Marco Polo

[Montana John]

Hi John . Ross here from Brisbane Down Under - Used the Marco Polo in Iceland about 6 months ago when my Mavic pro decided to venture afar on its own accord after a short flight . Unit was returning to home when it suddenly disconected , increased altitude and flew rapidly past the RTH point and out of sight .
Unable to reconect so fired up Marco Polo unit which indicated a direction about 90 degrees from the last seen flight path - I was looking at a never ending field of grain crop about 2 feet tall . eventually drove about 1KM down the road and walked about 250 metres into the field - found the little critter after a couple of minutes circling - thankfull for the dayglo orange skin- AC had not landed vertically - it had carved a track through the planr at about 30 degee angle - no damage ! Without the Marco Polo my chance ofrecovery would have been nil
Regrads Ross

Ross, how big is the sensor you stick on the drone, and how is it fastened?

 

[davemorts]

Hi John, I use Marco Polo and Loc8tor. Loc8tor is good if you know within about 100 yds where the drone landed.
Marco Polo is more superior and can locate the fallen drone from a mile or more.

 

[Montana John]

Hi John, I use Marco Polo and Loc8tor. Loc8tor is good if you know within about 100 yds where the drone landed.
Marco Polo is more superior and can locate the fallen drone from a mile or more.

Thank you. Looks like distance equals money!
How is the little drone sensor attached with the Marco Polo system?

 

[davemorts]

I mount it on the nose of the mavic pro with velcro.

 

[Steve Reed]

Hi John

It is fascinating to watch how many trolls get chased out of the bushes by just asking a simple question, Rather discouraging to...

As per Marco Polo, I have used mine twice. Once in the desert outside Las Vegas where the land, although appearing flat and featureless can easily hide a drone that has had a disagreement with DJI go 4 and just goes on a walkabout solo. As it did not return home on its own my buddy spread out and I used the Marco polo and we found it about 1 1/2 miles away unharmed in a shallow wash. Second time was in Costa Rica where the jungle under growth is pervasive and impenetrable. while sitting on the back porch of a house on the side of a hill I was flying and hit an unseen vine, stick or maybe a gremlin. The Mavic pro went down unharmed into a stand of tall grass and vines under the trees. Could never have found it without my Marco Polo. This time it was only about 1/4 mile away but I could not see it until I was about 2 feet away as the Marco Polo said I was right on top of it. I say get one and hope you never have to use it, but if you do just think of all these State Farm, Legal, Proper flying, DJI refresh using trolls when you find it.

It works just fine and over quite a distance without any cell coverage which was not available in either of my instances.

 

[PropSpin]

"Therefore, the moment you lose your drone, you're operating illegally."

Sounds like you're just trying to win an argument. Theory is fine and dandy until something goes haywire. I'm sure the drivers of those Toyota cars that suddenly decided to accelerate on their own accord several years back would appreciate receiving help from you.
It's VERY easy to lose a drone if something fails even when you're operating well with the law, observing best practices, etc.
And whether or not you have DJI refresh, recovering a drone is still going to be better than it just disappearing. Sheesh...

 

[RTKD]

It's VERY easy to lose a drone if something fails even when you're operating well with the law, observing best practices, etc.
And whether or not you have DJI refresh, recovering a drone is still going to be better than it just disappearing. Sheesh...

I drop a drone in the bushes every day, and I find it with a beeper. If it's farther away than that, then It's most likely pilot error and irresponsible use. Truth is, a GPS unit is only so accurate, so you still may not find your bird in the trees or the underbrush.


I don't come here to win arguments, I come to offer advice and learn a thing or two. You can take my advice or leave it. I'm honestly happy that these products have worked for the pilots above, but I don't appreciate being misrepresented like this:

just think of all these State Farm, Legal, Proper flying, DJI refresh using trolls when you find it.

Here's a reel of me crashing and finding drones. Why don't you show me an accumulation of your experience?
Simpler yet, show an instance of a single person trolling on this thread, I've been polite this whole time.

I didn't mean to sound negative to the poster, just to the idea of a $300 tracker that helps me find what is likely a broken drone. I would recommend more mindful operation before a product like that.

You know that's a darn good point.
And that brings me back to a simple beeper you can get. I've seen them with a removable watch battery. The super cheap method is to just turn the beeper on while you're operating, if you lose your drone you can find it that way. They're pretty loud, and cheap enough that I have one on all of my FPV drones. $20 - $25
But hey, your bird's an investment, if you can afford the warranty and the tracker, fly till you're happy .

