28 the aerial eye / winter 1997 the aerial eye a quarterly publication of the aerial committee of the American Kitefliers Association volume 3 / number 1 / winter 1997

US$4.00 USA & CANADA

US$5.50 overseas

Villas, Porto Rotundo, Sardinia, by Patrick Morin. Nikon 2000, 4m delta.

P.C. Electronics sources 2522 Paxson Lane If you can’t find what you’re Arcadia, CA 91007 looking for locally, try these: Phone (818) 447-4565 Amateur TV equipment. Catalog. Supercircuits One Supercircuits Plaza North County Radio Leander, TX 78641 PO Box 53 Phone (800) 335-9777 Wykagyl Station (512) 260-0333 New Rochelle, NY 10804 Fax (512) 260-0444 Phone: (914) 235-6611 Extensive selection of micro- ATV Equipment. Catalog. video equipment. Catalog. Tower Hobbies Eglise de la Digi-Key Corporation Post Office Box 9078 Trinité, Cherbourg, 701 Brooks Avenue South Champaign, IL 61826-9078 by Thief River Falls, MN 56701-2757 Phone (800) 637-4989 Christian Phone (800) 344-4539 (217) 398-3636 Becot Web: http://www.digikey.com Fax (217) 356-6608 Wide selection of electronic Radio Control and model-making components. Catalog. equipment & supplies. Catalog. KAP ELECTRONICS 2 the aerial eye winter 1997 3

our feature this issue: the aerial eye send us that stuff! As we start our third year of publica- KAP electronics This newsletter is produced by the Aeri- tion, interest in KAP continues to spread al Photography Committee of the Ameri- by STEVE EISENHAUER worldwide. We’ve added another dozen can Kitefliers Association. It is our goal to new readers since last issue. On the oth- publish quarterly, in August, November, I know a little about electricity, and less read about video- February, and May. er hand, as we expected, we lost a few at about electronics. My cradle’s wiring con- aiming, a walkie- the end of year 2. But this issue will still nections are all soldered, my ni-cad batter- talkie used to release Single copies and subscriptions be mailed to 160 or so. (including back issues) are available to ies are fully discharged before recharging, the , AKA members and non-members alike, Half a dozen new contributors have spare AA lithium batteries are in my came- modifying a transmit- under the following fee schedule: jumped in for this issue, and if you’re still ra bag in case the ni-cads fail in cold weath- ter so it can be worn single 4 issues procrastinating, we’d love to hear from er, one mini-servo trips the camera's shut- on your belt, electric AKA $3.00 $10.00 you too. Deadline is the first of the ter and another servo rotates it 360 shutter releases, ro- overseas $4.50 $16.00 month of publication (see left). degrees. Nothing I’m doing is electronical- tary switches,and sev- ly ingenious. eral ways to improve Non-AKA $4.00 $15.00 Text via Email or on 3.5" (9cm) high- I did alter a servo once so it could turn on standard R/C ser- overseas $5.50 $21.00 density disk (Mac or IBM in ASCII text for- vos. mat) is preferred, but typed text or hand- 360 degrees continuously. With a 12-tooth Domestic subscriptions will be mailed In reading about electronics in this issue written letters are welcome too. Like- gear on the servo shaft and a 4-tooth gear by first class mail; overseas subscriptions of AE, I feel a great sense of relief. When wise, diagrams in PICT, EPS, or TIFF on the cradle's pendulum shaft, the servo (i.e., outside North America) will be mailed would then rotate (pan) the camera slowly our fledgling committee initiated AE in Sep- formats are best, but pen drawings, pref- by air. in either direction. By sending my S-VHS tember, 1994, we had to include too much erably on white paper, will work as well. Advertising is available in modules of video camera aloft in this cradle, I could ap- of our own writing and photography But 2.25 inches wide by 1.25 inches high, at Photos may be sent as negatives, proximate the view of a hawk in flight our goal for AE was for it to become an $20.00 per module, payable in advance. prints or slides, or by electronic transfer— looking slowly one way then the other open forum for ideas and information, not Advertising in which aggressively most of the time. We can also read Ko- then circling around. But this alteration a podium just for our personal thoughts. competitive pricing is featured will not be dak PhotoCD, or 3.5" high-density disks in was more mechanical (cutting out the tiny We hoped to help crew a ship full of inter- accepted; call if you have questions or the formats listed above. We'll keep the stops and one shaft nub from inside the esting and expanding personalities on a need more info. Camera-ready copy is not prints unless you direct otherwise, but re- servo) than electrical. voyage of discovery about aerial pho- necessary, but is acceptable if it meets turn all negatives, disks, CDs, and slides— The articles and letters in this issue of AE tography. the above criteria. Copy deadline is the eventually. put my limited knowledge to shame. I now sense that the AE ship is under full first of the month of publication. Contact Send everything to Brooks Leffler at You'll hear from KAPers, many of them sail, the crew is motivated and capable, the Brooks Leffler. the address below. new to these pages, in Canada, Great Brit- passengers are supportive, and the wind is ain, The Netherlands, Germany, and France, blowing consistently between 5 and 15 as well as several from the USA. You'll mph. • æ american kitefliers association committee under 1/15th second,” says Christian. He Steve Eisenhauer, Chair Brooks Leffler, Editor about the cover adds, “I framed with video, but it was not 229 Lake Ave, Pitman, NJ 08071 PO Box 34, Pacific Grove, CA 93950 (609) 589-2049 Fax (609) 785-1766 (408) 647-8363 Fax (408) 647-8483 Eglise de la Trinité, Cherbourg, France, very clear. The white spot at the top is the moon, of course! The wind had some- [email protected] [email protected] by Christian Becot times gusts and there were blasts which Wolfgang Bieck Craig Wilson This rare night KAPhoto was taken May shaked and rocked the cradle all the time. Am Britzenberg 23 7210 Harvest Hill Road 31, 1996. The kite was Christian’s own Usually at night, I never get enough wind, 29549 Bad Bevensen, Cermany Madison, WI 53717 Crico III; the camera was a Konica Hexar, as it just faints with the daylight. That (+49) 5821 24 43 (608) 831-6770 set at f.2 with Fuji ISO 1600 film. “The shut- time, a storm was just going away, and I [email protected] [email protected] ter was such that it could not use speed had enough.” • æ 4 the aerial eye winter 1997 5

aerial video: get the picture legally the “how” of radio control by STEPHEN JOINER (KC6QFR), North Hollywood, California by PETER van ERKEL, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

