more info on marco polo system

[wood man]

Anyone else purchased the EURMP 101 RC loactor ,they claim 2 miles
I see one postive thread is there any other owners

 

[Christian Wiggers]

Have the system and it work fine.

 

[wood man]

where did you mount the transmiter on the inspire ,and you just turn it on each time you fly but only turn on the finder device when needed right

 

[Christian Wiggers]

At the backside, and high enough so the props don't hit the antenna.


You only need to turn the transmitter on when you fly. If you lose your inspire 1, then you turn the receiver on. The battery last very long time before you have to charge it.

 

[wood man]

thanks,good spot to install it and have you tested the range ,is iot good for 2 miles approx
Also all the specs talk about the rechargeable battery on the tag but what about the receiver
how is it powered
And is the screen easy or detailed to follow to find the downed inspire

 

[Christian Wiggers]

I have not tested the range, and frankly I will never fly my inspire 1 out more than 1 mile and maybe not even that long.

There is rechargeable battery both in the transmitter and the receiver and it use the same changer.

At the receiver end you get info in which direction and a % number. A higer number mens your are getting closer. You must remember this is NOT a GPS system, it is a radio based system.

 

[David M Millsaps]

Marco Polo works great, as does that Drone Mods cellular unit. . Just crashed my Inspire approaching 2 weeks ago ... signal suddenly went dead. First even near-crash in 500+ flights ... and just before a heavy rain started several hours later. Totally my fault (not DJI's fault) when I inadvertently dropped the altitude while making an S-turn using "Map View". Both actions are on the left stick and I must have inadvertently moved the stick slightly down when it was supposed to move this stick ONLY to the right.

I had a Drone Mods cellular unit (about 50 grams) and a Marco Polo locator (12 grams) mounted on the Inspire (behind the battery enclosure) at the time of the crash. The DJI Pilot app gave me a basic location, as did the Drone Mods cellular unit (showing the location on my iPhone Google maps), both within a minute. The Marco Polo showed me a directional bearing, again within 30 seconds, all these while I was still at the "Home" take-off point. I immediately drove and then walked to the expected crash site (as guided by Google maps). However, in the many tall deciduous trees, dense vegetation, and Kutsu, I still could not find the Inspire, even with the Marco Polo, which was at this point giving me very strong signal-strength readings BUT started giving me confusing directional readings at the apparent site of the crash. ... That is, until I started pointing the Marco Polo directional locating transceiver/antenna directly up, triangulating from several different ground locations ... and there it was, at 70 feet up, hard to see, engulfed in leaves, I found the Inspire. We eventually got it down before the rain started. Lesson (1) Don't crash your Inspire, because you will not get it back for 6-8 weeks from DJI Repair, (2) The Marco Polo (at no cost per month) and/or a cellular tracker unit like Drone Mods ($5 per month cost)) are/is a great insurance policy to get your Inspire (or other UAV) back, and (3) Don't forget to start the Inspire video recorder if you plan to crash (sad, because I really wanted to post the crash to this forum. It would have been spectacular if I had just remembered to push the record button).

In summary, I highly recommend the Marco Polo, and/or, for more distant crashes, particularly if you lose the DJI Pilot app map location or it the Inspire flies off in the distance and crashes (or "emergency lands"), a cellular tracking device (Drone Mods ($5/month). Its worth this "insurance" investment for a $3400 drone. More info on request.

DJI Service - FYI: I was pleasantly surprised that DJI was very helpful in working with me after the crash. Other than the long turnaround time, which is a function of # of crashes vs # of technicians, I was pleased with their service and professionalism. Frankly, they have always been great to work with from my perspective, whether that be via the Technical Help Text "Chat" service of via the telephone help line. I know that others complain about their service, but I personally have had all good service and no bad service. Polite, knowledgeable, and helpful.

