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Commercial kite messenger


Juan Mejías
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Hi all,

I was wondering if there's a commercial model of kite messenger available (you know, the device to carry things along the line pushed by the wind, and then release it once it reaches the kite)

Make a Kite Messenger for Covert GI JOE Paradrops : 4 Steps - Instructables

I've been looking for quite a while, but can't seem to find any.

Thanks!

 

NOTE: I know it's possible to make your own, but in this case I'm looking for one I can buy, if there's one.

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Thanks Edmund! I'd prefer one where the messenger is actually dropped after reaching the top, rather than coming down the line, but still these are both pretty good options that I didn't know. 

By googling those I also just learned that they're known as "kite ferries", which I also didn't know.

Appreciated!

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I'm not familiar with festivals outside of Washington & Oregon, but the Teddy Bear Drop is a mainstay out here. I'll see if I can find out what the dropping mechanism is. 

check out the Washington State International Kite Festival page at SATURDAY - World Kite Museum (kitefestival.com) for the schedule with the Teddy Bear Drop listed. There's even a picture of one of the bears parachuting down...

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Ah = true. It's a simple stopper on the line, then the bear slides up the line with the parachute pulling it. once it hits the stopper, it detatches the bear which parachutes down to the ground. I thought the "release it when it reaches the kite" meant dropping off the line, not sliding back down.

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  • 1 month later...
18 hours ago, Rob Friedman said:

I have one from Mullers Kite Fishing in South Africa.  It's called a Bait Ferry and I use it for KAP..and it works great!

That is exactly what I was looking for. By the way, using it for KAP sounds quite cool. Not sure if they'd be willing to ship it to the Netherlands (where I'm located). I've sent them a message and I'm crossing my fingers.

Thanks for the tip! 

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  • 1 year later...

Hello KiteLife Forum,

Have prototyped and tested a device called the KiteMessenger that uses a 433 mhz transceiver to do the teddy bear kite drop.
https://www.kitemessenger.net
Haven't decided how much to get for the KM. With the spars, the transceiver, the microcontroller, the 3D printing and the shipping tube the cost is about eighty bucks. Hate to sell the KM for cost but not sure any one will pay, say, $100 for the device before shipping.

How much would you pay?

With Gunther no longer manufacturing there does not seem to be a commercially available kite ferry and certainly not one that uses an electronic, as opposed to a mechanical, release mechanism. So the KiteMessenger maybe a monopoly but if the price point is too high the uniqueness is useless.

There is a guy in Australia that sells a rig for dripping chum and fish hooks. Tried to get him to sell me one but basically he said it was too much trouble to ship to the USA.

Going to the Washington State Kite festival in mid August 2022. If you are going you might see a demo of the KiteMessenger there.

Also, working on a 915 mhz version with a bi-pole antenna that should improve the range considerably.

Allen Pitts
Dallas TX

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  • 3 months later...

Hello Bunduki and the KiteKife forum,

Have made some improvements to the KiteMessenger. Added an antenna to extend the range of the radio transceiver and refactored the sail arms so that they now snap into place instead of using screws and nuts.
There is a simple animated GIF at
KiteMessenger
The user manual is being updated to reflect these changes and I am working on a setup video.
Allen Pitts. Project Manager
KiteMessenger.net 
Dallas Texas

 

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