Rocketry Planet
| Apogee adds new BeepX audible beacon |
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| 2009 Archived News by Planet News | |
| Monday, January 12, 2009 | |
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The first thing you'll notice when you get your BeepX locator beacon is the size of the beeper. It is an industrial-sized piezo that is 1.0 inches in diameter. This thing puts out some noise when it goes off, louder than a smoke detector. It can easily be heard about 500 feet away. Dimensions: 2.7"L x 1.1"W x 1.0"H Easy to install, and simple to use, the BeepX works best on those larger diameter rockets where you have lots of room inside. It is a big unit, about the size of an Estes D12 rocket engine, although it only weighs 36.8 grams with its battery. It easily mounts to a payload bay tray with the supplied circuit board posts and screws. You can put it next to your altimeter or flight computer. Just aim the piezo so that it points out a hole in the side of your rocket so the sound is at its maximum. Using it is as simple as pressing the pushbutton to turn it on. It will beep 10 times to tell you that it is active. Then it beeps once per minute for 25 minutes — it is in sleep mode at this point to save its battery. Finish your prep work and launch your rocket. If you find your rocket during the 25 minute sleep mode, you just turn it off. But if you don't find it, then the unit will come on and beep loudly once every 5 seconds. Its loud piezo sound will draw your attention and lead you to your lost rocket. Once it is activated, it can go on chirping for a full 11 hours. But it won't take you that long to find your rocket once the BeepX is chirping away. Website: http://www.apogeerockets.com/BeepX.asp |
WORLD WIDE WEB — Apogee Components has added a new audible beacon to their lineup, the BeepX. The BeepX is a loud audible beacon that helps you locate your rocket after its flight. It puts out an ear-splitting 105 decibel loud tone that can be heard up to 500 feet away — a must have for tall weeds.
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-DAllen
What I like about this concept is that the alarm is out in the open upon landing, there's nothing that can block the sound, and you're not limited to mounting it in an ebay. Lots of us have our sleds all made out...retrofitting them so this thing aims it's sound out the hole would be a big hassle (or impossible in tight 'bays like the Little Dog).
What happens with this thing if the vent hole lands against the ground? WHAT ABOUT SINGLE-DEPLOY ROCKETS? Putting this Apogee thing in my Gizmo would be a huge ordeal, whereas the personal alarm is a breeze.
Finally, there's durability, or lack thereof. Why is it that this thing, and ALL altimeters for that matter, are always 'naked'? The board & mounted components are all exposed & subject to damage. I had a tangled chute/hard landing where my sled came loose, and the capacitor was crushed & some terminals damaged. I got it repaired, but really...would it be THAT hard/expensive to wrap these things in a plastic case? It wouldn't change the dimensions that much, and you could easily make them waterproof, too!! Walston transmitters are encased, why not altimeters (and this new alarm)?
Do we rocket geeks really need/want our electronics to look like the 1970s Heathkit devices we used/saw?
The mind boggles... I never connected naked and altimeters before.
I have my G-Wiz altimeters conformal coated and although they are clear, I wouldn't call them "naked". All parts are permanently glued, actually smothered, in epoxy coating preventing them form coming loose. They are very solid and only the most catastrophic crash would break them...
Doug
Walston transmitters don't need a vent hole.
Well, Mr. Forward Thinking, why didn't you?
And if your rocket augers in because of a recovery failure like you describe, are you really in a position to complain to an altimeter vendor that components came off when the e-bay it was in took damage? I think not...
Of course not.
Having terminal inputs & the barometric sensor hole open would be fine; you could even have that & still have a waterproof/water resistant unit (dunno it the inside of the barometer would be damaged by water if you drain it out).
Whatever...I like Apogee, and I'm not trying to crap on their parade. But this niche/need has been covered pretty darn well with small, durable $10 devices that are louder (120 db vs. 105...and that's VERY significant, as db measurements use a logorithmic scale: http://en.wikipedia.org/wi...nd_sound_pressure_levels ), MUCH easier to transfer between rockets and MUCH easier to integrate into single-deploy rockets (dual-deploy too, for that matter).