BARC's attendance at the Spaceport America Cup is still undecided. If BARC decides to come we will re-activate this page and make it searchable again. Until further notice, the information on this page is not applicable.
BARC - ESRA History
The Bridgerland Amateur Radio Club (BARC) has supported the IRECs over the past several years in helping to find rockets after launch. In the past, they have used 70-cm (wavelength, not actual size!) radio transmitter beacons mounted in the rockets and hand-held directional antennas to help find the rockets on foot. This has had limited success due mainly to long drift distances and the complex off-road terrain at the site.
2016 IREC BARC Information
For the 2016 event, ESRA will not be integrating the beacon payment with the registration fees. BARC will be providing the beacons and managing them, similar to previous years, but we will be handling the beacon fees during the event, so PLEASE plan accordingly. We will continue to provide the tracking support along with the beacons as well.
The Bridgerland Amateur Radio Club (BARC) has been helping ESRA track & locate rockets for the last several years, and have typically used people spaced out as manual observation points to record last seen bearings, then use those to triangulate a landing zone. This has had varying levels of success, especially when things get really hot and rockets are flying everywhere, it gets increasingly difficult.
The last couple of years we have been experimenting with the use of APRS based trackers to help improve the finding experience. APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting System) was developed by Bob Bruniga WB4APR, and is basically a standardized method of sending data over a radio link. The most common data types are latitude, longitude, altitude, and speed (horizontal); but APRS is also capable of sending other types of telemetry data; such as text, digital I/O, analog voltages and/or current measurements.
We commonly use APRS for other events throughout the year to track vehicles, people, or to send data from A to B, for which it works really well. While the APRS protocol can be used on any frequency, we use ham radio frequencies to allow us to use readily available equipment, as well as help prevent interference from other devices.We have a digital repeater system to receive the data packets from the rocket beacons and relay them back to us at camp. If needed we may also be able to fly an RC aircraft with a small digital repeater onboard.
We will have a few APRS based beacons to check out. Our recommendation is to use at least one, and attach it to the sustainer, or other most critical piece. This beacon will be relaying the live GPS data back to us to follow on a computer mapping program and will nearly guarantee 100% recovery. (at least has been in the last three years) This beacon will be slightly larger than the traditional tone only beacons, but still only about 1” x 2.5” in size & about XX grams. The APRS beacon would have a $100 fee if damaged or not returned. And a $5 dollar rental fee per day each beacon is used.
Rules for the IREC state that each planned descending piece needs to have some type of beacon “ATTACHED” to it. So we will continue to provide the simple tone based beacons to attach to the other falling pieces as required by the regulations. These would still have the same $75 fee for each damaged or non returned unit(s), along with the standard $5 dollar per day rental fee per day.
Any Radio Frequency (RF) tracking device needs to be placed in an RF neutral portion of the rocket. Fiberglass/plastic will pass RF through them. Carbon Fiber, aluminum, or other metallics will impede the RF signal. If the signal is expected to come alive upon separation of components, there will be no way to track it in case of failure. This is particularly important for the APRS beacon, and up to your discretion for the other beacons. We really need to be able to receive that APRS beacon signal to know the tracking system is alive and properly functioning.
We encourage the teams to bring the beacon equipment back to us as quickly as possible to get them recharged and ready for use for other teams/rockets.
We will again be assisting with the field recovery similar to last year, where we will provide a radio operator to go out with your team to the landing zone. This is to maintain communication with those on the range, to be alerted of upcoming rocket launches and have heads up. If you have a Ham radio person on your team, you will not need one of our members to go along, but you will still need to check in with us, to get radio communication established.
For those ham radio team members that may be interested in building their own APRS tracker / telemetry link, the Argent Tracker 3 – Mini Board makes an excellent choice. They are a small PCB that allows direct connection to any type of radio using the mic audio/speaker output. It also features 4 telemetry data inputs that are 0-20 vdc. Several GPIO pins are provided as well and are accessible via a scripting interface. The scripting engine can be very useful for customization.
We encourage people to get their Amatuer radio license, not really to become a radio nut, but to gain experience and have the added communication ability that is useful during other events or natural disasters. Ham radio will continue to be a major backbone of communication in such events, and it is always helpful to have more people that are already trained and ready to go. For more information about getting licensed, contact a local club or get ahold of us to help answer any questions and get started.
With APRS it is 100% Recovery!
Brandon Tibbitts - KD7IIW - [email protected]
Josh Jensen - KD7WRC - [email protected]
The Bridgerland Amateur Radio Club (BARC) has been helping ESRA track & locate rockets for the last several years, and have typically used people spaced out as manual observation points to record last seen bearings, then use those to triangulate a landing zone. This has had varying levels of success, especially when things get really hot and rockets are flying everywhere, it gets increasingly difficult.
The last couple of years we have been experimenting with the use of APRS based trackers to help improve the finding experience. APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting System) was developed by Bob Bruniga WB4APR, and is basically a standardized method of sending data over a radio link. The most common data types are latitude, longitude, altitude, and speed (horizontal); but APRS is also capable of sending other types of telemetry data; such as text, digital I/O, analog voltages and/or current measurements.
We commonly use APRS for other events throughout the year to track vehicles, people, or to send data from A to B, for which it works really well. While the APRS protocol can be used on any frequency, we use ham radio frequencies to allow us to use readily available equipment, as well as help prevent interference from other devices.We have a digital repeater system to receive the data packets from the rocket beacons and relay them back to us at camp. If needed we may also be able to fly an RC aircraft with a small digital repeater onboard.