After being encouraged by a few men- 1. GET LEGAL Most R/C systems used for KAP are so- generates also tions of aerial video in earlier issues of the Most video transmitters worth messing called digital proportional systems with a pulse signal aerial eye, I was sorry to read in the Winter with are built for licensed ATV operators. two, four, or more channels. “Digital” proportional 1996 issue that several of our mainstay con- To go on the air with one legally in the means nothing more than that the output to the move- tributors had apparently lost enthusiasm USA, you need a piece of paper from Wash- of the transmitter is switched on and off. ment of the for video and sold or mothballed their sys- ington D.C. that says you can. “Proportional” means that the the time the servo axle (po- tems. transmitter is switched off is proportional tentiometer). Nevertheless, it has become common to to the movement of the joystick on the The consensus seemed to be that video see advertised in electronics publications a This pulse transmitter case. was intrusive to the KAP experience, and variety of micro-video transmitters tuned signal is then not the useful tool (much less the wave of to operate on the amateur bands and even Each channel is represented by a pulsing compared to the future) that I believe on vacant standard TV signal, whose pulse duration depends on the pulse sig- it to be. channels, yet many of the position of the joystick. The output sig- nal from the receiver. Depending on the Certainly there are pit- these ads bear only a nal of the transmitter contains information difference between these pulses, the servo falls on the road to video very fine print footnote— for all of the channels in use, one after the motor is turned to the right or the left until Valhalla, and in the pro- if even that—casually other, in a so-called pulse train. the pulses have the same duration. When cess of getting a Techni- mentioning that a license This is like a kite train, one pulse (kite) they do, the displacement of the servo axle cian's class license and is required to use their after the other, separated by a fixed time potentiometer on the receiving end is the spending a few years put- product. (connecting lines), preceded by a longer same as the displacement of another po- tentiometer connected to the joystick on ting ATV (amateur televi- Beware the tempta- fixed time (the ). This signal train is the transmitter. sion) equipment and tions of operating such repeated 50 or 60 times per second. 35mm on equipment “bootleg” In the case of a two-channel system, the FOUR FOR THE PRICE OF TWO and helium balloons, I've (sans license), even in this output of the transmitter is switched off stumbled into most of When I first started to use an R/C sys- era of Federal Communi- and on twice every 20 milliseconds. Most tem, I bought a Robbe Economic two chan- them. Steve’s video rig, sans 35mm camera. cations Commission systems use a pulse with of 1.5 msec if the 915 mhz transmitter on left, nel set. This set is now sold as the Futaba All that trial-and-error downsizing! The good joystick is in the rest position, 1 msec if the video card camera below Attack II. convinced me that the li- news is that now there's joystick is in the left/down position, and 2 censed amateur route is no excuse not to get your msec if the joystick is in the right/up posi- Looking at the set at component level, I not just the legal thing to do, but also the “ticket” anyhow. You won't have to spend tion. found that at the transmitter control cir- cuit two inputs were not used, and in the most direct—and, ultimately, the easiest— countless hours like I did only a few years The receiver on the other end does noth- path to a serviceable video downlink that's ago learning Morse code. The No-Code receiver control circuit two outputs were ing more than detect if the signal from the not used. neither a low-performance toy, nor a high- Technician's Class license now requires transmitter is present or not, and recon- tech pain-in-the-neck. (Actually, I got a pain only a suprisingly easy written test, for structs it if it is. This pulse train is then di- Connecting a potentiometer circuit to in the neck without video, from staring at which study guides are available as close vided; this means the first pulse goes to the unused inputs the same way as the the sky and trying to determine with any as your humble Radio Shack outlet. the first servo, the second to the second used channels brought the two unused accuracy exactly where a 35mm camera at When you pass—and learn a few useful servo, and so on. outputs on the receiver to life, and I had a 450 feet is aimed.) four-channel set. things about transmitters and antennas in A servo is an electric motor that through If you haven't been discouraged by what the process—you can downlink from a kite a reduction gear moves a potentiometer, If you are interested in converting an At- I and/or others before me have said on this or other remotely-controlled aerial vehicle or variable resistor, that is connected to an tack II set to four channels, I can send the subject so far, here are a few of the steps I on alloted bands from 420 mhz all the way electronic circuit. The position of this po- necessary information to you by mail since have trod on the way to a practical video up to 2.4 ghz. And you can do so without tentiometer, through the electronic circuit, it would take too much space here. system. • continued on page 20 • æ 6 the aerial eye winter 1997 7 customize your KAP transmitter pan & circuits shutter release circuit 5k 1k 5k 5k 1k 2.2k by PETER BULTS, Holthees, The Netherlands trim pot trim trim When I started KAPing it was also the in the lower part of this box and act as a button first time that I used an R/C model trans- counterweight when the antenna is ex- mitter. I didn't like it. It is not designed for tended. The control part of the board was black red white black red white our needs and thus it doesn't meet the er- put in a smaller box together with the volt- gonomical standards that should exist for age indicator, which was attached to the the trimmer pots, which are mounted in- The connection between the two boxes KAP. front of the belt under my left hand. side the box. From the central connection of is a 5-conductor cable. For the Futaba F-14 each of the trimmers a wire is soldered to that's enough. Two conductors are used to These standards are, in my opinion: Now to the replacement of the joysticks. the left and right pin of the control board. bring battery power to the control board. • Fixed to your body in a safe way so As in most systems these sticks are made The other three are used to restore the to turn one or more potentiometers (pots). A special situation is the shutter release that you have both hands free to do button. In this case I used a 5k trimmer, a connections between the two parts of the what is necessary In most cases these variable resistors have original board: plus, minus, and control. To value of 5000 Ohms (5 kilohm). Normally such a 1k resistor and a 2.2k resistor in series. • Antenna on your back, controls in complete the wiring you make the connec- thing turns 300 degrees. In an R/C transmit- The 1k resistor is short-circuited by the front of you button. The central pin of the 5k trimmer tions between boxes, boards and sockets. ter the joystick uses only 75 degrees of it. Since our equipment is used under difficult • Controls that stay in the desired is soldered to the left pin on the control This means that the variable part uses conditions, use flexible cable for this. Stiff position about 1.25k of the total. So in fact it is a board. One of the other pins is connected to the middle pin, the 1k resistor and one of wire tends to break easily. • Small so that it is mobile series of three resistors; 1.875k (fixed) - 1.25k (variable) - 1.875k (fixed). the button pins. The other button pin is con- Now everything can be put in place and I had a Futaba F-14 R/C transmitter, and nected to the point where the 1k and the adjusted. Just tune the trimmers so that all that made things a lot easier. In this trans- Since these values are not generally 2.2k resistor meet. The other side of the servos do what they are supposed to do. mitter the electronic circuit board is clearly available in either fixed or variable resis- 2.2 kilohm is wired to the right pin on the If you don't have a Futaba F-14 or if you laid out in two functional parts. One side of tors, I replaced the original parts with a board. If this results in the servo moving in don't like the idea of cutting the circuit it is the servo-control circuit, the other is 5 kilohm “trimmer” pot, a normal pot of 1k the wrong direction just exchange the left board in pieces you can perhaps put the the radio transmitter. There are three con- and another 5k trimmer. The only critical and right wires on the board. whole board in the front box, and just nections between them: plus, minus and value is that of the normal potentiometer. have the batteries and signal. At that spot I cut the board in two. It should be as close as possible to the the- oretical value of 1.25k but not greater. antenna at your back. The radio transmitter part, together with power switch This is important if you want to use the full Or you can at least use antenna, batteries, and power switch, cable jacks 300 degree turn to position the servo and the principles ex- went into one box. That one was to be keep the exact 90 degree rotation of the plained above to re- fixed to a belt behind me. The batteries are place the joysticks servo. The trimmer pots should be at least tilt trimmers 1.875 kilohm. with potentiometers. But be careful if you You'll need two of these re- voltage meter have modified the pan placement assemblies, one for tilt pot servo to endless rota- pan and one for tilt. Install the tion. In that case you normal pots in the control box shutter button need to use a pan con- with the shaft through the box. trol pot with a neutral The central connection point of pan pot center position like a each of these pots is wired to balance control pot for the middle connection point on pan trims a stereo system. the circuit board. Each of the other points is soldered to one shutter trim of the other points of one of • æ 8 the aerial eye winter 1997 9 walkie-talkie pushie-clickie FLiBB’96: picavet über alles by CARL BIGRAS, 4530 Eighth Line Road, Carlsbad Springs, Ontario K0A 1K0, Canada text & photos by BROOKS LEFFLER, editor

