I lost track of my Phantom for a few minutes and became a little concerned that it might be lost. Eventually I was able to fly it home but it was a little unnerving to think I might have lost it. Has anyone found an application for their I-phone that could be used to lock in on the phantom's GPS system for tracking purposes. I know they offer an app but didn't know if it worked on the phantom. My return home works but I have already gone down short of home because of a dead battery and was able to eventually hunt it down. I really feel that I was just lucky to find it that time. It was about two miles out!
GPS tracking
- Thread starter shill535
- Start date
shill535:
What you're asking here is some sort of iPhone telemetry correct?
The Immserion EZOSD on screen display has a telemetry function using the right audio channel that can be used with an iPhone app. You will also need a video transmitter on the Phantom and a ground video receiver to receive the audio and a special cable made for the iPhone to connect to the receiver.
There's also a board called Firebug that's made for the Phantom. It's an OSD module, using the Phantom GPS for positioning. You would also need a telemetry radio such as 3DRobotics, but it doesn't work with iPhones and the designer/supplier decided to quit making them.
Hope this helps.
Ron
What you're asking here is some sort of iPhone telemetry correct?
The Immserion EZOSD on screen display has a telemetry function using the right audio channel that can be used with an iPhone app. You will also need a video transmitter on the Phantom and a ground video receiver to receive the audio and a special cable made for the iPhone to connect to the receiver.
There's also a board called Firebug that's made for the Phantom. It's an OSD module, using the Phantom GPS for positioning. You would also need a telemetry radio such as 3DRobotics, but it doesn't work with iPhones and the designer/supplier decided to quit making them.
Hope this helps.
Ron
i use an iphone to take video on my F450 and run the "find my iphone" app.
thankfully haven't needed it yet. as well as giving a location of the phone you can also make the phone make a noise remotely which could also be useful in a loss situation.
only snag is you need another ios device or a pc to use it (no android yet)
thankfully haven't needed it yet. as well as giving a location of the phone you can also make the phone make a noise remotely which could also be useful in a loss situation.
only snag is you need another ios device or a pc to use it (no android yet)
Kilby
Active Member
^^^ that is about the only method that would work for what you are thinking. The problem is that the aircraft will not send it's GPS coordinates to a service that is available online. At best, you will be able to have a direct communication via a telemetry module. The problem with that though is that as soon as you are outside of the range (if it's lost), that data link is broken. If you have something onboard that can connect to 3g and upload it's coordinates to a web service, it doesn't matter if the direct connection is lost because the web service will still have the coordinates.
There are also devices that are made to track pets by sending out a GPS signal. These might be able to do what you want as well, but they do have a limited range. It is also a direct connection, so if you lost your aircraft, you would have to use a smartphone and go 'hunting' for the aircraft, but once you got within a few hundred yards of it you should be ok.
There are also devices that are made to track pets by sending out a GPS signal. These might be able to do what you want as well, but they do have a limited range. It is also a direct connection, so if you lost your aircraft, you would have to use a smartphone and go 'hunting' for the aircraft, but once you got within a few hundred yards of it you should be ok.
Kilby, believe me when I tell you that I don't intentionally get that far out. I probably shouldn't have flown that day at all. The wind was really strong and I was flying in manual mode and when I realize that I was in trouble, I had lost orientation and it just kept going. It went over some trees and I lost sight of it. I was hoping for return to home but I think the battery died before it could get back. I usually try to stay close enough to read the led lite so I know when to land. But I know what can happen so I was looking for a way to find it if it was lost.
Kilby
Active Member
Well think about how that "find my iPhone" app works for a second. You open your laptop or another idevice and make a request to track the location of your missing device. That sends a request for location to the device. If the device is able to receive that request, it calculates its lat long and sends it back to the Apple service. Apple then takes that info and translates it into a human readable pin on a map.
Now think about how that would work on your quad. You open a laptop and request to find the location of your quad. Your quad doesn't have a data connection, only the RC / telemetry connection. Chances are high that if you need to track that quads location, you have long since lost that connection and thus have no way to communicate with your aircraft. You could send the location back over the telemetry, and that is infant what happens with the ground control software, but once it's out of range you are screwed.
To do what you are thinking about, you would have to have a data connection on board that could transmit your coordinates back to a web service.
Now think about how that would work on your quad. You open a laptop and request to find the location of your quad. Your quad doesn't have a data connection, only the RC / telemetry connection. Chances are high that if you need to track that quads location, you have long since lost that connection and thus have no way to communicate with your aircraft. You could send the location back over the telemetry, and that is infant what happens with the ground control software, but once it's out of range you are screwed.