If you read all my posts I didn't come here to be a jerk, I just offered my opinion. I fly my DJI like it's made of glass. For more difficult shots, I build drones from scratch for less than your tracking unit.

As per Marco Polo, I have used mine twice.

If you lost a DJI product, that's a rookie mistake. 99/100 times it's pilot error, and unless you have a flight log, DJI will tell you the same thing.You don't need an extra GPS tracker, you need to learn how to properly use your aircraft within the boundaries of the law. Having a tracker and a warranty doesn't give you carte blanche to fly way out of sight, and the collective cavalier attitude I've seen on this thread about skirting those laws is childish, and exactly what the hobby needs to avoid.

Poke around the board a little bit before you take advice from a pilot that's lost a GPS enabled drone twice. Unless he lost them doing long range with a HAM license, he may not be the most experienced guy in the air.

 

[John Locke]

My personal opinion.....

If you're following the law, you should never lose your drone.
If you lose a DJI, the chances that you recover it WORKING are slim.

I would say 85% of the flyers in this forum do not follow the FAA guidelines to the T (BTW it's not law). With DJI advertising 5mi distances for M2, you can expect that going BVLOS is common. Someday the VLOS guideline will have exceptions for experience pilots, such as Part 107 certified guys.

As for the not drone working if lost, that's not true unless you crash. Many times crashing doesn't render it broken either, it really depends on where you are. But if it is broken in a crash, spending $250 to $350 to have it fixed is cheaper than losing it all together.

Having a location device is worthy. GPS trackers are nice, but useless without cellular, as the OP mentions concern. MarcoPolo works for 2mi, but is more difficult to use than a GPS tracker. It's better than nothing in areas without cellular signal, I use one all the time. Optionally I use a PING device when I have cellular.

 

[RTKD]

(BTW it's not law)

This is an important distinction that I didn't know.

With DJI advertising 5mi distances for M2, you can expect that going BVLOS is common. Someday the VLOS guideline will have exceptions for experience pilots, such as Part 107 certified guys.

I could see the guidelines changing for experienced pilots like you say, but as of now this is a slippery slope. Just because the bird can fly that far, doesn't mean an inexperienced and/or unlicensed pilot should be taking it out to the limit. I rode a street bike that could do 160, doesn't mean I should take it there.

You're telling me that as an experienced pilot, you've been operating safely within within the standard FAA guidelines, and still had a situation where you needed an external tracker to find your drone?

[EDIT] I'm starting to see a pattern here. I rode a street bike, but I never invested in leathers (GPS tracker) because they're expensive, and to me, if I crashed (lost my drone) I've failed. I look at losing a done as a failure, simple as that.

We'll, I'm wrong. S***t happens, and failing to prepare is preparing to fail. I use a $20 beeper, you guys use a $300 tracker. To each their own, I'm just an obsessive cheapskate

 

[PropSpin]

I drop a drone in the bushes every day, and I find it with a beeper. If it's farther away than that, then It's most likely pilot error and irresponsible use. Truth is, a GPS unit is only so accurate, so you still may not find your bird in the trees or the underbrush.
View attachment 57079

I don't come here to win arguments, I come to offer advice and learn a thing or two. You can take my advice or leave it. I'm honestly happy that these products have worked for the pilots above, but I don't appreciate being misrepresented like this:


Here's a reel of me crashing and finding drones. Why don't you show me an accumulation of your experience?
Simpler yet, show an instance of a single person trolling on this thread, I've been polite this whole time.

If you read all my posts I didn't come here to be a jerk, I just offered my opinion. I fly my DJI like it's made of glass. For more difficult shots, I build drones from scratch for less than your tracking unit.


If you lost a DJI product, that's a rookie mistake. 99/100 times it's pilot error, and unless you have a flight log, DJI will tell you the same thing.You don't need an extra GPS tracker, you need to learn how to properly use your aircraft within the boundaries of the law. Having a tracker and a warranty doesn't give you carte blanche to fly way out of sight, and the collective cavalier attitude I've seen on this thread about skirting those laws is childish, and exactly what the hobby needs to avoid.

Poke around the board a little bit before you take advice from a pilot that's lost a GPS enabled drone twice. Unless he lost them doing long range with a HAM license, he may not be the most experienced guy in the air.

