Have GPS trackers "eliminated" fly-aways?

[Michigan_PI]

I will preface this by stating that, although I read most of the new threads, I find some of the longer ones quite boring and can't seem to make it through 22 pages.

I have yet to read about someone having a "fly-away" with a GPS tracker attached.
Could it be that attaching a GPS tracker eliminates the need for one?
Again, it may have been posted and I missed it.

 

[Pull_Up]

No, i just think a true flyaway is a much rarer incident than "the internet" would make you think. The vast majority who've had no issues don't tend to post a "my Phantom's flown fine for hundreds of hours" video or forum post. It may also be that the people who go to the trouble of placing trackers are also the sort of people to be fastidious in their pre-flight checks, fly in appropriate conditions, pay attention to aircraft behaviours, perform quality compass calibrations in appropriate areas, and maintain their equipment...

 

[schatz]

I bought and stuck a tracker on the top of my Phantom before I ever flew it. First day, third flight, I put it into a row of trees/bushes and had a hard time finding it. I called the tracker expecting a text back, nothing. I eventually found it right at eye level.

The battery compartment had enough space in it for the battery to rattle loose. I have fixed that with some velcro tape to fill the gap and snug the battery in.

Just another thing to check if you are using a tracker.


Related, does anyone make a beeper that is small and light and beeps every 30-60 seconds?

 

[witold]

Depending on where you fly, you might end up with a false sense of security.

GPS signal reception is going to suck if your Phantom falls into the brush in the woods, and your cell phone reception might or might not work. That's assuming that your SIM card is still valid, which is yet another thing you need to stay on top of.

BTW, I was recently flying FPV, crashed into some trees. I had a very small area to search and it still took me 4 days to find my rig. You will be surprised just how quickly things disappear in some trees and brush.

 

[flyNfrank]

GPS Trackers are in noway meant to eliminate a Fly-Away. The purpose of any GPS Tracker we install is there to help insure us to find our quad in case of a fly-away.

The gps tracker I use is setup so both my wife and I can track my quad in real time. She knows when I'm away flying I don't answer my phone while in flight. So the app used for my tracker allows her with a couple of taps of the finger to see both my phone, and the tracker as long as it's activated in flight on google's map. She then sends a text letting me know when supper will be ready, or pick up something on my way home.

By the way, Iost my 1st quad to a fly-away and I feel certain it happened due to a faulty S1 switch that unknowingly was switching back and forth between the GPS and Atti modes. The Atti mode allows the quad to drift like a balloon and before I knew what was going on it had drifted out far enough that I was unable regain control again

 

[DownunderPhantom]

Tackers have no bearing on fly-aways. If it flies away it flies away, the tracker is there to aid in finding the bird if it does fly away.

 

[M.Tigelaar]

I bought and stuck a tracker on the top of my Phantom before I ever flew it.

On top is not a good place because you blokking the GPS of the bird,
and if there not enough satellites then the bird goes to ATTI and go drifting on the wind. :|

 

[Clipper707]

Tackers have no bearing on fly-aways. If it flies away it flies away, the tracker is there to aid in finding the bird if it does fly away.

Or to put it another way:

Trackers don't eliminate fly-aways. They enable recoveries.

 

[Gizmo3000]

The odds of encountering a true flyaway are considerably rare to begin with., (I don't know the odds, but they've gotta be low or we'd be reading about them a LOT more).
then take into account the number of people who are flying with trackers attached, which is probably fairly low as well.
put both odds together and you end up with a very slight chance someone WITH a GPS tracker will encounter a true flyaway.

I've honestly yet to read of any GPS tracked Phantom actually being recovered.

I've attached a GPS tracker to my Phantom and F450, after experiencing a flyaway of my own, so I fly with more confidence I'll recover it if it does fly away, but I'd say my chances are still the same that it will fly away.

 

[Michigan_PI]

No, i just think a true flyaway is a much rarer incident than "the internet" would make you think. The vast majority who've had no issues don't tend to post a "my Phantom's flown fine for hundreds of hours" video or forum post. It may also be that the people who go to the trouble of placing trackers are also the sort of people to be fastidious in their pre-flight checks, fly in appropriate conditions, pay attention to aircraft behaviours, perform quality compass calibrations in appropriate areas, and maintain their equipment...

The odds of encountering a true flyaway are considerably rare to begin with., (I don't know the odds, but they've gotta be low or we'd be reading about them a LOT more).
then take into account the number of people who are flying with trackers attached, which is probably fairly low as well.
put both odds together and you end up with a very slight chance someone WITH a GPS tracker will encounter a true flyaway.

I've honestly yet to read of any GPS tracked Phantom actually being recovered.

