GPS Tracker or something similar for fly aways

[Virtual1]

I'm still testing mine out to get a firm grip on how it behaves in different circumstances, and that was one of my initial fears. I read several user accounts of their drone taking off and not being able to stop it, or landing in water without control. It looks like some of these issues have been addressed wrth software updates. When I hit RTH, it comes back and then gets close to the ground and pops up that "land now" yellow slider on my phone, so I think that was added in response to drones trying a water landing at the end of RTH. I also tried to regain control and was able to have at least some influence on its behavior during RTH, though some have said it will continue to come down while giving you only control over position. (maybe that's when the batteries are critical?) I also saw a popup on my phone giving me the option to cancel RTH in progress but I don't know under what circumstances that is and is not offered. Both the phone and the remote are quite noisy while it is in RTH which is nice, you can't ignore the fact that it's acting on its own. Certainly if you lose your remote/phone connection you won't be able to cancel RTH remotely. If you snag it in your hand, flip it upside down to quickly stop the motors, it's faster/safer than fiddling with the battery button.

 

[nutsnbolts]

I'm still testing mine out to get a firm grip on how it behaves in different circumstances, and that was one of my initial fears. I read several user accounts of their drone taking off and not being able to stop it, or landing in water without control. It looks like some of these issues have been addressed wrth software updates. When I hit RTH, it comes back and then gets close to the ground and pops up that "land now" yellow slider on my phone, so I think that was added in response to drones trying a water landing at the end of RTH. I also tried to regain control and was able to have at least some influence on its behavior during RTH, though some have said it will continue to come down while giving you only control over position. (maybe that's when the batteries are critical?) I also saw a popup on my phone giving me the option to cancel RTH in progress but I don't know under what circumstances that is and is not offered. Both the phone and the remote are quite noisy while it is in RTH which is noce, you can't ignore the fact that it's acting on its own. Certainly if you lose your remote/phone connection you won't be able to cancel RTH remotely. If you snag it in your hand, flip it upside down to quickly stop the motors, it's faster/safer than fiddling with the battery button.

If you lose connection on your phone you can't use the controller to manually take over. Although the phone may not have connectivity you should still have the controller to interact with. Is this not the case or is it going through the RTH process and can't be stopped.

 

[Spark 317]

If you lose connection on your phone you can't use the controller to manually take over. Although the phone may not have connectivity you should still have the controller to interact with.

You CAN fly with the remote without a device connected.

Try it.

When the Spark links to the controller, green light, you're good to go.

Although it is highly not recommended to do this since you don't have any flight telemetry.

This is why you should keep a VLOS so you can react to the Spark should you lose your connection with the device.

 

[Virtual1]

I only need a phone when I need to be able to see what the shot is looking like on the camera or when it's out too far to see easily / see its orientation / proximity to obstacles. Most of my flying is done with just the remote, and if the phone's attached I'm not paying much attention to it. You also have some additional options with the phone, like changing ceiling height, cancelling RTH, seeing warnings, etc.

 

[nutsnbolts]

Yeah that's what I figured that the phone is just additional options and what not. Of course a better part of your view for the camera.

With that said I have flown cheapy drones that you get in the store that are usually less than 50 dollars. This is where you take off and immediately you have to stabilize it and trim left right back and forth so it would somewhat sit still. If youre fast enough and not crash it. I would have 2 minutes or so left of flight time. Lol.

I'm sure if you can fly that the spark/mavic drones shouldn't be that hard.

 

[msinger]

Actually there's a nice water alternative too. GetMeBack or something like that, it's a single-use product designed to be attached to your (often quite expensive) fishing rod.

GetterBack

 

[Virtual1]

yep that's the one. and better than I remember, 100ft of line. But that price is outrageous for a float and some string. For $40 I'd be expecting several. Cheaper than a new Spark though that's for sure. $16+8 ship:
https://www.pricefalls.com/product/dfx-getter-back-rod-recovery-systemrecovery-systemeach/166135070
(and I've seen them for over $80, wow, a lot of gouging going on here!)

 

[Adza 68]

...I agree with this, too.

On tracking devices: ....there are many, many, MANY 2G/3G/GSM waterproof / water resistant mini trackers out there on the market today (with internal mini or micro SIMs) that can keep track of your "attached drone". They'll track your drone anywhere on Earth where cell tower/signals can penetrate (including inside moving vehicles, inside buildings, homes....anywhere where someone who finds a drone may stash it). So, if someone picks up your crashed drone, you can track the drone on it's path to the person's home, work, or anywhere....as long as the tracker battery has sufficient charge...these cost from $19 to about $39 ish, and require an approximate monthly fee of up to $10 (but just activate when you fly; eg. not many will fly drones in the dead of winter in northern climes, so deactivate subscription during that season). Also, if you crash your drone into water (last broadcast Lat/Lon), all bets are off (unless its a pool or fountain you can see to bottom of and can retrieve from LOL).

