bghansen2203
Newbie level 3
Hey guys/gal's
As of the past year and a half I have become quite adept at building and designing high power rockets and motors as a hobby. My question to you is "What would be the best method/equipment for sending velocity data, GPS position, and altimeter data to the ground?". I have been doing some research online and have not yet found a solution to my problem. The intent of the experiment is to be able to efficiently transfer data during the rockets flight to a maximum altitude of 37,000 feet AGL. I have already gotten a stratologger flight computer/altimeter/stage timer chip that is RS232 compliant. I know from my very limited knowledge that in terms of RF communication that LOS is key to efficient transfer but I'm unsure about the power requirements of the RF transmitter, the types of antennas which will be best suited (omni directional for the rocket obviously) , and how the fresnel effect comes into play at high altitude. The baud rate of the device isn't crucial as 9600 should be more than enough to meet my data requirements. I have seen several 433 and 900 mhz options out there but they are relatively low power (500 - 100 mA). Space is an issue as the altimeter bay is 3.5" diameter but weight is not a factor, the rocket has 378lb maximum takeoff weight and currently weighs 36lbs loaded. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
-B
As of the past year and a half I have become quite adept at building and designing high power rockets and motors as a hobby. My question to you is "What would be the best method/equipment for sending velocity data, GPS position, and altimeter data to the ground?". I have been doing some research online and have not yet found a solution to my problem. The intent of the experiment is to be able to efficiently transfer data during the rockets flight to a maximum altitude of 37,000 feet AGL. I have already gotten a stratologger flight computer/altimeter/stage timer chip that is RS232 compliant. I know from my very limited knowledge that in terms of RF communication that LOS is key to efficient transfer but I'm unsure about the power requirements of the RF transmitter, the types of antennas which will be best suited (omni directional for the rocket obviously) , and how the fresnel effect comes into play at high altitude. The baud rate of the device isn't crucial as 9600 should be more than enough to meet my data requirements. I have seen several 433 and 900 mhz options out there but they are relatively low power (500 - 100 mA). Space is an issue as the altimeter bay is 3.5" diameter but weight is not a factor, the rocket has 378lb maximum takeoff weight and currently weighs 36lbs loaded. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
-B