How to track lost drone

[Blackfields]

I use my P3A for aerial surveying in jungle and forested type vegetation. I was told that there is a tracking beacon to attach to the drone in the event the drone goes down in the jungle. Once the beacon is attached, the drone can be tracked from a cell pho e

Can anyone advise on this? If this does exist, please let me know the name of the beacon and guide me to some sites that demonstrates.

 

[msinger]

You can find a list of commonly used trackers here.

 

[DiluxEdition]

Not really needed if you set an appropriate RTH altitude.

 

[msinger]

Not really needed if you set an appropriate RTH altitude.

Setting the appropriate RTH altitude will not help in cases where your home point is not set properly or your Phantom flies away (for example). It's a good idea to attach an external tracker -- just in case something does not go as planned.

 

[brianb87]

Not really needed if you set an appropriate RTH altitude.

Once it loses signal with the RC I think light ridge stops working.

 

[Viral]

Once it loses signal with the RC I think light ridge stops working.

That's not how rth works. It's loaded on the bird itself. It can return to home even if you turn off your RC. But the other points are correct- trackers aren't for planned issues. They are insurance for the unplanned ones - fly aways, motor failures, hitting a tree branch or a bird, etc.

 

[Dirby]

Marco Polo will do the trick.
no GPS needed.

 

[JKDSensei]

You may want to ascertain if there is cellular coverage in the circular range area where you'll be flying. That will determine which types of tracking will be effective in that particular area.

If the area has no cellular coverage (or spotty coverage), you'll need a solution that does not rely on cellular service. Marco Polo for example.

If there is good cellular coverage, the next thing to consider is your budget. Generally speaking GPS trackers go from about $40 to over $200. Most if not all require cellular service ranging from about $3.00 per month to over $20 per month.

The best solution at the lowest cost I'm aware of for areas with cellular coverage is a TK109B GPS tracker.

If you want a lot of online data like flight path etc, Trackimo is good.

Of course, layering the protection with multiple trackers is great if your bird and creativity are up to it.