canopy tracking system

[bodypilot90 0]

http://www.para-track.com/

anyone use one?

[adamjenner 0]

never heard of it
i wonder if it's any good

[BlueEyedMonster 0]

Its only got a 1000 yard range. Thats pretty useless. If you can spot where it went w/in 1000 yards, a group of people can find it for ya. I'd say it might be more helpful on a freebag, but It costs more than a freebag.

[steve1 5]

A friend of mine had a bag lock malfunction a few weeks ago. It landed in a wheat field after he cut away. They spent days trying to locate it. His canopy was still stuck in the bag on the way down and they weren't sure of the exact location. It ended up in waist high wheat. I'm sure they were within 50 yards of it at times. It finally went through the farmer's combine ruining his canopy. Too bad he didn't have this system......Steve1

[D22369 0]

We hunted for a bright red student canopy for four hours in Yakima Wa. a few years ago, it was in the middle of a apple orchard dead centre in the middle of a tree, we walked all around it........this system has potential, I would like to hear from someone who has used it before buying it though.

Roy

They say I suffer from insanity.... But I actually enjoy it.

[bodypilot90 0]

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only got a 1000 yard range. Thats pretty useless. If you can spot where it went w/in 1000 yards, a group of people can find it for ya. I'd say it might be more helpful on a freebag, but It costs more than a freebag.

depends where ya jump, we have canopy eating tress and swamp here . If the dz owned the Receiver, would you buy a transmitter or 2 one for freebag and one for main, heck put one on a student for when the land out

[bodypilot90 0]

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this system has potential, I would like to hear from someone who has used it before buying it though.

yea me too, or maybe one of the people here could come up with a simple, read cheaper, way to may one

[SkyAnt 0]

Sounds like a cheap and nasty version of the tracking devices they put in ski boots.

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
Edmund Burke (1729-1797)

[LouDiamond 1]

This is really nothing new as many of you may already know. It is simply a new application of a an existing technology. Usually this is found in the wildlife research circles where they monitor animals habits either via radio, sonar or satellite (GPS) signals. What the site doesn't say is if the system is resetable after it's been used. It's my guess that it probably isn't. It would help if they would post some pictures of the device actually hooked up to the chute and provided a bit more information. Not a bad idea though for those in thick areas.

"It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required"
Some people dream about flying, I live my dream
SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING

[SkyAnt 0]

I think the more responsible a skydiver you are, the less you would need such a device. Its not really in the same catagory as the AAD is it, if you know what I mean?

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
Edmund Burke (1729-1797)

[Jimbo 0]

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I think the more responsible a skydiver you are, the less you would need such a device.

So, a responsible skydiver would only cutaway over an area that he was sure to find his canopy in? I know two people, who in the last two months, have lost canopies. Both skydivers were out looking for them right away, both are now in the market for new canopies.

-
Jim

"Like" - The modern day comma
Good bye, my friends. You are missed.

[bodypilot90 0]

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I think the more responsible a skydiver you are, the less you would need such a device. Its not really in the same catagory as the AAD is it, if you know what I mean?

I don't follow what you are saying. Chit happens!

[Gawain 0]

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Its only got a 1000 yard range. Thats pretty useless. If you can spot where it went w/in 1000 yards, a group of people can find it for ya. I'd say it might be more helpful on a freebag, but It costs more than a freebag.

Well, 1000 yards is nearly 2/3rds of a mile. So, if you cut-away on a long spot, you can easily guide yourself within that radius without the "Para-Track". I could see where it would very helpful in areas like Perris or Elsinore, where neighborhoods and brush areas can conceal where a canopy may drift into after cut-away. Who knows....

So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh
Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright
'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life
Make light!

[D22369 0]

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I think the more responsible a skydiver you are, the less you would need such a device. Its not really in the same catagory as the AAD is it, if you know what I mean?

UMMMMM..........say what??? this device is to recover equipment...... If you havent ever tried to find a brightly colored main in a orchard or swamp then you dont have a clue as to how hard it can be to spot..... Responsibility has nothing to do with a tracking system.....
My main would cost me over 2k to replace if it got lost, this would be cheap insurance.
Another thing to consider is when your main drifts down, a bystander could snag themselves a nifty car cover. so the faster you get to it, the less likely it is someone will appropriate it.

Roy

They say I suffer from insanity.... But I actually enjoy it.

