Inexpensive GPS tracking alternatives
- Thread starter JKDSensei
- Start date
Extra security if something would go wrong you can find you $1000+ toy . Do a search and see how many people have lost their bird gone forever all they have now is a controller . Some people have them some do not I couple months ago had something act up on me she was doing her own thing I dropped down in manual and brought her home I got lucky next day I started using a tracker . Long as I get my GoPro back I'll be happy .
dirkclod
Premium Pilot
Yea I noticed it took the same commands too . Stuck mine here for the time beingA little update.....(positive)
The TK109B has more functions than those printed on the instructions leaflet that comes with it.
Some of the commands from the TK102 also work on this device.
This thing is getting awesome-er the longer I have it
I'm working on a custom made foam padded, detachable carrier for the device to make it easy to mount and remove it from the Phantom. Will post the results when finished.
.Not sure, but I don't think it takes all of em. But more than the instructions say.
Let me know if you find it will take some of the cool ones I might not be aware of please sir.
Yep. Like 750r said.
The technology is REALLY good....but not perfect.
If you have 100% confidence your bird could never fly away, you haven't been reading the forums long enough. It happens. Even to the best occasionally.
Knowing you can get the exact location JIC is a bit of insurance.
Some people even go further and augment the GPS tracker with something like a MarcoPolo device. It's hard to lose a Phantom completely with both of those unless it takes a swim.
But the device listed in this thread can also be set to send it's location continuously or in close time intervals if your current flight includes the fear of a swim so at least you know that the little mermaid got it....and where in case you want to go after it.
I see but I thought you had this on a P3, as the GO app tracks where you've "been" on a nice map and you only have a 500m radius here in the UK LOS so not a big deal surely? Not had any issues so far 
Have been flying DJI drones for a long while now in various guises
Have been flying DJI drones for a long while now in various guisesYes sir. Everything works great....until it doesn't. It's a call you have to make personally. You may never need a GPS tracker. But if you do 1 time, for $40 and about $40 a year, you'll be really glad you did.
Not everyone uses them. again, it's a personal choice. Either way, I hope you never have a flyaway or a crash for that matter. Not everyone does
Not everyone uses them. again, it's a personal choice. Either way, I hope you never have a flyaway or a crash for that matter. Not everyone does
Guys,
Got my tracker Saturday. Gotta love Amazon Prime right
Still waiting for the H2O sim to arrive. Hopefully will be here tomorrow cause having the GPS and no sim is kinda like having cigarettes and no lighter... LMAO. I agree Sensei, $40 a year after buying the GPS is a small price to pay for peace of mind! I had my FC40 start to take off on me once. Nothing was working and it looked like it was gonna make a run for it back to China. My last ditch effort was to kill the motors before it got out of radio range. It dropped like a rock from about 30 feet up but was okay. Still don't know why that happened but I have to think it was some type of operator error on my part.
BOT
Got my tracker Saturday. Gotta love Amazon Prime right
Still waiting for the H2O sim to arrive. Hopefully will be here tomorrow cause having the GPS and no sim is kinda like having cigarettes and no lighter... LMAO. I agree Sensei, $40 a year after buying the GPS is a small price to pay for peace of mind! I had my FC40 start to take off on me once. Nothing was working and it looked like it was gonna make a run for it back to China. My last ditch effort was to kill the motors before it got out of radio range. It dropped like a rock from about 30 feet up but was okay. Still don't know why that happened but I have to think it was some type of operator error on my part.
BOT
Guys,
Got my tracker Saturday. Gotta love Amazon Prime right
Still waiting for the H2O sim to arrive. Hopefully will be here tomorrow cause having the GPS and no sim is kinda like having cigarettes and no lighter... LMAO. I agree Sensei, $40 a year after buying the GPS is a small price to pay for peace of mind! I had my FC40 start to take off on me once. Nothing was working and it looked like it was gonna make a run for it back to China. My last ditch effort was to kill the motors before it got out of radio range. It dropped like a rock from about 30 feet up but was okay. Still don't know why that happened but I have to think it was some type of operator error on my part.
