Any suggestions for this wireless circuit

[Ricardoco]

HI there everyone, Ok im not sure where to start with this project so here i am again asking stupid questions. i dont want this circuit to be over complex just as simple as i can make it would suit me fine.

 

[Oznog]

Wow, this place certainly has gone on a "wireless power" bent lately.

Ain't going to happen. Transmitting even a few mW to a receiver 500 meters away would require a radio transmitter of tremendous power which is hardly safe, efficient, cheap, or legal. There are ways tightly directed microwaves can certainly transmit enough power over 500 meters but it's not practical for what you're doing, it's an expensive and very technical task.

 

[danielsmusic]

charge a battery at the transmitter and throw it to the reciver :lol:

 

[Ricardoco]

:roll: ok so what would the maximum range be if 500 meters is too much i may be able to get away with 80 meters if i move the reciever.

 

[danielsmusic]

i don't think it is possible to transmit power even a metre. unless your reciver has a battery

 

[Ricardoco]

:roll: ok ok.. I land on a beach or shore in my boat, the boat compound perimiter is 60-80 meters away, the compound is about 300 meters long, at the back of the compound (approx 380 meters from the shore) is the winch shed, in the winch shed is the boatman the winch is a very old large noisy lister engine (cant use walkie talkie), i would like to push a button on a device on my boat that turns off a red light, and turns on a green light in the winch shed, this will tell the now deaf boatman that the winch cable is connected to my boat and it is safe to start the winch, when the boat is far enough up the beach or if there is an accident i would like to press the same button to turn off the green light and turn on the red light telling the boat man to stop the winch... i was trying to avoid explaining that as typing with a broken hand is not easy :roll: :wink:

 

[danielsmusic]

hmm, what you need is a very simple transmitter i think i know of one but can't remember the diagram. it was basicly a inductor to a arial and a cap in parralell with the inductor you just put a pulse of power over the inductor and it should sent somthing. the range depends on the power you put over the inductor.

 

[Ricardoco]

Hmmm sounds interesting ... i eagerly anticipate your memory of this circuit returning

 

[JimB]

Ricardoco, your wordy explanation is much more helpful that the original sketch and describes the problem fully.

I dont think the solution to your problem is "simple", however, you say that a walky talky does not work due to the noise of the winch engine. Have you considered the possibility of connecting to the radio a more powerfull audio amplifier and a larger loudspeaker which can be heared above the engine noise. ( I am assuming here that the radios are available).

Is this by any chance how your hand got broken? The winchman did not stop when required?

JimB

 

[akg]

make the Tx with a (high power)laser , and Rx with a solar cell , that MAY work

 

[akg]

i don't think it is possible to transmit power even a metre. unless your reciver has a battery

u ignored the SUN

 

[Ricardoco]

JimB Said,

Is this by any chance how your hand got broken? The winchman did not stop when required?

Yes JimB you got it. The radio is the way it is done at the moment and it is very loud but as my hand proves it is not an effective way of communicating the word STOP!. from the post so far it seems that distance to the boat shed is a problem, well i have looked and an antenna put on the fence at the edge of the compound would be do-able so the distance from reciever to transmitter would be around 80 meters max. Would this make it easier?

 

[akg]

.. to push a button on a device on my boat that turns off a red light, and turns on a green light in the winch shed, this will tell the now deaf boatman that the winch cable is connected to...

r u shure that a light will alert the man properly..??

ok..here is a link to an FMtx
**broken link removed**

u may take a small FMrx and modify for ur requirement

 

[JimB]

The implications of this winch control system worry me.
A guys hand has been broken by (apparently) the winch operators inability to hear the radio which is said to be "loud".
We are now looking at a scheme which will use lights to alert the winch operator, if he cant listen to the radio, I am not sure he will watch the lights.
Which ever way, a radio link will be involved somewhere.
What type of radio do you use at the moment?
Marine VHF?
CB?
PMR446 (licence free UHF)?
Unknown, (supplied by a friend of a friend!)?

My thoughs are still based on making the existing radio audible to the winch operator, rather than trying to invent a complete new system.
Kiddie toys as suggested by AKG just dont cut it here.

Why am I so cautious about this? you may ask.
I reminds me of a fatal accident on an offshore oil rig a couple of years ago.
A guy was working below deck on the end of a winch wire, he had a radio to talk to the winch operator.
He asked the winch operator to pull him up, which he did, but the winch op did not hear the STOP message from the guy on the wire.
The guy on the wire was dragged through a 10" hole in the deck.

JimB

 

[Ricardoco]

And being the guy with the broken hand i can see your point. the winch man is not lapse he is my friend he has two winch cables to control, and as with traffic lights the simpler the better. a red light and a green light above each cable or a radio and the strain of hearing the instruction which could be winch 1 stop winch 2 go or visa versa, my hand proved that does not work a red light (the size of a morris minor brake light) is both more direct and in my opinion harder to miss enterpret. if there is no way to do it with a wireless connection then so be it, i will run a cable down to the shore this does however add the risk of getting caught up during the boats transit up the beach.


i have seen a similar setup at another boat shed whilst on holiday it seemed to work fine.

He asked the winch operator to pull him up, which he did, but the winch op did not hear the STOP message from the guy on the wire.

does this not reinforce the fact that a radio does not cut it??

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Look at Maplin, they have a range of licence free radio modules and complete assemblies (key fob type transmitters etc.), it would be easy to do what you want.

 

[Ricardoco]

Thankyou Nigel...

 

[john1]

Hi Ricardoco,

Hmm, awkward.

I feel the onus has to be on the party being dragged up the beach.
I guess that the dragging line and hook is fairly strong, to cope
with various craft, some maybe quite large.

First off i would suggest that the attachment that you use to couple
to the dragging hook could be attached to your craft by a rope or
line that is only a little stronger than needed,
therefore any 'snag' or obstruction would hopefully disengage by
breaking the coupling to the hook, hopefully with minimal damage.

Also i would like to suggest some form of quick-release at the party
being dragged, again to hopefully prevent a 'snag' becoming a bigger
problem.

I am unclear as to how the dragging hook gets down to the craft to
drag it up the beach.
Maybe its some sort of loop ... ?

May i also suggest that any sort of signal to operate the proposed
lights, would be to sustain the 'Off' condition of the red light
when in use, so that a failure would bring up the red light.
I think a simple RF setup could be easily made. I don't think it
would need to be very powerful, i guess both ends have a supply
available. Reliability would be more important. The use of lights as
you describe sounds simple and effective to me.

Best of luck with your endeavours to save others from injury.

Regards, John