I hope this is helpful information for others.   I purchased a Trackimo GPS/GSM tracker for my P2V+ and have been really happy with it.  It does require GSM network to respond but my area is strong GSM and they say it works anywhere there is GSM network worldwide.  I have experianced no noticeable change in fly characteristics and I feel better know it's there should I have a dreaded "Fly Away".  I researched several other trackers including Flytrex, Garmin, Marco Polo, and others. I chose the Trackimo because it met the basic requirements that I had established for myself.  It may not be the best answer for everyone but for me it represents a good insurance policy against a fly away loss.  I picked it up on Amazon - just search Trackimo, there are several vendors.

My Requirements:

1. Accuracy    - I haven't lost my Phantom but I have put the tracker on the dashboard of my car and it is amazingly accurate.  It correctly shows the parking spot  where I left my car.  Surprisingly, it even reported while stored in my Phantom case, in my office, at work.  Accuracy was impacted but still reasonable, maybe 10-20 meters off.   I didn't expect that.

2. Battery life must be good
    - I've been able to get about 72 hours of life out of the system with it reporting it's location every minute.  I should be able to get more if I report ever 5 minutes or more.  That should be enought to find it if I start with a full charge.


3. History tracking
- it places a location on a map in the app/website every minute as I currently have it configured.  This was important to me in the event someone should find my fly away phantom before I do; maybe I can track them too.  Not real time tracking like Flytrex but I wanted more for fly away insurance.


4. Phone App to get current location
    -iPhone and Android plus a web site for the guy with a Windows phone.


5. I don't want to call it to get a status/location
    - Automatically updates at a frequency set in the website or app.  It also has an "on the move" report, geofences, and an SOS button that can be pushed.  These all result in an email to you and notification on the App and website.


6. I don't want to mod my Phantom as it is still under warranty
    - This is one of two things that kept me from the FlyTrex which is so very cool.  (1) I didn't want to solder anything to my ESCs with all the issues I'm       seeing and then void my warranty.  (2) Cost at $99 including a year of service it was less expensive and met my needs.   


7.  Weight
- 42 grams

Here are some pictures of it on my Phantom.  
     

Installed on my P2V+ with it's protective cover

-TSP181

TSP181, Ummm what is a " GSM Network", sorry I'm not that savvy???
Thank you

im not an electrical engineer so pardon if this is a stupid question, but are there any considerations to make with regards to interference with a device like this and the flight gps location hardware/software of the drone?  ive been looking at a number of tracking safeguards and some do not do active transmission but just reply to a ping from a handheld etc so i wasnt sure if that was, in fact, any better or if it was a non-issue to begin with.

thanks i ordered  one and already having one fly away not looking for that again.

tomwolves585@gm Posted at 2015-1-12 00:48
TSP181, Ummm what is a " GSM Network", sorry I'm not that savvy???
Thank you

GSM is the cell type of phone network used by ATT, T-Mobile, and probably others in the US (not Verizon they use CDMA).  GSM is the most common network worldwide I'm told.   

   

gnixon2015 Posted at 2015-1-12 00:55
im not an electrical engineer so pardon if this is a stupid question, but are there any consideratio ...

I'm not an expert on this either.  I read a lot of things here and on other forums on the topic of interferance from this style of tracker.  There was a lot written but it seemed to me the preponderance of input was they are on a frequency far enough away from the RC controller and wifi extender there won't be any interference.   So far, I have seen no change in controls or FPV.   Fingers crossed it stays that way.   

great points tsp, can any 'experts' comment on the 'frequency' point he made or whehter interference from an active GPS tracker is a material concern for flyaways?  last thing i want is to cause a flyaway with the thing i put on to minimize the impact of one haha.

TSP181 Posted at 2015-1-12 01:29
GSM is the cell type of phone network used by ATT, T-Mobile, and probably others in the US (not Ve ...

Oh!! guess it wouldn't work for me then as I have Verizon. Thank you

tomwolves585@gm Posted at 2015-1-12 02:00
Oh!! guess it wouldn't work for me then as I have Verizon. Thank you

No,no.  You don't need to have any particular carrier.  You just need to have a provider where you fly that uses GSM.   It doesn't add onto your existing account.   Totally separate service.   Hope that helps.  

