Rod I'm right there with you on the health ins. your in a little different boat then I'm but DC's trying to catch.
any way of tracking a lost phantom? or stolen....
- Thread starter redrum448
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I've got a TILE, if you know whereabouts the drone went down, it can be useful, even with it's limited range, you could walk right past it within a couple of metres in brush or dense undergrowth. I sincerely hope not to be forced to test this theory.
RodPad
Premium Pilot
You need to test it!
Turn your phone off or the Bluetooth part, Put it on your dog or kid, or have somebody hide it. Then turn on your phone or Bluetooth on. Then let us know was it Good Bad or Ugly.
My testing was 100' with a Trackr with out any obstacles. My P2V could be 150' to 200' up in some old growth firs. Do wish I had something on it.
Rod
RodPad
Premium Pilot
Oops, it's a NUT, not a TILE, but the same sort of thing, it's a bit rubbish now I've tested it, max range is a very disappointing 10 metres, now you can call off Arnie, RodPad. An actual TILE may be a better bet, maybe better bluetooth, I'll try one of them next.
RodPad
Premium Pilot
Thanks for the update, Probably not going to be any better the Bluetooth power is pretty low.
Maybe we can build a windsurfer booster for our phones.
I tested out my tile on my gimble guard the other week. I had a wreck....long story and the gimble guard did it's job to protect the camera, but fell off while doing it. The gimble guard had my tile on it and I wanted to find it. So the next day I got in the general location where it was until my phone picked it up.....I used the map function and my son found it in under 30 seconds.
RodPad
Premium Pilot
Thanks, all input is good, I like to test things (what if's).
I would do a test by placing it, say at least 200 yards away without any devices linked to it (Bluetooth).
Knowing where it is, see how close you have to get before you actually pick up its location. Next step would be to hide it, and have somebody find it. If the person hiding it or placing it, is connected to it, then that's not a test.
My thought is that when you crashed, you were already close enough to the tile, and your phone, tablet, had already picked up the signal and its location was logged. If not you knew about the area to look anyway. What if this area you started to look in was 25 acres, and it was in a tree, 200' up.
My tests with Bluetooth about 100'
Never tested a Tile, you prompt me to try one.
Thanks, Rod
I use the Marco Polo tracking system. Works like a charm.
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Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots mobile app
RodPad
Premium Pilot
For sure, I put a small piece of Velcro on my dog's tag. And I stuck Marco on her for the afternoon.
She usually hangs around the house, she can come and go through a door on the other side of the house.
Most of the time she is just in her bed. But when we haven't seen her for 1/2 to 1 hr, you start to wonder and half to go look for her. Sometimes she isn't there.
So put Marco on (Monitoring and the Near setting).
I always know how close my wife is.
Rod
There is a gadget called Bad Elf you can attach to your drone.
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Sent from my Nexus 6 using PhantomPilots mobile app
I reviewed most of the Drone Trackers and decided to buy a Marco Polo as it doesn't need cellular coverage that doesn't even exist anyway where I live. The day after I received it I sent my Drone out across extremely rough mountain country up at 8,000 plus feet ASL in the Rocky Mountains right after I had charged the Marco Polo batteries. My Drone encountered the top of a Ponderosa Pine Tree at about 8,500' ASL 1/2 mile away. The Marco Polo transmitter sends out an RF Signal once activated by the Receiver. Without even reading the user manual I turned on the receiver and followed the signal and directional arrow. The weak signal progressively got stronger and led me to my P4 laying upside down under a fallen tree trunk. I'd have never found it as in the past 10 years that I have lived in the area where it fell is not an easy place to get to! It's heavily wooded with no homes close by. You could walk for miles without homes. The first snows arrive in September and it can still snow thru the following June with snow that can get up to 8 plus feet deep. It's the best accessory that I could have ever bought for my P4!
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Sent from my SM-N910V using PhantomPilots mobile app
captainmilehigh
Premium Pilot
Good to hear you found it. Hope it's not too banged up. I too use a Marco Polo tracker on my Phantom due to weak or no cell service where I fly. In testing it worked great, even hidden really well by a friend who laughed his butt off every time I walked by it.
Good luck getting back in the air. That Marco Polo is worth every dime, huh?
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Good luck getting back in the air. That Marco Polo is worth every dime, huh?
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RodPad
Premium Pilot
I received a quote from state farm insurance on the phantom 4 and it's $75 per year. I think that is really cheap considering i'll get it replaced if it gets lost, stolen or broken.
RodPad
Premium Pilot
Any deductible?
What if you tell them it is lost or stolen, then what, does your rates go up?
How many times a year can you make this claim?
What will you sell me your replacement for?
Rod
$0 deductible. and i don't know about rate increases. even if they raise bu another $5-15 still well worth getting your $1400 back.
I have read on the DJI forum where a user had to use the policy twice in a year.
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