When I first got interested in KAP, I cord about four inches long connected the couldn't afford an R/C system. I came up walkie-talkie to the camera's remote shut- with a bright idea; I wasn't sure if it was ter jack. The two microchips were glued to- going to work but it did and it was inex- gether and located under the battery. pensive. This was installed on my first camera rig, My Canon T-90 camera has an electric re- which was a very simple version from Pel- mote shutter release, and I wanted to trig- ham's Penguin Book of Kites [now out of ger it electronically versus using a mechan- print, alas—ed.], built out of plexiglass and ical method. I used a set of Radio Shack a small camera ball head. walkie-talkies with a Morse code button. Now that I have a full remote control The idea was to use the Morse code sig- system for KAP, I still use the walkie-talkie nal sent from one walkie-talkie to the oth- for remote photography. er. Each unit has an oscillator circuit; when • æ you push the Morse code button on one No less than 30 KAPers (and kin) gath- We met at the Gustav Stresemann Insti- walkie-talkie, it transmits a signal (sine ered during the second week of October tute, a conference center by the river Ilme- wave) to the other one, which comes out for “Fesseldrachen-Luftbildtage in Bad Be- nau at the edge of Bad Bevensen. Attend- as a beep. As long as the button is pushed vensen 1996” (Kite Aerial Photography ees from out of the area were housed in, the other unit would beep. Days in Bad Bevensen), or FLiBB for short there as well, and we took all of our meals Only one unit required modification. I (chief organizer Wolfgang Bieck loves acro- in the dining hall of the complex. Our cut and bypassed the speaker wires, and nyms). meetings and workshops took place in wired in a small bridge rectifier, which con- Bad Bevensen is an ancient spa in the Il- what was originally the jailyard of a 16th- verted the sine wave (AC) to 5 volts DC at menau River valley about 80 km southeast century gothic courthouse, now converted maximum volume. The DC output was of Hamburg, rolling root-crop farmland to a good-sized meeting room with lots of then connected to a small microchip relay. spotted with small forests of mixed coni- wall space and a low beamed ceiling. The relay contacts were connected to a fers and hardwoods. Lovely country in the As the clan gathered on Monday after- 2.5 mm mini phone jack installed through fall. noon, those who brought rigs with them the walkie-talkie case. A Canon remote Participants came from all over Europe, hung them around the room. Our AKA/ some for the whole week, some just for World Kite Museum traveling photo exhibit the final weekend. Early arrivals included occupied one long wall, and individual KAP- cut speaker wires or install event co-organizers Ralf Beutnagel, Otto ers succeeded in filling most of the rest of switch for walkie-talkie use Böhnke, and Harald Prinzler and family, the walls with pictures. Monday evening plus Norbert Gabriel, Hermann Graff, Ulrich was spent socializing and soaking up all relay Monsees, Christian Kolz, and Ralf Vehling this inspiration. from Germany; Dr. Christian Loibl from Aus- Tuesday started with Wolfgang’s hands- tria; Peter van Erkel and Peter Bults from on workshop building SUMIPIs (that’s Bieck- bridge rectifier the Netherlands, and me from the USA. speak for SubMiniature Picavets) out of For the first four days, I was the only partic- sheet aluminum and miniature ball- to camera jack ipant who didn’t speak much german. bearing blocks. In the afternoon Ralf Beut- Two of the Germans didn’t speak any eng- nagel gave a slide talk about KAP modifica- lish, so when in doubt, german won. tions to compact cameras. Later we set • continued on page 24 10 the aerial eye winter 1997 11

