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Toys

2.4GHz Wireless Video from Model Rocket 120

Posted by michael from the expendable dept.
ExidyBoy writes "While the Gates Brothers fly entire camcorders in their rockets to record onboard footage, a cheaper alternative is to use off-the-shelf 2.4GHz wireless video senders. The Aussie RocketCam site has Windows Media and QuickTime clips of the spectacular results that can be obtained."
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2.4GHz Wireless Video from Model Rocket More

2.4GHz Wireless Video from Model Rocket

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  • Handbook of Model Rocketry (Score:3, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 12, 2003 @09:25PM (#6949392)

    The Classic Guide by the "Father of Model Rocketry" Now Completely Revised and up to Date... This new edition of the model rocketeer's "bible" shows you how to safely build, launch, track, and recover model rockets--and have fun doing it. Whether you're a beginner or a veteran model rocketeer, the Handbook of Model Rocketry, the official manual of the National Association of Rocketry (NAR), will become your well-used reference book. G. Harry Stine has been a model rocketeer since 1957 when he founded the NAR and started the first model rocket company. Stine's Handbook, after satisfying rocket enthusiasts for nearly three decades, remains the definitive resource. Recent technological progress has had a major effect on the model rocket hobby and sport. This revised and updated edition covers such new technology as:

    • revised computer programs that use improved versions of Basic composite propellant model rocket motors
    • recently approved reloadable model rocket motors building and flying large model rockets
      radio-controlled boost gliders and rocket gliders
    • solid-state, microchip, computer-readable modules used to measure temperature, pressure, acceleration, and airspeed
    Quoted from: Amazon [amazon.com]

    --
    Your Friendly Neighborhood Product Placement Troll

  • The bad part (Score:4, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 12, 2003 @09:29PM (#6949412)
    Is that even with WEP, someone can sniff your traffic and see your rocket footage.

  • Cool, but nothing new (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 12, 2003 @09:31PM (#6949426)
    While this is kinda cool, it is nothing new. Putting a cam in a rocket is the next best thing to being in the rocket itself.

    The thing that I would like to see is for them to have some degree of control over the rocket. Unfortunately (here in the US), and RC rocket is classified as a "missile" and is a big no-no.

    It's also good to see this hobby being kept alive,

    • Re:Cool, but nothing new (Score:1, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Video and Rocketry is not all that new. Many, many rocketeers have done this already. The Gates brothers get noticed for doing this because of who they are, not the innovation they bring to the hobby. Here is an interesting article on how to setup a downlink. Excellent information that brings excellent results. Yes, I've seen it in action. http://www.vahpr.com/atv/atv.html
    • I would argue that being in the model rocket is the next best thing to having a camera in it instead.
    • Say what?? What about my 2nd amendment right to bear arms? ;)

  • Sure this is impressive, (Score:5, Informative)

    by gotr00t ( 563828 ) on Friday September 12, 2003 @09:32PM (#6949431) Journal
    But I still think that the project for that Linux powered balloon is better: http://vpizza.org/~jmeehan/balloon/ Though there is no motion picture, the still images taken from over 80,000 ft up are very impressive.

  • Torrents? (Score:1, Offtopic)

    by adamfranco ( 600246 )
    Can someone who actually downloads these put up some .torrets? There seems to be little hope of seeing these already...
    • Help me.... I'm melting!
    • By sending this out late on Friday evening (in the US), and routing the videos through freecache, I'd say it's a valiant attempt. But having several multi-meg videos coming out of Australia just overwhelms, I guess. Check back tomorrow, I s'pose.

  • I toyed with this idea once... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by TWX ( 665546 ) on Friday September 12, 2003 @09:35PM (#6949441)
    ... with my cheap X-10 camera, but batteries, rather than the camera, seemed to be the problem. It wouldn't have been terribly hard to launch them, it just would have been difficult to recover the rocket intact with all of that weight.

    A radio controlled car ended up being a much better, and more fun choice. It's probably good that this technology didn't exist at a feasible price point for me when I was in junior high school, for I'd likely have gotten into a lot of trouble...

    • Re:I toyed with this idea once... (Score:5, Funny)

      by cbreaker ( 561297 ) on Friday September 12, 2003 @10:37PM (#6949669) Journal
      You purchased an X-10? So you're that guy!! I was wondering who their customer was.

    • I believe that upskirting has been found illegal in many states. If you are in the US, you may get into a lot of trouble today as well.
      • Upskirting? I would have driven it into the girl's locker room. Even losing the equipment would have seemed worthwhile at the time.

