This seems like a good idea. For around $150 it offers some measure of safety that you might find it in a Fly Away.
What are most folks using and is it a worthwhile investment?
What are most folks using and is it a worthwhile investment?
GPS Tracking Device ???
- Thread starter RoyB
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I use the PocketFinder. No cell service needed, the monthly fee covers all. It has a great app, it's light, has an internal battery that can't fall out in a crash and it's waterproof.
Many use the TK-102. A good device (watch out for clones, they are everywhere!) but requires a cell account & SIM card.
It really comes down to personal preference.
Many use the TK-102. A good device (watch out for clones, they are everywhere!) but requires a cell account & SIM card.
It really comes down to personal preference.
I looked into Pocket Finder. Seems like the easiest way to go. What model are you using....Vehicle, People or Pet
Except for the auto version they are all the same. I have had mine for a couple years and back then they didn't have different versions. It is still the same tracker for all but cars. I bought what they called at the time the 'ballistic' holder, I think it is now called the pet cover. It is a cloth holder with a clip that I attached to the camera guard that spans the landing gear.
Just looked, the 'ballistic' cover comes in the pet & senior version. Otherwise it's a rubber cover & it is big. Thats what mine came with.
Just looked, the 'ballistic' cover comes in the pet & senior version. Otherwise it's a rubber cover & it is big. Thats what mine came with.
I just checked some reviews on Pocket Finder...Not good at all. Seems the Trackimo gets great reviews and is sold by a few RC shops exactly for this use. And only $5 a month after the first free year. Anyone have any experience with it?
I have the DroneMods locator. It was $129 and $60 a year for unlimited service. Now, it does require cell service which most everyone has. If I am ever in an area with no cell service which never happens, I can move to an area with service, call the tracker and get the coordinates and enter them into my handheld gps and go back and track the downed bird. I also use this tracker in my car, work van, and anything I want to track. So I'm not limited to a mile or two as some are. It will report its position anywhere in the country I live in. USA. I have had it for almost two years and like it.
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I use a Trackimo (got mine on Amazon). You can also sometimes find them on eBay for a reasonable price. There is only one version, so the RC shops are selling the same Trackimo that you'll find on Amazon/eBay. I like it because it's easy to setup, easy to use, has an app for mobile devices (I use the iPhone app), and it has a reasonable monthly fee.
You'll need to fly in locations that have good cell service in order to use this. If you often fly in locations that have no/spotty cell service, then the Marco Polo tracker is the way to go.
The Trackimo is only 2G which I understand will be shut down soon. I can't seem to find if the Drone Mod is 3g or not. Anyone know?
I use the RF-V16 (~$48) with an AT&T SIM ($10/mo) that allows me to track the GPS location from my cellphone... I can also call the mobile number and listen/talk through the device for interaction with anyone who finds it...
Obviously, the only constraint is availability of GSM service (cell) so it's not so good in absolute wilderness... but I don't find myself flying in places where there's no cell service from AT&T (yet)... so, it's an inexpensive solution...
Obviously, the only constraint is availability of GSM service (cell) so it's not so good in absolute wilderness... but I don't find myself flying in places where there's no cell service from AT&T (yet)... so, it's an inexpensive solution...
Yes, but apparently the flytrex live 3G is not completely compatible with the P3, and a lot of P3 owners are having problems with Flytrex Live 3G on their P3 crafts.
I just stumbled across these UHF beacons. There are many to choose from, and have many configurations for each users needs. These require a PMR 2 way radio - I recommend the BaoFeng UV-B5 for $30 on Ebay from a USA seller.
3 options I found reasonable:
Beacon-rf-0002 (version 2 Beacon V2) costs $18 and is capable of easily 2km using 446 Mhz band PMR walky talky. Seems very reliable with a little practice- very similar to "Fox Hunting".
Others I found on the WWW
tBeacon UHF Lost Model Beacon $50
tBeacon UHF Lost Model Beacon Review, Part One - RC Groups
this one is interesting because it broadcasts the actual GPS coordinates over UHF - smart
RC BEACON $40
Site Map – PMB-NZ – rcbeacon.com
3 options I found reasonable:
Beacon-rf-0002 (version 2 Beacon V2) costs $18 and is capable of easily 2km using 446 Mhz band PMR walky talky. Seems very reliable with a little practice- very similar to "Fox Hunting".
Others I found on the WWW
tBeacon UHF Lost Model Beacon $50
tBeacon UHF Lost Model Beacon Review, Part One - RC Groups
this one is interesting because it broadcasts the actual GPS coordinates over UHF - smart
RC BEACON $40
Site Map – PMB-NZ – rcbeacon.com
I purchased a TK-102 on Amazon for around $24. It may be a clone, but it does work well. I am using H2OWireless. The SIM was free and I am paying $10 every 3 months for service so it is pretty affordable.
I also have a Whistle pet tracker on my dog. Its pretty rugged since its made to be on a pet. It was about $90 and is $10/mo. It would probably make a decent UAV tracker actually (just detach dog first!).
the whistle pack reminds me of the "TrackR Bravo" system which uses bluetooth 4.0. The refresh rate is not modifiable and therefore not able to be used for quad search and recovery since you must be near it when the tracker module "pings" your phone. Have you used your Whistle in real life situation and been able to find something you lost? So far with the TrackR Bravo I have lost my phone keys and wallet and they have only helped me after searching for several hours when the device pings my phone. The range is actually very short with bluetooth 4.0 sadly...
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I bought the Trackimo several months ago and really like it. I got the first year free. And as I understand it , it also uses GPS mode in addition to cell towers so I'm not sure why people are saying it doesn't use GPS as the RC store on Amazon clearly states that it does.
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The summary is T-mobile will be the only 2G left and they don't plan to shut down while most others have or will.
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The Whistle tracker is cellular, not BT. It does have a base-station it connects to wireless, but it uses 900Mhz. The purpose of the base station is to save battery. When the unit is in close range to the base it will not use cellular.
As I mentioned, the Whistle (Whistle GPS Pet Tracker | Whistle) is designed for pets bit I think could easily be used for a UAV. My dog gets out on a regular bases and it tells me exactly where he is. There is an app or you can text it and it will reply with the street address of its location. I have found the address location VERY accurate. I have done a lot of testing walking around my neighborhood querying it and it always right on target. It is IP67 rated so it will probably survive even if your UAV does not. I need to figure out a good way to attach it to the Phantom, but it should not be hard.
