# Vehicle tracking beacon for Feather PT3 test flight (Archive) (Reference)

**URL:** <https://dao.arrowair.com/t/vehicle-tracking-beacon-for-feather-pt3-test-flight-archive-reference/92>\
**Category:** Grants / Bounties\
**Tags:** avionics, draft\
**Created:** [December 12, 2024, 4:48pm UTC](https://dao.arrowair.com/t/vehicle-tracking-beacon-for-feather-pt3-test-flight-archive-reference/92 "2024-12-12T16:48:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![KBM](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex004/user_avatar/dao.arrowair.com/kbm/32/26_2.png) [@KBM](https://dao.arrowair.com/u/KBM)\
**Post date:** [December 12, 2024, 4:48pm UTC](https://dao.arrowair.com/t/vehicle-tracking-beacon-for-feather-pt3-test-flight-archive-reference/92/1 "2024-12-12T16:48:07Z")

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> This post should currently consider as an archive and reference of Grant Application. The original grant was submitted at around 2024-10-18.

* * *

#### Name of Grant:

- Vehicle tracking beacon for Feather PT3 test flight

#### Brief:

According to earlier discussion and the PT3 task list ([PT3\_task\_list - Google Sheets](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1eiXIvZ_Q69ytgDlVfArmHnCbzNDjO4bR6YmxnA2q5-I/edit?gid=0#gid=0&range=E28)), we’re planning to introduce a device that:

- Broadcast its current coordinates to nearby receivers at certain intervals
- Fix or stick on to the testing aircraft

#### Necessary due to:

- To be the last safety measure in the worst case
- To reveal the location in case of the testing aircraft get missing due to certain reason
- Uncertainty of regular cellular signal coverage in the test flight airspace

#### Related work:

- Incoming PT3 test flight is related

#### Be entirely open source:

- **Yes**

#### May involve… :

- The Engineering pod:
  - One-time investment and long-term service
  - The hardware may be customized programming into various uses

- The Arrow:
  - Experience the decentralized wireless network

#### Personal and background:

@KBM Light UAV operator & Project manager (Similar EX: Very rare: Arduino UNO-R3 LED blinking by LabView or IDE)

#### Input from another bounty/grant:

- **No**

#### Breakdown & Date:

- 15 Days by _(Struggling not included)_:
  - Purchase, Shipping, Document collecting (3 Days)
  - Hardware verify, Programming (7 Days)
  - Case Modeling (2 Days)
  - Field testing, Debrief (3 Days)

- Ideal range: 241020~241105

#### Problems to solve and goals:

- Addressing the lack of tracking beacon for the aircraft
- Learning the basic of LoRa transmission

#### Outcomes and due dates:

- 1 broadcaster
- 1 handheld receiver with screen
- Case models for 3D print
- Corresponding program source code  
_(Dates are listed above)_

#### Applicability:

- It can be used not only for aircraft positioning, but also for positioning or transmitting small data between various assets in the field (Further research needed)

#### Evaluation:

- Effective range reach 6 Km in line of sight
- Battery endurance for 16 Hours

#### Potential risks and solutions:

- Shipment to US will be a problem
  - Purchase new hardware in US if there’s no cheap shipment method from China

- This person is bad at programming and totally no experience with ESP32
  - KBM will try his best to ensure that the experimental equipment won’t be scrapped

#### In case of unforeseen obstacles or delays:

- Self-condemnation
- Revoke the grant can be an option

#### Long-term support:

- Depends on requirements or critical update in-needed

#### Work sustainability ensure:

- Keep source code well commented will be important
- Use GPT

#### Hours and funding:

- 100 Hours est.
- 216 USDC
- 24 ARROW

#### Representing good value for Arrow:

- An insurance for the worst possible result in test flight
- On-site verification of long range P2P datalink in decentralized case

#### Payment schedule:

- Single
- After the debrief

#### How GBC verify the work:

- Place the broadcaster 2 ft above the surface, and perform range test in rural area, walking, driving or flying with receiver can achieve different effective range
- I wish we will never have to use it to acquire a lost aircraft

#### Alternatives or options have been considered:

- Off-the-shelf GNSS tracker based on cellular network and third-party app or server
- Or just do without a tracker, fly it wild

_End Grant Application Form_

* * *

> Addtional custom informations (BOM / technical analysis)

#### Introduce:

In most scenario we use cellular network as first priority, but due to the uncertainty of cellular signal coverage in the test flight airspace, I decide to introduce a simple **LoRa-APRS** solution with :

#### BOM:

- Broadcaster:

- Receiver:

#### Pros and Cons

The limitations of the **LoRa-APRS** comparing to cellular network:

- Limited broadcast range with 4~16KM typically
- P2P broadcast
- Antenna attitude affects broadcast range
- Slightly more expensive then cellular network based trackers

The positive of the device is:

- Based on decentralized wireless network
- No third-party server connections
- ＮＯ ＳＵＢＳＣＲＩＰＴＩＯＮ

Current shopping reference for experiment in Shenzhen:

- Broadcaster:
  - LILYGO® T-Beam V1.2 M8N SX1262 915Mhz ([T-Beam SoftRF – LILYGO®](https://www.lilygo.cc/products/t-beam-softrf?variant=43170139734197)) - 36.65 USD

- Receiver for rescue team:
  - LILYGO® T-Beam SUPREME V3.0 + Core V3.0 (Ublox version) ([T-Beam SUPREME Meshtastic – LILYGO®](https://www.lilygo.cc/products/t-beam-supreme-meshtastic?variant=43067944173749)) - 73.53 USD (Fancy and for easier development)
  - _or_ LILYGO® T-Beam Meshtastic 915Mhz ([T-Beam – LILYGO®](https://www.lilygo.cc/products/t-beam-meshtastic-us)) - 37.30 USD (Cheaper)

- Batteries for all devices:
  - EVE INR-18650-35V - 2.00 USD **2 required**
  - _or_ Panasonic NCR18650B - 3.00 USD **2 required**  
_(The above quantities can be increased according to practical needs)_

More idea in-needed, ~~please hate me again~~

_End of post_

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**Author:** ![alperenag](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex004/user_avatar/dao.arrowair.com/alperenag/32/83_2.png) [@alperenag](https://dao.arrowair.com/u/alperenag)\
**Post date:** [December 12, 2024, 5:55pm UTC](https://dao.arrowair.com/t/vehicle-tracking-beacon-for-feather-pt3-test-flight-archive-reference/92/2 "2024-12-12T17:55:02Z")

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I really liked how you formatted your first message and added the grant application form KBM, thanks!