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Post by jimd on Nov 14, 2007 17:58:04 GMT 10
After talking to Jase and Gerard at Mt Mee a while ago, I went out and ordered a pair of LMAs from EBAY (Hong Kong specials) for the same price as the single ones for sale at Toyworld. I didn’t really think about them when I was flying powered planes (attempting to anyway..) as the crash site was usually littered with balsa and solarfilm etc. Flying through trees produces a lot of balsa and foam bits that never go back together the same way.
While I was at Mt Mee recently, I had a little mis-adventure which allowed me to find out how steep the hill is and how thick the scrub has gotten. The downside to my LMA is that it doesn't sound for 5 min (the warning that you have left the model on) or an hour after that. The upside of the 5 min wait is that it gives me time to stop my search party from laughing at me.... she only comes to watch the crashes!! I think it would be awesome to have one that was switchable, for the right price of course. Glitchy is the way I fly so a counter would be no good but the low voltage indicator is a good idea.
Your GPS idea could be based on Onstar (car locator in the USA) or the system fitted to the new Nokia N95. You could then stream info back to a laptop via a receiver e.g. a 2.4gig system, although the N95 takes ages to get a fix and needs the keypad (aerial) to be facing the sky. For the speed freaks, or those that are curious you could add a telemetry system although I think there are some systems already available (altitude, speed etc). Not too sure how one would hold up with speed record attempts.
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Post by ezza on Nov 14, 2007 20:08:21 GMT 10
The low voltage is very handy. Sometimes it gives you plenty of notice and other times it is just a few seconds. Also lucky to hear it if you are specking out in a thermal! There is a fair bit of discussion about GPS in the ds forum of RCG. I think the g's are just too much for them, once the speed gets good. They reckon whilst ds'ing at record speed, the plane is averaging between 50-100g's!!! Too much for most onboard sensitive instruments.
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Post by rossco on Nov 15, 2007 19:45:36 GMT 10
Heyah,
ok... glitch counter is gone, although i am keeping a beep on glitch. I would just like to know how many hits they generaly get. I might add a way to disable it, or remove the lot after i have satisfied my ponderigs and it gets annoying. In terms of LMA "no signal' (transmitter off) triggering the siren, mine will not have any percievable delay, so those sorts of issues of it not going off for five minuits and then an hour? will not apply. (i have no idea what is going on there???) Ill bear in mind not to make it too sensitive. As is, it rechecks a bunch of times before it decides to let loose with the noise.
GPS, was one of those "too much, but cool" things. There would be an inumerable amount of issues to deal with. 50 to 100g's !!!! holly sh.... That will be in the back of my mind from now on. Not something most electronics like. My stuff will eventually be solid state, so it wont be an issue then.
Update. The tracking is done. Im building the prototype now. All will be needed is a hand held fm radio, headphones/ear plugs and a simple directional earial. For now, its parts built, which will not like the sort of loading ezza describes, although its only a test unit, and the final one will be solid state, onboard. By the time i get to the integrated ones, i could also send data back to the reciever/radio, so warnings on a specked out plane could indeed be an option.
Now... ive had another idea for this!
Ive got all my code sorted (in my head at least) for a doppler speed sensor! The set up (as far as ive thought sofar) is thus. Place, on a tripod (or hiding in a bush) the doppler radar. On its face, there is a big bright screen (those red neon ones maybe?). Your landing gear sw. (or other) turns a constant tone on from your LMA, Dive, dive, dive. As you scream by, your speed is displayed for everyone to see. Andrew doesnt need to stand out on the edge then, as Gerard sees just how close is too close! (i know, he hasnt hit anyone, but it sure scared the piss out of me when i went out there)
What do you think??? Andrew, you up for some serious calibrating/comparing with your radar?
Rossco
oh, PS, the doppler will work with any noise producing plane too, the lma is just set so our slopers do make some noise. In fact, it will probably also read the speed of every car that goes past... have to think further on that one.
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Post by thevon on Nov 15, 2007 20:23:38 GMT 10
Rossco, I love the way you're coming up with ideas and tinkering with stuff! Great! Of course I'm interested to compare the doppler to the radar. I think the doppler would need to work at close range as you wouldn't pick up the sound far away. For DSing the radar guns are truly amazing, ie the distance that they pick the plane up, when it's flashing around extremely quickly! Last Sat we had a gun maybe 100m from the plane still picking it up and they're supposed to work to 330m but that's probably not gonna work for very thin planes. With DS the plane is only heading for the gun for a split second each lap- not lined up like a dive.
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Post by rossco on Nov 30, 2007 2:07:33 GMT 10
OK, got my chips in today, and programmed the first one tonight. All seems to be going to plan, so i should have a LMA of my own to show off over the weekend. After being hit bad with interferance last time i went up, im thinking of ways of pre warning. The last throw out, (yes, after i suspected something was going on) snapped full elevon left and planted it into a tree next to me, it could have as easily been out into the wet bits, or over my head for a house/car/person. Basic model sofar, untill i get a handheld radio with an external earial. Any suggestions? most seem to be synthesised internal earials now, with static suppresion and all that. I want a good old one, that you can pick up good static with!