I would like to find 3G version as all the ones I have found so far seem to be 2G only which is no good in Australia any more as our carriers have switched of their 2G networks now. (Vodafone will be off in March 18) I am not sure how effective the bluetooth "key trackers" would be for a Spark given you need to be so close for it to pick it up. As said before you will only have your last known location prior to disconnection to go by.

 

[Virtual1]

I am not sure how effective the bluetooth "key trackers" would be for a Spark given you need to be so close for it to pick it up. As said before you will only have your last known location prior to disconnection to go by.

I've got a lot of experience with radio tracking, and will chime in to say this is a 2-step process. First is to "get in the area" and second is the "terminal search".

GPS is great for getting in the area because it's got infinite range and good enough resolution to get you into terminal search distance. It has problems with coverage though, may not return good or any information once it lands, and usually has to be able to reach a cell tower to get you its location. Depending on the design, you may be able to look up its "last known position" cached online, OR you may only be able to get live data while it is transmitting and so could miss out on getting info from it.

Bluetooth and other direct-transmission systems are for terminal search. Think like how they use collars to track bears in a park. Those transmitters don't know where they are, they just constantly send out a ping that you receive with a mobile receiver. Most (but not all) of them have directional antennas you can turn around as you hear the ping, to get a good idea of what direction the ping came from. If you're skilled with the receiver, finding a pinger is trivial and fast, and will allow you to quickly find a transmitter even when buried deep in brush or covered from sight. While they can be interfered with, they're much harder to block than a cell phone connection, and when you're close enough there's almost no amount of shielding that can block them completely. But they're limited range, and in some cases very limited. (bluetooth for example)

I've never seen a directional bluetooth antenna, but it's possible to do. The problem with bluetooth usually then is you don't get the benefit of a direction to the ping. It's more of a hotter-colder readout. You have to walk the area and narrow down the reading as the signal gets bigger and bigger. You may have problems with the last few feet because your receiver won't go up beyond a certain number even if you get closer. So you may be left scouring a 20x20 ft patch of bushes for some time to find a fallen drone. "I know it's in here somewhere..."

So getting back to your question regarding bluetooth... it's NOT useful for getting in the area, unless you get lucky. If you saw your drone go down several blocks from where you are, you'll probably have difficulty walking around that area trying to pick up any signal from the fallen drone. Bluetooth range varies, but I wouldn't trust it to work much beyond 90 feet, and that can be MUCH less if conditions are poor. If it falls into a ditch by a road, you may not get a signal at all even 30 feet off the road, and will have to get lucky and drive down that road right past it to pick it up at all. You could probably walk past it at 60ft with no signal if it's behind a building. But once you get a signal, you should be able to find it if you have any skill in using your finder. It may take you awhile, but terminal searches are almost always successful.

The best system would be some combination of the two. One to get you into terminal search, and the other to DO the terminal search. 30ft resolution with GPS could be incredibly frustrating to know that you're within spitting distance of it but have no way to close the final few feet besides combing the same area over and over again.

Finally my 2c worth, for DJI: WHY do you NOT have an audible pinger on the Spark??? It would cost you very little to add (and it's a one-time-cost!) since it's a simple software change, adds no weight since you already have speakers on it, and would be SOOOOO incredibly useful for terminal search! So what if it doesn't always help? It could help some of the time and is free, so why not? If the Spark does an emergency motor shutdown or lands after RTH or emergency landing, start beeping, that's all there is to it. Why is that so hard for you to add when it adds so much value to your customers??

 

[Virtual1]

I'd also like to point out that there's already a terminal search ping of sorts built into the Spark that we all know about but few actually realize is useful. The Spark has a wifi access point. Your cell phone can list access points in your area, with signal strength. Get it?

It would be pretty trivial for DJI to make a little sidecar iOS app that had only one feature... you plug in the SSID of your Spark, and it makes a sound and displays a number indicating the signal strength. Faster sound = bigger strength. (sound is very helpful in addition to the visible signal strength number because you don't have to keep your eyes glued to the phone, you can use them exclusively for searching, and that's not something you can get with the wifi prefs on any phone I've ever seen) That would make it sooo much easier to find a Spark that's landed in the weeds in a field. Again, very low development cost, no ongoing expenses, already existing hardware support, why not?

