From: jafl@msg.ti.com (Jim Flanders) Subject: Crazy idea: Kite to support transmitter & antenna Date: Mon, 6 May 1996 05:52:53 -1000 Organization: Texas Instruments @ Lewisville Message-ID: <4ml78l$nsd@mksrv1.dseg.ti.com> I know this has been tried before, but I want to put some modifications in the idea. To get away from the shock hazard, use regular kite chord to fly the kite. Half the antenna is the last 65 feet to the kite, and the other half is 65 feet trailing the kite. A low-power transmitter is supported by the kite along with a battery, a vhf receiver (converted rad shack wx receiver) and a tone detector to key the transmitter. Also, if possible, a small prop & wind generator to keep the battery charged, so the battery can be small and light weight. All ya-alls (plural for y-alls) can tell I'm not familiar with flying anything other than a dime-store kite. What I would like to find is a stable (as possible) platform that will lift 5 - 8 pounds. What do you guys think? Jim W0oog/5 in Dallas, TX (147.180 and 14.230 (sub vets net)) = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = From: jafl@msg.ti.com (Jim Flanders) Subject: Re: Crazy idea: Kite to support transmitter & antenna Date: Mon, 6 May 1996 10:35:24 -1000 Organization: Texas Instruments @ Lewisville Message-ID: <4mlnqc$qpb@mksrv1.dseg.ti.com> In article <4ml78l$nsd@mksrv1.dseg.ti.com>, jafl@msg.ti.com says... > >I know this has been tried before, but I want to put some modifications >in the idea. To get away from the shock hazard, use regular kite chord >to fly the kite. Half the antenna is the last 65 feet to the kite, and >the other half is 65 feet trailing the kite. A low-power transmitter >is supported by the kite along with a battery, a vhf receiver >(converted rad shack wx receiver) and a tone detector to key the >transmitter. Also, if possible, a small prop & wind generator to keep >the battery charged, so the battery can be small and light weight. > All ya-alls (plural for y-alls) can tell I'm not familiar with >flying anything other than a dime-store kite. What I would like to >find is a stable (as possible) platform that will lift 5 - 8 pounds. >What do you guys think? >Jim W0oog/5 in Dallas, TX (147.180 and 14.230 (sub vets net)) > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = From: mark@murder.compulink.co.uk (Mark de Roussier) Subject: Re: Crazy idea: Kite to support transmitter & antenna Date: Tue, 7 May 1996 14:33:01 -1000 Organization: damage Message-ID: <4mor2g$nde@zinc.compulink.co.uk> jafl@msg.ti.com (Jim Flanders) wrote: >I know this has been tried before, but I want to put some modifications >in the idea. To get away from the shock hazard, use regular kite chord >to fly the kite. Half the antenna is the last 65 feet to the kite, and >the other half is 65 feet trailing the kite. A low-power transmitter >is supported by the kite along with a battery, a vhf receiver >(converted rad shack wx receiver) and a tone detector to key the >transmitter. Also, if possible, a small prop & wind generator to keep >the battery charged, so the battery can be small and light weight. > All ya-alls (plural for y-alls) can tell I'm not familiar with >flying anything other than a dime-store kite. What I would like to >find is a stable (as possible) platform that will lift 5 - 8 pounds. >What do you guys think? Why do you have to have to have the antenna as part of the flying line ? The little I know about present day antenna lifting practice has the antenna descending straight from the kite, or thereabouts. That way the wire only has to be strong enough to support it's own weight, rather than the pull of the kite ( which will be large if you want to lift 8 pounds reliably ). This means you can use a very thin wire. Furthermore, you have slightly reduced the shock hazard, but certainly haven't eliminated it - even very slightly damp kiteline is far more conductive than air. I don't understand what you mean by 'trailing the kite' ? I assume you mean descending from the kite ? I'd be surprised if it trailed the kite by much, it would be rather thin and dense - it certainly wouldn't behave like a traditional tail when it comes to stabilising the kite. How are you going to ensure that the prop(ellor ? ) doesn't tangle either the line or your trailing antenna ? You'd certainly also need a vane of some sort to keep the prop oriented properly (aaargh !:). If you want a radical solution, consider some of the kites with rotating features made by the German...duh... whose name escapes me ! He has flying windmills, flying turbines, flying arrays of spinning anemometer - like cup assemblies, etc. These are integral parts of the kite, not simply hung from it. You'd probably need to design your own mini - dynamos, but you'd certainly have an interesting kite at the end of it ! Lifting that weight isn't a problem - any big enough kite will do. Parafoils, and flowforms spring to mind, a big box kite would certainly handle it given enough wind, and Deltas ( or stacks thereof ) such as are used for kite photography would stand a chance. I'm sure someone will suggest a large Rok...:) When we have beer-lifting competitions, the winner is usually a sled of some sort ( soft kites are forbidden ), but it only has to keep the beer off the ground for 30 seconds :). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Final thoughts, as breath is taken, Fall to rhythm, and the Edge of pure obsession, Resting in the wind blown cradle, Nothing moves, the world is still... = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = From: cliff@lin01.global.co.za (Cliff Jones) Subject: Re: Crazy idea: Kite to support transmitter & antenna Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 06:32:57 -1000 Organization: Global Internet access Message-ID: <4n059u$ehp@dodo.global.co.za> jafl@msg.ti.com (Jim Flanders) wrote: >I know this has been tried before, but I want to put some modifications >in the idea. To get away from the shock hazard, use regular kite chord >to fly the kite. Half the antenna is the last 65 feet to the kite, and >the other half is 65 feet trailing the kite. A low-power transmitter >is supported by the kite along with a battery, a vhf receiver >(converted rad shack wx receiver) and a tone detector to key the >transmitter. Also, if possible, a small prop & wind generator to keep >the battery charged, so the battery can be small and light weight. > All ya-alls (plural for y-alls) can tell I'm not familiar with >flying anything other than a dime-store kite. What I would like to >find is a stable (as possible) platform that will lift 5 - 8 pounds. >What do you guys think? >Jim W0oog/5 in Dallas, TX (147.180 and 14.230 (sub vets net)) I have done this with a wire antenna on the 160m Amature Radio Band, but did not get any extra results than with my closed wire loop antenna. I was thinking about sending my duel band handheld up to the kite, putting it into cross band mode, but firstly the kite would have to be up at least 1000 ft to make any real sense of this, and secondly, I would hate to loose my radio and my 2m Dunton Delta Kite. Have fun and let me know what happens. cliff@global.co.za = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =