In this article, I will describe in detail all of the necessary steps to build your very own offline GPS tracker using LoRa, without needing internet access. You’ll be able to display the module’s real-time location on a local Google Maps file and store GPS data (latitude, longitude, altitude, speed, and some other metrics) in a local text file for reference and subsequent route plotting (e.g. via Google Earth!).

Table of Contents

1. Background on the Project
2. Hardware Requirements
3. Software Requirements
4. Future Improvements and References

Background

Several years ago, I bought an Apprentice S 15e model plane (see below) that I flew around southern Long Island, NY. I enjoyed doing rolls and flips, but I loved upgrading it. After adding larger wheels then seaplane floats, I decided to make it into an FPV platform using a cheap camera I mounted to the top of the wing and an old analog monitor. I would fly it high enough to see the Peconic Bay in one direction, then turn around and see the Atlantic Ocean in the other. One day, I was too preoccupied with the scenery and kept my eyes off the plane itself long enough to lose sight of it. I turned back to my FPV monitor, but it gradually filled with more and more static until I lost the signal completely. After spending days upon days driving miles around the field, I never found it. …