[SkyAnt 0]

It's a money saving device, not a life saving device.
Most of the cutaway stories I have heard recently could have been avoided by a little extra care.
Thats not to say I think it will never happen to me I just think time and money would be better spent on how to avoid the situation. The concept is great if it was going to be about a hundred bucks but I think its going to cost a little more than that.

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
Edmund Burke (1729-1797)

[D22369 0]

--> this is exactly my point.....with the cost of a new canopy running around 2000 dollars, this is would be a great help in finding it when it buries itself in a tree/swamp/top of a building.....



-->>some could, some cannot be avoided, they just happen "ie" torn canopy, broken lines, unrecoverable line twists upon deployment....etc....
any canopy can tear.....any line can break......any canopy has the potential to be twisted up so bad that you dont have the option of kicking out of it....How would you spend your time and money avoiding these?



--->> I believe they are 300-400$ not very cost effective if you jump a ragged out raven III, but if you jump any of the high end canopy's then it would be a small price to pay....
The state motto for here "Washington state"... is the evergreen state, some of the dz's are surrounded by forests, the largest dz in washington - Kapowsin has very dense pockets of trees that make finding gear very very difficult.

Roy

They say I suffer from insanity.... But I actually enjoy it.

[BlueEyedMonster 0]

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--> this is exactly my point.....with the cost of a new canopy running around 2000 dollars, this is would be a great help in finding it when it buries itself in a tree/swamp/top of a building.....

Now, I noticed this when I was at Couch Freaks, but I thought skydivers were supposed to stick together. Where I jump, someone usually follows the Main down if the jumper under reserve can't. If he or she can or there are other people in the vicinity, someone else follows the freebag.

I've done this. Just watch were it lands, pick 4 points that intersect where it is, find a safe place to land, then walk over to where your 4 points intersect and pick it up.

When I was at Couch, I watched several cutaways. There were plenty of people in the air, lots of open space, and never once did I see someone help out the other jumper and follow his/her stuff down.

And, A tracking device won't help you in a tree top or a building. As long as someone saw where it went... its gonna take a key, ladder, or helicopter to get it back.

And how often are mains lost lost? Is it really worth the expense.. 1/3 or 1/4 the replacement cost?

[D22369 0]

ok, now picture it landing in a DENSELY packed forest....trees are running 100+ feet high..... the ferns are 3-5' high.....and very thick, amazingly enough, triangulation doesnt work very well when you have to land outside the treeline, and cannot see the other side to get your triangulation fix
the canopy may be in the trees or it may be on the forest floor, it may be draped over some ferns, or be under them......... This aint kansas up here toto...... these damned things can be very hard to find.....untill you have spent the better part of a afternoon looking for a canopy that "should" be very easy to spot because it is very brightly colored, you dont have any idea of the difficulty factor
< A tracking device won't help you in a tree top or a building. As long as someone saw where it went... its gonna take a key, ladder, or helicopter to get it back.>

a cherry picker is the only thing I have ever seen used (and that was in Lodi) cost 150$ to rent.

In a treetop---I climb well......on a building...--- again, I climb well. its mine, if I know where it is, I will retrieve it. And I believe most canopy owners would do the same.



try 1/5th, and if its mine, yes its worth it, I would like to see a real world test of this system, if its practical (small and durable enough) I would get one.



--> welcome to the boogie mentality.......a person can get spoiled at their home dz quite easily.....I had a cutaway and another jumper on the ground just about killed himself getting to my main before it hit the ground ( he was concerned that someone would take it)....... At a boogie, you are on your own, unless your friends are watching out for you.
Roy

They say I suffer from insanity.... But I actually enjoy it.

[BlueEyedMonster 0]

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ok, now picture it landing in a DENSELY packed forest....trees are running 100+ feet high..... the ferns are 3-5' high.....

You have the time. There are landmarks even in a densely filled forrest.

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the canopy may be in the trees or it may be on the forest floor, it may be draped over some ferns, or be under them.......

Thats what your eyes are for. This cheesy little radio transmitter is not going to give you an exact location either.

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This aint kansas up here toto...... these damned things can be very hard to find

This isn't Kansas either... in Minnesota we have Corn fields from hell. 8-9ft tall a few rows in, the canopy/freebag will usually fall between the rows and under the leaves.

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a cherry picker is the only thing I have ever seen used

I did not see it, but someone helped out a jumper at our DZ with a helicopter, rope and hook to get one out of a treetop.

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try 1/5th, and if its mine, yes its worth it, I would like to see a real world test of this system,

I think one of those little pet trackers would be more practical. Just put that on a riser and freebag. Then if its lost, call it in and get the GPS coordinates. That'll get ya to w/in 10 feet.