BOT
hmmm.... since you were able to cut the motors it seems you still had control.
DId you try switching to ATTI mode to eliminate the GPS?
What about Home lock or RTH?
It worked after that with no further issues?
Your right, since I cut the motors I did have at least control for that thank God. Yup, switched to ATTI mode and had no joy. Same with Home Lock and RTH. Even tried turning the receiver off. Nothing seemed to work and it was traveling away from me at a VERY high rated of speed. I "say" I did all those things but in the panicked state of mind I was in who really knows which is why I'm chalking that one up to probable operator error. Been working fine ever since but in all honesty I've been pretty cautious with it, never let it go out of sight and haven't gone much higher than tree top level. I understand why people take the quad up to dizzying heights but I'll never be one of those to get busted for flying at altitudes like that..
Simply out of fear of loosing the most fun toy I've ever owned. In other words I'm doing all the right things for all the wrong reasons but if it keeps me legit then it probably ain't a bad thing.. LMAO.BOT
dirkclod
Premium Pilot
Had one of those after I got my first Vision's BOT and ended up over 1.5 miles away .Found it from the 102. and when I got back signal the Find My Phantom showed it . Point is after we discussed it here all we could find that could have caused it was the tracker and is why I brought it up .
I had relocated my tracker on my bird and didn't do the compass dance afterwards and messed it up . So ever since then if I change where I have it located on mine I do the dance .
Just thought I'd tell ya if ya didn't know .
Was the first time I had to use the tracker for real and it did keep me from losing it as it was in a well hid spot .
I had relocated my tracker on my bird and didn't do the compass dance afterwards and messed it up . So ever since then if I change where I have it located on mine I do the dance .
Just thought I'd tell ya if ya didn't know .
Was the first time I had to use the tracker for real and it did keep me from losing it as it was in a well hid spot .
In case of the Phantom3 i think a tracker is not really needed because the reason is simple, if the P3 crashes you have to buy a new one, simple as that. Gimbal and camera is one unit and its super costly and that will get destroyed for sure. Than you have the shell which will get destroyed as well and since the the ESCs are on one single mainboard now that will get destroyed as well and probably a motor or two. Battery is done as well after a crash. So you will end up with probably 1 or 2 motors, the compass module and when you are lucky the flight controller surviving that crash. When you count all defective parts together and take the spare part prices into account it will make more sense to buy a new one : p
Phantom2 H3-3D was another story, most of the time the gopro survived and gimbals were a lot cheaper. ESCs could be changed easily etc..
Phantom2 H3-3D was another story, most of the time the gopro survived and gimbals were a lot cheaper. ESCs could be changed easily etc..
thanks!
i ordered a phantom 3 advanced today, been reading up on it
this is a small price to pay to locate the drone if it gets lost... broken or not
i ordered a phantom 3 advanced today, been reading up on it
this is a small price to pay to locate the drone if it gets lost... broken or not
dirkclod
Premium Pilot
Sorry but don't agree with you . Just because you have a crash all is not lost . Have read already about lot's of crash's and nothing was hurt but the pilots feelings for messing up .
Anything can go wrong and you can't always be 100% sure that any app Or tracker is gonna show ya where it is .
And all crash's aren't a total losse
Is your choice to have one and mine is I am . Gonna have a P3 and ya can bet it will be on that one also !
I fly to far over woods and fields not to .
Just me
In that case, would you be so kind as to make all your Phantom's crash in the trees in my yard? Thanks
Hey guys,
Got my H2O SIM today so just thought I report back in and update on the GPS Tracker. Like you said Sensei, the instructions could be better but after I figured out that they had some things out of order it wasn't all that hard. Setting up the H2O account was a breeze as well. Took it out for a little late night stroll around town and am extremely impressed with this thing! Went to like a Walmart parking lot and then a different mall parking lot across town and this thing didn't just come "close". It absolutely nailed and pinpointed my position. I mean when looking at Google maps it actually got the exact parking slot I was in! Absolutely incredible.... And now, for only $40 a year I have complete...
