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Post by st on Apr 18, 2007 13:35:25 GMT 10
Having spent several hours looking for lost planes since I started flying only a few months ago, I'm now seriously considering lost model alarms.
I'm wondering if anyone has made there own alarms? Putting an alarm into each model would add up ($) with time.
I understand the commercial ones sound when no signal is received. I think I'd prefer a system that is manually activated from the transmitter, via the gear switch or something. I haven't yet looked at the technicalities and issues/difficulties in doing so.
Has anybody tried or looked into making their own?
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Post by thevon on Apr 18, 2007 14:33:30 GMT 10
Simon, there's some info about them in the thread on Suppliers/ Gear etc. Yes you can make them yourself and if you do a search on the web for "lost model alarms" "LOMA" etc you will find info on how to do it. I understand that you have to be able to program/ burn the PICT controller in the gizmo which you can buy from Jaycar/ thingy Smith etc. Zipper makes them up himself and I have one of his in my Drongo and I really like it.
I have 3 different ones ... one I got from Wowings, problem is that if you go down and switch Tx off, it waits 5 mins then beeps for 30 sec, then it waits till 1hour till it starts to beep continuously. At Mt Mee, getting lost in the long grass or lantana happens all the time and you need it to start beeping straight away! The one from Glenn (Zipper) is great - starts beeping about 10 sec after the Tx goes off. The beep/ warble sound is better too. Costs about $25 I think. Sean and I also each got a couple of SkyKing ones from the US recently which are reputed to be the best. Came to $28 each delivered. I have yet to test them (any comments Sean??)
Haven't heard of any other system than having them plugged or Y'ed into a Rx terminal. But yes, it's crazy not to have one ... I can rattle off various times we spent hours looking for planes ... and there are a few guys who've lost planes entirely.
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Post by sean on Apr 18, 2007 15:10:15 GMT 10
Hey Guys, The Skyking alarm seems like a good one. The volume's not super loud but I don't think you could ever get a really loud noise from a speaker that's only about 1cm in diameter, like most alarms on the market. The nice thng is that the beep goes up and down in pitch which makes it much less likely to get drowned out by background noise (wind, crickets etc). Mine are buried inside the foam next to the receivers. If you place the alarm so the speaker is on the outside of the model, not covered by anything (as Andrew has done on his Drongo) then the noise is more likely to travel. I haven't used them for their intended purpose yet, hopefully I never have to But At Mt Mee, when you land in the long grass at the top of the slope (the best spot to land there) your model usually disappears from sight and the alarms proved very handy in that situation, I could go straight to the model without having to hunt around. If I'd had one in the Halfpipe at Lennox Head I might still have that model today...
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Post by st on Apr 18, 2007 19:55:36 GMT 10
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Post by Slopefun on Apr 28, 2007 7:45:03 GMT 10
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Post by ding on Apr 28, 2007 9:16:36 GMT 10
Given that space is tight in the skua, how big are these things?
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Post by livefibre on Apr 28, 2007 9:40:56 GMT 10
Hi All, Just bought two of these from Revo Shop on Ebay ,$24 for the two including post ,should be here for next weekend I'll post up what there like ,size & volume.Should'nt be much larger than the plugs on the leads.
Cheers Alan
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Post by thevon on Apr 28, 2007 10:15:10 GMT 10
They're all much the same size, with the beeper button being the biggest bit and there's a tiny circuit board under it which has the programming. They have either 2 leads, or they have one lead and a plug/pins on the main bit. Some have long-ish leads, which I chop shorter for foamies. Leads take up too much space! Usually you can just plug one lead directly into a spare terminal of the receiver, or put it in between the receiver and servo.
But one problem I had recently was that the Skyking one doesn't like having a mixer. I was using an AM set and elevon mixer, and it kept going off for no reason. But it works fine with an FM system without mixer.
Constant beep is not as good as changing beep, or warble - easier to pick up when it's barely audible.
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Post by st on Apr 28, 2007 12:27:33 GMT 10
That's getting reasonable in price Alan, for what is a simple gadget. I look forward to hearing how you find it ;D
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gas
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Post by gas on Apr 28, 2007 19:47:51 GMT 10
st was up your way today and allan lost his new bee. blue. it went behind in the northerly and lost it. how many times have we herd this..... if only i had a lost alarm fitted. it went down between the second and third power pole from the right wen looking back.more toward the third pole.
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Post by st on Apr 29, 2007 16:30:55 GMT 10
Bad news At what site was this? Bradenburg rd, lost to the right? If I remember, yesterday was swinging between NW to SW winds at my place (in the arvo anyway) so I'm surprised it was OK there.
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Post by thevon on Apr 29, 2007 18:08:40 GMT 10
About 7 years ago I was flying there and lost mine but it was out to the right down the ridge, behind the road. Getting dark, looked for ages and gave up. Next morning that Canadian friend of mine, Lawrence who I'd recently met - he was out visiting - insisted on going up for a look. He found it after an hour or so and insisted on driving it all the way back to me at Redcliffe! I did give him a nice cuppa coffee, but it was incredibly generous of him!
That's all very fine to do it once ... but where are you now Lawrence! Not much use to Allan if you're back in Chilliwack, British Columbia! Do you expect him to find his own plane?? Downright slack I reckon, letting him down like that.
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gas
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Post by gas on Apr 29, 2007 19:06:47 GMT 10
yes thevon get him out here.hehe. st, it was at bradenburg.we got there at 7am flying by 702 then allan deside to dich his kite at 704 the wind was great till 1130ish then went nthwst
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gas
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Post by gas on Apr 29, 2007 19:18:30 GMT 10
st rember allans blue bee you were there on his first day...gerard has a pic of you and him but he never posted it ,somthin must have put him off posting it. prob allans smug look hehe
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Post by st on Apr 29, 2007 19:20:48 GMT 10
7am - you're keen must have been an early start I should be able to get over there tomorrow or tues and have a look for you By memory isn't that area mostly grass with some trees/bushes in the gullies? Once out of sight did he deliberately try and crash it, or let it continue gliding?
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