        It's interesting looking back on how things seemed when one was fourteen. Nowadays it wouldn't be worthwhile unless it was women's physical education at a local community college... |8^P

    • Re:I toyed with this idea once... (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Waffle Iron ( 339739 ) on Friday September 12, 2003 @10:45PM (#6949693)
      You just need more horsepower and a bigger parachute. Decades ago when I was a jr. highschool punk, I built a rocket that was powered by a cluster of 6 Estes "D" engines; it was 7 feet tall and weighed several pounds. It probably could have hoisted a small camcorder. It made a flawless gentle landing with a 48-inch parachute sewn out of plastic garbage bags.

      OTOH, you're probably wise to not put expensive equipment in a rocket, given that I probably crashed more rockets than I recovered back in those days.

      • Getting the rocket up wouldn't have been a problem. I once launched a rocket with an Aerotech Cobra series G engine. That sucker could be heard all of the way up until it fired its ejection charge. My problem, probably a lot like yours, was the reliability of the landing and recovery. Several pieces of rockets are sitting my rocket box, where one half wasn't found, and some rockets that became about four inches shorter are in there too...
      • Dale is that you!????
      • How the heck did you get all six D's to ignite at the same time? We made our own rocket with a cluster of four C engines, but getting them to ignite at the same time was difficult - hence, it was hard to get the thing to fly straight up. Wiring the igniters to fire simultaneously was not difficult - the problem was getting the engines themselves to ignite simultaneously.
        • It might have been mostly dumb luck. I did mount them on a custom fixture by soldering them to two concentric rings of copper house wire (not while they were in the engines, of course :). I think that I also taped them very securely to each engine, and I used far more voltage than the ignitors required.

          I was a little surprised that all six of them fired on the first try.

  • 2.4GHz Wireless Video from Pet Kitty, Mittens (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 12, 2003 @09:39PM (#6949464)
    Okay. I'll admit it. I'm the one who attached the wireless camera to the cat.

    But it didn't do any harm! Ran around. Chased something. Probably the antenna. The cat was perfectly fine!

    Well.

    Until I affixed the cat to a model rocket. But wow! That cat went higher than Armadillo Aerospace using a rocket jump.

  • So what? (Score:2, Interesting)

    by aardvarkjoe ( 156801 )
    It's not like any of us are going to be able to see these videos. Maybe slashdot should have an option to block stories that link to useless multimedia (until Taco extracts his head from his rear and sets up a /. bittorrent server.)

  • Is slashdot 2nd grade? (Score:5, Funny)

    by Jah-Wren Ryel ( 80510 ) on Friday September 12, 2003 @09:48PM (#6949505)
    a cheaper alternative is to use off-the-shelf 2.4GHz wireless video senders.

    And, to save money on the receiver side, just use off-the-shelf wireless video getters.
    • You mean recievers?

      The word-switch doesn't work very well in reverse, but good try..

  • I used to have... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Illbay ( 700081 ) on Friday September 12, 2003 @09:49PM (#6949512) Journal
    one of these [mindspring.com] when I was about 13.

  • BitTorrent to the rescue! (Score:5, Informative)

    by Jaeger ( 2722 ) * on Friday September 12, 2003 @09:52PM (#6949523) Homepage

    In an experimental attempt to turn the Slashdot effect back on itself using BitTorrent [bitconjurer.org], and exploit my subscriber access, I hereby offer a zip file of the website itself and all of the movies (three of them) I could get off the site before it was slashdotted into oblivion.

  • Mirror (Score:3, Redundant)

    by JeffSh ( 71237 ) <jeffslashdot@[ ]0.org ['m0m' in gap]> on Friday September 12, 2003 @09:55PM (#6949535)
    here's the 11.5 meg wmv format video, 25% slowmo

    http://comcastchargesmetoomuchmoney.home.comcast .n et/serpentine5_slo_long.wmv

  • Gives a totally new meaning for (Score:4, Funny)

    by Aliencow ( 653119 ) on Friday September 12, 2003 @10:01PM (#6949561) Homepage Journal
    /()*!)(*%)(!/*%) NO CARRIER
    BOOM!

    (random crap so the lameness filter shuts up)

  • I've done similar (Score:5, Interesting)

    by GigsVT ( 208848 ) on Friday September 12, 2003 @10:12PM (#6949599) Journal
    I launched a tethered balloon with a 450Mhz transmitter to transmit video. The 450Mhz stuff is better in some ways, it's less directional, and you can receive it on a regular VCR or TV card tuner.

    Some Pictures [electronicschat.org]
    • Is that legal? I mean, it's similar to low-power FM transmitters, but now it's on the TV band....
      • Yes, it's legal.

        It's actually within the 440Mhz ham radio band, which happens to completely include the same frequencies as CableTV frequencies, so you turn your VCR or Tuner to CATV mode and channel 59, and hook up the antenna You'll note my ham radio callsign is on the transmission. It only requires the technician ham license, so you don't have to learn morse code.

