I am a professional skydiver and canopy pilot that is seeking your expertise and advice on whether it is possible - physically, practically and economically - to develop a devise that could track and locate skydiving equiptment that has been cut-away in freefall due to emergency proceedure implimented following equiptment malfunctions. Typically there are items that are cut away during emergencies: the main parachute, and a samll material bag. There items can be worth up to $3000 and are sometimes lost in bushland or forest around the drop zone.
Would it be possible to sew into the parachute and bag a transmission device that could be found with a locator?
The following conditions would need to be abided:
The transmittor would need to be small (the size of small mobile phone, at the most), light (lighter than a mobile phone), inexpensive, reliable and have long battery life as the devise would likely be sewn into the material of the parachute and bag by a specialist. The devise would need to transmit to range of one kilometer, preferable three or more. The devise would preferably be water resistant or water proof. The devise does not need to individualised - it could be located on any frequency by any locator as the skydiver will know roughly the area where the parachute is located and will attempt to retrieve the parachute as quickly as possible. Security and theft are not concerns.
The locator does not require any of the conditions of transmittor. As skydivers would share the locator, the cost can be significantly higher. Size is not a concern.
I would greatly appreciate your thoughts on how i might go about having such a device built.
Please bear in mind, in your advice, that I am a simple skydiver, not an electronics expert
Again, thank you in advance for any advice you might have.
Would it be possible to sew into the parachute and bag a transmission device that could be found with a locator?
The following conditions would need to be abided:
The transmittor would need to be small (the size of small mobile phone, at the most), light (lighter than a mobile phone), inexpensive, reliable and have long battery life as the devise would likely be sewn into the material of the parachute and bag by a specialist. The devise would need to transmit to range of one kilometer, preferable three or more. The devise would preferably be water resistant or water proof. The devise does not need to individualised - it could be located on any frequency by any locator as the skydiver will know roughly the area where the parachute is located and will attempt to retrieve the parachute as quickly as possible. Security and theft are not concerns.
The locator does not require any of the conditions of transmittor. As skydivers would share the locator, the cost can be significantly higher. Size is not a concern.
I would greatly appreciate your thoughts on how i might go about having such a device built.
Please bear in mind, in your advice, that I am a simple skydiver, not an electronics expert
Again, thank you in advance for any advice you might have.