I drop a drone in the bushes every day, and I find it with a beeper. If it's farther away than that, then It's most likely pilot error and irresponsible use. Truth is, a GPS unit is only so accurate, so you still may not find your bird in the trees or the underbrush.
View attachment 57079

I don't come here to win arguments, I come to offer advice and learn a thing or two. You can take my advice or leave it. I'm honestly happy that these products have worked for the pilots above, but I don't appreciate being misrepresented like this:


Here's a reel of me crashing and finding drones. Why don't you show me an accumulation of your experience?
Simpler yet, show an instance of a single person trolling on this thread, I've been polite this whole time.

If you read all my posts I didn't come here to be a jerk, I just offered my opinion. I fly my DJI like it's made of glass. For more difficult shots, I build drones from scratch for less than your tracking unit.


If you lost a DJI product, that's a rookie mistake. 99/100 times it's pilot error, and unless you have a flight log, DJI will tell you the same thing.You don't need an extra GPS tracker, you need to learn how to properly use your aircraft within the boundaries of the law. Having a tracker and a warranty doesn't give you carte blanche to fly way out of sight, and the collective cavalier attitude I've seen on this thread about skirting those laws is childish, and exactly what the hobby needs to avoid.

Poke around the board a little bit before you take advice from a pilot that's lost a GPS enabled drone twice. Unless he lost them doing long range with a HAM license, he may not be the most experienced guy in the air.

Who is misrepresenting you? You're the one that came on this thread making the following matter of fact statements:

"
What for?
If you're following the law, you should never lose your drone.
If you lose a DJI, the chances that you recover it WORKING are slim.
...
Your DJI already has GPS, if you pay attention and (again) follow the law, you'll never need a locator for a DJI
"
You then follow up with "Therefore, the moment you lose your drone, you're operating illegally."

1. "If you're following the law, you should never lose your drone."
- You're right - in a perfect world. But we're not in a perfect world and things FAIL and wacky things happen.

2. "If you lose a DJI, the chances that you recover it WORKING are slim."
- As has already been addressed and you have acknowledged, SOME people have DJI refresh. Even if they don't and the drone is damaged, they'll at least have the on board data and imagery, and they'll have something that is either likely cheaper to fix than buy new, or they'll have spare parts. And either way, who wouldn't like to be able to recover their drone?

3. "Your DJI already has GPS, if you pay attention and (again) follow the law, you'll never need a locator for a DJI"
- As written, this is a false statement. As I've stated, things fail. DJI's equipment is not impervious to failure. Also, people make honest mistakes for a variety or reasons and a rookie mistake could result in a lost drone, even if following the letter of the law.

4. "Technically a drone should be flown within line of sight of you, or another paired operator. Therefore, the moment you lose your drone, you're operating illegally."
- This was your follow up post where instead of admitting that you were making definitive blanket statements that were wrong, you double downed. Your conclusion here is total nonsense.

So again, you're the one that showed up making accusatory, matter of fact blanket statements that were incorrect. You could have offered your opinion without assuming the worst about the OP's (or others) intentions. You could have also understood that some people would like an extra layer of protection for their $1500 (or whatever price) investment. Your experience with drones makes no difference with regards to the statements you've made.

So there you have it. You can either consider this and understand why people may take exception to your input, or you can continue on insisting that you're right.

 

[RTKD]

So there you have it. You can either consider this and understand why people may take exception to your input, or you can continue on insisting that you're right.

So a list of facts is considered trolling now? Im not sorry it's offended your delicate sensibilities.

Everyone loves to talk about how they feel, nobody likes to discuss facts, especially when they're not the facts you came here to reinforce. I've become more steadfast in certain statements because they we're challenged in silly ways, including yours:

It's VERY easy to lose a drone if something fails even when you're operating well with the law, observing best practices, etc.

This was your follow up post where instead of admitting that you were making definitive blanket statements that were wrong, you double downed. Your conclusion here is total nonsense.

Yes, DJI has made it REALLY easy to fly a drone, that means it's easy to lose it too. It's called pilot error, and the solution is not throwing more money at the problem, the solution is learning how to fly your aircraft, and treating it with more respect. It's not nonsense, it's the FAA Guidelines for responsible operation.
Seriously, educate yourself.

If your drone is flying, and you can't see it, you're likely not operating safely. If your drone flies off and hits a low flying helicopter, of falls out of the sky and hits a person, you are liable. If you think your're going to write it off in court because you "lost control of the drone" the burden of evidence will be on you to prove it.
@PropSpin You haven't offered a single statement that moves this conversation forward. You're arguing with me about FAA regs that are easily looked up.