[D22369 0]

---> Your from Minnisota and going to give tips on how to find gear in the forest?? have you ever been to a real forest?.......tell you what, you come out west......find out what real trees and mountains look like ok? then tell me how easy it is to see lost mains or freebags..

*****taking a deep breath*****



--->???? ok, what are these? I havent heard anything about gps for your animals....... is it the dermal implants? I thought those were only ID's

Roy
PS: why the hell are we arguing about this???

They say I suffer from insanity.... But I actually enjoy it.

[BlueEyedMonster 0]

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have you ever been to a real forest?.......tell you what, you come out west......find out what real trees and mountains look like ok?

Ha ha ha Smile... I am not FROM Minnesota. I have only lived hear 3 years. the 2.5 years before that I lived int Portland, OREGON. Yeah that place out west with all the trees and mountains Before that, I grew up on a farm. Spend days and days and days playing and hunting in a forrest. I know what a forrest is, what its like to be in one, or try to find something in one. The point is, trees are natural. Each one is different.

I'll drop a canopy in a 200 acre corn field... a field with nothing but rows and rows of genetically identical stalks planted in perfect rows... solid leaves from 12 inches to 8 feet. You can drop one in the woods... We can see who finds it first... or who gets lost first.

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--->???? ok, what are these? ...//... I thought those were only ID's

Do a yahoo search for GPS PET TRACKER. You should be able to find one small enough.

PS: why the hell are we arguing about this???

Cause its fun, and I should be in bed.

[wildblue 4]

Wheels of Zeus
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,111668,00.asp

it's like incest - you're substituting convenience for quality

[rehmwa 2]

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---> Your from Minnisota and going to give tips on how to find gear in the forest?? have you ever been to a real forest?.......tell you what, you come out west......find out what real trees and mountains look like ok? then tell me how easy it is to see lost mains or freebags..

Come out to the boundary waters here and see what we have for wilderness. You might be surprised. Never traveled away from the left coast?

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[tictoc 0]

I do not wish to bash any one. Just give my 02. I live in Portland jump at SDO and fly a $2000 canopy. We are not alowed to fallow any main to the ground because of farmer mic nasty. I have spent the better part of 2 days finding a canopy and we only have pockted woods. Unlike Kpow.I never did find the free bag. I would gladly pay $400 for some thing that would saye me time and insure I would get my main back. I can tell you finding a bright canpopy that is 10' from you in the brush is darne neer imposible nevermind the fact you don't know if it is on the top of the tree or at your feet.

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Some one must go to the edge for others to be able to find it. But if you go be sure you can make it back.

[D22369 0]

This is from a website that I got from BlueEyedMonster last night, its sounds small, and durable

GlobalPetFinder.com

Satellite Technology

GPS (Global Positioning System) technology consists of satellites with paths that are monitored by ground stations. Each satellite generates radio signals that allow a receiver to estimate the satellite location and the distance between the satellite and receiver. The receiver uses the measurements to calculate the location of the object.

GPS is the only technology available today that shows exact positions on the Earth at anytime, even in poor weather conditions. There are 24 GPS satellites that orbit at 11,000 nautical miles above the Earth.

24 satellites in 6 orbital planes.
The satellites are continuously monitored by ground stations located worldwide. The satellites transmit signals that can be detected by anyone with a GPS receiver, while determining locations with great precision.


How the Global Pet Finder (GPF) Works

With the push of one button, the pet owner determines the boundary their pet is permitted to roam.
Upon activation - Should the pet wander beyond the boundary coordinates, the owner's receiver of choice is automatically alerted.
If desired, Global Pet Finder can be set to constantly monitor the location of the pet.
The Global Pet Finder continues to transmit current pet location coordinates to the owner's receiver until the owner makes contact with their pet and instructs the GPF to reset.

Results

"Location Information" is sent immediately to owners personal receiver of choice (eg: PDA, cell phone, 2-way pager, web site, or a monitoring service company)

--->> Just set it to continuous monitor and forget it...... I didnt get too far in the webpage, dont know if there is a monthly fee involved though.....

As a side note - I have met your farmer mcnasty, and talked to him........as far as the bad guys go, he wasnt bad Kick Archie in the ass would ya? tell him its from Roy and Cathie...... he will probably go......."who???" and then kick ya back, but what the heck
Roy

They say I suffer from insanity.... But I actually enjoy it.