 

[Maldades]

I've got a lot of experience with radio tracking, and will chime in to say this is a 2-step process. First is to "get in the area" and second is the "terminal search".

GPS is great for getting in the area because it's got infinite range and good enough resolution to get you into terminal search distance. It has problems with coverage though, may not return good or any information once it lands, and usually has to be able to reach a cell tower to get you its location. Depending on the design, you may be able to look up its "last known position" cached online, OR you may only be able to get live data while it is transmitting and so could miss out on getting info from it.

Bluetooth and other direct-transmission systems are for terminal search. Think like how they use collars to track bears in a park. Those transmitters don't know where they are, they just constantly send out a ping that you receive with a mobile receiver. Most (but not all) of them have directional antennas you can turn around as you hear the ping, to get a good idea of what direction the ping came from. If you're skilled with the receiver, finding a pinger is trivial and fast, and will allow you to quickly find a transmitter even when buried deep in brush or covered from sight. While they can be interfered with, they're much harder to block than a cell phone connection, and when you're close enough there's almost no amount of shielding that can block them completely. But they're limited range, and in some cases very limited. (bluetooth for example)

I've never seen a directional bluetooth antenna, but it's possible to do. The problem with bluetooth usually then is you don't get the benefit of a direction to the ping. It's more of a hotter-colder readout. You have to walk the area and narrow down the reading as the signal gets bigger and bigger. You may have problems with the last few feet because your receiver won't go up beyond a certain number even if you get closer. So you may be left scouring a 20x20 ft patch of bushes for some time to find a fallen drone. "I know it's in here somewhere..."

So getting back to your question regarding bluetooth... it's NOT useful for getting in the area, unless you get lucky. If you saw your drone go down several blocks from where you are, you'll probably have difficulty walking around that area trying to pick up any signal from the fallen drone. Bluetooth range varies, but I wouldn't trust it to work much beyond 90 feet, and that can be MUCH less if conditions are poor. If it falls into a ditch by a road, you may not get a signal at all even 30 feet off the road, and will have to get lucky and drive down that road right past it to pick it up at all. You could probably walk past it at 60ft with no signal if it's behind a building. But once you get a signal, you should be able to find it if you have any skill in using your finder. It may take you awhile, but terminal searches are almost always successful.

The best system would be some combination of the two. One to get you into terminal search, and the other to DO the terminal search. 30ft resolution with GPS could be incredibly frustrating to know that you're within spitting distance of it but have no way to close the final few feet besides combing the same area over and over again.

Finally my 2c worth, for DJI: WHY do you NOT have an audible pinger on the Spark??? It would cost you very little to add (and it's a one-time-cost!) since it's a simple software change, adds no weight since you already have speakers on it, and would be SOOOOO incredibly useful for terminal search! So what if it doesn't always help? It could help some of the time and is free, so why not? If the Spark does an emergency motor shutdown or lands after RTH or emergency landing, start beeping, that's all there is to it. Why is that so hard for you to add when it adds so much value to your customers??

If I lose my drone due a pilot error and I can't send it back for use the DJI Care Refresh, they don't need send me a new one unit...
Maybe, just maybe, they could prefer users lose their drones an buy a new one like many people are doing....

 

[Virtual1]

If I lose my drone due a pilot error and I can't send it back for use the DJI Care Refresh, they don't need send me a new one unit...
Maybe, just maybe, they could prefer users lose their drones an buy a new one like many people are doing....

That thought did cross my mind, but I like to give the benefit of the doubt. (I'm also betting they get plenty of repeat customers via unrecoverable water landings as it is)

"Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." - Hanlon's Razor

 

[Maldades]

That thought did cross my mind, but I like to give the benefit of the doubt. (I'm also betting they get plenty of repeat customers via unrecoverable water landings as it is)

"Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." - Hanlon's Razor

Ajajjaja. Agree. But you know what? I don't really think DJI have many stupid employees..
[emoji6]

 

[Adza 68]

I'd also like to point out that there's already a terminal search ping of sorts built into the Spark that we all know about but few actually realize is useful. The Spark has a wifi access point. Your cell phone can list access points in your area, with signal strength. Get it?