The relay has a small potentiometer Iowa, published a design for a relay of his trigger your shutter electrically that is turned to adjust the point in the ra- own making, which could be modified to dio channel’s range at which the circuit is activate sequential relay outputs. I have by CRIS BENTON, Berkeley, California, & RANDY BOLLINGER, Ferguson, Missouri closed and triggers the shutter. The ad- used Mike’s relays in two Rebel-based rigs justment is sufficiently accurate that I use I have built for others. Mike has promised An increasing number of KAPers are FROM CRIS BENTON: my rudder channel’s trim tab for firing the to produce these relays (which he calls triggering their camera’s shutter electrical- One interesting aspect of the Canon shutter. the Sure-Shot™ Radio Control Shutter Re- ly with a relay instead of mechanically Rebel camera is its small side-mounted My High Sky relay has been used for lease Gizmo), but they haven’t quite made with a servo, which makes the rig more electrical jack for remote control. The jack about 10 rolls of film so far and it has it to production yet. Contact info for Mike reliable, lighter, and less complicated. accepts a 3/32" sub-miniature stereo plug. worked fine for me. The one change I is also included so you may pester him di- Several cameras have electrical remote My local camera dealer kindly (amazing- would make is to use a right-angle stereo rectly. control built-in, such as most Ricohs and ly?) let me disassemble Canon's wired re- plug that hugs the camera body, but I Elsewhere in this issue you’ll find infor- some models of the Canon Rebel, but mote control to check its workings. Slid- have been unable to find one. mation on how to replace the joystick on many compact cameras may be easily ing the remote’s switch halfway closes a FROM RANDY BOLLINGER: your transmitter with a shutter pushbut- wired for electric triggering, such as the circuit between the stereo plug tip and …In KAP, every ounce counts…every ton. This conversion is a natural partner Olympus Stylus/Mu and the Rollei Prego. the plug base. I assume this is the equiva- amp counts. The use of an electronic to the electric shutter release. —bgl Ralf Beutnagel did a slide lecture on lent of pressing the shutter button half- shutter will provide a reduction for both. • æ way for and focus lock. Complet- this subject at FLiBB, and the main point …I found that Tower Hobbies sells a re- ing the travel of the remote’s switch adds he made is, don’t be afraid to look inside lay called the RAM Simple R/C Switch…. shutter relay sources the middle band of the stereo plug to the your camera to see if it’s possible to wire The advantage of this relay is not only circuit. The camera's shutter fires when High Sky On/Off Controller: it for electric shutter release. (The other- weight reduction and lower amp usage. It all three “zones” of the stereo plug are in High Sky wise excellent Yashica T-4, alas, is not an will also provide us the opportunity to fin- electrical contact. The Canon can be 203 Bison Ridge easy one to wire, according to Ralf.) ish shooting a roll [when the batteries run placed in a mode where only one expo- Nappanee, IN 46550 down too far to operate servos] by using Two KAPers have sent in articles on this sure will result from this type of switch (219) 773-4705. the rig in a fixed position. There’s still subject, which we have abstracted below. closure no matter how long it lasts. enough voltage to operate the shutter. Sheldon's Hobbies (catalog) The next challenge was finding a means San Jose, California If you’re already using a fixed-position for the radio receiver to produce a similar (800) 228-3237 The High Sky relay on rig with one servo for shutter, think of the circuit closure. Here I used an electric sail- Cris Benton’s new Rebel rig hours of shooting time you will have— plane on/off control made by High Sky in RAM Simple R/C Switch your camera may go dead before your Indiana [see box, page 11], which sells for rig’s battery. RAM about $20.00. It is slightly larger than a box 229 E. Rollins Road of matches and weighs one ounce—about ...... Round Lake Beach, IL 60073 the same as the micro servo it replaces on FLiBB participants using electric shut- (847)740-5220 my rig. ters said they felt that better results Tower Hobbies (catalog) High Sky's device is basically a small re- could sometimes be achieved with a two- PO Box 9078 lay that can be actuated by any radio channel sequential relay, with one chan- Champaign, IL 61828-9078 channel. One end of the device plugs into nel activating the midpoint focus lock (800) 637-4989(217) 398-3636 the radio receiver. At the other end you and the other triggering the shutter. Re- can connect two wires to be either a nor- lays are available in Germany which will Sure-Shot R/C Shutter mally-open or normally-closed circuit. do this. We don’t have source informa- Release Gizmo For firing the shutter I built a cable that tion, but Wolfgang Bieck can provide Mike LeDuc connects the sub-mini stereo plug tip and same. His address is on page 2. 137 19th Street NW plug base to one wire and the stereo Long ago in KAPWA TECHNIQUE, elec- Cedar Rapids, IA 52405 plug's middle zone to a second wire. tronic KAPer Mike LeDuc of Cedar Rapids, These wires are then routed to the nor- mally-open connectors on the relay.

12 the aerial eye winter 1997 13

MONITORING THE FUNCTIONS • there are no modification at all in the two channels—many functions transmitter, nor on the receiver or the The multi-contact servo is connected on servos by CHRISTIAN BECOT, Tourlaville, France the throttle channel. The joystick is offset and trimmed so that the blades of the ro- • you may imagine other additional functions Because we need pan, tilt, and shutter the copper coat with a small grinder tary switch are in the neutral position control, most KAPers are using four- mounted on a mini electric drill, or do it when the joystick is released. • you save batteries: only one servo is channel remote control radios. Two- the professional way with acid. A flick downward of the joystick will trig- fed all the time, and it is working ef- fortlessly channel radios are much less expensive. The diagram shows one example of this ger the shutter. With the addition of the multi-contact sys- application. Many others are possible. Only when the joystick is held in either • the system can be combined with any tem to a 2-channel radio, all functions are the pan or the tilt position is the relevant other arrangement. available at reasonable cost. THE HOEDIC APPARATUS servo connected. At that time is its possi- DISADVANTAGES The principle is to use one servo as a dis- Hoedic is a small island off the coast of ble with the second joystick to command patching center for the control signal, and Brittany in France. Pascal and Marie man- the servo. When the rig is pointing where • The tilt servo is not under power all of feed and control each function one by one. age the Fîle a Voile center where you can you wish, you suddenly release the throttle the time. The consequence is that it make and fly kites. The island is car free! joystick. The arm will quickly come back will hold the inclination angle of the camera only by the inertia of the tilt You can also use their KAP rig which is to the neutral position, and the pan and tilt To do this, a rotary switch is made from servo. an electronic plate with copper coating on controlled by a 2-channel radio and the will remain as they have been set. one face [i.e., a piece of blank circuit board multi-contact system here described: • If the camera is heavy and the center ADVANTAGES of gravity has not been properly set, material] which will be installed on the ser- The minus wire is connected for tilt or • cost is less than a 4 channel radio the camera may slowly tilt upward or vo. An arm rotated by the servo supports pan servos only when the arm is in the cor- downward. To avoid this problem, in- twin metal blades giving different electrical rect position. You may also switch the plus • it is practical as your settings remain stall a brake or rebalance the rig. contacts at each position of the arm. wire if you prefer, but never switch the unchanged as long as you wish For preparing the plate, you can scrape control wire, or you will get troubles. • æ

multi-contact switch the hoedic rig weight 565g w/servo behind + c - pan servo - c + - c + and gears receiver receiver tilt servo pan servo

+ c -

rotary switch

contact arm camera switch servo

copper coating tilt servo backing board direct drive camera wired for 6v lithium electric shutter release battery 14 the aerial eye winter 1997 15 aerial gallery

Octadome by Randy Bollinger.

My First Photo: Otto Böhnke, by Norbert Gabriel

Three Iceboats, by Craig Wilson • The Schnapps That Got Away, by Ralf Beutnagel Fishermen, Lagos, Portugal, by Frank Louwers 16 the aerial eye winter 1997 17

