Marco Polo tracker placement

[jerryflah]

And one other thing what site did you get your Marco polo from?


Sent from my iPhone using MavicPilots

I GOT MINE OFF OF AMAZON

 

[F6Rider]

Right; I know. Not looking for certainty....just interested in hearing some personal stories/anecdotes from people who already own a Marco Polo -- i.e., are you glad you bought one, or was it a waste of money? Again, every person will have a different answer because the odds of needing a tracker are very different if you are flying over open, empty desert (like we have in Arizona) vs. thick woods like in Tennessee.

I'm very new to this hobby, and I'm willing to spend appropriate money on useful things (a nice hard case, etc.), but I just can't tell if it's worth spending $200+ on a tracker that I might never need to use.

I was flying and not in LOS (about 2 miles out) when a weather front moved in, the pressure dropped and a strong wind came up very fast, I checked my altitude, flipped to Sport mode, and engaged RTH, got it back with 10% battery, which is my critical level. If I had been slower the bird would have ran its battery down fighting the wind (slower RTH) and landed out of sight. I make a habit of using the tracker on every flight, not too worried about a fly-away (never had one) but things happen. I was flying on the Eastern slope of the Sierra's and didn't realize how fast the ground was rising, altitude read 120' but in actuality I was only at 40' AGL and diminishing fast, I was focused on the horizon too much.
You're in Phoenix so if you only fly local just get a cheap cell GPS tracker, I have flown around Yuma a lot and the cell coverage is spotty to nonexistent hence the Marco Polo.

 

[jerryflah]

Is there anyone who has the Marco Polo mounted in the front and if so, on the side (which side and why), top or bottom. Would any of these positions compromise electronic components needed by the Mavic or interfere with the Props??
I've looked thru the thread but I may have missed this
Thanks in advance [a pic would help me a lot]

 

[PressMan]

Marco Polo just place on the top arm..with areal pointing down....note pointing down towards the ground.

 

[jerryflah]

Marco Polo just place on the top arm..with areal pointing down....note pointing down towards the ground.

velco attachment ok?? does Velcro impede closing top arm for storage??

 

[jerryflah]

You have to remove the tracker of course, but the Velcro doesn't interfere with the arm closing. So I put it on once, and take it off once, not for each battery.

I do like this mounting on the MP for the MP. Are you still in favor of the setup. It sure seems the most simple and logical.
No Electronic interference correct?!
I see that you posted this way back in November so that's why I'm asking
I REVIEWED ALL OF THE CURRENT THREAD AND GOT ALL THE ANSWERS THAT I NEED
I'M GOING WITH "F6Rider" for now until someone designs a 3D better solution.

 

[jerryflah]

Just a little hint for anyone getting a Marco Polo tracker for the 1st time. Read the instructions closely as they are pretty good. PRACTICE with it in a big field, I had my wife hide the tag a few different places, even in a tree, and I practiced finding it. The Marco Polo will find the tag in a tree or on a ledge but you need to learn the procedure for that, not hard, just different. The Marco Polo will tell you to move if it needs a offset baseline to figure direction, just move to the right or left of the direction the tag went and it will then point directly at it and give you a range in % of signal strength. After some practice I was able to go right to the tag with very little trouble, it works very well.

will do

 

[John Locke]

Also What if someone picks it up and starts walking off with it before u get there etc etc

Good point. You should label your Trackmo with this warning.......... "WARNING, will EXPLODE if removed" You don't want anyone getting any ideas to take it home, and you don't want to tell him that little box is a tracker (with a quick google), so a nicely sized replacement label to go ON TOP of the trackimo label with this warning would be an appropriate deterrent.

 

[jerryflah]

Good point. You should label your Trackmo with this warning.......... "WARNING, will EXPLODE if removed"

YEA!!!!!!

 

[Xanth]

I haven't read this whole thread, so please excuse if this duplicates. I just test flew my Mav with the Marco Polo on the rear end and it worked great.

Sent from my iPhone using MavicPilots

 

[Slantnose79]

I haven't read this whole thread, so please excuse if this duplicates. I just test flew my Mav with the Marco Polo on the rear end and it worked great.

Sent from my iPhone using MavicPilots

That's where mine is. Just make sure the antenna never goes under the VPS camera...


Sent from my iPhone using MavicPilots

 

[chippie]

...hmmm, drat and double drat - ok; would the side of the folding arms be a good non-interfering place for the tile to live? - trying to find the right fairly permanent place with no interference electronically and as little interference aerodynamically AND still be able to quickly grab from the bag and fly without having to add fidgety little components all over the place first...hmmm...will have to find a diagram of the internal layout - don't suppose anyone's got one of those handy???

Not sure if you are aware but the new Trackimo TRK010 3G devices have BlueTooth built in so they can actually do the same a Tile can. Should have my 3G one next week so will have a proper look at the function . If ti works ok you may be able to drop the Tile altogether.

 

[zanderlane]

...great news - one less thing to worry about!

 

[GMG]

I was flying and not in LOS (about 2 miles out) when a weather front moved in, the pressure dropped and a strong wind came up very fast, I checked my altitude, flipped to Sport mode, and engaged RTH, got it back with 10% battery, which is my critical level.

Thanks for mentioning this. I encountered a similar situation last week, where a sudden wind came up and with the right stick full forward it just stayed stationary (but well within LOS). In the moment it never occurred to me to hit Sport mode. If it happens again, I certainly will.

 

[AlanTheBeast]

I'm attaching a picture of the antenna and my flight log. What do you guys think?

Log: Phantom Log Viewer - PhantomHelp.com

View attachment 4261

Looks like the antenna confused the stereo optical system.
Good catch.

 

[F6Rider]

That was one reason I put my MP tag on the side, didn't want it in the props, or getting in the way of the downward sensors.

 

[Mtb Uas]

View attachment 4898 View attachment 4897 View attachment 4896 View attachment 4895 View attachment 4894 View attachment 4893 View attachment 4892 Received my Marco Polo today. Cool gadget. Works really well. I ordered it with an extra tag. Pairing it was easy. Took about two hours to charge the tag. Bought a small waterproof case to put it in and mounted the tags on the aircraft.

I like your mounting idea the best. Just got my Marco Polo today and it's profile is just slightly wider than the thickness of the front leg so I expect that minimizes drag. Will give it a shot and see how it works out.

Thanks for posting

 

[sonof40]

Quick question - How often do you actually need to use your tracker?

I am on the fence about buying a tracking device. My thinking is that if I have a crash/flyaway, I should be able to use my flight log data to get an approximate location fix. Yes, I know these things can travel a long way and finding a needle in a haystack may be much faster with a tracker, BUT....

The question is - what are the odds that I'll actually lose my Mavic and need to track it? Is this something that happens to people once a year? Once a month?

I know the answer will depend on many factors like how often you fly, terrain type, etc......but I'm still interested in hearing any stories that will help me understand the risk vs. benefits.

It's the same thinking process as when buying any insurance.

 

[CactusJackSlade]

I decided on this location. Seems solid, no issue with the antenna and the blades and I don't think it will affect performance.

Isn't that right over the GPS module?... are you having any issues?

 

[Robbyg]

That's right over the GPS antenna. You should mount it on the rear.