Have you ever thought of MISSLES

[gooroo363]

Hey all, i was thinking the other day, you know, you could get one of these gps controled computers where you input gps waypoints, connect them to a servo contoling two wings in a rocket, place the electronics and precious parts in a proctive caseing, put it all in a rocket and you have your own, homemade guided rocket, non-explosive of course, but kind of cool in theory...hehe world domination.... :rolleyes:

[kd7ost]

Well it makes a nice James Bond story, but the software in handheld GPS units aren't open ended like that. There are limits on speed and altitude that make it affordable, reasonable for the user and prevents nefarious activity. I don't know what it is but there's some factor of speed and altitude variations which prevent them from being used that way. Either accidentally or otherwise.

I mean, a software Engineer wouldn't create code to manage 200,000 feet altitude and 1000 mph speed in an eTrex.

Dan

[gooroo363]

Ya good point, but i'm sure they're ways to do small scale, like model rockets. I was thinking, you design a rocket to fly up to aprox 2,000 feet. Then as the rocket reaches the apogee it slides into a glide mode until it reaches the right angles or anything then it fires a second top stage to send it to the desired path. I'm more of a rocket man (no not elton john type) than a plane dude, but i love them both along with everything else, i'm known as the geek in the group of friends i hang out with....hehehe :p

[kd7ost]

Sure, it could work on a small, slow fairly and benign scale. You're describing a UAV really. Guys won't like the reference to missiles and warheads here though. It's hostile. So I'm gonna help you out. ;)

I already got an email telling me to pull that joke down. No offense to anyone who read it.

Let me say this. We haven't talked about it openly here but we tend to be quick to stop discussion that could be un-popular with respect to UAV's and what we as hobby builders would like to use them for. We need to steer away from bad publicity. Like talk of mounting guns on these things or putting on warheads. Those discussions would be best kept in private. This is an open forum. Thank's Rocket Man. ;)

Dan

[gooroo363]

ya, no problem, i didnt mean it as a negitive way, you were just talking about the james bond and i was expanding on the james bond joke, i guess instead of missle guided rocket would have been a better term. sorry all

[kd7ost]

No sweat and thanks for understanding.
We do try to stop those among our ranks who would give us really bad publicity. There was one guy who thought it was OK to endanger the public with filming 100 mile per hour eligal car chases on the highways for example. Those guys get shot down by us. Most of us want to advance the technology but pursue work on the good side. :D

Dan

[gooroo363]

wow, no that wasnt my intent, so how much would a uav computer set be?

[kd7ost]

I think entry level off the shelf UAV guidance is going to be $800.00 or so. Some guys are going the "Do it yourself" route though but success doesn't seem to be less than the above quote.

Dan

[patrickegan]

Good call Dan-

[gooroo363]

wow, i guess it really wouldnt be worth it, since most rockets fly at such a high rate of speed that if it did cato it would be a huge loss if the electronics weren't well protected

[space_case]

I mean, a software Engineer wouldn't create code to manage 200,000 feet altitude and 1000 mph speed in an eTrex.

I don't know that there are any such limitations. I clocked my 737 the other day at 490mph @ 30,000 ft with an etrex. Besides, if you are taking the modular approach like many here then you are the one writing the code.

And yes it is a BAD idea. Maybe just settle for some bottle rockets? I think there is already a thread about that on the forum elsewhere. Perhaps you could drop in there and mention homemade RC ballistic missles and see what happens!

[ElectroLawndart]

I don't know that there are any such limitations. I clocked my 737 the other day at 490mph @ 30,000 ft with an etrex. Besides, if you are taking the modular approach like many here then you are the one writing the code.

And yes it is a BAD idea. Maybe just settle for some bottle rockets? I think there is already a thread about that on the forum elsewhere. Perhaps you could drop in there and mention homemade RC ballistic missles and see what happens!


I'm not quite sure but I thought that the 1000mph (or kph) limit was by DoD mandate to keep enemies from using GPS technology to steer their ICBM's.

Dart

[kd7ost]

Agreed,

I think a modern GPS will work anywhere commercial or general aviation goes. But I'm pretty sure it's not open ended for any altitude or speed or maybe a combination of the two.

Also, guys building their own UAV's are putting in off the shelf GPS engines but aren't writing GPS software. They're writing guidance software that works with the OEM GPS output.

Dan

[dracul]

Hey all, i was thinking the other day, you know, you could get one of these gps controled computers where you input gps waypoints, connect them to a servo contoling two wings in a rocket, place the electronics and precious parts in a proctive caseing, put it all in a rocket and you have your own, homemade guided rocket, non-explosive of course, but kind of cool in theory...hehe world domination.... :rolleyes:

http://www.interestingprojects.com/cruisemissile/

[gooroo363]

well then, thats interesting. I never really intended to act on the idea, but it sure is interesting someone would try to build a full scale ballistic

[Guille]

There is a guy in Australia who demostrated that a cruise missile is easily possible with COTS technology. He demostrated this therory in the most logical way: He just built it for just U$5.000!!!
Check this out!!!!!!

http://www.interestingprojects.com/cruisemissile/diary.shtml
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/06/04/1054406219113.html

[Unterhausen]

There is a guy in Australia who demostrated that a cruise missile is easily possible with COTS technology.
He also caused himself a world of problems by calling it a cruise missile. Weak minded individuals with power did not understand the limited threat that this airframe represented. Anything that he could do is eclipsed by one guy in a cessna, but the cruise missile guy underwent a massive hassle. Many people don't remember that a guy tried to fly his airplane into the White House back when Clinton was Prez. He and his airplane ended up on the lawn. Must have been pretty exciting to be one of the gate guards that day.

[kd7ost]

Nice direction Unterhausen,

If threads like these can't be let to die off, at least make sure all the facts are out there about all "real" aviation SNAFU's. I wish the "Missile from a model" people would go away.

Dan

[patrickegan]

Yes, this is one of those “this is how high I flew today” threads. This fellow and his project caused much trepidation with some people in our government.

[Blue Sky]

What his website points out is the extreme difficulty of such a project even with a
number of adaptable off the shelf components. He has been working dilligently on his
project for about 5 years and as the shortage of working links on his website attests to, he has little to show for it. He has no working missle, nothing even remote contolled let alone autonomous. He has no working guidance system. Writing software for a high speed guidance system that learns as it goes along is certainly non-trivial and working out the bugs means crashing missles. It could be a long time before anything is operational, if ever. And he isn't trying to hide what he is doing!
Can you imagine anyone getting away with a secret cruise missle project lasting 5+
years? Do you know how loud a full size ram jet is?
It's an interesting project with a high WOW! value but that's it.
A human being is still the best and cheapest guidance system.

[Jay Wallis]

Hi everyone,

I would just like to point out that this guy is NOT Australian, He does not live in Australia and Australia has nothing to do with any of this!

He is from New Zealand, a whole other country.

Thanks, Jayson

[BigS]

We also do other crazy stuff like work out how to split atoms and invent jet boats,
http://www.inventors.co.nz/nzinventions.html :rolleyes: :D

[patrickegan]

Hmmm, I thought you Kiwi’s were nuke free. :cool:

[Guille]

Hi everyone,

I would just like to point out that this guy is NOT Australian, He does not live in Australia and Australia has nothing to do with any of this!

He is from New Zealand, a whole other country.

Thanks, Jayson

Sorry Jayson... That was me and my ignorance (friends?)
Regards!