It would be pretty trivial for DJI to make a little sidecar iOS app that had only one feature... you plug in the SSID of your Spark, and it makes a sound and displays a number indicating the signal strength. Faster sound = bigger strength. (sound is very helpful in addition to the visible signal strength number because you don't have to keep your eyes glued to the phone, you can use them exclusively for searching, and that's not something you can get with the wifi prefs on any phone I've ever seen) That would make it sooo much easier to find a Spark that's landed in the weeds in a field. Again, very low development cost, no ongoing expenses, already existing hardware support, why not?

When the Spark "lands/crash lands" will it not turns itself off? Will it still emit a wifi signal? If so then yes this will be another general way of identifying its location.
It wouldn't be hard to add a sim card slot even into the Spark (or any other drone) for that matter. A nano sim is tiny and would aid in a GPS capacity as well as have its own data capable sim if required. Might have to invest in a small bluetooth tracker for now I guess as the GPS only products with subsrciptions are way too expensive.

 

[Virtual1]

When the Spark "lands/crash lands" will it not turns itself off? Will it still emit a wifi signal? If so then yes this will be another general way of identifying its location.
It wouldn't be hard to add a sim card slot even into the Spark (or any other drone) for that matter. A nano sim is tiny and would aid in a GPS capacity as well as have its own data capable sim if required. Might have to invest in a small bluetooth tracker for now I guess as the GPS only products with subsrciptions are way too expensive.

The addition of cellular hardware would add weight and cost, so I'd like to see them avoid that if the feature isn't important or there's other ways to get similar results.

I've only dumped my Spark once but IIRC it continued to operate and had a transmitter connection so the wifi was fine, it had just cut power to the motors is all. Since it knows to cut the motors, it would be pretty easy to have it start emitting a "distress sound" from the same speakers that play the tune when it powers on. It would also be a good idea to do that when it has landed following an RTH, or following an emergency landing such as critical battery.

 

[Silversand]

I would like to find 3G version as all the ones I have found so far seem to be 2G only which is no good in Australia any more as our carriers have switched of their 2G networks now. (Vodafone will be off in March 18) I am not sure how effective the bluetooth "key trackers" would be for a Spark

....there are a lot of 3G trackers out on the market; however, you'll have to check your local Australian on-line Amazon/Gadget websites for something local and in stock (I'm in North America)...

....as far as Bluetooth "finders" are concerned: ....I think that Bluetooth 3.0 and 4.0 have a range of only ~300 feet max, best case scenario (this is not very good in my opinion for lost drone localization). But your mileage may vary....

 

[Silversand]

Actually there's a nice water alternative too. GetMeBack or something like that, it's a single-use product designed to be attached to your (often quite expensive) fishing rod. Fairly small and very lightweight.

....thanks. I never considered this aspect. Interesting.

 

[Northwood Mediaworks]

Hi, after my first <crappy> drone did a fly-away, when I get my Spark (in May hopefully), I want some sort of tracker... I've read that Tile has worked for a few people, admittedly they need to be able to get in the general vicinity (Tile Sport is ~200 feet), your flight logs should help you get to he last known point approx no? With those two things, it should be easy enough to find a downed drone? My noob question here is would there be any potential for disaster attaching a tile to the Spark? Interference?

I'm still combing the forests around my place... we live in farm country which is fairly wooded when not open field.

 

[Virtual1]

the tile has two main functions - 1 to warn you that your tiled item has been left behind, and 2 to try to continue to update the location online when other tile users get close to your tile after it has moved.

The tile doesn't have a gps, it simply tells your phone to note the PHONE'S location when the tile is in range. It could be marginally useful if you do fly-away and someone picks up your fallen spark or gets close to it with their phone w/tile app installed. Your flight logs are really a much better source of information.

there are more expensive alternatives, GPS trackers can be bought online. you load a prepaid sim card into them and they periodically call the cloud to report position. A lot of these do NOT have gps in them, they geolocate based on cell towers so are not very precise. Accurate to 500ft or so? And a lot of them that don't have gps don't SAY SO in their ads, so read carefully and make sure it says it has a gps in it. These aren't as light or small as a tile - smallest I've seen is about 1" x 5/8" x 1.5" If the have GPS they can be a lot more accurate, but if your spark lands where the tracker can't call out or can't get gps it won't do you any good, so I don't think they'd be very dependable either way.

 

[Spark 317]

I want some sort of tracker...

I purchased one of these.
Upgradable to 4 tiles.
Only used it on "Hide and Seek" testing around the backyard.
My copilot would hide the Spark and I would find it. And vice-versa.

It works off of RF frequency with it's own tracker and is better than Bluethooth with 400' LOS range?

GPS tiles may require a monthly fee to stay active?