k8hsy
Newbie
I am Ron Milliman and working on a pretty specialized project with which I am seeking your help. I am an avid fisherman. However, I am also totally blind. Generally, when I am fishing, this is not a problem, except for one situation. When I am out in my boat with my fishing companions who are fully sighted, they sometimes toss out a buoy marker or float to mark our targeted fishing hole. This allows us to back off a ways from the targeted spot and cast our lines into our fishing hole. This is relatively easy for them since they can see the buoy marker, but it poses an obvious problem for me since I can’t see the marker.
Here is my proposed solution for which I am seeking your expertise and assistance. I have a duck decoy which is completely hollow inside. I have built an undercarrage on the bottom of the duck that allows me to lower and raise a weight that goes to the bottom of the lake securing the duck in place. I have cut the top out of it, making an opening giving me access to the inside of the duck. Of course, I made a water sealed lid from the cut out piece so I can close the opening in the duck’s back. I want to insert a RF transmitter inside the duck that operates in the 900 MHz or 2.4 GHz frequency range. This transmitter will be used to send a signal to be received by a receiver I have on the boat with a directional antenna. By moving the receiving antenna, I will be able to pick up the signal from the transmitter. In other words, I am simply using this technology in a very basic radio direction finding (RDF) application. Obviously, there is a little more involved, e.g. I want to convert the received signal into a tone that varies with the strength of the received signal. The distance between the transmitter and receiver would very rarely exceed 200 or 300 feet. Since it is over water with no obstacles, it would be “line of sight.”
I have invested considerable time researching this issue, and while I have found lots of information similar to what I want to accomplish designed for the 2m band (144 – 148 MHz), I have not found anything comparable that operates in the 900 – 2.4 GHz range. I want this range, preferably the 2.4 GHz band because the antenna is so much smaller, making it much easier to use out in the boat. Is there anyone here who can assist me with this project? I have some knowledge of electronics from my 60 years as a radio amateur (ham), and so, I am familiar with the basics. I just have no experience working with circuitry or transmitting/receiving devices above the 70cm band (430 – 480 MHz).
Here is my proposed solution for which I am seeking your expertise and assistance. I have a duck decoy which is completely hollow inside. I have built an undercarrage on the bottom of the duck that allows me to lower and raise a weight that goes to the bottom of the lake securing the duck in place. I have cut the top out of it, making an opening giving me access to the inside of the duck. Of course, I made a water sealed lid from the cut out piece so I can close the opening in the duck’s back. I want to insert a RF transmitter inside the duck that operates in the 900 MHz or 2.4 GHz frequency range. This transmitter will be used to send a signal to be received by a receiver I have on the boat with a directional antenna. By moving the receiving antenna, I will be able to pick up the signal from the transmitter. In other words, I am simply using this technology in a very basic radio direction finding (RDF) application. Obviously, there is a little more involved, e.g. I want to convert the received signal into a tone that varies with the strength of the received signal. The distance between the transmitter and receiver would very rarely exceed 200 or 300 feet. Since it is over water with no obstacles, it would be “line of sight.”
I have invested considerable time researching this issue, and while I have found lots of information similar to what I want to accomplish designed for the 2m band (144 – 148 MHz), I have not found anything comparable that operates in the 900 – 2.4 GHz range. I want this range, preferably the 2.4 GHz band because the antenna is so much smaller, making it much easier to use out in the boat. Is there anyone here who can assist me with this project? I have some knowledge of electronics from my 60 years as a radio amateur (ham), and so, I am familiar with the basics. I just have no experience working with circuitry or transmitting/receiving devices above the 70cm band (430 – 480 MHz).