We will have a few APRS based beacons to check out. Our recommendation is to use at least one, and attach it to the sustainer, or other most critical piece. This beacon will be relaying the live GPS data back to us to follow on a computer mapping program and will nearly guarantee 100% recovery. (at least has been in the last three years) This beacon will be slightly larger than the traditional tone only beacons, but still only about 1” x 2.5” in size & about XX grams. The APRS beacon would have a $100 fee if damaged or not returned. And a $5 dollar rental fee per day each beacon is used.
Rules for the IREC state that each planned descending piece needs to have some type of beacon “ATTACHED” to it. So we will continue to provide the simple tone based beacons to attach to the other falling pieces as required by the regulations. These would still have the same $75 fee for each damaged or non returned unit(s), along with the standard $5 dollar per day rental fee per day.
Any Radio Frequency (RF) tracking device needs to be placed in an RF neutral portion of the rocket. Fiberglass/plastic will pass RF through them. Carbon Fiber, aluminum, or other metallics will impede the RF signal. If the signal is expected to come alive upon separation of components, there will be no way to track it in case of failure. This is particularly important for the APRS beacon, and up to your discretion for the other beacons. We really need to be able to receive that APRS beacon signal to know the tracking system is alive and properly functioning.
We encourage the teams to bring the beacon equipment back to us as quickly as possible to get them recharged and ready for use for other teams/rockets.
We will again be assisting with the field recovery similar to last year, where we will provide a radio operator to go out with your team to the landing zone. This is to maintain communication with those on the range, to be alerted of upcoming rocket launches and have heads up. If you have a Ham radio person on your team, you will not need one of our members to go along, but you will still need to check in with us, to get radio communication established.
For those ham radio team members that may be interested in building their own APRS tracker / telemetry link, the Argent Tracker 3 – Mini Board makes an excellent choice. They are a small PCB that allows direct connection to any type of radio using the mic audio/speaker output. It also features 4 telemetry data inputs that are 0-20 vdc. Several GPIO pins are provided as well and are accessible via a scripting interface. The scripting engine can be very useful for customization.
We encourage people to get their Amatuer radio license, not really to become a radio nut, but to gain experience and have the added communication ability that is useful during other events or natural disasters. Ham radio will continue to be a major backbone of communication in such events, and it is always helpful to have more people that are already trained and ready to go. For more information about getting licensed, contact a local club or get ahold of us to help answer any questions and get started.
With APRS it is 100% Recovery!
Brandon Tibbitts - KD7IIW - [email protected]
Josh Jensen - KD7WRC - [email protected]
Transmitters (Rocket Heroes in Disguise)
Each rocket stage must have a 70-cm beacon transmitter as a minimum, or a more advanced transmitter. Teams can buy beacons directly from BigRedBee for $85.00 (retail price for “Package deal” including battery and USB charging interface) plus shipping to a U.S. address (about $10). Note 20% discount available below. Or, teams may check them out from BARC and/or ESRA (limited quantities, first-come, first-served, $75.00 deposit required; please include in ESRA application fee submission). BARC recommends packing the transmitter and antenna in 1/2" thick foam padding to help protect it. The transmitter includes a 6.25" whip antenna and weighs 30 g (1 oz) total.
BARC will also be set up to track BigRedBee “70-cm Beeline GPS” APRS transmitters, which can be used in place of the beacon(s). These transmitters will broadcast the stage's GPS coordinates every few seconds in the familiar DD:MM.dd (decimal minute) format. We have found this approach to be very helpful in locating landing sites, especially for rockets with long-drift recoveries. These transmitters are also available for purchase directly from Big Red Bee for $289.00 (retail price “Package deal” including battery and USB charging interface) plus shipping to a U.S. address (about $10). Note 20% discount available below. BARC will be set up to track and computer-plot these signals, and forward the GPS coordinates of the landing sites to the ground recovery teams. Please note that rocket finding is expected to be much easier when using an APRS transmitter than when using a beacon.
BARC will also be equipped with a high-gain 900 MHz antenna to assist teams who wish to purchase 900 MHz GPS transmitters, or build their own. The rocket team’s 900 MHz receiver can be attached to the BARC antenna feed cable and to the BARC tracking computer to receive coordinate data from the team’s rocket.
BARC will also be set up to track BigRedBee “70-cm Beeline GPS” APRS transmitters, which can be used in place of the beacon(s). These transmitters will broadcast the stage's GPS coordinates every few seconds in the familiar DD:MM.dd (decimal minute) format. We have found this approach to be very helpful in locating landing sites, especially for rockets with long-drift recoveries. These transmitters are also available for purchase directly from Big Red Bee for $289.00 (retail price “Package deal” including battery and USB charging interface) plus shipping to a U.S. address (about $10). Note 20% discount available below. BARC will be set up to track and computer-plot these signals, and forward the GPS coordinates of the landing sites to the ground recovery teams. Please note that rocket finding is expected to be much easier when using an APRS transmitter than when using a beacon.
BARC will also be equipped with a high-gain 900 MHz antenna to assist teams who wish to purchase 900 MHz GPS transmitters, or build their own. The rocket team’s 900 MHz receiver can be attached to the BARC antenna feed cable and to the BARC tracking computer to receive coordinate data from the team’s rocket.
Mounting TipsBeacons, 70cm APRS, and 900 MHz GPS transmitters need to be mounted in a section of the stage that is made of fiberglass or other RF-transparent material – not carbon fiber composite or metal. BARC must be able to detect the signal from the rocket on the rail before it will be allowed to launch.
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20% DiscountBARC has contacted BigRedBee and they are offering a 20% discount for ESRA participants. Shipment must be to a U.S. address. The coupon code for this discount will be available by emailing ESRA at [email protected].
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