Anyone using a GPS tracker?
- Thread starter Toph
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alokbhargava
Premium Pilot
How about mounting your old iPhone onto P3 and use Find my phone App to get location of your P3.
That would work great until you lost GPS/Cell service. Does the GPS in old iphone work if the phone is no longer being paid for?
alokbhargava
Premium Pilot
GPS in old phone will continue to work even if there is no cell service but you will not be able to communicate with it unless it has cell service or wireless connectivity.
Tooh,
I use the Marco Polo system on all 3 of my birds. It comes with a hand held tracker. All you need to do is be within approx 2 miles of where it went down to find it. My wife and I tested it and it performed very well in the field. No subscription or service fees.
RC Model Tracking and Recovery - Pet Tracking Made Easy | Marco Polo The Pet Tracking System
Jerry
My question is different.
Now that the cost of these are nor 500 -1000,
What real value is having a tracker?
In the case you actually need it the quad had disappeared from site and it will do one of the following:
1. flys with wind until battery dies and crashes.
2. flys until low battery and hovers rth alttiude, till battery dead and crashes
3. flys into object and crashes
4. flys into tree and gets hung up, maybe best scenario unless so high......
5 etc.
Now when it crashes you need to be able to find and to reach it.
OCEAN landing --forget it
lake landing-- maybe
freeway landing--- ouch
tall tree or forest -- even if found can you get it?
fenced private property etc... good luck maybe.
Now if you do find it how much to fix / repair if fixable.
If you don't find it or unfixable your out the cost of quad and tracker....
So my insurance method was to buy a used same quad, a P3s for 399.
I got a spare battery(value 150) to have and use NOW, we all need batteries , right.
and
net cost of a WHOLE QUAD for 250(399-150) AND IT FUN AS WELL!
did same when I had my vision plus as well.
at current cost is the tracker really cost effective anymore.
With that in mind I wonder how many successful recoveries have been made of salvageable quads via them>
I have had P1,couple or 3 p2's and now have 3 p3's, sold the ones I don't have now---no flyaway .lol
good luck and have fun flying
Now that the cost of these are nor 500 -1000,
What real value is having a tracker?
In the case you actually need it the quad had disappeared from site and it will do one of the following:
1. flys with wind until battery dies and crashes.
2. flys until low battery and hovers rth alttiude, till battery dead and crashes
3. flys into object and crashes
4. flys into tree and gets hung up, maybe best scenario unless so high......
5 etc.
Now when it crashes you need to be able to find and to reach it.
OCEAN landing --forget it
lake landing-- maybe
freeway landing--- ouch
tall tree or forest -- even if found can you get it?
fenced private property etc... good luck maybe.
Now if you do find it how much to fix / repair if fixable.
If you don't find it or unfixable your out the cost of quad and tracker....
So my insurance method was to buy a used same quad, a P3s for 399.
I got a spare battery(value 150) to have and use NOW, we all need batteries , right.
and
net cost of a WHOLE QUAD for 250(399-150) AND IT FUN AS WELL!
did same when I had my vision plus as well.
at current cost is the tracker really cost effective anymore.
With that in mind I wonder how many successful recoveries have been made of salvageable quads via them>
I have had P1,couple or 3 p2's and now have 3 p3's, sold the ones I don't have now---no flyaway .lol
good luck and have fun flying
I have used a TK103b in our fleet of vans at work, They make a TK108, all in one tracker, works off a SIM card. The trackers are less than $40 and a data only sim will run you about $11 a month. Drawbacks, the 108 is 5 inch square, extra weight also. I can mount this on a 550 or larger, no problem.. Not sure where I would put it on a phantom.
The TK103 comes with an internal backup battery that last a few days
There are smaller 'all in one' TK versions, under $100.
But, I'm with kirk, if your bird falls 200+ feet, what is it exactly your looking for? and couldn't you get a general location from the GO app?
The TK103 comes with an internal backup battery that last a few days
There are smaller 'all in one' TK versions, under $100.
But, I'm with kirk, if your bird falls 200+ feet, what is it exactly your looking for? and couldn't you get a general location from the GO app?
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I've always been a firm user a Flytrex hate flying without it. When my signal cuts out and I'm waiting for to come back I can flip the app open see that my bird is flying safely to me until I regain my signal. What I'm trying to make it back from 30,000 feet. And I just don't have enough battery I can land in an emergency landing spot while I'm walking to my vehicle to go retrieve it I can open the app and see that it landed there safely.
Not to mention the flight log. After the cost of the unit, The Sim card cost $10 for three months.
Not to mention the flight log. After the cost of the unit, The Sim card cost $10 for three months.
In the only instance where I used it but didn't really need to, it could have saved my bird. I tried to do a 5 mile Litchi GS run with my P2V+ and the bird fell short. Got a low battery alert and the bird couldn't make it home. Fell short by about 1-2k feet. The bird initiated an auto-land. Because I had pre-planned the flight very thoroughly beforehand I knew about where it had gone down. It had landed in an already harvested corn field. I used the tracker just to test it and it pinpointed it right away. Found the bird in perfect condition in the cornfield. If I hadn't pre-planned the flight or if the corn had not been harvested, I would have probably lost the bird.
As noted, it won't do any good if you land in water but anywhere else at least it's recoverable. Just my opinion but I wouldn't fly any type of distance runs without my trackers.
Jerry
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flytrex on my P3P[/
Yeah,baby, i like when i'm flying and get texts from friends that are alerted of my liveflight, theyre yelling" are you crazy turn around fly home!!!"
dirty
definitely a value for that long run stuff like you run, have read a few your posts for sure.
to be able land remotely if needed and find it is one scenario I overlooked for sure, pretty neat way to save it.
I was mostly thinking folks like me that just fly within a few thousand feet or so just for fun and stuff.
take care and good luck
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Be careful, most of em that price are 3g units not compatable for p3! P3 requires "live plus" model( no red power wire)
What you use I think depends on where you do most of your flying.
Marco Polo is probably the best if you fly in areas where cellular service is spotty or non existent.
In areas where solid cellular service is present, a TK102B or TK109B are very inexpensive and very reliable devices for locating.
Typically $20-$40 for the device and $3.00 per month (average) for service.
If you want to spend more, Trackimo for $140 plus I think $60 for 3 months is an alternative.
I use a TK109B.
Marco Polo is probably the best if you fly in areas where cellular service is spotty or non existent.
In areas where solid cellular service is present, a TK102B or TK109B are very inexpensive and very reliable devices for locating.
Typically $20-$40 for the device and $3.00 per month (average) for service.
If you want to spend more, Trackimo for $140 plus I think $60 for 3 months is an alternative.
I use a TK109B.
Finding the pieces gives you closure. And sometimes a video as a memento.
Then again, it "could" land on something very soft and have little damage. (Optimistic)
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