99 dollars a year is actually more expensive then simply mounting a small cell phone I have seen this done on motorcycles for use as a location gps device and you may be able to use the cell phone for other ideas like when you get close enough just call it and listen for the ring.

gnixon2015 Posted at 2015-1-12 01:40
great points tsp, can any 'experts' comment on the 'frequency' point he made or whehter interference ...

Amen, brother!   I dont't want create my own fly away!   :O

I found this cell phone frequency chart on Wikipedia.   Nothing close to 2.4ghz or 5.8ghz.  
[tr][/tr]

Carrier

UHF Voice Frequencies

3G UHF Frequency / Band name

4G UHF Frequency / Band number

3G Technology

4G Technology

800 MHz

850 MHz

1700 MHz 2100 MHz

1900 MHz

850 MHz

1700 MHz 2100 MHz

1900 MHz

700 MHz

750 MHz

800 MHz

850 MHz

1700 MHz 2100 MHz

1900 MHz

2500 MHz

GSM HSPA+

CDMA EVDO

WiMax

LTE

CLR

AWS

PCS

12,17

13

26

5

4

2,25

41

AT&T Mobility

T-Mobile US

*

*

Sprint Corporation

†

§

Verizon Wireless

U.S. Cellular

TSP181 Posted at 2015-1-12 02:11
No,no.  You don't need to have any particular carrier.  You just need to have a provider where you ...

Well my WIFI provider is Verizon, who do I pay the monthly fee too for the Trackimo? I'm confused.....lOl
sorry

tomwolves585@gm Posted at 2015-1-12 06:04
Well my WIFI provider is Verizon, who do I pay the monthly fee too for the Trackimo? I'm confused. ...

You actually pay Trackimo.  The purchase price included the first year of service.  Then it is $4.95 per month after the first year, I believe.  They must have a way of using any network and the paying carriers back.  I imagine it is like roaming.    A year from now they'll likely have a smaller improved model and I'll consider just replacing it and get another year of service.

as mentioned i am evaluating multiple options on this topic.  
one drawback i see with this is 'cell coverage', there are going to be many situations that im in where ill be flying where cell coverage might be spotty.  if i have a flyaway then, this wont do me much good (like some of the other options ive seen here in the forums).  now those other options have their own downsides, but making sure im thinking about this right, if i am in the mountains and my cell isnt working then likely if my drone crashes a mile away in some canyon, this will never help me find it (i think??).  

but other than that (cost, size, etc) i really like this option.  dont like paying some random international company for a year service versus an att, verizon, etc just because of the likelihood of bad business service, practices, etc that could impact my service during the year (maybe without me even knowing).

gnixon2015 Posted at 2015-1-12 06:39
as mentioned i am evaluating multiple options on this topic.  
one drawback i see with this is 'cell ...

Yup.  Cell coverage is required.  Hey, maybe we could invent the satphone version of this device!

TSP181, their website now shows an Android app.  What parameters can we set for tracking?  I'd like minute by minute updates while flying but could be updated every 12 hours while it is at my house.  is that easy and possible?

HermosaDrones Posted at 2015-1-13 00:11
TSP181, their website now shows an Android app.  What parameters can we set for tracking?  I'd like  ...

It appears you would have change the report rate on line or in the app.   I only use it with my phantom so I jus turn it off when I put it back in the case with my phantom.  

TSP, i see you posted the freq comparison and yes, i see how this thing wouldnt interfere with my RC controller, what im curious about is whether it COULD interfere with the internal GPS module on the phantom (ie- having two GPS modules that close to each other causing the phantom to not interpret incoming signals properly or not get good locks, those kinds of things).  of course, now that you are using it, you can probably rule that out by experience versus what is theoretically possible but that is what i was asking about inteference wise not interfering with the RC/controller commands.

Having experience with GPS but not so much specifically with UAVs, I can tell you that having multiple GPS receivers in close proximity with each other should not be a problem.  

TSP181, my Trackimo arrived today and is charging up.  Did you mount it directly onto your P2 with the regular cover or did you use the included belt clip thing to attach it?  Any problems with the double sided tape losing its grip?  And then I assume oyu just slip the silicone cover over it to keep it clean and dry, yes?

HermosaDrones Posted at 2015-1-15 08:06
TSP181, my Trackimo arrived today and is charging up.  Did you mount it directly onto your P2 with t ...

I just used the double sided Velcro.  Give it a twist back and forth when you put on and it sticks really well for me.   Yes, the cover just slips on to protect it from the elements.   Oh, and follow the instructions carefully.  The first activation takes quite a while.   Good luck, I hope you have as good of luck as I have with it.  