To do what you are thinking about, you would have to have a data connection on board that could transmit your coordinates back to a web service.
Benjamin Kenobi
Easy? You call that easy?
I think there's various devices out there. Common ones use the Mobile Cellular network. But yes, you would need to velcro something else to your bird. I've seen this topic a few times, Amazon and Ebay often have such devices cheap, at least I think that is what the topics concluded.
15crewdawg
Member
So to answer your question... No.
Not without adding another tracking device to your bird.
The GPS that your Phantom has is only a receiver. It only communicates with the flight controller. There is no signal for anything to "lock onto".
Not without adding another tracking device to your bird.
The GPS that your Phantom has is only a receiver. It only communicates with the flight controller. There is no signal for anything to "lock onto".
Tracking thoughts:
Yes, I'm nervous about flying BVR and I've given it some thought and $$.
First, I never want to loose contact with the hexa and not be able to send the RTH command, so I added a TX amplifier to the DX8. If I fly around the house, I connect the 2.4ghz antenna directly to the amp. Otherwise, the signal goes up a 6m pole to another antenna there. Hopefully, line of sight will never be an issue of me TX'ing to the hexa.
Second, a 600mW video transmitter on the hexa coming back to the Fat Sharks directly or to another video receiver on the same pole.
Third, 915mhz telemetry coming back to a PC to record the flight track, again, receiver up the pole. The data rate is less than normal to increase range. I don't takeoff unless I have that connection if I'm planning on going out BVR.
Fourth, a DVR recording everything I see in the goggles, including lat/long on the display, so if I have to go hunt it up I'll have a decent starting point.
To date, I've been out 1350m, probably less than 200' AGL, with just a little fuzziness in the video and decided not to push my luck. And only with a 4m mast with TX and receivers. No issues with telemetry or control.
On the pre-flight side, I probably connect NAZA to Assistant every other flight, to verify that nothing has changed regarding failsafe settings.
Ron
Yes, I'm nervous about flying BVR and I've given it some thought and $$.
First, I never want to loose contact with the hexa and not be able to send the RTH command, so I added a TX amplifier to the DX8. If I fly around the house, I connect the 2.4ghz antenna directly to the amp. Otherwise, the signal goes up a 6m pole to another antenna there. Hopefully, line of sight will never be an issue of me TX'ing to the hexa.
Second, a 600mW video transmitter on the hexa coming back to the Fat Sharks directly or to another video receiver on the same pole.
Third, 915mhz telemetry coming back to a PC to record the flight track, again, receiver up the pole. The data rate is less than normal to increase range. I don't takeoff unless I have that connection if I'm planning on going out BVR.
Fourth, a DVR recording everything I see in the goggles, including lat/long on the display, so if I have to go hunt it up I'll have a decent starting point.
To date, I've been out 1350m, probably less than 200' AGL, with just a little fuzziness in the video and decided not to push my luck. And only with a 4m mast with TX and receivers. No issues with telemetry or control.
On the pre-flight side, I probably connect NAZA to Assistant every other flight, to verify that nothing has changed regarding failsafe settings.
Ron
Last edited by a moderator:
PeterLester
Member
http://www.bigredbee.com/beelinegps.htm
Please fly safely not only to protect the hobby but also the general public.
Please fly safely not only to protect the hobby but also the general public.
Well now that is making some sense to me. I didn't think about it as being just a receiver. Now it is making sense that you would have to add a transmitter. I have seen those little transmitters, but I thought maybe the phantom already had that going for it. Makes sense now. Thanks for that explanation 15crewdawg. So I guess if I added the fpv system, I might be able to track it then through the downlink?
Now that makes sense to me. I didn't realize that the GPS was just a receiver. I can understand why I would need a transmitter attached now. Thanks for clearing that up 15crewdawg. I've seen those small transmitters on ebay. If I installed a fpv system could I track the downlink transmitter?
15crewdawg
Member
FPV equipment (with an OSD) can get you close as long as you still have a signal. For a real solution you would need a dedicated GPS transmitter and receiver like what PeterLester linked to.
kloner
Aerial DP
if you use a fpv video transmitter and a patch antenna you can track a rig with the receivers antenna. especialy when there on the ground the antenna strength increases alot when your close making a clear picture and it gets really directional. I've been down miles away and drove right up to it swinging the antenna around like a metal detector.
Thanks for your expertise and advice Kloner. It just seems that with all the electronics on board there should be someway to track your quad as long as there is still some charge remaining in the battery. I know that you probably are in los most all the time but know from personal experience that there are flyaway incidents that can and do happen on occasion and I want to explore whatever options there may be to try to recover my beloved quad.