Is it possible to use 2-way walkie talkie to locate position?

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Can I use two-way walkie-talkies to locate the position of a car or person without GPS or mobile data, and what equipment would I need?

Yes, but a walkie-talkie by itself cannot give an exact position; you need directional beam antennas and at least two fixed receivers separated by a known distance to triangulate the transmitter [#21661914][#21661916] With one radio you can only determine relative bearing, not distance [#21661914] The receivers measure angles, and you can use the law of sines to estimate the location [#21661916] Compasses are also needed on both ends to know the directions [#21661916] If you have two cars, they can be tracked, but you still may not know which signal belongs to which car [#21661916]

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Suggesting radio direction finding for location tracking
#1 21661912 23 Apr 2012 14:37

Kk Kk Kk Kk

Anonymous

Suggesting radio direction finding for location tracking
Post #1 21661912 23 Apr 2012 14:37

Basically, given no GPS is allowed, can we use walkie talkie to locate the position of a car / a person?

I am assuming the walkie talkie is using radio, not GPS-based.

What equipments will be required to capture the signals in and out to approximate the location (within 2 miles range)?

Thanks.

Actually, what is the best and cheapest way to locate the position (really, without GPS / mobile data plan).
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#2 21661913 23 Apr 2012 14:53

Boi Okken Boi Okken

Anonymous

Post #2
21661913 23 Apr 2012 14:53

Hi,
I dont know how, but i do know that you can find the position with a transmitter and 2 receivers using the method of triangulation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangulation). I guess that you do it by measuring the time it takes to travel the distance. I hope this helps a bit.
Boi
Directional antennas enable relative position finding
#3 21661914 23 Apr 2012 15:11

Earl Albin Earl Albin

Anonymous

Directional antennas enable relative position finding
Post #3 21661914 23 Apr 2012 15:11

Yes it is. With one radio you can determine relative position but not distance by using a directional beam antenna. With two radios knowing the distance between them you can triangulate. Of course both radios need directional beam antennas. This is how aircraft navigation was done for may years but unlike two radios, there were multiple radio stations, just plain AM radio stations. The original aircraft navigation antenna were just big loops of wire and the navigator turned the loop to get a maximum signal. They did need to have a map that indicated exact station position.
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Clarifying antenna placement and signal identification
#4 21661915 23 Apr 2012 17:12

Kk Kk Kk Kk

Anonymous

Clarifying antenna placement and signal identification
Post #4 21661915 23 Apr 2012 17:12

Thanks for the detail answer. Well, this is a small hobby project. But let's supposed we have 2 cars moving, and we want to know how far they are away from the starting point, and send the data back to a server. Wifi is out of question as we don't have long range wifi support. Where should we place the 3 antenna stations? How do we know which signal is from which car? Thanks.

fyi, i also have a FM station running.
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Need fixed receivers and one known distance
#5 21661916 23 Apr 2012 21:57

Earl Albin Earl Albin

Anonymous

Need fixed receivers and one known distance
Post #5 21661916 23 Apr 2012 21:57

Are the two receivers fixed? If so that makes it easy. If not a bit more difficult. Do you know the law of sines (Wiki if not)? The receivers will determine the angles but you need at least on distance unless you can determine latitude down to seconds (even that may not be good enough).

This also involves using compasses on both ends. Even if you have two cars they can be tracked but you won't know who is who.
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#6 21661917 23 Apr 2012 23:25

Cody Miller Cody Miller

Anonymous

Post #6
21661917 23 Apr 2012 23:25

Take a look at these "GPS modules":http://www.laipac.com/gps-engine-board-module-receiver.htm from Laipac. This gets you GPS without having a dataplan. I used one of these modules once and there was a mode that constantly sent out location information and we read it with a microcontroller.
#7 21661918 24 Apr 2012 01:06

Earl Albin Earl Albin

Anonymous

Post #7
21661918 24 Apr 2012 01:06

Basically, given no GPS is allowed, can we use walkie talkie to locate the position of a car / a person?

`Did you read this?
#8 21661919 24 Apr 2012 01:39

Kk Kk Kk Kk

Anonymous

Post #8
21661919 24 Apr 2012 01:39

Thanks Earl. Actually, my apology to both of you. I thought we must need dataplan / wifi in order to transmit 2-way GPS signals.
#9 21661920 24 Apr 2012 01:39

Kk Kk Kk Kk

Anonymous

Post #9
21661920 24 Apr 2012 01:39

Thanks. I will look into that
#10 21661921 24 Apr 2012 01:40

Kk Kk Kk Kk

Anonymous

Post #10
21661921 24 Apr 2012 01:40

@Cody Miller,

Thanks. How much does it cost (from ur memory)? How is it transmitted? I am kinda a noob in this area as I do mostly programming. Does it actually require a GPS device?

Thanks to both of you.
#11 21661922 18 Sep 2018 19:19

jack miller jack miller

Anonymous

Post #11
21661922 18 Sep 2018 19:19

You can combine a walkie-talkie and a bug to track pets. It turns out a device that can be used as a walkie-talkie with GPS. You can use the CX312 Walkie Talkie, I saw it in many reviews like http://thebestwalkietalkies.com/. Further on, radio electronics forums and a skillful approach to the situation
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Topic summary

Locating a car or person using 2-way walkie talkies without GPS involves radio signal triangulation techniques. By employing at least two receivers with directional beam antennas placed at known fixed positions, it is possible to approximate the relative position of a transmitter through angle measurements and triangulation, similar to historical aircraft navigation methods using AM radio stations and loop antennas. Distance measurement is challenging without additional data, and identifying multiple moving transmitters requires signal differentiation strategies. The use of compasses and knowledge of trigonometric laws (e.g., law of sines) aids in calculating positions. For hobby projects within a 2-mile range, setting up three antenna stations can improve accuracy. Alternatively, GPS modules like those from Laipac can transmit location data without a mobile data plan, interfacing with microcontrollers to send position information. Some walkie talkies, such as the CX312 model, integrate GPS functionality, enabling tracking without separate GPS devices or data plans.
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Is it possible to use 2-way walkie talkie to locate position?

Is it possible to use 2-way walkie talkie to locate position?

Can I use two-way walkie-talkies to locate the position of a car or person without GPS or mobile data, and what equipment would I need?

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