a push on/push off switch your next camera could be an…epson? (Radio Shack #275-011). by LARRY COTTON, New Bern, North Carolina Tripping the shutter and turning the camera on and off with the same servo were If I'm not badly mistaken, we KAP enthu- fer.” With a laptop computer you (theoreti- a bit trickier. But, as you can siasts tend also to be gadget nuts. So cally) wouldn't even have to remove the see in the photo to the right, when I spotted an ad for the new $500 Ep- camera from the kite line. If the pictures the servo bellcrank's arms son PhotoPC , I bit. aren't exactly what you expected, just re- can turn the camera on and set the camera and/or rig and start over. For those who don't know yet, a digital off when rotated counter- camera's pictures are electronically trans- Another advantage: each picture is clockwise, then press the shutter release ferred to a computer and viewed on the stored in a compact JPEG file (about 60K), shutter when rotated clock- computer's monitor. Environmentally nas- perfect for casual KAP use and instantly at- wise. on/off button ty film, chemicals and paper have been re- tachable to your e-mail or publishable in If you decide to emulate placed by the ’wares—both hard and soft. newsletters, such as the aerial eye. this setup, mount everything securely (es- 1. Just before lifting the camera cradle, Once the images are downloaded, they The Epson does have one annoying “fea- pecially the camera!) onto a square of plas- turn on the battery master power and can then be sharpened, brightened, rotat- ture”: to conserve power it shuts itself off tic laminate (e.g., Formica™). You'll have to camera switches. (The camera will actually ed and otherwise enhanced with photo- after a minute of inactivity. This requires play around with the spacing for your bell- be off until time to take the pictures.) editing software. So let's zoom in (sorry!) a some ingenuity in adapting the camera to crank, switch and shutter-release lever be- 2. Get the camera to proper picture- bit to see why digital cameras are particu- KAP, with its requirements of low weight fore you screw things down. taking altitude. larly suited for KAP. and maximum use of servos. The keys are Should you consider other digital came- to use the shutter-tripping servo to also 3. Turn on the radio transmitter and Main advantage: Using rechargeable bat- ras? The Casio, which costs about the turn the camera on and off, and to power move the channel control stick one way to teries, you can take literally thousands of same, features a tiny LCD preview screen, the entire rig with one set of batteries. power the camera. pictures and never use any consumables but what good is this at kite altitudes? except electricity. The process is simple: The latter was easy, though at the ex- And their resolution is worse. The Dycam, 4. Wait a couple of seconds and move snap the pictures, lower the camera, con- pense of battery life. Normally the camera Kodaks and Chinons are bigger, heavier the stick in the other direction to take the nect it to a computer and click on “trans- is powered by four AA cells, but will take and more expensive. picture. Hold the stick in that position for a an optional second, then release and wait ten seconds An exception: the brand-new Kodak DC- AC adapter. for the camera to scan and store the data. 20, which, at about $350 is actually cheap- AC’s a bit out er, smaller and lighter than the Epson, but If you wait less than one minute be- of the ques- it holds only eight shots at its best resolu- tween pictures, repeat step 4; if you wait tion, but the tion (worse than the Epson) and its memo- longer, turn the camera off with the radio, adapter sock- ry is not expandable. then repeat steps 3 and 4. et conven- There are other not necessarily KAP- So how are the pictures? They look iently accepts great on a computer monitor, but don't ex- a Radio related benefits of the Epson PhotoPC: it ac- cepts optional camcorder lenses and fil- pect film-like quality on paper. Send me a Shack #274- request via email at 1570 plug, ters; has a live-preview function when con- which is then nected to a computer; takes a minimum of [email protected] connected to sixteen VGA-quality pictures; has expanda- I'll be happy to e-mail you one back. ble, though not removable, memory; and the same [The photo on the opposite page was has a built-in . power supply sent via email to my computer, enhanced as the radio The actual picture-taking process is slightly in Photoshop, and reduced 10%, receiver and more complicated than with a film-type and I think it’s quite presentable, even in servo—four point-and-shoot: B&W. —bgl] AA cells—via • æ 18 the aerial eye winter 1997 19

