3rd SKYLEADER GPS Homing Racing Pigeon Test

A 2nd attempt at a loft release with the Skyleader GPS rings.

[@kingziemac2859]

Hey shaun great video and very interesting results!! It's unbelievable really that we can see what's going on with the birds!! And amazing when they range there heading back in the direction of the release points,,I would like to see it done one more time!! From the loft All 5 birds then there will be no doubt in my mind as to what's going on!! With my theory for it!! Regards kingzie

[@suedriver4106]

Hi Dave here again, Thanks for the reply, I'm having a few problems , think its the language barrier, I have asked them direct, but your explanations are easier for me to follow, they tell me I have to leave my rings in the sun for 2 hrs before I use them , so I need a bit more of an explanation.

[@alohapigeons9440]

Hi Dave, wow not sure why they have told you to leave the rings in the sun. Let me know what you are exactly having problems with. But until I hear back from you, I will just run through the procedures that should be accomplished when using the Skyleader GPS rings. 1. Fully charge the battery by taking the battery out of the ring and placing it in the charging dock. 2. Open the Skyleader 2.0 software and proceed to the home screen. 3. Connect the downloading dock to the computer and verify you have an active "ComPort" in the upper left hand side of the screen. 4. Verify that the local time in the upper right hand corner of the Skyleader homepage represents the actual local time. If the time is incorrect, you must update the time on your computer to accurately represent your local time. 5. Connect the fully charged battery to the ring and place the ring in the downloading dock. 6. Use the Skyleader software to set the "Depature Time" you would like the rings to start recording, then select "Setup the Ring." Once the screen says "Setup complete" then you may take the ring out of the downloading dock and place it on the desired birds leg. The recorded positions will start at the time you have programed them to start at. 7. After you have collected your data it is best to charge the battery again before attempting to download your data. 8. Once the battery is charged, place the battery back into the ring and place the ring with the fully charged battery in the downloading dock and select "Read the Ring" on the Skyleader homepage. 9. Assuming the Skyleader software says "downloading complete" in the bottom right hand corner then you may enter a name or number that you would like to save this data under in the bottom left corner under "Track Name" and then click "Save" just to the right of your entry. 10. Click on the tab at the top of the screen labeled "Training Records." On this page click on the date or dates you would like to look at in the calendar on the top left hand side of the screen, then click "Search" just above the calendar. 11. The data collected on that day or days should now be in the bottom left hand box and you may now select the data that you would like to be drawn on the map by clicking the empty box to the left of each downloaded ring. After doing so, there should be a "X" in the boxes that you have selected. Then click "Draw." The data you have selected should now be on your map. You may use the red tabs on the right hand side of the screen to view your data in full screen. I hope this helps but if it does not, don't hesitate to ask me any questions and I will do my best to help. Aloha, Sean

[@suedriver4106]

Hi Shaun, thanks for the info, I have the batteries on charge now, so will try tomorrow, and let you know how I get on, really appreciate your time.

[@suedriver4106]

Hi Shaun, I had a bit of time so I tried my GPS, it worked fine, I only took the one bird about 2 klms from home, what I did find was that I let the bird go at the pre set time, but it didnt start recording until 2 mins after, I didnt get the same graphics as you, because I'm still using the 1st software from Skyleader. I tried to download the version 2, still working on it, Regards Dave

[@alohapigeons9440]

That's great! Glad it's working for you.

[@hamsflightskitbox3710]

I think that system is great, i Can learn a lot .Thanks for sharing 😀

[@ramonjauregui1254]

hello a great question ??. I am from Mexico and I have the gps skyleader program. But the Gaode map detects me and I want Google's, how can that map be loaded?

[@CuMulusDancerZ]

Hi there, Thank you for your interesting videos about the test results of the Skyleader. I watched them all. Can you write me how plausible the height values are? I breed high flying pigeons. (You can see my videos about them on my KZbin channel.) For me, the altitude values are particularly interesting. Since my pigeons fly just above their loft, the GPS coordinates are not as important to me as they are to breeders of racing pigeons. Until now, I have measured the altitude of my pigeons barometrically with the Jolly Logic Altimeter3. Greetings from Germany, Europe Juergen

[@alohapigeons9440]

Hi CuMulus DancerZ, I think it does a pretty good job of recording altitude. Maybe I can put one of the GPS rings on my drone and compare the data from the ring to the altitude reported by the drone.

[@CuMulusDancerZ]

Hello again Thank you for your quick reply. It would be nice if you could compare the Skyleader's elevation readings with the data on the remote control of your copter. Even for racing pigeon breeders too, it is certainly interesting to know whether the height measurement of the Skyleader works. As a rule, the GPS altitude measurement is more inaccurate than the barometric altitude measurement. The easiest way is to fly different plateaus with the copter, to note the values and to compare them later with the data of the Skyleader rings. Very interesting topic.

[@bettawhisperer3119]

Hey Sean. It doesnt look like a fluke after all. There has go be a reason why they did this. I dont know if you noticed, but the birds that flew in the 2nd home release didnt include the bird in the 1st one. So they clearly were not led there by that bird. But yet almost identical to the path of the 1st bird. It could very well be they payed those feral pigeons a social visit. Is there anything that would have them stop and remain in those places? They even turned back at the same area that the 1st bird did. Telepathic abilities? Hopefully Kingzie or Heyl would have some insight. Heyl, can you ask your father? Show him the vids and let us know what he thinks, pls. I'll think this over and see what i can come up with. Just when you think birds are simple creatures, we find them doing things that are not so simple to figure out. Thanks for the update. I'm sure skyleaders will be very interested in this. I think you should make them aware of your results so far. Btw, hows the weather in Ewa? We are having thunder already.

