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GPS tracker?
3084 22 2016-1-11
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Wolfiesden
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United States
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Seems like quite a few folks put a tracker device on their copters.  Which one seems to be the lightest weight and most reliable for the cost?

Seems like there is a heck of a varieity out there from tracking luggage, to kids, to pet collers (hunting dogs for example).  Are there any that have stood out amongst yall for their weight to function ratio?

Devices range from audible alarms (press a button and the kid tracker beeps) which would help finding the copter if it were down in tall weeds.  Others haved dirctional beacons to home in on.

Thoughts?

2016-1-11
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Wolfiesden
lvl.4

United States
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So nobody has any thoughts on trackers for their craft?
2016-1-13
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christopherglen
lvl.1

United States
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Assuming you are using a mobile device, the flight log should put you within a few dozen feet of either the drone, or whatever it crashed into when you lost signal.  If it shut down at high altitude & speed you may have a very large search area.
2016-1-13
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Wolfiesden
lvl.4

United States
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An external device will find the drone when all else fails.  Things such as fly away, loss of signal, device failure, app crash, etc.
2016-1-13
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jaronpv
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Flight distance : 723776 ft
United States
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Marco polo tracker is good I hear.   It does not rely on cell service, so if you are out in the middle of nowhere you can track it.  It uses a directional antenna to guide you to your craft.  You dont see a beacon on a map, but it does guide you to your drone.  At least that is what I have read, I have not used it.  If I get one, that will be the one though! I often fly in areas where there is no cell service.  And I think UAVBits.net actually makes a mount to hold it.  
2016-1-13
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jaronpv
lvl.4
Flight distance : 723776 ft
United States
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http://eurekaproducts.com/rc-model-tracking-and-recovery/

http://www.uavbits.net/products/marco-polo-saddlebag
2016-1-13
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Donnie
Captain
Flight distance : 3636782 ft
United States
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I fly with a Flytrex which is great because it is powered up with the Phantom.  I also have a Trackimo  gps device.  Both are comparable in price ,  as far as the wieight issue , it is negligible.  I highly recommend having a GPS Tracker.  Both of these have mounts readily available on E bay.

The Trackimo also has an audible alarm that can be activated if need be.

Cheers Donnie .
2016-1-13
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grangerfx
First Officer
Flight distance : 817713 ft
United States
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I am researching the use of the Iota tracker. It has a long range (over one mile), GPS accuracy and no monthly fees and no cell service needed. It just started shipping and is now a real product. I have contacted the company to find out if their base station can be used in the field without an internet connection. It is really designed as a kid/pet tracker but they do have a picture of it attached to a DJI Phantom drone.

http://www.iotatracker.com/
Currently I am using a Bluetooth LE tracker. I just upgraded to a Tile 2.0 which has a loud beeper and a >500 foot range line of sight (I measured it myself). At $25 every drone owner should have one.
2016-1-13
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Jkeller84
First Officer
Flight distance : 396955 ft
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United States
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I use this one. It works pretty well.


2016-1-13
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SHamers
Second Officer
Flight distance : 1001020 ft
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Netherlands
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Yesterday I received my Trackimo. I ordered a mount on iBay and I am totally happy with the result.

I test it yesterday I it feel save when always knows the location I my P3P.

(I did a calibration when the new mount/tracker was installed)

https://www.dropbox.com/s/qoxnmdfl8ire93j/DroneShamers.jpeg?dl=0
2016-1-16
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Geebax
Captain
Australia
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The RF V16 Tracker shown above has the same functionality as the Trackimo but is cheaper and lighter. Japanese parents use then to keep track of their kids.
2016-1-16
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Wolfiesden
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United States
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grangerfx@gmail Posted at 2016-1-13 16:05
I am researching the use of the Iota tracker. It has a long range (over one mile), GPS accuracy and  ...

Iffy solution at best.  If you are in an area where there are Iota base stations, then the solition is a good one.  If not, lets say a bit more rural, then its not a good solution.

I am going for Marco Polo.  2 mile range.  Nice homing device.  Easily able to upgrade battery on remote (their pet version lasts for over a week).  Zero fees.  No tethering or requirement for any base stations.  Easily transfered from drone to drone (if you own multiple aircraft).  Extremely light weight (12g).  Does not rely on apps on cell phones.
2016-1-18
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grangerfx
First Officer
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United States
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Wolfiesden Posted at 2016-1-18 10:39
Iffy solution at best.  If you are in an area where there are Iota base stations, then the solitio ...

It works even if only the base station can see the tracker (according to the company when I e-mailed that question). My plan is to carry the base station with me and use a WiFi router to let the phone talk to the base station using power from my car and a 110VAC adapter. I am trying to talk them into making a self contained portable base station to use with a smartphone just for drones.
2016-1-20
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nixdiecast
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United States
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I just installed the Flytrex on my Phantom 3 Pro and I used the H20wireless sim card. Once I  received the sim card, I called H20 and had them activated the card, they said It might not work because it is not a cell phone but it did work and connected within a couple of minutes.  Very happy with the flytrex so far, you can track your quad in real time on their app on their servers, just in case you lose connection with your quad and you can tell which direction it is going.   
2016-1-20
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Wolfiesden
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grangerfx@gmail Posted at 2016-1-20 14:01
It works even if only the base station can see the tracker (according to the company when I e-mail ...

