Not so Thrilling Accident, Maybe Someone Has a Better Solution?

xburst18 · Oct 14, 2015

I was out flying my Solo last night at a run down/abandoned amusement park that is fenced off with weeds and wrecked building scattered around. The time was just about 7:00 PM as the sun was going down. I was just trying to get some cinematic shots of the distress and wreckage of the place and just with my luck out of all the trees and obstacles around I hit the only tall pole that you hit with a hammer and the light goes all the way to the top. At first the Solo seems to fly just fine, I should have just landed it, but it kept flying and crashed down, not to mention it was not in eyes sight and I was just using the live feed, flying it. So as it goes down, me and my friend jump the fence and try and find it. Just so happens my Solo App disconnects and loses signal with the drone due to the battery coming off on impact so I'm freaking out and after 20 minutes of searching the grounds we can't even find it. With only one thing to really go off, the last image the GoPro captured before the crash. We searched and searched as the sun went down, luckily the only reason we found it because the GoPro was still recording and so we saw the red light beeping and it was laying in some thick brush. So my question is, is there any other way to track this thing down if this happens again losing signal from the Solo due to the battery popping off?

Earldgrayjr · Oct 14, 2015

xburst18 said:
I was out flying my Solo last night at a run down/abandoned amusement park that is fenced off with weeds and wrecked building scattered around. The time was just about 7:00 PM as the sun was going down. I was just trying to get some cinematic shots of the distress and wreckage of the place and just with my luck out of all the trees and obstacles around I hit the only tall pole that you hit with a hammer and the light goes all the way to the top. At first the Solo seems to fly just fine, I should have just landed it, but it kept flying and crashed down, not to mention it was not in eyes sight and I was just using the live feed, flying it. So as it goes down, me and my friend jump the fence and try and find it. Just so happens my Solo App disconnects and loses signal with the drone due to the battery coming off on impact so I'm freaking out and after 20 minutes of searching the grounds we can't even find it. With only one thing to really go off, the last image the GoPro captured before the crash. We searched and searched as the sun went down, luckily the only reason we found it because the GoPro was still recording and so we saw the red light beeping and it was laying in some thick brush. So my question is, is there any other way to track this thing down if this happens again losing signal from the Solo due to the battery popping off?

Yes! There is. If you have Android you have the log files on the device, up until it lost connection. You can open the last lg file and step through it to see (on a google map) where the Solo was last. You can also open the files in Mission Planner (PC app) and "play" the logs forward, but stepping through them in the Android app would be faster in your case and show you where it was last seen.

Del · Oct 14, 2015

xburst18 said:
I was out flying my Solo last night at a run down/abandoned amusement park that is fenced off with weeds and wrecked building scattered around. The time was just about 7:00 PM as the sun was going down. I was just trying to get some cinematic shots of the distress and wreckage of the place and just with my luck out of all the trees and obstacles around I hit the only tall pole that you hit with a hammer and the light goes all the way to the top. At first the Solo seems to fly just fine, I should have just landed it, but it kept flying and crashed down, not to mention it was not in eyes sight and I was just using the live feed, flying it. So as it goes down, me and my friend jump the fence and try and find it. Just so happens my Solo App disconnects and loses signal with the drone due to the battery coming off on impact so I'm freaking out and after 20 minutes of searching the grounds we can't even find it. With only one thing to really go off, the last image the GoPro captured before the crash. We searched and searched as the sun went down, luckily the only reason we found it because the GoPro was still recording and so we saw the red light beeping and it was laying in some thick brush. So my question is, is there any other way to track this thing down if this happens again losing signal from the Solo due to the battery popping off?

You probably would of found your Solo in minutes if you had a "Morco Polo"

Chuck · Oct 14, 2015

I agree with Del 100%. I just got my Marco Polo today. I haven't installed it yet, but I had my wife hide the tag outside, and I found it within 90 secs. I plan on a longer test before installing it, but from what I have seen from others, I can now fly with a lot more peace of mind.

NigelTM · Oct 19, 2015

What's the Marco Pole and can you get them in the UK?

I'm looking at using the Solo as a proof of concept for search and rescue. It'll be flying in some remote and/or wooded areas. If it goes down I'd like a reasonable chance of getting it back!

Chuck · Oct 19, 2015

Hello, Nigel, and welcome. I just got my Marco Polo, and have been testing it a bit before installing on my Solo. So far, I am very happy with it. You can look it up online at www.eurekaproducts.com There is a contact number and email to ask them any questions. Tim is very helpful over there. Good luck, and safe flying.

nuggetz · Oct 19, 2015

Has anyone considered those "Tile" GPS things that were all over the net this past year? I think they just came out.

Earldgrayjr · Oct 19, 2015

nuggetz said:
Has anyone considered those "Tile" GPS things that were all over the net this past year? I think they just came out.

They aren't GPS. They are Bluetooth, and therefore short range (30 feet or so)

I use this though....
SPOT Trace

It comes with a yearly fee however. I use it (and the Spot 3) for a TON of things.

I am considering getting a Marco Polo for test also though.

NigelTM · Oct 19, 2015

Chuck said:
Hello, Nigel, and welcome. I just got my Marco Polo, and have been testing it a bit before installing on my Solo. So far, I am very happy with it. You can look it up online at www.eurekaproducts.com There is a contact number and email to ask them any questions. Tim is very helpful over there. Good luck, and safe flying.

Thanks Chuck. That looks like a great bit of kit. $250 is a small price to get back a GoPro, gimbal and Solo

Chuck · Oct 19, 2015

Those were my thoughts exactly, Nigel. I chose it because of it's small size, long battery life, and the fact it did not depend on GPS or cell towers. Now I just hope I never need it.

Marich · Oct 19, 2015

I have one of these on most of my aircraft. No radio tracking, but the alarm is very loud and be heard at an ungodly distance.
Can't beat the price, either!
TowerHobbies.com | RC Gear Shop Electronic Aircraft Tracker