One other little $20 item that has saved quite a few gliders in our club
is the SkyKing Lost Model Locater.
http://www.skykingrcproducts.com/accessories/lostmodel/lost_rc_model_alarm.html
Not only does it tell you how many volts you have (under load) with 4 or
5 cell RX packs and, of course, loudly screech a variety of sounds so
you can find your lost glider in the worst of terrain, but when your
battery level drops too low it beeps constantly to warn you of that
dangerous condition.
I'll admit the in-flight low battery alarm is of more use to slope & HLG
fliers, who keep their gliders in closer than thermal or task flyers,
but it can be very handy if your plane goes down regardless of how you
fly. It costs way less than a Picolario too, so you can put one in
every plane you fly, whether you use FM or PCM. It's saved my molded
gliders a few times when my RX pack emptied faster than I thought it
would, besides the countless times it has helped me find a downed glider.
I've tried several lost model locaters, but this is the only one I've
seen that does more than just beep...beep...beep, and is much easier to
hear from afar than the rest I've seen.
Of course I also like the idea of redundant batteries & switches.
Surely Mouser or some other electronics supplier has better switches
than the ones we're using though, right? Has anyone found an especially
high-quality switch that they like which is compatible with RC systems?
Jeff Thompson
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