Buying a new pair of binoculars.

Better to spend your money on a BigRedBee transmitter

-Tim

snipped-for-privacy@junglevisi> I'm thinking of upgrading my old Bushnell cheapies for a off brand

I have a pair of these large binoculars though not the product above and they are very unwieldy. They are so heavy they shake alot. I think one would be better off with a 7 - 15X zoom 35mm binoculars if they are still available.

Kurt

Yeah,

But then you have to go get a no-code tech license.

dix> Better to spend your money on a BigRedBee transmitter

Hi Paul,

you will find better models here:

In my opinion, those are not a good choice for rockets.

You want binoculars with a wide field of view that are not too heavy. To track a rocket you need to hold the binoculars up for minutes at a time and if they are too heavy your arms will give out. You don't want a lot of zoom, because that makes the field of view too small and you won't be able to find the rocket or keep it in sight if you do. I find that 7 x 50mm works well for me. A built in compass is very useful too. My Olympus 7x50s weren't too expensive and they have a compass. It's easy to track a rocket's descent and you have a compass line to follow when it lands. Coupled with a hand held GPS receiver, you have a very good chance of recovery.

-Jeff Taylor

Paul, I'd not recommend zoom binoculars for tracking rockets. I'd suggest some light weight 7X35 or 8X40 wide angle binoculars. I have a pair of 7X42 Celestron Ultima binoculars I paid about $180.00 for, 9 years ago. I have used them at rocket meets & have gotten excellent results.

I'd suggest you contact Orion Telescope Company for a good selection. You can probably spend less than $100.00 & get a good pair, very suitable for tracking rockets. I really need to emphasize the wide angle & light weight aspect.

Please contact me with any questions.

S> I'm thinking of upgrading my old Bushnell cheapies for a off brand

Gee... How tough is that?

Here's an example of the questions on the no-code test...

What color is a green light? A. Green B. Outer Mongolia C. Nitrous oxide D. Zubinel Ganubi

It's a really tough test.

OK, it's a JOKE!!!

My point is that it's not all that hard to pass. All of the questions are online, and with an hour or so of study, you'll pass with

James

The model I have is Olympus Magellan 7 x 50

-JT

really is!

I did the online test over and over again before I took my ham license test. I passed no problem. I never even used the book I bought.

A high school kid at the test didn't pass and he was on at least his second attempt and he took a class and studied!

Brian Elfert

Well, maybe for someone who's into electronics. Here are some of the "non-obvious" questions I see in the pool of 392 questions:

What is the formula for converting frequency to wavelength in meters?

What is the resistance of a circuit when a current of 3 amperes flows through a resistor connected to 90 volts?

What type of filter should be connected to a TV receiver as the first step in trying to prevent RF overload from a nearby 2-meter transmitter?

Using your "example" question isn't really an indicator of how difficult someone without electronics knowledge will find it. It would be similar to me saying "this programming test is really easy. Here are some sample questions...

What are three types of logic structures in procedural programming?

What's the difference between an internal variable and a global variable?"

Sure, someone without programming experience could study for the test, but it would take them a LOT longer than "an hour or so" if they had to memorize the answers to 392 programming questions.

Ric

The other issue is having to drive 40 or 50 miles to take the test. I personally am going to get around to it as I want to master Morse code and fire up a CW tranceiver I have lying around. In that regard, I would like to be prepared to do the General test and do the testing once. Indeed I got a 90% on an online test for the Technician class but it can still be difficult for one from a non-scientific background.

Kurt

That's why they give you all of the answers ;)

Where is the rest of the question?

TBerk

umm, what data is missing? The answer according to my math is 30 ohms.

Ric,

Actually, I have a BSEE degree and didn't really study this part of the book as I thought I'd ace any of these questions, but frankly, it didn't matter as there was not one question of this type on the test. Even if you did get a test with one or two of these questions, and you didn't even answer them, you would probably still pass--very common sense stuff.

-Tim

Hehehe...

High school kids...

When I went back to college after 35 years, I had to take their placement tests. It was funny...

When I walked into the room, I could hear the kids making their remarks about "the old guy." I sat down, listened to the examiner, and took the tests. The first was math... You talk about funny!!! 36 questions in 15 minutes. I finished and checked over my answer sheet in 8 minutes. Walked out, went to the head, burned a nail, and went back in. There were two minutes left on the clock, and as I walked by, I looked down at one of the kids that was making remarks about my age, and he was on question 17, and having trouble!!! These kids just finished high school, and they can't pass a simple test! I had that stuff 35 years ago, and aced the darned thing!!! What's going on in schools these days? Are they teaching?

After the testing was over, the examiner explained how to go about re-taking the tests. When he was done, he asked if there were any questions. One kid in the back raised his hand, and asked what he had to do to re-take the tests. You talk about dumb!!!!!!! The examiner just finished going over that 10 seconds ago!

On the one hand, it was pretty funny...

On the other hand, it is quite disturbing. These kids are our future. We're in trouble.

James

Give me a study guide like the one available for the radio exam, and in an hour, I'll pass that test!

The clue is to know how to take a test. If you know how the person that wrote the test thinks, you can pass! Evaluate those that wish to evaluate you...

Example: What is two plus two? You know it's four, I know it's four, everyone on this forum knows it's four. But the guy that wrote the test thinks it's three. What's the right answer? Three...

See what I mean?

James