Thats all well and good.  If they make a base station, if they make it easy, then it could be an option.

Frankly, with the ease of use of the Marco Polo, why go through all that just to see if a product could be forced to work in that situation.  The MP is designed from the get go to work in that situation, its not being forced into an alien scenario.

Can I pound a nail in with a screwdriver?  Sure, I could force it to work.  Wouldn't it be far easier just to get a hammer designed for the job?
2016-1-20
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grangerfx
First Officer
Flight distance : 817713 ft
United States
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Wolfiesden Posted at 2016-1-20 15:06
Thats all well and good.  If they make a base station, if they make it easy, then it could be an o ...

The main thing I don't like about the Marco Polo is that it is a dumb RF pinger. I am looking for a device with a GPS built into the tracker unit on the drone that can send its precise location to the base station at great distance. This would let you instantly pinpoint your drone as soon as you get a signal. From there you could plan the best route to reach it. I do not want any kind of cell service involved with the tracking (Marco Polo succeeds at this) since it adds a monthly fee and if the drone goes down in a spot without coverage (Nevada for instance) you have lost it. The Iota may not even do what I want but it is the closest thing on the market. The Findster is another such device but it is not shipping yet.
2016-1-21
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RodB
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Australia
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Wolfiesden Posted at 2016-1-19 04:39
Iffy solution at best.  If you are in an area where there are Iota base stations, then the solitio ...


2ml range will be under perfect conditions , I run expensive Garmin trackers on my dogs and they have this kinda range but only in very open terrain if your bird came down in thick hilly terrain you would need to get within a few 100 yards or way less  to pick it up , its basically line of sight on all these wireless trackers so terrain has everything to do with your range .
2016-1-21
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kirk2579
First Officer
Flight distance : 37415 ft
United States
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Wolfiesden Posted at 2016-1-13 13:30
An external device will find the drone when all else fails.  Things such as fly away, loss of signal ...

true,

have been flying over a year and had 3 p2's and now p3p. Never bothered or worried about it.

if it flys away, and it crashes , and I get lucky and find it(not in tree, water, locked area, etc),
I figured the cost to repair added to the cost of tracker and cell service for it would be greater than replacing it.

Buy a 500 p3s add a 150 or more for tracker and service....
or
take that 150 or 200 and put to buying a spare quad,
you now have 2 batteries , props ,, parts etc.

just my thoughts on it!

PS p3's don't have much fly away issue, don't put a lot of worry into that , just keep it all updated and all can be fun for a long time.

good luck and have fun flying
2016-1-21
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mike.wildlight
Second Officer
Flight distance : 5623 ft
Australia
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The problem for me with Flytrex and other cellular network based systems is just that. Many of the areas I fly have either no cellular network at all or sketchy to none at ground level. Thus I've been looking at a Marco Polo unit, but the in-flight video signal loss back up scenario is one I hadn't considered.

Would it be ridiculous to get both?
2016-3-12
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baaluo
lvl.1
Flight distance : 172687 ft
Turkey
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I'm using Rewire Security's 102 Nano gps tracker on my Phantom 3 Pro (hopefully on my phantom 4 soon).
They provide a cradle to mount the tracker on a phantom drone. and it's very easy to track it from my phone real-time.

check it out : https://www.rewiresecurity.co.uk/102-nano-gps-tracking-device-hard-wired-kit
2016-3-14
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mcc-dc
lvl.1

United Kingdom
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Hi I have used a marshal tracker on mine .only because I have one as I fly two Harris Hawks (falconry) but to be honest it was just an experiment and so far I haven't had the drone out of sight
2016-4-2
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ropmet3
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United States
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RE: GPS tracker?

RodB Posted at 2016-1-21 13:41
2ml range will be under perfect conditions , I run expensive Garmin trackers on my dogs and they have this kinda range but only in very open terrain if your bird came down in thick hilly terrain you would need to get within a few 100 yards or way less  to pick it up , its basically line of sight on all these wireless trackers so terrain has everything to do with your range .

iota claims 8 miles upon direct visibility, ~4 miles from rooftop through trees/etc, average of 1-2miles for typical 2nd-floor setup, and 0.5-1miles for extreme cases
43x22x11mm 12g


2017-4-25
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Mike-the-cat
Captain
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Geebax Posted at 2016-1-16 02:20
The RF V16 Tracker shown above has the same functionality as the Trackimo but is cheaper and lighter. Japanese parents use then to keep track of their kids.

I second this. This is a small, cheap and light  GSM based GPS tracker that works anywhere and does not charge a service fee for tracking.
2017-4-26
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