guides:how_to_lose_your_flight
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| guides:how_to_lose_your_flight [2015/02/01 22:05] – created daveake | guides:how_to_lose_your_flight [2016/05/10 07:10] (current) – daveake | ||
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| As you intend to lose your payload, you won't use a radio tracker. | As you intend to lose your payload, you won't use a radio tracker. | ||
| + | |||
| == Testing == | == Testing == | ||
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| * Choose a good colour for the payload box. For example, duct-tape grey in winter, or bright yellow if you're hoping to land in a rapeseed field in the summer. | * Choose a good colour for the payload box. For example, duct-tape grey in winter, or bright yellow if you're hoping to land in a rapeseed field in the summer. | ||
| * Use an RP-SMA plug on the aerial, and an SMA socket on the tracker. | * Use an RP-SMA plug on the aerial, and an SMA socket on the tracker. | ||
| - | * Use cheap batteries rather than Lithium Energizers. | + | * Use cheap batteries rather than Lithium Energizers. This includes Duracells Alkaline or anything else that is not a Lithium primary cell. 2 recent flights used this option, on the same day, with 1 successfully lost and the other only found because it had a backup radio tracker using Energizer Lithiums. |
| + | * Don't build the tracker on a PCB or Veroboard, as these are solid and reliable. | ||
| == Before The Launch == | == Before The Launch == | ||
| Line 39: | Line 41: | ||
| * Don't create a payload document, saving you the time of seeing if your tracker actually appears in the right place on the map. | * Don't create a payload document, saving you the time of seeing if your tracker actually appears in the right place on the map. | ||
| * Don't create a flight document (see launch fails below). | * Don't create a flight document (see launch fails below). | ||
| + | * If you tracker has a " | ||
| + | * Don't have a pre-flight checklist, or if you do then don't have someone whose job is to make sure the items are confirmed and checked off. | ||
| + | * Don't check that you can receive, decode **and upload** telemetry from your tracker to the internet. | ||
| ===== Launch Fails ===== | ===== Launch Fails ===== | ||
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| * ... you don't tell them. Sneaky huh? | * ... you don't tell them. Sneaky huh? | ||
| * Or, you could tell people about the flight, but not bother to create a payload document. | * Or, you could tell people about the flight, but not bother to create a payload document. | ||
| + | * Celebrate your flight before you even launch, by inviting your team to a nearby pub for a drink or 3. This relaxes all of those pre-flight nerves. | ||
| + | * Forget to take weighing scales, so that the amount of gas in the balloon is a complete guess. | ||
| + | * Use nice dark materials for the payload container and, especially, the parachute as that is usually the easiest thing to spot after landing. | ||
| ===== Chasing ===== | ===== Chasing ===== | ||
guides/how_to_lose_your_flight.1422828339.txt.gz · Last modified: 2015/02/01 22:05 by daveake