I have built four rigs using this principle, to explain to me what that was all about, three ways to spin the rig and it solves the problem in an economical and I’ll try to relate it here. (Before reading and efficient way, but it’s not without its this, though, read Peter’s article on page 5.) by HARALD PRINZLER, Schlangen, Germany, and BROOKS LEFFLER, editor special considerations. Here’s the conversion in a nutshell: First First is that a suitable motor is hard to remove the internal stops on servo gears ENDLESS ROTATION ue of the potentiometer and divide it by find. It must be small, light, and geared and/or housing with a file or knife. Then two. This will be the value of each fixed re- Usually a servo works in a range of low enough that it turns not faster than 30 replace the interior potentiometer on the sistor. Most pots have a value of 5kW. So, about 90 degrees. Sometimes this range is rpm. Even that speed seems fast, but it’s a servo with an external one. Drive this ex- the resistors may have a value of 2.4kW or not big enough for special applications, i.e. lot slower than a 4:1 servo. I found one 40 ternal pot at reduced speed with 1:4 gear- 2.7kW. horizontal rotation of the camera-rig. To rpm motor which was light and beautifully- ing while direct-driving the rig’s vertical solve this problem, some servos can be Solder both resistors at one point to- made, but performed much better with axle, like so: modified to turn endlessly. gether and connect it in place of the cen- speed reduced by a trimmer pot on the This amplifies the proportional reaction A modified servo will turn in the chosen ter-wire of the potentiometer. Connect the power supply, which makes it more com- direction as long as you push the joystick other end of each of the resistors to one of plicated and less elegant. the other wires which were connected to of your R/C transmitter. It will work in both Second is that gearmotors don’t stop in- the potentiometer. directions. In the neutral position of the stantly, so it’s easy to overshoot 1:4 gears 1:4 gears to joystick, the servo should not turn either di- Check the neutral position of the trans- your target. Related to that is rection. mitter joystick; no servo movement should the most baffling problem to suspensionsuspension Open the servo-housing to get a view of take place. If it does not work correctly, (which John Carlson is running the internal gear disks. If there is anywhere change the values of the resistors. into in Antarctica): the motors a half-round gear-disk, this servo cannot be —Harald Prinzler I’ve used haven’t had enough re- modified for endless turning. If the gears GEARMOTOR sistance to wind pressure on the rig, and won’t work without being attached to the it’s difficult to stop the camera at some panpan servo servo In most of the 15 or 20 rigs I have built, potentiometer, this servo cannot be modi- points of the compass—it keeps going external pot like most builders, I have used a three- external pot fied either. a bit no matter what you do. Next channel radio with 4:1 gearing between The turning of the gear is limited me- time I’ll add 2:1 or 3:1 external gearing, the servo and the vertical axle to give full which should help with both of these prob- chanically by a plastic stop on one of the 360-degree rotation. The movement is aw- gear-disks. Most times it will be the closest lems. of servo to joystick by 400%, fooling the fully fast, which is OK for small, light came- servo into thinking it’s moving the normal gear to the output shaft. By cutting off the ras but not so good for heavy SLRs. Another consideration is that the shafts stop, the gear can turn further on. The on these motors are usually quite slender 60 - 80 degrees because the pot (which Several years ago, Jim Day and I brain- housing of the servo will still fit together so and hard to adapt to the suspension sys- controls when the servo stops) is turning stormed a method using a two-channel ra- that the gear can work. tem without custom-made fittings (but slower than the output shaft. dio to achieve full control of all functions. that gave me the excuse to buy a jeweler’s With this gearing, the motor should ro- The next problem is the axis of the po- We’ve both used it successfully since. tentiometer, which must be disconnected lathe!). tate all the way around 360 each way, The servo of one channel controls tilt; I from the gear. Some servos have a remov- And finally, while I have successfully driv- though it won’t keep going continuously. recommend the left (vertical or “throttle”) able clip connecting the pot to the last en everything on the rig with 4-AAA batter- This modification also reduces rig rotation joystick because the motions are parallel. gear disk; in this case, remove the clip. In ies, most motors must be buffered with a speed to a workable level and increases The servo for the other channel mechani- other servos the potentiometer has to be capacitor across the leads to keep the ser- torque. cally fingers the shutter button when the removed completely. vos from dancing like St. Vitus himself. Assuming that your servo will accommo- joystick is moved one direction, and when date an external pot, this is a brilliant, ele- If the pot can be used, first it must be moved the opposite direction mechanical- THE GEAR-DRIVEN POT set to the neutral position of the transmit- gant solution, it seems to me. I stand in ly closes a microswitch, activating a small Otto Böhnke and others at FLiBB had rigs awe of whomever thought it up first. ter joystick. Then fix the gear in position by gearmotor which pans the camera contin- that were puzzling to look at: they had a drop of CA glue. uously, one direction only. gear-driven potentiometers on both pan — Brooks Leffler If the pot cannot be used, it has to be re- and tilt. Peter van Erkel was kind enough placed by two fixed resistors. Read the val- • æ 20 the aerial eye winter 1997 21 video • from page 4 Leave the clunky security cameras to watch the parking lot at Walmart and con- contact, or no contact having to keep an eye out for a window- serve your available lift by getting a micro- less van sporting a government paint job, by PETER BULTS, Holthees, The Netherlands camera with maximum technology and very plain hubcaps, and a direction-finding minimal dimensions. antenna on the roof. When working with electronics, success should also be kept clean (that's the func- 3. GO HIGH FREQUENCY 2. GET SERIOUS EQUIPMENT or failure depends on the quality of the sol- tion of the sponge on the holder) to assure For aerial activity, the higher the better, Once you're legal, you can stop strug- dering. Bad or so-called “cold” soldering the heat can be transfered properly. frequency-wise. While the Technician's li- gling with mickey-mouse stuff like those joints tend to have a changing resistance Before you start the soldering try to find cense grants you the privilege to operate low power, license-free “video senders” de- and can cause annoying disturbances. a steady position for the two parts. You ATV as low as 420 mhz (just above stan- signed to transmit video from one VCR to Moreover, these spots are very hard to lo- might fix them temporarily with something dard TV channel 13), this lower band is con- another in the same house. Their output is cate because you often can't see them. like clothespins. gested with all sorts of individual and re- anemic—you won't have to let out a lot of So do it right the first time! peater activity. I prefer the neighborhood The soldering itself should be done flu- line before you've reached the fringe of up around 910-916 mhz. Though such di- Never use soldering-liquids or paste. ently. Put the soldering-iron on the spot so useable range—and if you use one at any verse activity as cordless phones and sto- These products are not intended for our that it makes contact with both parts (see appreciable altitude, you are probably re- len vehicle locators are sharing this band, purposes. They contain acids that destroy illustration). Now, less than a second later, signed to erratic results, poor reception, I've yet to experience any infringement on the metals of the electronic components let the tin-solder touch the heated spot. and so forth. my video from these sources. Many of the and circuit-boards. Only use tin-solder that Keep it there only until the area to be sol- With ATV equipment, you have more video senders also use these frequencies consists of 60% tin and 40% lead and has a dered is covered with tin. Take the solder- than sufficient power at your disposal for a but their power and range is so minimal as core of resin. ing-tin away and let the solder flow around consistent, near-broadcast-quality picture. to represent no hindrance to ATV opera- The only special equipment you need to the two parts until it looks good, then And, owing to the superiority of the circuit tion. do a proper electronics job is a soldering- quickly remove the iron. Put the iron back designs, you reduce your battery consump- in its holder and give the tin some time to Signals in this band are pleasingly direc- iron. You'll need a simple iron of 25w maxi- tion and overall size/weight compared to solidify and cool before you move things. tional and immune to some of the sources mum; 15w is better. To prevent the hot the video senders. of electronic noise which infect the lower iron burning undesired holes in tables, The whole process is just a matter of These transmitters are available in ei- band. They are also less likely to interfere components or clothing a holder is very seconds. If it takes more time the compo- ther kit or finished form, depending upon with your R/C receiver, a real concern be- useful. Some iron holders are also nents will be damaged by the heat of the the source, your available $$$, and your cause it will probably be mounted only equipped with a little sponge. iron. It's a question of feeling and keeping skill with a soldering iron. Meanwhile, inches from the video transmitter. Before you start soldering be sure that up the momentum. Practice and patience when it comes to hi-res video cameras, all will give you good results. And a perfect ATV operators can step up a few more the parts to be joined are really clean. If problems have been solved. You won't soldering-spot can be recognised by its sil- rungs on the frequency ladder, to the 1.2 necessary brush them with something like have to resort to unwieldy, surplus surveil- very shining surface. ghz range, and even beyond, to 2.4 ghz. a wire brush or fine sandpaper, but don't lance cameras bought at the local used- These are microwave frequencies and use chemicals. The tip of the soldering iron electronics swap meet, as was common • æ highly directional. When you watch live practice until a few years ago. video from cars burning up the track at In- Most of the mail order ATV dealers, and dianapolis or Nurburgring, you're seeing now many neighborhood electronics microwave—uplinked to a helicopter or iron tip stores, offer black-&-white micro-video blimp circling overhead, then beamed back cameras (sometimes called board came- down to the TV truck. ras), credit card size or smaller, weighing copper The 1.2 ghz ATV stuff is getting small but around 1 - 2 ounces (30 - 60g), and offering the circuits still have a fairly large appetite resistor resolution equivalent to or exceeding that for battery power so I'm sticking around of Hi-8 or Super VHS. Some will run half heating adding tin let it flow cooling down 910 for now. But when I can step up to 1.2 the day on a 9-volt transistor battery. Stick it in a lightweight ABS case and it'll survive most any hard landing you can throw at it. • continued on page 22 22 the aerial eye winter 1997 23 video • from page 20 relatively vampirous in terms of power- consumption, but that will change. using video ghz without draining my NiCads dry in 20 minutes, I'm gone. It’s only a matter of time before some- by ROB GREEN, Newbury, Berkshire, England one markets a high-resolution digital video 4. GET A GOOD ANTENNA camera and board mated to an appropri- Having built the aerial TV camera with The photo shows KAPer at the transmit- When you're looking to enhance down- ately modified ATV transmitter. Then we video sender, it proves inconvenient and ter controls taking shots watching a TV link performance, improving the antenna can downlink the live video image as “1's” impractical to use with my 10" portable TV monitor. The camera rig is airbourne and on the receiver beats boosting the power and “0's” rather than the traditional signal receiver powered by shows me at the mo- of the transmitter. The least desirable ar- components, record it on a tape or (more car battery, unless I re- ment of transmitter rangement is whip verticals on both trans- likely) disk, and input it into a computer— main near the vehicle, shutter release. mitter and receiver. Yet, in a KAP cradle with zero image degradation from either although it has been configuration, the best most of us can do is the transmission or recording process. We My transmitter is possible on a few occa- a short whip or “rubber duckie” on the can then manipulate, enhance, print out also indexed as a guide sions. transmitter. frames, or upload elsewhere, and the pos- for a second more- However, we can compensate by using sibilities for KAP are endless. I am currently look- complicated rig, which ing for a small “tube” TV when not carrying the a more efficient antenna at the receiving This is not more than a year or two at or LCD viewable in day- CCD camera can be tilt, end, on the ground. (Yes, if you are deter- most from general availability to ATV oper- light to help me in pro- pan, and landscape/ mined to stay license-free and modify vid- ators. I'm uncomfortable even writing ducing well composed portrait controlled at a eo senders for KAP use, this is the legal about it in the future tense because, by the and accurately targeted glance if not visible in way to squeeze more range out of them.) time this article is finished . . . . A variety of choices are available from sim- still print . the air from any great SUMMING UP ple yagis, to discones, to high-tech heli- Sony produce a Walk- distance. phase units. It seems to me that the choice in devel- man™ TV receiver I also have thoughts oping an efficient aerial video system My current favorite is a home-made cor- which is very portable on mounting instru- comes down to the short/hard way vs. the ner , such as described in the July, and will also record on ments like an altime- longer/easier way. 1996 issue of Electronics Now. This anten- 8mm video cassette, ter, thermometer, na is directional, but not in the extreme; True, an investment of time and effort is which would be ideal for my setup. I am windspeed indicator in front of the TV cam- just inclining it in the general heading of required to complete the paper chase nec- using a CCD camera with built-in video era lens for a live coverage of conditions the aerial rig is sufficient to add 8 to 10 db cessary for FCC certification. But once you sender fixed to a compact camera rig, all up there amongst the clouds—maybe even gain in signal strength over and above do, a new world of efficient equipment suspended on the kite line. This assembly a pollution-measuring device. Who knows, what you would get with a 3-inch whip. and interesting frequency options opens could transmit live TV pictures to the Walk- the sky may not be the limit after all! up to you, and the sky is quite literally the man and simultaneously record onto vide- The antenna fits in a 10” x 18” box which • æ limit from then on. otape. I've attached to a 2-wheel dolly, along with These would make great edit shots on the R/C controls and receiver and monitor, What a treat to rotate your cradle in the spring issue: which are mounted on a tray at waist lev- through 360 degrees at 500 feet altitude location during any ground-based video el. I simply roll this self-contained unit to and enjoy a crystal clear, near-broadcast production using an 8mm camcorder, pref- KAP on the edge the site, orient it toward the transmitter, quality video downlink. While I value, for erably being shot by an assistant videogra- KAP in the Arctic and Antarctic and all that pure, unbroken video flows artistic and informational content (and as pher. right to me. an exercise in delayed gratification), the My rig uses a small Picavet using nylon & still more 35mm still pictures I eventually get from a 5. , DIGITAL, AND . . . ? curtain track pulley wheels and blocks. KAP electronics video-aimed Nikon, there is an immediacy Controls are pan, shutter release (mechani- Well, ready or not, color's already here. to live aerial video that's the closest thing cal), CCD camera on/off, and pre-set tilt. & technique Color micro cameras with Hi-8 equivalent to flying dreams: rising above the treetops, The rig carries a Yashica compact camera resolution are now available for those with AD & COPY DEADLINE floating on the invisible currents at maxi- and a CCD TV camera clipped on below, a cash flow surplus. Thus far, they are all mum altitude, looking down and seeing all which is quickly removable. FEBRUARY 1, 1997 like the eye of the gods. • æ 24 the aerial eye winter 1997 25