I installed my Trackimo this evening. I left the silicone cover off as it added another 10g.  It was easy to setup and was already charged when I got it.

The issue with the interference would not be the main cell frequency, it would be a harmonic produced by the RF circuitry in the tracker that the Phantom might be susceptible to.

drone@jatobserv Posted at 2015-1-15 12:09
I installed my Trackimo this evening. I left the silicone cover off as it added another 10g.  It was ...

Looks good.  You're right about the extra weight for the cover.   Maybe the cover is overkill.  
Did you use the Velcro option too?

BTW, that custom paint job on your bird is sweet.

drone, yes love the paint job.  also, thanks for sharing pics, im strongly considering the trackimo for its size and capability.

can you elaborate on teh RF interference comment?  i get how you and dave are saying the GPS devices that close wont cause any issues, but i'd be interested on what you mean by the other potential consideration.

TSP181 - Yes I used the velco. I was going to attach it with double sided tape then I decide I might want to use the Trackimo for other stuff, so the velco allows me to get it off easy. I will be attaching a tether in case the velco fails if flight. Also as far as the silicone case the main reason I didn't use it was I wanted those 10g back for the Flytrex flight data logger that was also installed tonight. You can see it attached to bottom left leg. It weighs 10g including the cable and microSD card.

GNIXON - I am not saying a tracker that uses GSM service can't interfere with the Phantom. The problem is it won't be the primary GSM frequency that would cause the issue i.e. 800, 850, 1700 etc. It would be a harmonic. Transmitters  use a local oscillator (LO) frequency mixed with a intermediate frequency (IF) to generated  the prime frequency.  The oscillators generate harmonics which are multiples (higher or lower frequencies) of the prime frequency. These harmonics are also known as spurious emissions. If these emissions are high enough in power and the device is poorly designed or defective these emissions become RF leakage which is unintentionally transmitted.   

Now if the receiver, in this case our Phantom is poorly designed or has defective RF shielding and it is susceptible to a particular harmonic that is being transmitted via an RF leak at a high enough power. the prime received frequency the Phantom expects may be disrupted.

The guy in this thread had his TK-102 tracker cause the light on his Phantom to flicker even though the Phantom was not powered up!
http://forum.dji.com/forum.php?m ... id=4871&lang=en

As I stated in that thread I have seen some thing similar where a Hess truck's lights and sound were activated even though the toy was switched off the the mic was key on a Ham radio, but the power levels were a lot higher than what a cell phone generates. The difference in the case of the Phantom is the transmitter of the tracker is a lot closer to the receiver.  The problem is which device is defective, the Phantom or the tracker, or is it both?

If the Phantom is defective maybe because of poor or missing RF shielding in a particular unit at a particular frequency, it is possible it could lead to loss of control due to interruption or jamming of the control signal. Is this what is causing some of the  fly a ways when I Phantom encounter a particular harmonic frequency? I have no idea if DJI does susceptible emissions testing on their products or if they do, what is the pass/fail spec.

One of the ways to test the tracker is use a Spectrum Analyzer to sweep a frequency range from lets say 100kz to 5.8 Ghz and make sure there are no spikes at any of the frequencies in that range. The problem is most people don't spectrum analyzers at home.

In the case of the guy who had his lights flicker because the tracker, there is no way I would fly that aboard my Phantom. I would also be looking at ways to RF shield the receivers on my Phantom.  I also have a TK-102 on order, you can bet I will test it near my Phantom but I will never fly it.

I also tested my Trackimo with the props off to might sure there were no changes in motor speeds or camera movements when requests for info where sent that caused the Trackimo to transmit location data. My first flight will be a tethered fight only a few feet off the ground.

awesome info drone, thanks for taking the time.  please share your results for the trackimo test.  im very interested, this is a tricky thing.  i want to have something on my drone in case i lose it (not a flyaway to south africa necessarily but just like a malfunction or crash or drift and rth doesnt work, those kinds of things).  however, i dont want the remedy to that problem to be the cause of the malfunction.  what a conundrum.  either way, i appreciate the detailed analysis and it does help to better understand the factors.  

