Hammerhead Directional Finder - 121.5/121.775

[SARDOC]

I think Arizona wing bought at least 10 of these.  I'm not sure what their opinion is of them though.  If you're interested I'd reach out to them for reviews. 

[Eclipse]

I think Arizona wing bought at least 10 of these. 

They bought 10 DF units not intended for land use?

[SarDragon]

I think Arizona wing bought at least 10 of these. 

They bought 10 DF units not intended for land use?

Why can't they be used on land? One of the ads shows it used in ski country. A DF unit is a DF unit; 121.5 is 121.5. This one happens to be waterproof, but it still does the job.

[sardak]

From page 4 of the owners manual:
Note: The Hammerhead is to be used for beacons located on water only (it requires a vertically polarized signal).  Underline per the manual.

However, from the FAQ page (http://rffindingsystems.com/FAQs.html)
Why can't the Hammerhead be used on land?

The Hammerhead is designed for vertically polarized signals, which is pretty much guaranteed if the beacon is on water. That is the antenna should be pointed up in the sky. When a beacon is on land, the antenna may be horizontal to the ground or even pointed upside down. In such situation, the directional indictor may not be valid.

The range can be severely limited due to non line-of-sight operation as hills or other obstacles can absorb the signal. In other cases when the signal is reflected, the direction may indicate the reflected direction not the actual beacon direction.

An advanced/expert user may be able to use the product on land, but due to the complexity and skill involved, the Hammerhead is not sold for direction finding on land.
------------------
So in fact it can be used on land. And if one is really interested in how it works, you can download the patent application, which is 20140002306

Mike

[SarDragon]

I think that's just a "cover their ass" statement. The L-per is primarily vertically polarized, and it works just fine. Vary the position on every axis to maximize the signal, and prosecute the fix.

[Fubar]

This thing is awesome:

https://www.krakenrf.com/

Watch the youtube videos of folks using it in the real world. It usually takes about 10 minutes or less for a dot to show up on the map of where the signal is originating from.

They're currently testing a new feature where you can connect multiple systems together. Imagine placing a few of these around town, constantly monitoring 121.5, especially near airports. There will likely be a map pinpointing the location of the beacon before the AFRCC even calls you.

[SARDOC]

Hmmm. Let's see...  survey says.....

Do they even make these anymore?

[SARDOC]

I think Arizona wing bought at least 10 of these. 

They bought 10 DF units not intended for land use?

You'd have to ask them, but I think they've been using it in training without any issues.

[heliodoc]

SARDOC

Thought they went the way of Radio Shack, didn't they?   That's where I bought mine in 1975......

Have mine but parts are loose and I need to see what it needs

Be handy if Realistic or someone could gain the rights and reproduce/ manufacture them...

[SARDOC]

SARDOC

Thought they went the way of Radio Shack, didn't they?   That's where I bought mine in 1975......

Have mine but parts are loose and I need to see what it needs

Be handy if Realistic or someone could gain the rights and reproduce/ manufacture them...

I just like that the solution to outdated piece of technology that isn't manufactured anymore and almost impossible to get parts for and maintain is an outdated piece of technology that isn't manufactured anymore and almost impossible to get parts for and maintain.

[Stonewall]

Hmmm. Let's see...  survey says.....

Do they even make these anymore?

I have about 10. Other than the one I bought from Radio Shack 30+ years ago, I bought the others from eBay for anywhere from $20 to $40 in the past five years.

90% of the ELTs I've found in 35+ years have been found with a JetStream.

[JayCraswell]

Looks like another DFer with a totally garbage antenna. If you want to DF you need a directional antenna with gain so you don't have to be standing in a field looking at a crash to hear it.
As to ELT missions we get a lot less false alarms thanks to the newer 406 ELTs. When they go off RCC phones the owner based on the serial number and most of the time get the owner who explains how it fell on the floor of he banged into the runway a bit too hard.
When we do get a mission I'm told its when RCC gets two reports of an ELT on 121.5   And that the reports can come from the same person. *Example being your flying into Air Lake hear it when landing make call #1. Take off after gassing up land again and make call #2. One thing not clear to me is why aircraft flying rather high (Like Commercials at altitude) don't count because they hear ELTs from so far away. *So airline guys? Please "try" to report. The distance you hear ELTs is good info since the faster we get rolling the better chance of getting a save.
BTW I "think" there is a lot of owners of small aircraft who have continued to use old 121.5 ELTs and have been on a mission not that long ago where the owner was replacing the battery and turned it on by accident. When we arrived his mouth was open because "Its actually works!"  Good incentive to keep tuned up.
If anyone wants drawings of my 3 Element Flex Yagi (Its made from pieces of measuring tape / Spring steel) so you can rush around in the forest bend it flex it and not bend anything. It heard further gives a sharper "cut"   I will build an offset attenuator if there are half a dozen people with some kind of VHF receiver that want to turn it into a better then LPer type DFer.  Email me at refurbatron at gmx period com I'll get you the PDFs for the antenna. *Makes a big improvement on the 2 element LPER antenna in RECV mode.