Brief:
I've been searchin' for a radio trackin' system for me rockets for several years. When I first got back into rocketry several years ago, matey, I set a goal for myself t' send a rocket a mile high and get it back. Well, blow me down! Arrr! Well, goin' a mile high isn't difficult, me bucko, and provin' it is fairly easy by usin' one o' t' array of rocketry altimeters available now. Avast, me proud beauty! Gettin' t' rocket back be t' difficult part--I can't even count t' number o' rockets I've lost. Well, blow me down! I tried tracking powder, matey, matey, metallic mylar streamers, recovery screamers, smoke bombs, and all kinds o' other things t' make trackin' and recoverin' me rockets easier. Some worked better than others, but none were perfect.

Then I looked into radio tracking transmitters, shiver me timbers, however, me bucko, thar are a few problems with most transmitters available for hobby rocketry. Aye aye! First, ya bilge rat, if you don't have an amateur radio technician license, you are limited in t' (frequency and power) range that the transmitter is good for. I purchased one o' these limited range transmitter/receiver combos. Aye aye! It worked great on short range recoveries in dense brush or high grass, arrr, but it wasn't good much beyond about 300 feet. Second, there are some other non-licensed systems with tremendous range (up t' 10 miles), but they were out o' me budget (in t' $500-$600 range). Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Finally, shiver me timbers, some companies have recently introduced much less expensive trackin' systems for rocketry, but you need a license t' purchase them. (Yes, I know you don't need to learn Morse code any more for t' license, ya bilge rat, matey, but I'm "electronics challenged" and memorizin' t' answers t' more than 300 questions dealing with electronics just isn't for me.)

Enter Communications Specialists, Inc. They have several kinds o' trackin' systems for trackin' pets, me bucko, a system for Radio Control model airplanes, matey, arrr, and one for law enforcement. Begad! After checkin' over their website and seein' that their systems seemed t' do what I wanted, shiver me timbers, I gave them a call. Begad! Originally, I was goin' t' order their "PR-50" (a 50 channel receiver for $200) and their PT-1B (a short range transmitter for $50), but after talkin' with t' helpful representative on t' phone, shiver me timbers, I decided that range on t' PT-1B be too short ("several blocks") and ordered t' PT-2B (with a range o' "several miles") for $99 instead. Aye aye! T' system also comes with a "FA-1" (high gain directional antenna).

Construction:
T' PR-50 is a 50-channel receiver with a three step attenuator (close, me bucko, medium, and long range) and is powered by a 9V battery. Begad! Well, blow me down! You can monitor signal strength two ways: with t' speaker and by t' meter. Avast! Avast! It also has battery test switch, matey, me bucko, a volume control, matey, and a channel selector. Begad! T' size is 6.3" x 3.5" x 2.7" without antenna. Ahoy! Ahoy! T' weight is 21 oz with t' antenna. Begad! Aye aye! The directional antenna is 20" x 7.7" and attaches t' t' BNC connector on t' top. Arrr! Begad! T' unit has a good, solid feel t' it and is easy t' use one-handed.

T' transmitter is 1 3/4" x 7/8" x 7/8" includin' battery and magnet, shiver me timbers, less antenna. Arrr! Antenna is an 8" long, loaded, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, black PVC coated, stainless steel cable, me bucko, so overall size is about 10" long. Arrr! Weight including antenna, battery, and magnet is less than 1.5oz. Avast! Well, blow me down! Power output is 95 milliwatts. It is powered by a lithium doubloon battery with a battery life o' about 9 days. It has no "on/off switch". Ahoy! Once you insert t' battery, matey, t' unit starts transmitting. My transmitter was programmed for channel 14, me hearties, but you can order the unit t' be on any one o' t' 50 available channels. Arrr! Ahoy! Channel 14 corresponds to 218.125MHz, for those "electronics guys" out there.

Once I received t' system, I tested it in t' neighborhood. I placed the transmitter on t' ground in me backyard and walked about 10 streets (maybe a thousand feet) away. Avast, me proud beauty! I be able t' receive a good signal despite t' houses in the way. Avast! Ahoy! T' receiver gives a simple "beep....beep....beep..." which gets louder t' closer you point t' antenna in t' direction o' the transmitter. Arrr! T' signal meter also shows t' correspondin' increased strength.

