
>

> On 9 February 2012 07:51, James Coxon <jaco...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > The SPot is okay, certainly doesn't work above 18km altitude - lots of
> > people in the US use it as their back, there is a subscription but if
> > you recover it then your costs go down for your next flight!
>
> > However... with quite a bit of work it can be adapted by changing the
> > GPS and spoofing the NMEA data - quite an involved task - certainly
> > not for someone new to the game!
>
> > James
>

> > On 8 February 2012 21:50,  <go.vertit...@googlemail.com> wrote:
> > > I think Mike Castle is on this list and makes a commercial GPS tracker
> > that transmits through the GlobalStar satphone network - can't remember the
> > name but I think it would be great for someone to give it a try.

> > > mfcas...@gmail.com