Check out page 27 in the manual, specifically says no external tracking device required. Also explains the 3 different orbiting modes if you will. In my experience with active tracking 2.0 on a zoom used mainly for tracking my kids in various sports, from walking to riding bikes, never had to use the remote controller to track. As long as I got a good lock on target at the start and target was identified worked pretty good. Good lighting and contrast important, on water can be tricky with all the reflections.