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Anyone use something other than one of the commercially available tracker receivers? What has worked, what mods do you need, what antenna work well?
I’ll wondering if an ICOM handheld scanner can be made to work with little trouble.
Greg in Mississippi
Is anyone using GPS to track thier planes?
This would be great if not too expensive.Dick Bertrand in Florida till April
@Dick Bertrand wrote:
Is anyone using GPS to track thier planes?
This would be great if not too expensive.Dick Bertrand in Florida till April
I don’t have a tracker, but probably should.
A few years ago now I did have a flyaway with a Senator into the jungle/boondocks late one afternoon……Was too late and getting dark to look for it.
Next morning I stood exactly where I launched it from, had the exact line it took the day before, and one of the guys with a hand held GPS set it up…..beyond me I’m afraid, and we walked following the line on GPS.
When we got into the boondocks and were walking off line we would come back on line. It took an hour or more but we walked right onto it just laying there waiting for us with it’s stab. tipped down. Good feeling.Can I use my Apple iPhone to do this? It has a compass, but I get crazy readings sometimes. It seems to need to be perfectlu level.
Thanks for your input!
Dick Bertrand
Dick, I talked with someone at a contest at Lost Hills who has been using a small GPS device that is available on ebay that operates as a phone. It is sold as a tracker for children or pets, it does require a SIM card like the one in your cell phone. It has a case and buttons, a speaker and microphone and a battery that is larger than needed for our purposes. In its as sold state weighs an ounce and can be had for as little as $38. Ken Bauer says he will develop one one of these days but as yet has not, The Russians have incorporated GPS into some of their electronic timers but are reported to be too expensive for us non FAI mortals. If you have a smart phone , you’re halfway there. Thermals, Glenn
Found this on the F1Q forum.
http://www.optimaltracking.com/en/gps-modelismeicare has transmitters, receivers, batteries and chargers. A complete package looks to cost ~450.00 Euro plus shipping from France.
I have been using a system by L.L. Electronics in Illinois for a long time. A lot of free flighters use these systems, which were originally designed for falcon tracking. http://www.radiotracking.com At one time I was told that they made Jim Walston’s systems, so they are certainly familiar with them and can supply transmitters in a number of different sizes and ranges, along with the receivers and a pile of other stuff.
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