FLiBB • from page 9 ship: Picavet Xs, walk-down pulleys, line be- The weekend participants drifted in Then Wolfgang surprised us all by pre- senting his first biennial FLiBB Awards, out for our first try at picture-taking in a layers, winders, and so on. He demonstrat- through the day. From Germany came ed his lathework by trimming the shoulder Rainer Breuer & family, Ewe Pongs, Stefan complete with cups for the winners. These nearby sugarbeet field, but few kites included prizes for Photography, Research, would stay up, let alone cameras. off a gear wheel for Christian Loibl. & Siegfried Rummel, Gerold Tegeler, and Till Krapp. Frank Louwers came from Bel- Innovation, and Journalism. [See box, page After dinner, electronic wizard Harald Testorf’s town historian led us on a walk- gium; Annie & Jean-Louis Toussaint and 25.] We are honored to have the FLiBB cup Prinzler presented a technical session—in ing tour through the village, to a potato Patrick & Kirsten Morin journeyed from for journalism on our mantel. german—on his electronic interval timer, storehouse, a woodworking shop, and a distillery where they made schnapps out of Paris. After a tasty and filling lunch of goulash, some of which will appear —in english— in potatoes, beans, and a nice salad, we went the next issue. mashed potatoes, definitely not for the In the meeting room, up went the rigs faint of heart. again, and it was apparent that this was, as KAPing in a nearby sugarbeet field (below) On Wednesday it was cloudy when we with a lone barn and tree, and for the first After lunch, the day had brightened up a Wolfgang put it, “the biggest concentration left for a day in Braunschweig, a medieval time in a week, had both good wind and bit, and we traveled less than an hour of Picavet in the world”—only two of the city about 90 miles south, where Rollei Fot- good light despite a partial eclipse. Lots of southeast to the banks of the Elbe River, rigs on display used pendulums. There otechnic, known best for their splendid kites and cameras in the air this time. Us- the former frontier between East & West were small ones and big ones, crude ones (heavy) square-format reflex cameras, is lo- ing my light rig and a FlowForm 30 sans Germany, for some KAPing. This time the and elegant ones, heavy ones and light cated. Ralf had set us up with a VIP tour of tail, I shot 14 excellent pix without film, wind was a bit stronger, though still fluky, ones—almost two dozen ways to skin the the factory. and another 24 average ones with. and several cameras rose into the air. same cat. Quite unexpectedly, Rollei proved to be Sunday was cleanup day, with lots of Friday was to be a relaxed day, a time to Before supper we visited Ropery Eilers more like a guild hall with 300 artisans do- casual conversation, packing up, and bid- explore Bad Bevensen or whatever we for a tour, a local manufacturer for all man- ing hand-work than a mass-production ding farewell to new friends. Wind, once wished. Half a dozen of us ner of line, including kite line, and were camera factory. To our de- again, was marginal, but we flew kites decided to take the waters each given 100m of their finest 3mm poly- light, we were allowed to without cameras in the field next door be- at the mineral baths for ester (big kite stuff). look right over the workers’ fore ending the festivities in high style with which the town was shoulders and take pictures After supper, Harald and Ralf presented a lavish korean dinner at the home of Wolf- named. The outdoor pool of anything we wished. a very-informative how-to session on servo gang and Mong Hie Bieck. Rollei topped off a splendid was about triple olympic modifications, this time in both german tour with an excellent size, but only four feet lunch of roast pork, red cab- deep, and warm enough to bage, and dumplings, on steam heartily in the crisp the house. fall sunshine. Great way to start the day. After leaving Rollei, we were given a two-hour In the afternoon, we guided tour of the old city went to the nearby Elbe- of Braunschweig. Ralf, Seitenkanal, a waterway bless him, had asked that which crosses both a road the tour be conducted in and a river on an aque- english, which it was, flu- duct, to see if we could get The Rollei “Assembly Line” “As an organizer,” Ralf Beutnagel said ently. We ended our day some aerial pictures. (I and english, with Frank Louwers translat- when it was all over, “I have to say that in Braunschweig with an- know aqueducts have ing as necessary into french as well. Some there was no trouble in any way, and no other hearty repast in a nearby rathskeller been around since Roman times, but it’s of the servo modifications discussed ap- rain, and all KAPers had a smile on their and drove home in the rain. still very strange to see barge traffic cross- pear in other articles in this issue. ing a bridge.) face.” Thursday morning dawned cold and Saturday morning was an official recep- And with good reason. The next FLiBB is damp, and after breakfast we drove a few Unfortunately, the wind was light to tion by the town of Bad Bevensen, fol- scheduled for fall of 1998. Do it if you can. km south of Bad Bevensen to the village of nonexistent, and my rig, lightest of them lowed by a lecture by Wolfgang Bieck on You don’t need to speak german, but it Testorf, where Otto Böhnke had prepared all, wouldn’t rise more than 5 meters off Scientific Applications of KAP, the complete helps. a show-and-tell of his splendid craftsman- the ground, even with Otto’s big rokkaku text of which will appear in the next issue. • æ pulling it. 26 the aerial eye winter 1997 27

