Copyright 2010 Albuquerque Rocket Society
 

Albuquerque Rocket Society Club Tracker

The ARS has a club owned falcon tracker, receiver, and Yagi antenna. They are normally kept in the club equipment trailer and are available for use by its members with the following understanding: If you lose or damage any of the units, you must replace the item, prior to the next launch, at your expense.

Tracking Receiver

The club receiver is an F & L Electronics Model MNS-20. It is a 20 channel, 216 MHz band receiver covering the frequencies of 216.000 MHz to 216.199 MHz (channels 0-19). Each channel covers 10 kHz, so the receiver will accommodate trackers transmitting within the following channels:

Channel Frequency Channel Frequency
0 216.000 - 216.009 MHz 10 216.100 - 216.109 MHz
1 216.010 - 216.019 MHz 11 216.110 - 216.119 MHz
2 216.020 - 216.029 MHz 12 216.120 - 216.129 MHz
3 216.030 - 216.039 MHz 13 216.130 - 216.139 MHz
4 216.040 - 216.049 MHz 14 216.140 - 216.149 MHz
5 216.050 - 216.059 MHz 15 216.150 - 216.159 MHz
6 216.060 - 216.069 MHz 16 216.160 - 216.169 MHz
7 216.070 - 216.079 MHz 17 216.170 - 216.179 MHz
8 216.080 - 216.089 MHz 18 216.180 - 216.189 MHz
9 216.090 - 216.099 MHz 19 216.190 - 216.199 MHz

The club antenna plugs directly into the receiver and will work with any of the above transmitters. Instructions for using the MNS-20 Receiver can be found here.

Tracking Transmitter

The club transmitter is an LL Electronics, 4.5 volt, Model XLF-3 Falcon Transmitter. It has a screw type field replaceable antenna, weighs approximately 6.5 grams (with batteries), has a battery life of typically 7 days, a range of 20-25 miles, and operates on channel 5. A parts diagram and battery information for the XLF series of transmitters can be found here.

If you wish to purchase a transmitter for your personal use, and you intend to use the club receiver, you must purchase one that transmits within one of the channels listed above. There are several models available with differing characteristics, allowing you to choose one that matches your individual needs. Here are links to two sources: LL Electronics and Merlin Systems.

It would also be an excellent idea to buy a tracker that transmits on a frequency other than one presently being used by other club members to prevent interference and the rocket mistracking that would most assuredly occur. Below is a list of members who own trackers and the channels and frequencies upon which they operate.

ChannelMember Name(s)
0 
1Dave Y (216.016), Dave S (216.018)
2Nathan D (216.023)
3Dave S (216.038)
4John H (216.044, 216.046)
5Club (216.051), Tony J (216.051), Tony L (216.051)
6 
7Dave S (216.078)
8Tony J (216.087), Jim Jewell (216.088)
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16John C (216.xxx)
17 
18 
19 

Other Member Owned Compatible Tracking Equipment
ItemMember Name
MN-10 Receiver (216.000 - 216.099)Tony L
MNS-20 Receiver (216.000 - 216.199)Tony J
MN-10 Receiver (216.000 - 216.099)Dave S