So, I have this idea. If you were stranded in the woods, mountains, whatever, could it be possible to fly your drone to a high enough altitude to relay a satelitte signal back down to your smart phone?? I mean it would only be used in case of a breakdown and emergency. Could it be done ????

 

Rather than investing in whatever equipment you’d need for the drone to act as some kind of repeater why not get a sat phone.

 

It would probably come down to payload vs battery life vs size

 

Cell phones don't work with satellites anyway, they work with terrestrial radio towers each responsible for a given area or "cell" as it were. Get a HAM radio licence and fly up a repeater then we're on to something! Or just get a sat phone...

 

@Tomzsix yea the battery life is so low as it will not work, and if you had a drone with requisite battery life you could afford better tools. You are in Oregon so the same problem we have in BC, even sat phones can marginal. I spoke with Iridium at length steep mountain valleys can be an issue.

Your best solution is the same one that always worked, leave a route plan with a trusted person, set check in times and have enough gear in your truck to survive at a breakdown or severe stuck location for a week.. A good working knowledge of first aid and a good at adi kit is helpful.

 

The guys on facebook also chose Iridium and other "satelite" services that require a monthly fee. But, they are limited to "line of sight". My proposal was for emergency use only. To use a drone to connect with a sattelite or cell tower, when there is no service. Sorry, I have to quickly post this. My wife is having a fit

 

OK, I'm back. So anyway, I will comment behind my prior comment. I'm referring to COW, cell on wings. Sattelite phones are limited from line of sight, as are cell phones. My whole point was to provide a way to communicate for emergencies only. Living in the Cascade region gave me this idea. Using a drone to reach 500 feet or more would provide cell service to your phone and get you out of a jam.

 

The nearest I can think of is creating an application on your cell phone that will send a 'distress/stranded/location' text to a chosen destination delayed a number of seconds; enough to have the drone haul the cellphone up in the air until gets certain altitude/location or 'bar count' to dial and spit the text out.

 

@Tomzsix yea you guys must have better cell coverage, it can be pretty limited here in BC, the edge of Harrison lake has tons of dead spots for very long distances and that is high up with lake to one side.

If you have the drone, you have nothing to lose by trying it

 

If you need it for emergency calls only get a HAM license. It's a multiple choice test and a $15 fee to get in the lowest level of licensed HAM radio operator (technician).