aerialetters VICARIOUS SWEAT PIC running at 500kHz requiring a current I just finished reading the latest aerial of only 0.5mA. flibb-awards ’96 eye—great stuff. Tom Burgener's article Please understand this note as just one “watt happened” was quite vivid; I could al- idea—it's surely not the first one. By the Excerpts from Wolfgang’s text: ANYBODY USING APS? most feel the sweat pouring off me from way—do you know the BASIC-stamp? It's PHOTOGRAPHY: Noriaki Hayashi, Japan running off across the cornfields. based on a PIC-controller too and its pro- In a consumer magazine I've just re- grammable with a BASIC-dialect instead of “…Extreme prospects and circumstanc- I suppose just about all of us have had at es…signs good kite aerial photography. ceived there is an article about the new using assembler. A very interesting, small, least one instance of running after a Photography—fraught with meaning—and APS camera/films. A quick read of this has lightweight and cheap toy for microcon- dropped kite spool; I think my longest technically excellent realization show Nori- convinced me that these are the way to go troller fans like me. for KAP! The film can be changed mid-roll, sprint was only 200 yards at best. This aki Hayashi as a kite aerial photographer you can take 2:3, 9:16 and 1:3 ratio shots might be a good lesson to never let out Uwe Martin Pongs worthy to be honored.” (nice wide panoramas!), exposure informa- your spool to the very end unless it is at- Aachen, Germany tached to something heavier than the RESEARCH: Katsutaka Murooka, Japan tion is recorded on each shot for the pro- BAILING OUT cessing machine to read and adjust, and line's breaking strength. If there is some re- “ …In appreciation of specific kite-aerial- the cheapest fixed-focus model comes at serve line, it won't travel quite as fast as In all the issues [of æ] I have never photography-equipment’s development around £35! There's also a unit which can the kite, so a fast runner at least has a brief found a plan to build a Real Small Para- and the successful use of kite aerial pho- read the processed film and play back onto chance of catching it before the spool runs chute, that can save a good camera & rig tography in scientific archaeological re- TV. out of line. from ruins if & when it should break loose search, Katsutaka Murooka is honored from the kite. with the Research-FLiBB-AWARD 1996.” Unfortunately, I'm neither a good pho- With the aid of the Rokkau tips article by Kevin Shannon, I hope to get the rokka- tographer, nor yet an active KAPer, so I Do you have plans for one? Size should INNOVATION: Ralf Beutnagel, Germany don't feel able to write anything about ku that I completed last spring to fly good be 2' to 3' like the size that pulls the main “…[He has] developed a new variation these cameras. I would be very interested, enough to be useful for KAP. chute out of the casing of a skydiver’s [on the Picavet suspension] named … ‘Type however, to see comment about them in I found several little tidbits that will be pack…. Rendsburg’ and appreciated particularly the aerial eye some time. useful to me. Not only is it interesting read- The rig should be attached to the para- because of [its] special camera- ing the adventures and misadventures of Jim Cheatham chute which would be released from a stabilization, [and] one special kite, named other KAPers, all is inspirational and makes Guernsey, U.K. light weight container in the event of a ‘Dopero.’ …The handling characteristics of me want to get out there and do it. [email protected] failure. The chute would also be able to the Dopero added an excellent kite-type to Henry Jebe ride down the kite line to the flier. a restricted number of usable kites for pur- JUST A KAPer Douglas, Alaska I plan to try out this idea and will for- poses of [KAP].” Talk about commitment! After reading ward the results to you…. Can you sug- PICking PICTURES JOURNALISM: Brooks Leffler, USA the last issue (æ 2.4), I was very intrigued gest where I can obtain [information] on After a long and interesting discussion by all the dedication and hard work put the making of parachutes? “…Unique worldwide in forth by Robert Price with his research with Peter van Erkel at FLIBB '96 in Bad Be- the domain of KAP is [the John J. Kaiser and article Measuring Kite Characteristics. vensen, Germany, about the effort of aerial eye’s] production 1616 #3 Wood Crest Drive I’m no aeronautical scientist, just a KAPer, micro-controllers in KAP remote controls, I in color on computer ex- Daytona Beach, Florida 32119 but if I needed to know what the wind got the idea to open the discussion in the clusively and printed on was at 100 - 200 feet, I think I would build aerial eye. Most of the small chutes I’ve seen have ink-jet printer.…In appreci- a rig holding an anemometer and look at Back home, I carried out some experi- been used to drop teddy bears and like ation of his journalistic it with a microvideo camera, video send- ments with a PIC16C84 microcontroller fauna from kite lines, and they can be as merits and his excellent er, and monitor. and tried to evaluate the PWM-signal of simple as a circle of nylon with strings at- engagement for Kite Aeri- p.s. Also for the windmill rigs, a rotary the R/C receiver to control four output- tached. If you’d prefer a deeper dome, al Photography… Brooks switch may lighten your load. See Digi- lines with only one channel of the remote- you might simply copy the measure- Leffler is honored with Key source [sources, p. 28]. control (for example to realise a two-step ments of the gores of a small umbrella the Journalism–FLiBB- autofocus/release switch for electronic and attach strings. Any other ideas out AWARD 1996.” Randy Bollinger there? Send ’em to John. —bgl Ferguson, Missouri camera shutters). It works fine with the