it'll take a few days as the book won't fit tin the document feeder of my scanner, so I have to scan it one page at a time.

Take as long as you need. Thanks.

Hello All,

Here (see: http://www.ninfinger.org/rockets/Tr...wnersManual.pdf and https://www.google.com/search?hl=en...le+Search&gbv=2 ) is the Estes Transroc model rocket radio transmitter owner's manual, which contains schematics of all of the variants of the transmitter (with the different sensors connected to it) as well as complete assembly, use, and troubleshooting instructions, and PC (Printed Circuit) board diagrams--it also includes rocket-locating techniques (using the Transroc in tracking beacon mode). Michael Banks' book "Second Stage: Advanced Model Rocketry" (see: http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/Sea...+Model+Rocketry ) covers the Transroc transmitter (and others, if memory serves; my copy is boxed-up at the moment) and includes schematics. ALSO:

Here (see: http://www.ninfinger.org/rockets/ca...74/74est52.html ) is a brief overview of the Transroc transmitter and its optional sensors (microphone, temperature sensor, photocell roll rate sensor, etc.). If the Transroc transmitter appears too daunting for a first project, one of the two transmitters in G. Harry Stine's "Handbook of Model Rocketry" (the 4th and 5th Editions--these schematics should be preserved on "Ye Olde Rocket Plans," too) has only *six* electronic components!

Did this ever get posted?

I agree, but the sonic locator -concept- itself is valid (although I prefer radio because it can achieve much greater ranges with little power). With a good (and sufficiently large) parabolic-reflector microphone, a beeper-equipped rocket could be tracked and located, which would be useful for relatively low-power rockets that don't fly too far but can become lost in tall grass or other foliage on the ground.

The CB band is perfectly usable for such rocket-borne transmitters today, particularly since it is much less used now. As long as such devices didn't broadcast on Channel 9, the emergency use-only CB frequency, there would be no problems. With today's electronics manufacturing technology, a Transroc could have all of the old Transroc options, which could be selected (one at a time, in combinations, or even all at once) using SIP or DIP (Single Inline Pin or Dual Inline Pin) mini-switches. Video could also be included, recorded onboard (live TV, even in digital mode, might require too much signal bandwidth), as with BayouRat Rocketry's tiny video-with-audio cameras (see: www.bayouratrocketry.com ). Also:

While I haven't checked the FCC regulations (they're at www.fcc.gov ) regarding this, the new Transroc devices might also, if desired, be able to utilize the new FRS (Family Radio Service) frequencies, and/or the 49 MHz band that has been used for baby monitors. The FRS band and/or the 49 MHz band might even permit digital video transmission, particularly if the FCC's Part 15 rules (which allow low-power transmission on the Long Wave, Medium Wave [AM], Short Wave, FM, TV, and other bands without a license) also have provisions for the FRS and 49 MHz bands.

I had two original Transrocs.
The first one was the kit you soldered together. I didn't have much experience with soldering and never got it to work.

The second was the assembled version.
I used the Midland walkie talkie sold by Estes to hear the beeps.
I added theTransroc microphone kit to "hear" what was going on inside the rocket.
It wasn't very impressive. You heard the hiss of the engine, some wind noise and the ejection charge.
Pretty much the same sounds you heard from the ground without the walkie talkie!

Is that true? I have a couple old Transrocs and a friend mentioned that the CB bands can't be used for data transmissions anymore.

I'm not sure if there were ever any such rules (yea or nay) concerning data transmission on CB Channels 1 to 23 (which were later increased to 40 channels). It was once necessary to take an FCC test and get a CB operator's license. This requirement was dropped in the late 1970s or the early 1980s, and it became a license-free radio service (my father got one of the last CB licenses). Also:

At least in microphone mode, the Transroc is--electronically speaking, due to its output power and modulation mode--just a rocket-borne walkie-talkie. But as a practical matter, the CB channels are pretty empty today because drivers and truckers now have other options (cellphones, smartphones, tablet computers, and satellite phones). Even walkie-talkies now have access to (and are made to operate on) another, higher-frequency band, the FRS (Family Radio Service) band.

They were "Estes' Heathkits," so to speak. :-) A very simple (it has only six electronic components), one-transistor 27 MHz tone transmitter and a single-channel, three-transistor 27 MHz transmitter are covered in the 4th and 5th editions of G. Harry Stine's "Handbook of Model Rocketry." They can both be made using perfboard circuit boards (if desired, several firms offer custom PC [Printed Circuit] board making services). The one-transistor transmitter would make a good, simple tracking & locating beacon.