I build, fly and crash drones every day, it's my whole life. I bet you didn't look at my video, I'll bet you haven't taken a second to see any of my work. From below freezing temps in Vermont, to the physical ceiling of the craft in Costa Rica, I've flown in every situation one can fly in. I bet I've crashed a drone more times than you've flown one.

Unless you have credentials, or some proof of experience, you're just running your mouth.

 

[PropSpin]

So a list of facts is considered trolling now? Im not sorry it's offended your delicate sensibilities.

Everyone loves to talk about how they feel, nobody likes to discuss facts, especially when they're not the facts you came here to reinforce. I've become more steadfast in certain statements because they we're challenged in silly ways, including yours:



Yes, DJI has made it REALLY easy to fly a drone, that means it's easy to lose it too. It's called pilot error, and the solution is not throwing more money at the problem, the solution is learning how to fly your aircraft, and treating it with more respect. It's not nonsense, it's the FAA Guidelines for responsible operation.
Seriously, educate yourself.

If your drone is flying, and you can't see it, you're likely not operating safely. If your drone flies off and hits a low flying helicopter, of falls out of the sky and hits a person, you are liable. If you think your're going to write it off in court because you "lost control of the drone" the burden of evidence will be on you to prove it.
@PropSpin You haven't offered a single statement that moves this conversation forward. You're arguing with me about FAA regs that are easily looked up.

I build, fly and crash drones every day, it's my whole life. I bet you didn't look at my video, I'll bet you haven't taken a second to see any of my work. From below freezing temps in Vermont, to the physical ceiling of the craft in Costa Rica, I've flown in every situation one can fly in. I bet I've crashed a drone more times than you've flown one.

Unless you have credentials, or some proof of experience, you're just running your mouth.

I don't care about your credentials. You're the one running your mouth about how much experience you have. Doesn't matter, I've pointed out the error in your matter of fact, blanket statements, you have nothing you can refute. What I've stated has nothing to do with feelings or subjectivity, whereas your statements are full of it.

Having credentials doesn't magically make what you type on your keyboard factual or relevant. Either be willing to admit you were wrong or just stop posting before you embarrass yourself further.

 

[RTKD]

I've pointed out the error in your matter of fact, blanket statements

No you haven't, you've argued against the FAA regs that again, are easy to look up. I'll say again, matter of factly: Operation outside your line of site, is operation outside of those guidelines.
Education, credentials, and experience do mean something, and its not "magic"
Again, you've offered nothing of substance on the topic, and you've shown zero understanding or experience in the field. What have I said that would be embarrassing?
Mindful operation is the key to not losing your drone. Problem solved. I'm done offering solutions, you're obviously adverse to education.

 

[Point Zero]

I drop a drone in the bushes every day, and I find it with a beeper. If it's farther away than that, then It's most likely pilot error and irresponsible use. Truth is, a GPS unit is only so accurate, so you still may not find your bird in the trees or the underbrush.
View attachment 57079

I don't come here to win arguments, I come to offer advice and learn a thing or two. You can take my advice or leave it. I'm honestly happy that these products have worked for the pilots above, but I don't appreciate being misrepresented like this:


Here's a reel of me crashing and finding drones. Why don't you show me an accumulation of your experience?
Simpler yet, show an instance of a single person trolling on this thread, I've been polite this whole time.

If you read all my posts I didn't come here to be a jerk, I just offered my opinion. I fly my DJI like it's made of glass. For more difficult shots, I build drones from scratch for less than your tracking unit.


If you lost a DJI product, that's a rookie mistake. 99/100 times it's pilot error, and unless you have a flight log, DJI will tell you the same thing.You don't need an extra GPS tracker, you need to learn how to properly use your aircraft within the boundaries of the law. Having a tracker and a warranty doesn't give you carte blanche to fly way out of sight, and the collective cavalier attitude I've seen on this thread about skirting those laws is childish, and exactly what the hobby needs to avoid.

Poke around the board a little bit before you take advice from a pilot that's lost a GPS enabled drone twice. Unless he lost them doing long range with a HAM license, he may not be the most experienced guy in the air.

