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, me hearties, arrr, me hearties, I set a goal for myself t' send a rocket a mile high and get it back. Ya scallywag! Well, goin' a mile high isn't difficult, matey, ya bilge rat, and provin' it is fairly easy by usin' one o' t' array of rocketry altimeters available now. Begad! 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, ya bilge rat, metallic mylar streamers, recovery screamers, smoke bombs, and all kinds o' other things t' make trackin' and recoverin' me rockets easier. Avast! Some worked better than others, but none were perfect.

Then I looked into radio tracking transmitters, matey, ya bilge rat, however, thar are a few problems with most transmitters available for hobby rocketry. Arrr! Blimey! First, 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. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I purchased one o' these limited range transmitter/receiver combos. Begad! Blimey! It worked great on short range recoveries in dense brush or high grass, 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). Ahoy! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Finally, arrr, some companies have recently introduced much less expensive trackin' systems for rocketry, matey, but you need a license t' purchase them. (Yes, I know you don't need to learn Morse code any more for t' license, arrr, me hearties, 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, a system for Radio Control model airplanes, and one for law enforcement. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! After checkin' over their website and seein' that their systems seemed t' do what I wanted, I gave them a call. Originally, matey, I was goin' t' order their "PR-50" (a 50 channel receiver for $200) and their PT-1B (a short range transmitter for $50), me hearties, but after talkin' with t' helpful representative on t' phone, arrr, 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. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! 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, medium, and long range) and is powered by a 9V battery. Begad! Aye aye! You can monitor signal strength two ways: with t' speaker and by t' meter. It also has battery test switch, matey, a volume control, and a channel selector. T' size is 6.3" x 3.5" x 2.7" without antenna. Avast! T' weight is 21 oz with t' antenna. Begad! Begad! The directional antenna is 20" x 7.7" and attaches t' t' BNC connector on t' top. Begad! T' unit has a good, me bucko, 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, less antenna. Antenna is an 8" long, me hearties, arrr, loaded, me bucko, me hearties, black PVC coated, stainless steel cable, so overall size is about 10" long. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Weight including antenna, ya bilge rat, battery, and magnet is less than 1.5oz. Blimey! 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". Begad! Arrr! Once you insert t' battery, arrr, t' unit starts transmitting. Blimey! Begad! My transmitter was programmed for channel 14, ya bilge rat, but you can order the unit t' be on any one o' t' 50 available channels. Begad! Channel 14 corresponds to 218.125MHz, matey, for those "electronics guys" out there.

Once I received t' system, I tested it in t' neighborhood. Ahoy! Begad! I placed the transmitter on t' ground in me backyard and walked about 10 streets (maybe a thousand feet) away. I was able t' receive a good signal despite t' houses in the way. Blimey! T' receiver gives a simple "beep....beep....beep..." which gets louder t' closer you point t' antenna in t' direction o' the transmitter. Blimey! Begad! 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. I took it out t' t' "Summer Skies" launch at Brothers, Oregon on 6/16/2006. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! I first wanted t' test it in me "Mint Stick" rocket, a 4" diameter 67" long 7lb rocket. T' rocket be not designed t' include a radio tracker, but thar be enough room in the electronics bay alongside t' MissileWorks RRC2 altimeter. Well, blow me down! Although the transmitter's battery snaps into place and I don't think would ordinarily pop out, matey, I placed a wrap o' maskin' tape around t' unit t' make sure. I wanted the transmitter t' be somewhat protected, me hearties, 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. Arrr! 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. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! I was gettin' a good signal from t' transmitter, and when t' rocket be launched, I had no trouble maintainin' t' signal. At apogee (about 2500 feet), t' ejection charge fired and t' rocket separated into two sections, me bucko, ya bilge rat, but t' parachute did not deploy. Ahoy! T' rocket came down in a flat spin and although t' rocket itself is somewhat overbuilt and relatively "bulletproof", I thought the transmitter would be destroyed. Aye aye! However, I continued t' receive a good strong signal and was able t' find t' rocket without a problem. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! 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, ya bilge rat, me hearties, I placed t' transmitter in me new "Hobgoblin" clone. Ahoy! Ahoy! This is an 8" diameter 62" long 19lb copy o' t' old NCR "Hobgoblin". Ya scallywag! Begad! Once again, this rocket wasn't designed for t' tracker so I had t' fiddle with t' installation. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! This time I used a 35mm film canister with a hole drilled in t' lid as t' holder, wrappin' it with maskin' tape, matey, and securin' it t' t' altimeter tray. Ya scallywag! The rocket be loaded with a K1100 and t' launch be perfect. Aye aye! At apogee, the ejection charge fired and t' chute deployed correctly. Blimey! I was able t' follow the flight and landin' (about a ¼ mile away) without a problem.

On t' final day o' t' launch, me bucko, I wanted t' try t' system in a high altitude rocket so I installed it in me "Mr. Aye aye! 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, me proud beauty! Ahoy! 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. Aye aye! 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". Avast, me proud beauty! T' parts came down about 100' from t' pad and I smartly gathered them all up. Avast, me proud beauty! After dumpin' them on my prep table, matey, I went t' help someone else with their prep and didn't examine them for about an hour. Ya scallywag! Begad! That's when I realized that t' transmitter wasn't with the rest o' t' parts. Avast, me proud beauty! Somehow it had been thrown out when t' shred occurred. Ahoy! Blimey! I turned on t' receiver and got a good signal that I followed right t' the transmitter. Aye aye! T' hardest part was 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, tans, and browns? Next time I'll wrap t' film canister in blue or red tape!)

Summary:
So, me bucko, 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, shiver me timbers, arrr, in fact, 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.