Great info, drone.  I face a different problem; where to mount it.  I ordered an fpv kit from dslrpros and the instructions show it sitting under the craft, right where TSP181 has his mounted.  fpv is very important to me so i may have to go looking for another tracker.  I'd prefer one that can be mounted inside the craft and uses the power from the craft, but that may be asking a bit much.  if anyone has a suggestion i would love to know it.  i like the idea of Trackimo just not sure it will work for me.

trackimo says '48-72 hrs of activity battery life', does that mean you 'turn it on and off' each time you fly and doesnt really work passively (like some things that will keep a charge for many days but only activate when pinged, called or otherwise engaged).  

gnixon2015 Posted at 2015-1-15 22:50
trackimo says '48-72 hrs of activity battery life', does that mean you 'turn it on and off' each tim ...

It is turned on time.   I tested mine on the dash of my car and got about 3 days with one minute location refreshes.   I turn it off when not flying but have to allow about 15 minutes for it to really naildown its location when I tun it back on.   

It says it can have up to 144+ hours of standby battery life. Standby time is defined as when a phone is connect to a GSM network but not being used. So you can leave it on and just plug in the charger every few days. It has an alarm so it can text or email mail (or both) when the battery falls below 20%.

gnixon2015 Posted at 2015-1-15 21:12
awesome info drone, thanks for taking the time.  please share your results for the trackimo test.  i ...

Today I flew a 16 min flight with the Trackimo. No interference issues and no handing issues.

I happy with the Trackimo

like!  thanks for reporting back drone!

thanks for the report drone.

Installed my Trackimo yesterday.  I have it set for five minutes reporting.  Took it in the car to my flying location and then at the end of the day pull up the history.  It is mostly accurate.  Sometimes while sitting in one location it is reported as being up to 1/2 mile away.  Will see if that improves with time.  I am pleased.  I plan to start using the Android app to have 1 minute  reporting while flying for safety's sake, since five minutes of flying could take it a long way away.  

As I posted it another thread I moved my tracker from underneath the battery to the rear landing gear leg. While it worked under the battery I figured this would improve it's view of the sky thus improving its accuracy if the bird ever went down.

JATO Posted at 2015-1-24 23:22
As I posted it another thread I moved my tracker from underneath the battery to the rear landing gea ...

JATO, I like your mount on the leg.  Can you share a bit more of how you actually mounted it there?   Thanks - TSP181

TSP181 Posted at 2015-1-25 08:21
JATO, I like your mount on the leg.  Can you share a bit more of how you actually mounted it there ...

I don't know how easy it will be to see these pictures clearly. The holder on the leg for the Trackimo is made from the following stuff I had laying around:
- A clear piece of plastic packaging (from when you buy something)
- 3 ty-wraps
- A drink stir stick cut into 2 pieces (about 1 inch & 1/2 inch).
-First I cut the clear plastic packaging into a rectangle a little smaller than the back of the Trackimo.
-Then drilled 3 holes in the plastic, 2 on the bottom and 1 on the side 3/4 of the way up from the bottom.
-The clear plastic was then ty-wrapped to the landing gear leg,
-The 2 drink stirrers were glued together at a right angle so it formed an L.
-After the glue dried the L shape piece of plastic was painted black, rotated and clued to the corner of the landing gear leg and the back of the clear piece of plastic so it formed a rectangle.
-After the glue dried a new piece of Velco was placed on the Trackimo and the backing was removed and the Trackimo was stuck to the clear plastic on the inside of the leg.



This is the holder from the inside of the landing gear. Note the 2 ty-wraps on the bottom and the on on the side (that is the back of the landing gear). Also you can see the hole in the clear plastic the ty-wraps go through. The ty-wraps will hold the tracker in case the glue breaks. There is also a small amount of glue on each of the ty=wraps. The black square is the Velco.



Here is the outside view. You can see the ty-wraps, holes, the top of the drink stirrer and Velco square. The drink stirrer is used to stiffen the clear plastic as well as providing something else to attach it to, since the stirrer is glued to the landing gear leg. The whole thing weighs about 7 grams.

Hope this helps.

I took mine into the mountains above LA yesterday.  It quit on the way in and i had set it up for 1 minute tracking while flying.  No signals at all when i was up there above 4,000 feet, about five hours, but once i got back down the hill it started reporting again.  my trackimo account has  multiple pings and the map looks like someone threw salt over it.

I set mine for hourly reporting while at home base and will turn it to one minute reporting when i go out to fly.

Was ot no GPS coverage or no cell coverage? Does your cell phone work up there?