Tech for Civi Use

[Sat Kid]

OK, I need a good GPS System for a project i'm working on. Basicly i'm sending a balloon up into high altitude for an uncertain amount of time, for some camera images (terrain, height, what kind of vegetation...ect.) and I need a good GPS system that will have a good range. As well a power source that's light weight, and capable of powering a few cameras, a transiever/reciever and a few other gidgets. as well they need to be a little bit sturdy, incase of random accidents, or incase we hit the air stream. Anyone have any good ideas of where I could get some of this tech?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.



As a side note, has anyone every heard of or used Street Atlas or Precision Mapping?

 

[Klc]

Depending on the weight requirements, I would probably wire the whole system into a 12V Car battery. This is a kinda pricey way to go, but if you get a sealed battery it's probably the easiest to get adapted to all your other DC devices. I really can't think of any lightweight battery systems that will last for "an uncertain amount of time" and be so easily adapted. You probably know this, but don't forget that your power supply weight will include any transformers/adapters you need to run the components, which can be pretty hefty.

Of course, I'm no expert on this. I just like to build/fix electronic crud.

 

[Bzzliteyr]

Go talk to the GPS nerds on www.geocaching.com. You'll find a wealth of knowledge there.

 

[Sat Kid]

Thanks a bunch! ;D