I think this is what I'll be using for tracking

[Howzit]

http://www.com-spec.com/rcplane/products.html

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1846268

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9l1kfu03iFk[/youtube]

 

[jgrissom91]

http://www.com-spec.com/rcplane/products.html

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1846268

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9l1kfu03iFk[/youtube]

That looks interesting. Please let us know how it goes.

 

[Miika]

Looks interesting. The problem with GPS/3G trackers is the weight... And the 2 mile search radius with this is superior to bluetooth trackers.

 

[Howzit]

Yea, GPS seems like a solid solution - but weight, battery life, and reliability seem like an issue to me.

Lets be honest, a quad is unlikely to be more than a mile from your location in just about every circumstance. A 'simple' lightweight, self contained beacon that pings for a month seems like the 'best' solution to me. The model rocket guys have been doing it for a bunch of years - either with home made units or all-in-one systems like this.

Might not be as quickly 'spot on' as GPS, but following a ping isn't exactly rocket science. Once you have the relatively expensive receiver, you can just stick a new transmitter on each of your models.