Rossco
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Post by jimd on Nov 30, 2007 9:07:00 GMT 10
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Post by rossco on Dec 2, 2007 8:48:22 GMT 10
Thats the one, cheers, good price too. Ill grab one of them, and add the following...
RF meter, digital frequency readout (not necisary, although handy) and the coax to directional aerial.
Now its just a matter of building one to install on a plane, and see how the descreat part model (covered in goop) handles the forces. I would say that the first one of my "landings" will put it out of tune... will see.
Rossco
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Post by atmosteve on Dec 17, 2007 22:23:38 GMT 10
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Post by mtmellum on Jan 21, 2008 8:16:08 GMT 10
Hi all,
After yesterdays flights, I will never build another model without an alarm. I thought I knew where my plane was yet once the LMA began its job, I was about 250 m out and a ridge away.
I'm keen to see the GPS version , even though I've got a standard LMA. I was a good half hour looking in the wrong area due to the wind carrying the sound away from me and a nearby road (bald knob).
I brought my LMA from Wowings. GWS brand, a bit larger than most, $15. hard body not shrink wrapped. emailed Pete and he said not $20 for postage but worked out a much better price based on size and postcode. Email him, he was good about it.
At the end of the day it cost me nothing to pick it up as he flys most sundays at Bald Knob.
I also brought a smaller one from local toyworld (kawana) for $19. it was the saviour yesterday, the GWS is destined for the fat boy warbird I brought recently
LMA, wouldn't be without it.
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Post by thevon on Jan 28, 2008 19:13:57 GMT 10
Hey I have to tell a story about lost models ... the other day I was flying at a very touristy spot next to a busy road, with tourists constantly walking up and down past the lookout spot where I was flying. Probably shouldn't have been there so I won't advertise where it was on this forum!
It was good fun till I tried to land - no LZ really, so I worked on Ding's "slide up the hill and turn down" method which was great but I went a bit high and gently landed the Reaper into a tree, right next to the road and path.
So the Reaper was perched up there in full view to advertise my ineptitude, and if the bright yellow wing wasn't enough to grab everybody's attention, the loud LMA beeping made sure of it. Everybody seemed amused with me fighting my way thru the lantana and wild raspberry and stumbling around down on the steep back slope in the undergrowth, cursing the heat and spiking my hand on a huge thorn … blood everywhere. I climbed the tree several times but the branch the Reaper had chosen was a bit too steep and high for me, so eventually I went back to the van and got my slingshot and lead. More stumbling and cursing, tangled string, completely useless, climbed tree again, exhausted, sick of grinning tourists. You get the picture. Very frustrated.
Back to the van, rang a mate who said he’d come over and bring some gear to retrieve the plane … my wife arrived back too, so we hung back in the shade for a bit, “… no need to rush”. We could still hear the beeping faintly, about 200m away around the corner.
When we headed back up there was an oldish BMW car stopped near the spot, and a girl peering intently into the bush. We smiled, thinking she was wondering where the beeping was coming from. As we arrived to enlighten her, a young guy emerged through the lantana tunnel, carrying the Reaper! He’d obviously climbed the tree and got it! But … it became clear that he hadn’t been planning on looking for the owner! He seemed unabashed that he’d been about to stick it in the BMW and bolt!
If he’d turned up when I was there and offered to climb the tree I would have happily given him $20 for his trouble! But I was left with the very uncomfortable feeling that if we’d been 2 minutes later it would have been “Goodbye Reaper!”
He obviously thought it was "finders-keepers"! A situation I would have been most distressed at! So now I’ve made identification stickers for all my planes, saying IF YOU FIND THIS PLANE, IT’S LOST AND I’M LOOKING FOR IT! PLEASE CONTACT (phone, address, etc, etc!). I've thought about it various times but this near loss pushed me to do it!.
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Post by jimd on Jan 28, 2008 19:37:28 GMT 10
You have to admit Andrew, it would have made a great EBAY buy it now auction... The moral of the story is, if you ONLY drive a Beemer then obviously you cant afford to get into our hobby! I am glad you got it back though. I know I had a few thoughts of not getting my bee back, but I am glad that there are some very trustworthy and honest members amongst this forum... if only it extended to the general public.
Good to hear you had a positive outcome to today's adventure. Jules just reminded me that just because you have the label on it though, some will still be against returning it to you. Maybe Rossco has had some success with a gps "beacon" with his breed of LMAs, just like the locators fitted to some cars.
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Post by thevon on Jan 28, 2008 19:45:28 GMT 10
Yeah I know, you can't do much about the really bad guys. But I reckon if I found a plane with no ID, it would be much easier to hang onto it than if it had a name attached to it.
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Post by Vanders on Jan 29, 2008 14:12:26 GMT 10
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Post by felix on Jan 29, 2008 18:31:33 GMT 10
skyking put me down for one for sure! $20 is a good investment considering half my "landings" are somewhere in the next suburb -do you fly at shornecliffe? if not where would i collect it?
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Post by Vanders on Jan 29, 2008 20:01:23 GMT 10
I'll put you down for 1, I'm just builing a new Mini-Weasel & refurbing my old WW Raider, so I'm just getting back into the scene. I will come over to Shornecliffe for a sticky & give it to you then.
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