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  #31  
Old 08-04-2019, 11:13 AM
mj.swanson mj.swanson is offline
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Join Date: Mar 2014
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Quote:
Originally Posted by teflonrocketry1
All but one of the rockets I flew at the NARAM-61 sport range were damaged when they landed on the asphalt. The site is basically a pavilion surrounded by a U-shaped region of black top and gravel surfaces. The launch area was in front of the metal roofed pavilion facing north in the middle and bottom of the "U" the legs of the "U" point south. The wind blew most of the flights back toward the pavilion, the black top surfaces, vendor row and parking areas. I don't think make-and-takes are much fun if your (first) rocket smashes into the pavement; I saw this happen more than once a NARAM-61. There are plenty of other grass covered areas that could have been used for a sport launch site at the AMA field.

When I got to the field on Tuesday late in the morning there was no registration tent available at either the contest or sport range. Luckily, I knew the contest director; his mother actually set up the registration area and registered me! The distance between the sport and contest range was almost too far to walk, I had to drive my wife over to the contest range were the food truck was located. I felt sorry for the vendors (like BMS and Impulse Buys) on the sport range as I am sure they would have done more business if they were located closer to the contest range. Yesterday, I was surprised by an email from the AMA saying that I paid $19.95 for a 3 month membership trial. When I registered for NARAM-61 I was told the registration included this trial, but I am wondering if the NAR or NARAM-61 organizers had to pay for this out of the $50.00 registration fee they collected.

Not much was in the registration packet;
an EstesRockets.com cooling towel,
a 2019 Estes catalog,
an Estes model rocket cradle (#2293),
a 4" oval Estes sticker,
an estesrockets.com Broad Spectrum SPF 15 Sunscreen Beeswax Lip Balm,
an AMA Koozie and Model Aviation Magazine,
an invite to the Pem Tech party,
and a VisitMuncie.org carabiner and tour guide.
Apogee provided the name badge holders and there was at least one vendor and food truck located at the contest range. Lacking in the registration packet was a hard copy map of the launch sites, FAA waiver limits, and/or a final schedule of events, or even a pen to fill out the flight cards. By Wednesday pens were scarce at the sport range for filling out the flight cards!

Please share your thoughts on NARAM-61.


Well, there was more in the registration packet you received than what my Brother and I received when we checked in on Thursday. None of the Estes or AMA items were in the packet. After seeing the layout of the sport range, I elected not to fly a couple of my vintage Estes rockets for fear of damage on recovery. Still, for my first time attending a NARAM, we had a good time. I met some fellow rocketeers, has several good launches, competed in my first contest event, and even got a chance to meet Vern and have him sign the nosecone from my first rocket !
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  #32  
Old 08-04-2019, 12:34 PM
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Ez2cDave Ez2cDave is offline
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I haven't heard anything about Narcon or NSL.
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  #33  
Old 08-04-2019, 04:07 PM
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Ez2cDave Ez2cDave is offline
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I did some searching online . . . It appears that Brian Guzek was the Contest Director.

Dave F.

Last edited by Ltvscout : 08-04-2019 at 08:28 PM.
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  #34  
Old 08-04-2019, 04:17 PM
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GuyNoir GuyNoir is offline
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NARCON 2020 will be held March 6-8, 2020 in Tuscon, AZ.

NSL 2020 will be held over Memorial Day weekend (4 full days of flying according to the flyer passed out at the NARAM 61 banquet) in Alamosa, CO, San Luis Valley Rocketeers hosting.
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  #35  
Old 08-04-2019, 06:12 PM
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LeeR LeeR is offline
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Location: Colorado
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GuyNoir

[...]

NSL 2020 will be held over Memorial Day weekend (4 full days of flying according to the flyer passed out at the NARAM 61 banquet) in Alamosa, CO, San Luis Valley Rocketeers hosting.


Excellent news!

My wife and I have visited the Alamosa area for several years in the spring. The nearby town of Monte Vista hosts the annual Sandhill Crane Festival. As many as 20000 Greater Sandhill Cranes stop in the area to rest and refuel for several months during their long migration north. These cranes are huge, and seeing thousands flying in and out of the fields is truly amazing. But I digress ...

I’m sure it’s going to be an excellent event!
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  #36  
Old 08-04-2019, 08:35 PM
frognbuff frognbuff is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GuyNoir
NARCON 2020 will be held March 6-8, 2020 in Tuscon, AZ.

NSL 2020 will be held over Memorial Day weekend (4 full days of flying according to the flyer passed out at the NARAM 61 banquet) in Alamosa, CO, San Luis Valley Rocketeers hosting.


Allow me to post a promotion for my home state: If you attend NSL 2020, be sure to allow at least a couple of hours to visit Great Sand Dunes National Monument. It is mind blowing to see this Sahara-like expanse in the middle of Colorado!
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  #37  
Old 08-04-2019, 09:59 PM
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astronwolf astronwolf is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by frognbuff
Allow me to post a promotion for my home state: If you attend NSL 2020, be sure to allow at least a couple of hours to visit Great Sand Dunes National Monument. It is mind blowing to see this Sahara-like expanse in the middle of Colorado!

I've been to the Dunes once before. How far away are they from NSL 2020?
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  #38  
Old 08-05-2019, 06:22 AM
frognbuff frognbuff is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by astronwolf
I've been to the Dunes once before. How far away are they from NSL 2020?


I seem to recall the Dunes and the town of Alamosa are only about 30 minutes apart. I just saw the correct, official name is Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. Shouldn't be too hot over Memorial Day - perfect for hiking or "sand boarding!"
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  #39  
Old 08-16-2019, 10:10 AM
Blastfromthepast Blastfromthepast is offline
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I'll second that visit to the Sand Dunes. I went there last June.
A few tips:
Wear shoes, not open toed sandals or flops. If it is a warm, sunny day, the sand temperature can reach well over 140 degrees, making it very uncomfortably hot on the feet.
Take bug spray....mosquitos are in abundance, and they are voracious.
Use lots of sun screen - there is no shade on a sand dune.
Take plenty of water.
Wear a hat.
Basically, the same kind of garb that you would normally wear all day on a rocket range works equally well at the Dunes.
Make sure you are in good walking shape. There is a long trek through loose sand before you can even start climbing the first small hills. The highest dunes in the park top 700 feet, and take a couple of hours to climb.

If you can visit the park after dark, the night sky is spectacular!!! The Dunes are far removed from any urban light pollution sky glow, so the Milky Way is extraordinarily bright horizon to horizon. A stargazer's paradise!

If you wish to do any sand boarding, be aware that the park does not supply boards. These can be rented at various shops in Alamosa. Also be aware that cardboard panels or plastic snow sleds do not work very well on loose sand. The specially made sand boards are designed for this activity and are highly recommended.

I might plan on traveling to NARCON, so maybe I can meet some of you folks!
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  #40  
Old 08-17-2019, 02:07 AM
vcp vcp is offline
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Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 90
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Quote:
Originally Posted by teflonrocketry1
... The distance between the sport and contest range was almost too far to walk, I had to drive my wife over to the contest range were the food truck was located. I felt sorry for the vendors (like BMS and Impulse Buys) on the sport range as I am sure they would have done more business if they were located closer to the contest range. ...


Interesting juxtaposition. At N60 all of the food and vendors were at the sport range, and also too far (for me) to walk.

I've only been to ~ a half dozen NARAM's so I'm no authority, but it seems to me that there is little 'institutional memory' between NARAMS. By now I'd think there ought to be a pretty thick manual of 'what works and what doesn't' that's passed down to CD's. But it always looks like every CD starts from scratch.
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