Thanks guys,
BOT
Got my H2O SIM today so just thought I report back in and update on the GPS Tracker. Like you said Sensei, the instructions could be better but after I figured out that they had some things out of order it wasn't all that hard. Setting up the H2O account was a breeze as well. Took it out for a little late night stroll around town and am extremely impressed with this thing! Went to like a Walmart parking lot and then a different mall parking lot across town and this thing didn't just come "close". It absolutely nailed and pinpointed my position. I mean when looking at Google maps it actually got the exact parking slot I was in! Absolutely incredible.... And now, for only $40 a year I have complete...
Thanks guys,
BOT
Right? Thanks for the report back BOT.
I asked my wife to carry it around on her shopping errands last weekend so we put it in her car and it never failed to pinpoint the exact place she was within about 3 meters. I was impressed. I could pinpoint the parking spot she was in. Whats more, to avoid blistering heat, I put it on the floor under the seat....and it STILL never failed to report back!
Can't believe peeps are paying $140 for a device they are forced to use a certain website in China.
I don't believe that $140 device can get you the coordinates anywhere near as fast as thing does.
With theirs, you have to go to a web site (what if Internet is down)?. If their server is down (and servers DO go offline occasionally, you are SOL). With this, one quick phone call is all it takes. Love it!
Knowledge IS power.
A few long term thoughts....
Life expectancy..... If it lasts even one year, at $40 it's STILL well worth it. If it lasts beyond that it's just an amazing device at a great price.
Battery....I haven't tried to find out yet but I'm wondering what this thing uses for a battery and if it's replaceable.
I asked my wife to carry it around on her shopping errands last weekend so we put it in her car and it never failed to pinpoint the exact place she was within about 3 meters. I was impressed. I could pinpoint the parking spot she was in. Whats more, to avoid blistering heat, I put it on the floor under the seat....and it STILL never failed to report back!
Can't believe peeps are paying $140 for a device they are forced to use a certain website in China.
I don't believe that $140 device can get you the coordinates anywhere near as fast as thing does.
With theirs, you have to go to a web site (what if Internet is down)?. If their server is down (and servers DO go offline occasionally, you are SOL). With this, one quick phone call is all it takes. Love it!
Knowledge IS power.
A few long term thoughts....
Life expectancy..... If it lasts even one year, at $40 it's STILL well worth it. If it lasts beyond that it's just an amazing device at a great price.
Battery....I haven't tried to find out yet but I'm wondering what this thing uses for a battery and if it's replaceable.
I have been running one of these units on my P3P for a few months now. Just thought I'd share a few bits of info.
The units with the green and red buttons do exist. That's the one I have. Not sure if there is any other differences.
If anyone else is looking for a mounting location...I've had mine mounted on the battery with no issues. I put a small rectangle of heavy duty velcro tape on each of my batteries (white velcro directly over the battery indicating lights...you can still see the lights through the velcro) and the corresponding piece on the gps unit.
There is an android app that works with this gps unit. Called tkstar gps. Some of it is kinda poorly written...I'm sure by someone not of English speaking origin. But it allows you to issue the commands easier once you figure it out.
The units with the green and red buttons do exist. That's the one I have. Not sure if there is any other differences.
If anyone else is looking for a mounting location...I've had mine mounted on the battery with no issues. I put a small rectangle of heavy duty velcro tape on each of my batteries (white velcro directly over the battery indicating lights...you can still see the lights through the velcro) and the corresponding piece on the gps unit.
There is an android app that works with this gps unit. Called tkstar gps. Some of it is kinda poorly written...I'm sure by someone not of English speaking origin. But it allows you to issue the commands easier once you figure it out.
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