SIM-based Locator Beacon

[FPVSteve]

Found this on the lab, the guy says it works pretty well:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/290781287178

You basically stick a sim in it, and phone it. Obviously put the sim in this before you lose the plane :laugh:

It sends you the location (accurate to ~250m) as it is not GPS (despite the cover), using triangulation from mobile phone towers.

Not bad for 11 quid.

[Coyote]

I`ve bought one today, lets see how long it takes to turn up and how well it works :)

[CurryKitten]

It's nice and cheap, but I'm a bit concerned about the within 250m part.  I've been within a few m of a downed tricopter in long grass unable to see it at all, and if it wasn't for the lost model beeper, it would still be there.

[FPVSteve]

I think this is for those occasions like when the X8 was lost quite a distance out, we weren't entirely sure how far downwind it had travelled.

Put it this way, if you can get a location on the correct field to start looking in, you're halfway there :) Saves traipsing through miles of countryside in a van with a tracking antenna trying to pick up a signal that may or may not exist (Vtx was mashed!).

Be interested to see how well it works Coyote :)

[CurryKitten]

Fair point Steve, it's all relative.  250m when you are 1km out seems a bit useless, but a lot better if lost 10km+ out