        You can get similar transmitters on the same freq with less power that don't require a ham license, I think mine is 250mW though (it eats 9
        • happens to completely include the same frequencies as CableTV frequencies

          I meant the range includes a couple channels in CATV, I realized this is ambiguously worded. Video channels are 6Mhz wide so it's possible to only be able to transmit on part of the channel.

          Of course it doens't cover the whole CATV range, which is several hundred Mhz.
        • That's awesome. :)

    • Yes, at PSAS [pdx.edu] we're using 802.11b for telemetry, so 2.4GHz video would be bad. Besides, good cheap off-the-shelf gear is available for the 1.277GHz amateur TV band and it propagates well. That's what we went with this time around. We have used the audio channel with a modem as a telemetry channel in the past: this time we have an overlay board.

      Here's a page with some onboard video [pdx.edu] from our April 1999 launch. Be gentle to our server :-).

  • What's wrong "standards" for video? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 12, 2003 @10:43PM (#6949685)
    Why Quicktime or WMV?

    What's wrong with MPEG 1, 2 or 4???

    Hell, have we all embraced Microsoft and Apple now?

  • Another wireless rocket camera video (Score:1, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Here's another wireless rocket camera video [smithstuff.net].
  • If a missile can record where it hit and transmit video, that can be used for both getting info on the place hit and accuracy of the missile itself. Are there such systems already?

  • worlds smallest wireless camera (Score:5, Informative)

    by Beowulf_Boy ( 239340 ) on Friday September 12, 2003 @11:05PM (#6949751)
    Today at work (I work in a university's Instructional tech dept) I got to play with what is sold as "the worlds smallest wireless camera".

    And well, it was really small. About the size of my thumb plus a 9 volt battery. The stock range sucked though. I put on a 5ft Extension on the antenna (the antenna attached to the base via a coax adapter, so I just used a coax cable), and that about doubled the range.

    We were able to use it 1 floor up and about 100 feet away. This was around the tech dept though, so tons and tons of live electrical and data wiring.

    Anyways, what I am asking is, has anyone considered using something like this?
    I have a wireless card in my computer, and I start getting a bad connection about 150ft from the base station.

  • Similar USA Site W/ Pics: Vidroc (Score:3, Interesting)

    by cmholm ( 69081 ) <cmholmNO@SPAMmauiholm.org> on Friday September 12, 2003 @11:06PM (#6949754) Homepage Journal
    I've flown an X10-based rocket using the description and photos at the Vidroc [vidroc.com] website. Hanging my ass on the line for no good reason, the maiden flight was during a school science fair. I got in a hurry and forgot to feed the video into a VCR, but the parents and kids watching the live feed of the rocket-eye view on a monitor in a nearby classroom said it looked great.

    The X10 hardware turns out to be pretty rugged, as I found out when the carrier rocket took a 200' death plunge into a nearby field. All of the wire leads broke, but they resolder easily, and the short bit of harder to fix coax was fine.

  • Great Quality Footage... (Score:1, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Want to see some nice rocket footage? Check out this video clip (http://www.vahpr.com/Ts/ts2_onboard1.mpg)complete with Mach speed ratings, from one of Experimental Rocketry's biggest groups in the hobby - MDRA (http://www.mdrocketry.org)

  • Netspace is my isp (Score:1, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    ...and an article with video files too.
    NOOOOOOOOOO!
    *great*

    *goes outside for the first time in 3 years*
    • You do realize that the Slashdot effect is normally because customers run out of bandwidth, and their providers cut them off - not because the ISP's network or even server goes down - right? Is there anyone out here who really realizes this, or is it just me? :)

  • That's just mean (Score:4, Funny)

    by Daikiki ( 227620 ) * <daikiki@wanad[ ]nl ['oo.' in gap]> on Saturday September 13, 2003 @12:52AM (#6950175) Homepage Journal
    2.4 Ghz transmitter and receiver: $100
    Bullet Camera: $75
    Hosting at netspace.net.au: $44.95 / month up to 100 MB
    Having your 15MB mpegs slashdotted: Priceless

    Literally.
  • like the bullet I used to SHOOT TUPAC!
  • I can't watch the movies =
  • mirror of the second rocket

    here [siol.net]

  • That's really old FYI ... at least 2 years ... i COULD be wrong ... but using 2.4G to beam back video from rockets ... ive seen that atleast 2 years ago ... i remember one video where you could almost see the earths curve.
  • "The Aussie RocketCam site has Windows Media..."

    The only thing worse then windows is window's media player... that thing keeps statistics and send's them straight to Bill's house, its none of his business that I have a fetish for movies starring midgets in drag with crotchless pants.

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