One day I was thinking, hey, there's all these old mobile phones lying around, why can't I use them to track stuff?
So I created DroneTrack.org as a free and anonymous service to help track RC craft in realtime, wherever there is GSM or WIFI signal.
Using an old mobile in a ziploc bag I can track my flight in realtime from another mobile or laptop (just like a fancypants telemetry system :p) .
If I fly near my friends who use the same service, or fly near a registered airspace, it notifies me.
To locate my hexcopter I activate a remote alarm - even if the thing is out of RC range it will probably be in GSM range.
I want to turn this into a useful community tool, so I'm trying to find inexpensive and small android devices to use as trackers, but will probably have to build something from scratch. Surprisingly there is not much interference to FPV equipment.
Anyway, this has already helped a few RC pilots find their strayed planes and multirotors, so if it's any help to you do share your story!
Replies
Cool. Your service looks very comfortable to use :) I've purchased recently a Dji drone. As we know it is a bit pricey, do not want to loose in fields :) I want to ask. Is it your program available to synchronize with other gps tracking service I've using - http://www.gpswox.com/. This is a gps server where I do get multiple reports from car, key trackers and smartphones :)
Thanks for the response!
The proximity alert seems to be working (alerts you if you're within 2km of another DroneTrack user), and busy adding all the world's airports and restricted flightpaths to the safety warning.
Mobiles like the Samsung Galaxy Ace are pretty small, a DJI 550 does not even notice the extra 90g. Plus they sell really cheap in Craigslist and Gumtree and so on.
I've looked at the alternative small tracking devices found on ebay and the reviews say they only track the Tower's GPS coords using WIFI ID, not true GPS. The tower GPS coords could be miles away!
I've just added a 30 minute countdown alarm to the Android App (the app is still very ugly, but it works). If you installed the app this should update in the next few hours.
DroneTrack.org appears to be a good step toward better situation awareness as outlined here. Thanks for posting. You may want to consider a Blog Post for higher visibility on DIYD. :-)