I drop a drone in the bushes every day, and I find it with a beeper. If it's farther away than that, then It's most likely pilot error and irresponsible use. Truth is, a GPS unit is only so accurate, so you still may not find your bird in the trees or the underbrush.
View attachment 57079

I don't come here to win arguments, I come to offer advice and learn a thing or two. You can take my advice or leave it. I'm honestly happy that these products have worked for the pilots above, but I don't appreciate being misrepresented like this:


Here's a reel of me crashing and finding drones. Why don't you show me an accumulation of your experience?
Simpler yet, show an instance of a single person trolling on this thread, I've been polite this whole time.

If you read all my posts I didn't come here to be a jerk, I just offered my opinion. I fly my DJI like it's made of glass. For more difficult shots, I build drones from scratch for less than your tracking unit.


If you lost a DJI product, that's a rookie mistake. 99/100 times it's pilot error, and unless you have a flight log, DJI will tell you the same thing.You don't need an extra GPS tracker, you need to learn how to properly use your aircraft within the boundaries of the law. Having a tracker and a warranty doesn't give you carte blanche to fly way out of sight, and the collective cavalier attitude I've seen on this thread about skirting those laws is childish, and exactly what the hobby needs to avoid.

Poke around the board a little bit before you take advice from a pilot that's lost a GPS enabled drone twice. Unless he lost them doing long range with a HAM license, he may not be the most experienced guy in the air.

Dude that video is sick af! Really enjoyed watching it. Id love to see a vid of the costa rica max ceiling flight?

If its ok to ask, could you recommend a good racing drone to start out with, something like your I mean?

 

[PropSpin]

No you haven't, you've argued against the FAA regs that again, are easy to look up. I'll say again, matter of factly: Operation outside your line of site, is operation outside of those guidelines.
Education, credentials, and experience do mean something, and its not "magic"
Again, you've offered nothing of substance on the topic, and you've shown zero understanding or experience in the field. What have I said that would be embarrassing?
Mindful operation is the key to not losing your drone. Problem solved. I'm done offering solutions, you're obviously adverse to education.

You are a liar. I NEVER argued against FAA regs. You also lack comprehension. I never suggested that education, credentials and experience do not mean something. I said that having credentials does not make one "automagically" right. So quit putting words into people's mouths. Your logic is akin to saying that if I observe all of the traffic laws and am super careful that I am guaranteed safe travel in my car from VA to FL. No such thing. Have a nice day, there's nothing left to say to you on this subject.

 

[Merccooper]

I’m new here. Still haven’t flown my Mavic Pro Christmas gift. Still reading up on it. Just a thought on the tracker. I was thinking about using one of those Tiles. I know it is only Bluetooth and only a 30 foot range, but would help for”nearby” lost drones. They also have the feature that if it gets in range of another Tile user, it will record where it was on your app.

 

[TR Ganey]

I’m new here. Still haven’t flown my Mavic Pro Christmas gift. Still reading up on it. Just a thought on the tracker. I was thinking about using one of those Tiles. I know it is only Bluetooth and only a 30 foot range, but would help for”nearby” lost drones. They also have the feature that if it gets in range of another Tile user, it will record where it was on your app.

Guess that'd be alright in the city but where I live outside the city limits there may be 10 people per square mile so I doubt it do me much good. Good luck with whatever you choose!

 

[Canuk]

I’m new here. Still haven’t flown my Mavic Pro Christmas gift. Still reading up on it. Just a thought on the tracker. I was thinking about using one of those Tiles. I know it is only Bluetooth and only a 30 foot range, but would help for”nearby” lost drones. They also have the feature that if it gets in range of another Tile user, it will record where it was on your app.

If you are close you can use the find my drone in go for to make the startup tune play. If it’s just in thick grass it should make enough sound to hear .

I am still thinking about a Marco Polo
I was at one of our cabins taking some pictures and pushed what I thought was the RTH but I hit the land button . I was only 300 feet away but in the fall the wild grass is about 4.5 feet tall . Over 30 minutes walking around in that tall crap hoping not to step on my drone . I pay way more attention now . At that time I only had about 2 weeks experience under my belt at the time . If I was 500 yards away I would never find it in the tall grass

 

[Steve Reed]

Guess that'd be alright in the city but where I live outside the city limits there may be 10 people per square mile so I doubt it do me much good. Good luck with whatever you choose!

How can you loose a drone if it is 30 feet away or less?

 

[RTKD]

How can you loose a drone if it is 30 feet away or less?

I've got shots of my drone falling into tall grass, or into and through a bush. I've walked past it less than a few feet away. Depending on the underbrush and the light, it can be really hard to spot. Not to belabor the point, but that's why I prefer a beeper. I can't count the number times it's shortened my search.