Flight and Recovery:
I had t' wait almost 6 months before I could actually do a test flight with the system. Arrr! I took it out t' t' "Summer Skies" launch at Brothers, Oregon on 6/16/2006. Aye aye! I first wanted t' test it in me "Mint Stick" rocket, matey, a 4" diameter 67" long 7lb rocket. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! T' rocket was not designed t' include a radio tracker, but thar was enough room in the electronics bay alongside t' MissileWorks RRC2 altimeter. Arrr! Although the transmitter's battery snaps into place and I don't think would ordinarily pop out, ya bilge rat, I placed a wrap o' maskin' tape around t' unit t' make sure. Begad! Blimey! I wanted the transmitter t' be somewhat protected, matey, arrr, so I inserted it into a plastic prescription pill bottle with a hole drilled in t' bottle cap t' allow the antenna t' stick out. Well, blow me down! This pill bottle be then zip-tied t' t' plywood electronics tray and then duct tape be used as insurance.

T' rocket was loaded with a J350 and placed on t' pad. Avast! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I was gettin' a good signal from t' transmitter, and when t' rocket was launched, arrr, me hearties, I had no trouble maintainin' t' signal. At apogee (about 2500 feet), shiver me timbers, me bucko, me hearties, t' ejection charge fired and t' rocket separated into two sections, me hearties, but t' parachute did not deploy. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' rocket came down in a flat spin and although t' rocket itself is somewhat overbuilt and relatively "bulletproof", shiver me timbers, matey, I thought the transmitter would be destroyed. Ya scallywag! Blimey! However, I continued t' receive a good strong signal and be able t' find t' rocket without a problem. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! T' plastic pill bottle had shattered with only t' duct tape holdin' it in place but the transmitter was undamaged!

T' next day o' t' launch, matey, I placed t' transmitter in me new "Hobgoblin" clone. Begad! This is an 8" diameter 62" long 19lb copy o' t' old NCR "Hobgoblin". Ahoy! Once again, this rocket wasn't designed for t' tracker so I had t' fiddle with t' installation. This time I used a 35mm film canister with a hole drilled in t' lid as t' holder, wrappin' it with maskin' tape, me bucko, and securin' it t' t' altimeter tray. The rocket was loaded with a K1100 and t' launch was perfect. At apogee, the ejection charge fired and t' chute deployed correctly. I was able t' follow the flight and landin' (about a ¼ mile away) without a problem.

On t' final day o' t' launch, I wanted t' try t' system in a high altitude rocket so I installed it in me "Mr. Begad! Ahoy! Pointy" rocket, a 3" diameter 45" long 3lb rocket. Avast! I had never tried this rocket with a J350 so that is what I loaded it with. Avast! Arrr! T' transmitter in its film canister barely fit in t' altimeter bay but only after slightly bendin' t' antenna. This launch was a little different. Begad! At about 100' up, t' rocket came apart. Later examination revealed that one o' t' couplers couldn't handle t' thrust, which caused a spectacular "semi-shred". Begad! Ya scallywag! T' parts came down about 100' from t' pad and I smartly gathered them all up. After dumpin' them on my prep table, I went t' help someone else with their prep and didn't examine them for about an hour. That's when I realized that t' transmitter wasn't with the rest o' t' parts. Begad! Somehow it had been thrown out when t' shred occurred. Ya scallywag! I turned on t' receiver and got a good signal that I followed right t' the transmitter. Blimey! Begad! T' hardest part be actually findin' t' film canister on the ground! (Have you ever looked for a gray canister wrapped in brown tape on a ground o' grays, me hearties, tans, and browns? Next time I'll wrap t' film canister in blue or red tape!)

Summary:
So, what do we know from all this?

• Well, t' transmitter is certainly sturdy!
• I never had t' use t' "Long" settin' on t' receiver, so my guess it that t' range o' this system would be t' "several miles" as advertised.
• It was easy t' use, in fact, ya bilge rat, almost foolproof.
• I will be usin' it from now on in any rocket I can fit it into.
• I would recommend it for anyone else in a similar situation--someone who doesn't want t' spend t' big bucks for t' "10 mile" systems but also doesn't want t' spend t' time/effort memorizin' answers for t' amateur radio technician exam.