I feel as though I have to comment on this noise again since the original noise source may not have been from the rest at all. At the 3-D course today, I found that my module screw had started to back out and was slapping the cam upon release. Shame on me for not checking the tightness of such a critical component, but it's thoroughly thread-locked now and I don't suspect it'll give me problems again.
Regardless of this, I am still getting a "hitting" noise when I actuate the rest manually. It's not the noise of the loose module, obviously, but is coming from the inside of the rest. I hear it when I pull the cord to fully extend the arm, then suddenly release it, as I would expect to happen during an actual shot.
I had the rest totally apart today, and figured it was the brass cylinder slapping the aluminum housing as it reached the inside bottom of it's travel. I also suspected that the head of the launcher arm was hitting the inside of this aluminum housing. I tried to silence this noise using two different materials:
1. soft rubber strip with adhesive on the back, about 1/16" thick
2. Velcro, using the soft, thick side of the mesh
I placed it all along the inside bottom of the aluminum housing and on the portion of the housing that would be hit by the head of the launcher arm. I reassembled and figured this would at least dampen the noise. Unfortunately, it's as though I did nothing, leading me to believe I have the contact point that I cannot see somewhere inside the rest.
My questions are:
1. When manually activated by pulling, then suddenly releasing the cord, do you other Drop Zone users hear a similar noise? I describe the noise as the eraser end of a pencil hitting a wood table. It's loud enough for me to want to eliminate it!
2. You guys have any speculation as to what may be causing this noise?
There aren't many moving parts in this thing so it's almost embarrassing not to have found it yet.
Any help or description of what you find with your Drop Zone rest would be appreciated.
Fritz, I wish I could help ya. I haven't had the first problem with the drop-zone. Have you tried contacting the Trophy Ridge? You haven't had it very long, either have you? I have only shot mine about 250 shots, but it is still whisper quiet. I hope you find out what the problem is.
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"It's not the size of the dog in the fight..... It's the size of the fight in the dog."
I wish I could help you with this one but my experience with the Dropzone is limited. I have set up a couple for customers but have not really had a chance to tear one apart and tinker with it myself.
Hopefully TR gets back to you. I have heard nothing but positive comments regarding their customer service.
Just to be sure we're on the same page Swamp Dawg, when you pull the cord back all the way and let it go, what, if any, sound do you here?
Fritz, it's kind of funny. I thought I heard absolutely nothing, but I just went and checked, and there is a noticeable "doink" when the arm is released from a full draw. Not enough for me to worry about, but it is definitely there. As far as drawing back, I hear nothing.
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"It's not the size of the dog in the fight..... It's the size of the fight in the dog."
It's funny, but most of the reports I've read here on this site about the drop zone have been negative while the guys at AT praise it.
It is a monster rest; the biggest and heaviest I have ever seen.
I'm surprised it is so popular being that big and heavy.
Guys are always putting down my HTM sights for the same reasons.
...Too big and heavy!
Thanks Swamp Dawg for checking. I'm probably overly concerned about this since I had a friend stand next to the bow during a release and he said he heard nothing other than the twang of the bow sstring. I wanted more than anything to make sure I hadn't gotten one of those bum 1 in 10 rests that I've heard about.
This issue aside, I've been happy with the rest so far. It is one of the larger rests out there, but doesn't even compare to the Muzzy in terms of weight. The draw cycle is also very quiet out of the box which is why I chose it against the Trophy Taker. The reason I say this is because despite my initial concerns, I don't want to scare others from what is a really good arrow rest in my opinion. It's been easy to adjust and fletching clearance hasn't been an issue at all, even with the 5" monster shield feathers I'm using.
Thanks for trying that out alloutdoors! It's nice to finally read about someone else's experiences, "Inside the Drop Zone" - could be a movie, eh?
I had a hunch it was the end of the brass cylinder hitting the inside side of the rest, due to play in the bushings that surround the long screws. Based on your testing I guess it was a little more than that. I'll have to get some moleskin and try out your solution.
I'll also look into some sort of draw stopper for the cord...maybe one of those rubber knocking points?
As I said in an earlier post, my buddy couldn't hear the rest at all when actually shot, so all of this discussion may be a little redundant and ridiculous. It is winter though and why not perfect a great rest. Who knows, maybe they'll incorporate some of these things in a future version.
Drop Zone Noise Revisited
