Yes, I have one. The F6A is a nice unit and has the potential of being able to track the stuff on the 1.25cm band because it can receive in several different modes on VFO B. (hi-SSB, lo-SSB or CW modes) Stick an offset attenuator on your YAGI and you're in business. This one is pretty decent:
http://www.west.net/~marvin/k0ov.htm You can lookup schematics or other kits too. Alot easier spinning a pot than changing antennas or what have you. One needs to keep in mind if one's rocket is lying in an open area, piece 'o cake to find it via RDF. If it's hiding in tall grass, corn, between hedgerows, in furrows and shallow depressions, that's when being able to hold an accurate bearing up close will help you. If you are using a GPS tracker and are able to get this close, you'll be receiving a valid GPS packet unless there is some malfunction with your tracker or it's not receiving a vaild lat/long. In that case, if it's hidden, being able to home in via RDF might be useful. Heck, the open squelch technique is perfectly valid and I use it every time with an APRS tracker. For a rocket that's down, if one can open the squelch and faintly "hear" a packet that's too distorted to be decoded, viola' they know immediately the APRS tracker is still working. This is especially reassuring for a flight where there is no visual confirmation of any of the events. If one sees valid altitudes coming across, they can surmise by the rate of descent reported that the drogue has deployed and the main made it out. Walk to the last known reported position and likely one will receive the position of the final resting place if the rocket is not already seen. This is where GPS tracking really shines on flights where small rockets go "way high", "way fast" and land "way far" away. Way far away may just be just 1/2 mile. My Wildman Jr., I nor anyone else has ever seen a complete flight on the five J motors I've flown in it. Every time the rocket disappears I can tell the events have occurred and which direction to try to look for the main chute. Never seen it under the main but the altitude indications show it's deployed and it looks nice as can be when walking up to it. One of these days I'll fly it on an I motor to see what is looks like. Oh, I do pop the main at 1000' to increase the chances it's seen. Kurt KC9LDH -------------------------------------------- On Wed, 6/17/15, Chris Attebery <[email protected]> wrote: Subject: Re: [altusmetrum] RDF on the cheap To: "Altus Metrum" <[email protected]> Date: Wednesday, June 17, 2015, 2:02 PM Do any of you have experience with the Kenwood TH F6A HT? There are a couple on ebay for reasonable prices. _______________________________________________ altusmetrum mailing list [email protected] http://lists.gag.com/mailman/listinfo/altusmetrum
