Table of Contents
Introduction
What happens when you lose your drone? First, you panic, and you have no clue what to do next, and that becomes worse if there is no tracker. You may have the temptation to turn off the remote controller, but you do not want to do that. At this very moment, the only hope you have for finding your drone is the remote controller, and if you turn it off, that lifeline disappears. As long as the drone and the remote controller have a battery with enough juice, then the connection will be there. Therefore, you will be able to locate the drone on the map. Now, let’s talk about how you can find the drone without a tracker.
Always Hit The “Return To Home” Key Before Looking For Your Drone
Before doing anything, press the “return to home” key and allow it to register for several minutes. Keep holding the key for several minutes, and do not let go. Once it registers, you will see telemetry information at the bottom of the screen. Therefore, that will show you the location of your drone. If there is a decrease in the distance numbers, that is excellent news because the drone is coming back to you.
However, if the numbers do not change, you may have lost your connection to your drone, or the drone is not moving somewhere. If that happens, do not panic. The best thing you can do for the time being is to note when the last time you knew the drone’s distance to you based on the information from the remote. That will provide you with an excellent place to start.
Start Walking Towards The Direction Of The Drone
You can attempt to find your drone with the remote controller by walking towards the drone because there is a chance it could connect. Then when that happens, you will find that you receive a live video stream that indicates the new location, which means you will want to grab your gear and start heading towards that area.
The controller will also indicate where the drone has been with the DJI, so that means when you walk or drive, the controller will indicate where you are relative to that area. So keep following the steps towards the site until you see the latest drone position. Once the drone reconnects, you will receive the updated location of the drone.
However, if you see flashing red lights and hear beeping, that means your drone crashed, so you will want to head in that direction. If not, and if you still think you are in the order of the drone, then you will want to power up the blades for a moment only to listen for the drone’s motor. Then, keep heading towards that area where you hear the drone’s engine.
However, the trick is to find it before the battery juice dries up because you will not find it as easily. The same goes if your drone does not connect with the remote. If that happens, you will want to use the DJI “find my drone” feature.
Take Advantage Of The DJI “Find My Drone” Feature
If you cannot connect the drone to the remote or the battery dies, you can use the DJI app. Now, DJI pilots may be the only ones familiar with this step, but there is a good chance that your drone has something similar on your app, especially if it is a high-quality drone. It works because the last GPS coordinates of the drone are in the app’s memory. That way, you can find the previous location of the drone even if you cannot access it through your remote. But, unfortunately, that does happen quite often. So there is another way to find your drone if this does not work for you.
Look For The “Flight Logs” Feature In The Drone’s App
Most drone apps will have a feature where it logs the flights, and the great thing is that this app stores the flight path. You can retrieve this information from the satellite map that indicates the location. That means if you cannot access your drone through your remote controller, you can find the drone through this area of the app. This approach’s chances of finding your drone are high, but what happens when there are no flight logs stored in the app? That, unfortunately, can happen too, and let’s talk about that worst-case scenario!
Be On The Lookout For Lights And Listen For Noises
What do you do if there are no flight logs, no controller connection, and nothing else that can connect you back to the drone? The best thing you can do is keep an eye out for flashes and lights and listen for noises. And, if you don’t have a high-end drone or an entry-level drone, it may not feature GPS trackers or flight logs. Therefore, all you have are your senses to find it. And you will want to utilize logic too.
You may be stressed, anxious, and scared when you lose your drone, and the best thing to do is to give yourself time to calm down. If you go and look for your drone while you are still upset, you will not find it even if it is right in front of you. So you will, in this case, have to take time to cool down, then collect yourself, and then be on the hunt for your drone.
That means you will have to stop and think about the most logical area where your drone could be, and then remember that the drone likely did not end up somewhere too far. Remember where the drone was drifting, and then head towards that area. Drones have crash signals which means you will see flashing lights if they crash into trees or buildings. As you walk, power up the engine so you can hear the motor. Eventually, you will find the drone!
Conclusion
Whenever you lose your drone, that is never a good feeling. That is if you do not have a tracker. However, the good news is there are ways you can find your drone without a tracker. You will be upset and anxious, but you will want to take steps to find it once you calm down and collect yourself. You can try to connect with your drone through your remote control, and that is how you can find it. If you cannot do that, there are apps that you can use to help you connect with it. Or, you can use your senses and logic to find it. Either way, you will recover your drone!