Sat Lock App?

[Delenot]

Does anyone know of an app that can actually check the amount of Sats in a given area before you connect with your drone?

I usually travel at least once to a given area before I set up and fly it. If there is some way to have my phone's GPS actually connect to the Sats my drone uses for an on-site count that would be very helpful. Does such a thing exist?

(So far the only drone I have is the MM)

 

[Meta4]

Does anyone know of an app that can actually check the amount of Sats in a given area before you connect with your drone?
I usually travel at least once to a given area before I set up and fly it. If there is some way to have my phone's GPS actually connect to the Sats my drone uses for an on-site count that would be very helpful. Does such a thing exist?

There's really no need.
Wherever you travel, there will always be more sats than you need, unless you fly under cover or in a deep canyon etc (and no app would help then anyway).

 

[JAW]

The UAV Forecast app will show both visible satellites and satellites locked but as @Meta4 pointed out, there will always be sufficient satellites available but your location's view of the sky can affect how many of the visible satellites you can actually acquire.

 

[sar104]

There are such apps but the GNSS satellites are moving fast enough that the constellation changes rapidly. Global coverage is sufficient that it should not be an issue. You can see the constellation moving in real time on various websites if you are interested:

Live World Map of Satellite Positions

A world map of the positions of satellites above the Earth's surface, and a planetarium view showing where they appear in the night sky.

in-the-sky.org

 

[Delenot]

Thank you all for your help, greatly appreciated!
I wasn't certain just how accurate UAV Forecast was, or if it was just a prediction. My specific use was indeed for valley flight and UAV F showed zero...but my phone also had no cell signal too. I thought that might have interfered with the app's accuracy.

 

[Delenot]

Update

Just got back from a flight. I was in a river valley, UAV Forecast showed 13 sats...MM could only find 4. Both from the same location. So I'm still in search of a way to check accurate sat lock without having the drone with me.

 

[sar104]

Update

Just got back from a flight. I was in a river valley, UAV Forecast showed 13 sats...MM could only find 4. Both from the same location. So I'm still in search of a way to check accurate sat lock without having the drone with me.

UAV forecast doesn't understand terrain that blocks the sky view. I'm not aware of any apps that do that - you would have to calculate and set an elevation filter.

 

[Delenot]

Thank you for clarifying how UAV reads the available sats. I now understand that's it's flat location based rather than what is actually reachable.

I was hoping since my phone, which is needed for flight, has GPS there might be a way for it to pull a location and sat info.

 

[Meta4]

Thank you for clarifying how UAV reads the available sats. I now understand that's it's flat location based rather than what is actually reachable.

The number of sats reachable should be the number of sats predicted, minus any that are blocked by obstacles if you aren't in an open area and some at very low elevations.

I was hoping since my phone, which is needed for flight, has GPS there might be a way for it to pull a location and sat info.

If you have an Android phone, there are plenty of GPS apps to show you the sats visible in your location.
For some reason, it's hard to find any for Apple devices.
Here's an example of one but as mentioned, there's no need to use something like this as you will always have plenty of sats to work with.

 

[Keule]

I was hoping since my phone, which is needed for flight, has GPS there might be a way for it to pull a location and sat info.

If you have an Apple device, use GNSS View or some others offered in the App store.

 

[tiltedviewsbykyle]

The number of SVs (satellites) does not necessarily mean accuracy. The DOPs (Dilution Of Precision) are the other main items to evaluate. There may be plenty of SVs, but the geometry is weak. There's usually once a day where the DOP values are high therefore the accuracy is low. The GPS apps mentioned above provide those values. Another tool is to type in your flight location and times into these website apps and you'll get a forecast for number of SVs and DOPs at those given times. I hope this helps. The websites are Trimble GNSS Planning and GNSS Mission Planning.

 

[Delenot]

If you have an Apple device, use GNSS View or some others offered in the App store.

I have only an Android. (Note 9)

 

[Delenot]

The number of sats reachable should be the number of sats predicted, minus any that are blocked by obstacles if you aren't in an open area and some at very low elevations.

If you have an Android phone, there are plenty of GPS apps to show you the sats visible in your location.
For some reason, it's hard to find any for Apple devices.
Here's an example of one but as mentioned, there's no need to use something like this as you will always have plenty of sats to work with.

Thank you. If I may, what app is this your showing me?

 

[Delenot]

The number of SVs (satellites) does not necessarily mean accuracy. The DOPs (Dilution Of Precision) are the other main items to evaluate. There may be plenty of SVs, but the geometry is weak. There's usually once a day where the DOP values are high therefore the accuracy is low. The GPS apps mentioned above provide those values. Another tool is to type in your flight location and times into these website apps and you'll get a forecast for number of SVs and DOPs at those given times. I hope this helps. The websites are Trimble GNSS Planning and GNSS Mission Planning.

Thank you. The sites are a bit advanced for me but any tool is worth research. I'll see what I can learn from them.

 

[Meta4]

Thank you. If I may, what app is this your showing me?

that one is GPS Status:

GPS Status & Toolbox – Apps on Google Play

Get a faster GPS fix! ...and so much more...

play.google.com

But there are several similar ones too.

 

[Delenot]

that one is GPS Status:

GPS Status & Toolbox – Apps on Google Play

Get a faster GPS fix! ...and so much more...

play.google.com

But there are several similar ones too.

Thank you kindly!