Thoughts of having GPS trackers on Drones.

tabbytabz · Oct 12, 2016

is it usual to put GPS trackers on drones? and can anyone suggest a good but cheap GPS tracker??

btw newbie drone user here.

wingo · Oct 12, 2016

Rf-v16

Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots

Mark The Droner · Oct 12, 2016

I cannot imagine flying without one

planedr · Oct 25, 2016

Just one more way for the "man" to keep track of you.

Mark The Droner · Oct 25, 2016

On flytrex, you can private it if you want.

rlphoto69 · Mar 13, 2017

Been curious about these myself and if it will interfere with the GPS in the drone. My question is if you have a fly away and once the battery is dead, you now can't track it unless you download the flight log and use that information with another GPS to find it. I've heard of that new one being advertised "Ping" suppose to last for months. Curious to hear of anyone else's experiences. Would like to have something else myself.

BriG · Mar 13, 2017

I've been contemplating trying this as it's cheap and for all intentions very functional.

Genuine TKStar waterproof Pet Dog Cat GPS Tracking Collar GPS Tracker PS013 | eBay

rlphoto69 · Mar 13, 2017

If anyone tries this and all works well, I'd like to hear your results

wildturkeyway · Mar 14, 2017

I don't currently use a GPS tracker. I opted for the MarcoPolo as it suits my needs. I have a couple PING devices on order awaiting their release hopefully this summer. If it doesn't work out for flying then I have other uses for them.

Deleted member 62848 · Mar 14, 2017

tabbytabz said:
is it usual to put GPS trackers on drones? and can anyone suggest a good but cheap GPS tracker??

btw newbie drone user here.

Man reading this post all day had to reply,,,yes tracker very good idea and should be add to firmware of all drones so they can be found,,fixed ?? and reflown,,the price you pay for this adiction you want it bac

BriG · Mar 14, 2017

rlphoto69 said:
If anyone tries this and all works well, I'd like to hear your results

For the sake of £30 I may just buy one.

It even looks like it'd mount with ease too after removing the strap as it would tie-wrap easily.

DefiantChild · Mar 14, 2017

Been experimenting with TRACKIMO. It is a cellular device containing a GPS receiver. It can triangulate if Sats are blocked and there are sufficient 2D capable cell towers to plot a general location. Tower triangulation was disappointing (and generally inadequate for precise drone retrieval). But the GPS worked as expected.

The 2D does not work well in rural areas where 2D service is nonexistent or being phased out. I have a 3D on order to benchmark against the 2D. News at Eleven.

tabbytabz · Apr 4, 2017

DefiantChild said:
Been experimenting with TRACKIMO. It is a cellular device containing a GPS receiver. It can triangulate if Sats are blocked and there are sufficient 2D capable cell towers to plot a general location. Tower triangulation was disappointing (and generally inadequate for precise drone retrieval). But the GPS worked as expected.

The 2D does not work well in rural areas where 2D service is nonexistent or being phased out. I have a 3D on order to benchmark against the 2D. News at Eleven.

i also just purchased their 3G device and works great for me

DefiantChild · Apr 4, 2017

Good to know! Mine arrived after I had to make an emergency trip out of town. So I'll have to wait until I return before I can test it.

Ronald Reedy · Apr 25, 2017

Marco Polo!

BigAl07 · Apr 25, 2017

I'm using this:
Tractive GPS Pet Tracker 2.0 by 1.6 by 0.6-Inch | eBay

and thus far I LOVE it!! May not be right for everyone but thus far it's been rock solid.

tabbytabz · May 1, 2017

DefiantChild said:
Good to know! Mine arrived after I had to make an emergency trip out of town. So I'll have to wait until I return before I can test it.

have you encounter some problems on your Trackimo device? have you already tested it?

DefiantChild · May 1, 2017

tabbytabz said:
have you encounter some problems on your Trackimo device? have you already tested it?

I was not terribly impressed with the 2G version until I was able to get to an area where the local cell towers are still supporting 2G.

My new 3G unit failed to power up. Battery was DOA. I'm on another trip. As soon as I return, I'll be making a trip to the local battery store to try again. I'll have more details later this week.

Update 5/15/17: Metered and discovered that batteries for both units are dead and you can't just run down to Batteries Plus to replace them. Apparently they are private labeled and made to Trackimo's specs. I'm returning both units and will try another 3G unit before passing final judgement.