 

[wood man]

I just bought a marco polo and getting used to it,did you just use the velcro attachment or did you wire tie on ,hate to loose the tag
I am glad it helped you find the inspire

 

[David M Millsaps]

I just bought a marco polo and getting used to it,did you just use the velcro attachment or did you wire tie on ,hate to loose the tag
I am glad it helped you find the inspire

I used velcro for both locators to the back of the battery housing, at the rear of the Inspire. The Marco Polo antenna curls up as shown over the top of the inspire. The photo will show how I mounted them, although since I have no more Inspire (it's at DJI Repairs in LA for 6-7+ more weeks), this is a photo before the crash. The Marco Polo is only 12 grams weight, so its very unlikely to come off, since it has so little inertia. Remember that if it does come off in a violent crash (mine stayed on in my crash), it will still be transmitting, and you can still find it! Also shown is the Drone Mods cellular locator below it. I also have a larger unit for my dog's collar and use the "locating unit" for both. The Drone Mods unit was ripped off during the crash of the Inspire, and was found on the ground (heavier and more inertia). Note that both locator units and the Inspire have my name, phone numbers to call, and "Reward for Return" labels (as shown, although Drone Mods sticker is on opposite side and therefore not seen in these photos)

Dave

 

[Christian Wiggers]

When I first ordered the marco polo system (a year ago) I got two transmitter units to dog instead of the ones I had ordered for RC models. They sent me a new RC transmitter that I used on my Phantom 2. It was later put to Inspire 1, but a few weeks ago, the on / off button broke. I tweaked the dog-transmitter a bit and it seemed as it is actually a better option even if it weighs 30 grams more.

 

[wood man]

how did you break the on off switch

 

[KnightOwl]

I also had a mishap were the Inspire flew into thick bush / tree cover. The Marco Polo tracker took me straight to the tree but I still couldn't see my Inspire. I had to quickly fire up the motors and locate it by sound...low and behold it was directly above were the Marco Polo had localized it to be. My suggestions would be for the Polo tag unit to make a sound or like some other pilots have done add a powerful strobe light for enhance visual tracking and recovery.

 

[David M Millsaps]

I also had a mishap were the Inspire flew into thick bush / tree cover. The Marco Polo tracker took me straight to the tree but I still couldn't see my Inspire. I had to quickly fire up the motors and locate it by sound...low and behold it was directly above were the Marco Polo had localized it to be. My suggestions would be for the Polo tag unit to make a sound or like some other pilots have done add a powerful strobe light for enhance visual tracking and recovery.

I just posted better photos of the mounting of the locators on the Inspire (5 posts back).

Regarding finding the Inspire in very heavy brush and crowded tall thickly-leafed trees (like thick East Coast forests), the trick I found (that worked) was to get as close as you can to where the Marco Polo brings you, following the arrow on the locator. Then, if you still cannot find the Inspire and the Marco Polo is giving you very strong signal-strength readings BUT starts giving you confusing directional readings at the apparent site of the crash (the Marco Polo is confused because the horizontal plane of the locator is perpendicular to vector direction of the Inspire located above) ... then start pointing the Marco Polo direction-locating transceiver/antenna directly up, watch for the arrow to reappear, and then start triangulating from several different ground locations. By doing this, you should be able to find the Inspire, as I did at 70 feet up, hard to see, engulfed in leaves. The trick is, point the Marco Polo UP, and then see if the arrow of the Marco Polo reappears. Remember, that if the Inspire has received significant damage (as mine did), then it may not power up any more and you may have no video to look at, or prop motors to hear, or lights to see.

The Marco Polo (UAV version) only weighs 12 grams and is unlikely to be able to include a decent ringtone function in that size device. Some of the cellular tracking devices (I use both cellular device and Marco Polo) provide a ring-tone function. The Marco Polo lasts a very long time in standby mode.

 

[Christian Wiggers]

how did you break the on off switch

didn't break it off, it just stop working.

 

[David M Millsaps]

didn't break it off, it just stop working.

View attachment 2631

Nice mounting job.

You might want to call Marco Polo. They provide good service. My dog eventually broke the bracket off and they quicky fixed it at a reasonable price. If it become nonfunctional all by itself, they it may be fixed without charge. Give them a call. .