I've attached a GPS tracker to my Phantom and F450, after experiencing a flyaway of my own, so I fly with more confidence I'll recover it if it does fly away, but I'd say my chances are still the same that it will fly away.

These were the two responses I was looking for. The post was meant to make us ask ourselves "Why have we not heard of a TRUE fly-away with a GPS attached"
Both you guys are spot on. A true fly-away, at least with a P2V+ is a very rare occurrence. Pull_up, you add even more bringing up the point that those who put out that extra effort to properly install a tracker are going to make sure their bird is in top condition prior to flying, not go out in questionable conditions or take other risks.

I know the tracker is installed for recovery in the unlikely event of a fly-away or other un-planned event.
My point is that with literally thousands of flights with tracker equipped Phantoms, not one reported true fly-away (at least that I have read about) which brings the odds of a true fly-away somewhere in the ballpark of getting hit by lightning or attacked by a shark.
I'm not saying that it can't happen, just not at the frequency that the internet suggests.
There is always such a thing as being unlucky: http://youtu.be/mjI8AxZnrx8?t=22s

 

[schatz]

I bought and stuck a tracker on the top of my Phantom before I ever flew it.

On top is not a good place because you blokking the GPS of the bird,
and if there not enough satellites then the bird goes to ATTI and go drifting on the wind. :|

Thank you very much M.Tigelar!

Where would you folks suggest I attach it where it would not interfere?

thx

 

[M.Tigelaar]

I have him here

 

[Michigan_PI]

I have the TAGG on the belly behind the camera:
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=15262&p=144721#p144721

 

[yali]

GPS Trackers are in noway meant to eliminate a Fly-Away. The purpose of any GPS Tracker we install is there to help insure us to find our quad in case of a fly-away.

The gps tracker I use is setup so both my wife and I can track my quad in real time. She knows when I'm away flying I don't answer my phone while in flight. So the app used for my tracker allows her with a couple of taps of the finger to see both my phone, and the tracker as long as it's activated in flight on google's map. She then sends a text letting me know when supper will be ready, or pick up something on my way home.

By the way, Iost my 1st quad to a fly-away and I feel certain it happened due to a faulty S1 switch that unknowingly was switching back and forth between the GPS and Atti modes. The Atti mode allows the quad to drift like a balloon and before I knew what was going on it had drifted out far enough that I was unable regain control again

Even though you are in atto mode, it will still go home when you cut the control signal or it loses the control control signal. When it had drifted out far enough that you were unable regain control again, it will fly home by itself even in atti mode. So you fly-away is NOT due to faulty S1 switch. It must be something else!

 

[M.Tigelaar]

Perhaps in combination with too few satellites

 

[Birdman]

Perhaps in combination with too few satellites

…or not waiting to launch until a home position has been established. Sometimes it takes my Phantom 3 or 4 minutes after turning on before I get the "green light".

 

[M.Tigelaar]

Perhaps in combination with too few satellites

…or not waiting to launch until a home position has been established. Sometimes it takes my Phantom 3 or 4 minutes after turning on before I get the "green light".

Dit you do the GPS mod?
viewtopic.php?f=27&t=19099

 

[flyNfrank]

GPS Trackers are in noway meant to eliminate a Fly-Away. The purpose of any GPS Tracker we install is there to help insure us to find our quad in case of a fly-away.

The gps tracker I use is setup so both my wife and I can track my quad in real time. She knows when I'm away flying I don't answer my phone while in flight. So the app used for my tracker allows her with a couple of taps of the finger to see both my phone, and the tracker as long as it's activated in flight on google's map. She then sends a text letting me know when supper will be ready, or pick up something on my way home.

By the way, Iost my 1st quad to a fly-away and I feel certain it happened due to a faulty S1 switch that unknowingly was switching back and forth between the GPS and Atti modes. The Atti mode allows the quad to drift like a balloon and before I knew what was going on it had drifted out far enough that I was unable regain control again

Even though you are in atto mode, it will still go home when you cut the control signal or it loses the control control signal. When it had drifted out far enough that you were unable regain control again, it will fly home by itself even in atti mode. So you fly-away is NOT due to faulty S1 switch. It must be something else!

That might be the case if the if the switch went to the Atti mode and stayed in that position. As I said, my switch was faulty. It would at random switch back and forth between the two settings. And if Atti drifts long enough, it will drift beyond reception and sit down due to no gps to transmit. I have a actual video showing how the quad reacted to the faulty switch a week earlier. At the time I did not know the switch was causing what was shown in the video.

 

[schatz]

Smart! Is that platform purchased, or DIY?

 

[M.Tigelaar]

Smart! Is that platform purchased, or DIY?

this one is DIY,
but you like this :
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:374894