[@alohapigeons9440]

Hi Brian, there is one common denominator. On the first loft test, the bird with the gps ring was flying with the same 2 hens as the 3 birds with the gps rings today. The data showed they did not land at any point while they were in town, so it's not food, grit or water that they're flying to. Even more interesting, I never released them from that point. The closest release points were, sand island and diamond head.

[@bettawhisperer3119]

AlohaPigeons i was under the assumption that the 1st bird was lying solo. My fault. I still think its not a fluke, but being that a couple birds that were in the 1st test but were not wearing bands flew in the 2nd test wearing bands means that the bird not in the 1st test may or may not have led that bird to that location. On the other hand, i think that the entire flock went there regularly prior to you getting the gps bands. So chances are she wasnt led there. Im thinking that to truly confirm this cant be done by the birds you have now. Next years birds that fly mostly independent of this years birds is required. With this in mind, the question as to why they go there now becomes more important. But to answer this requires more than just gps. A body camera with 2 views, one pointed forward, one directly downward that has automatic stabilization coupled with gps bands is required. It may not seem to important now but it will be in the future as this type of product becomes more commonly used. Especially since this is not one of the training toss locations you took them on. I dont know about you, but i am getting more intrigued by this and im not even the one doing it. Lol...What Have you come up with so far? Im wondering if there is even a camera made that can do these things.

[@DerBrieftaubenKurier]

Hi Sean is it possible to use some short parts from your video for my channel to show german speaking fanciers how your pigeons and all others fligh home....i will set a link to your channel and tell my viewers that they can find more informations on your channel.....of course for the english speaking fanciers ☺....no problem if this isnt possible ....greetings from germany

[@alohapigeons9440]

Yes, you can use my video. Thank you for asking and sharing with more fanciers!

[@hawaiidoves]

Shaun, that was interesting!

[@alohapigeons9440]

Thank you!

[@hawaiidoves]

By the way, yesterday, Jimmy, the guy that lives about two miles from you scored the most points and so for Oahu, he is in the lead. Next Sunday, we will be headed for the Big Island and judge those birds there.

[@alohapigeons9440]

Wow, that’s awesome!

[@abbott75]

Is there another pigeon flyer in the area they're flying to?

[@alohapigeons9440]

Not that I know of. They're flying into the city where there is a lot of high rise buildings and wild pigeons.

[@mamasplayinhookie3131]

Does this mark time as well as location? My girl nested somewhere else and I was wondering if I could use this to track down her chicks down.

[@alohapigeons9440]

Yes it does. I think it would work great for you.

[@mamasplayinhookie3131]

AlohaPigeons Thanks! I guess this is the point I spend a few hundred only to find out she's in one of the condemned factories I can't access 😂 With ordering and shipping time this will work with the 2nd clutch, just have to wait for her to bring the first set home.

[@alohapigeons9440]

That's so interesting. Let me know what happens.

[@mamasplayinhookie3131]

AlohaPigeons Will do. The squeakers should be around 2.5 weeks now so she's laying the next clutch as I type. She's one hell of a smart bird, she caught her husband and trained him her loft is home before taking off to lay eggs. They take turns coming back for what they need so expecting the babies to be dropped off isn't as crazy as it sounds.

[@mamasplayinhookie3131]

AlohaPigeons Update, mama bird didn't lay another clutch. They did bring the little ones back but they got kidnapped by another flock on the first day. There are about 7 racing lofts in my neighborhood and when they all fly babies get snatched. The parents have been searching for them but no luck so far. Mama bird got sick and spent about 2 weeks home recovering before rejoining the search. Really bummed, super dark blue checks t/f stencils, one had white flights. As of now the only babies being dropped off belong to other people. They literally just dropped off another squeaker, stuck around long enough for me to notice baby then took off again. Troubles of free range pigeon keeping lol.

[@waseemahmed8716]

I need gps rings I from India GPS rings price?

[@shafazeez8504]

Bro could you make a video on your loft and the design

[@alohapigeons9440]

Hi Shaf, that's a great idea. I will also be posting a time laps video of a new loft build which should be posted in about a week. Aloha, Sean

[@USA4thewin]

So is the system any good should I invest in that

[@alohapigeons9440]

Yes, I’m very impressed with this system. It’s really fun to see where your birds fly.

[@USA4thewin]

Thank you Sean for the response I emailed the company and will make a purchase as soon as my new 2018 birds are out would love to collect more data.

[@Ccchris323]

How much was the GPS?

[@alohapigeons9440]

$300 for a 5 ring set and $150 for a 2 ring set.

[@Ccchris323]

AlohaPigeons than you

[@deborahhanson1895]

I just purchased these i have been trying for days to get the batteries out to charge i can not i have send emails ans send them facebook messages no response

[@deborahhanson1895]

How long did it take you to get an answer

[@alohapigeons9440]

Hi @@deborahhanson1895, sorry to hear you're have difficulty. I will describe how I take out the batteries and hopefully this will help. First, I hold the GPS band in my left hand with the "SKYLEADER" emblem upright and facing my body. I place my left hand thumb on this "SKYLEADER" emblem and my left hand pointer finger over the door on the opposite side so that I am hold or pinching the GPS band between my thumb and pointer finger. As you are holding the GPS band with your left hand, place the nail of your right hand pointer finger in the intended gap formed at the back of the battery and surface of the GPS band, now located just in front of your left hand pointer finger. You will need to use this gap to pull the battery to your right to separate this half of the battery from the GPS band. If the battery is fit too snugly to allow you to separate it from the GPS band, you may also use a thin flat object such as a small flat-head screwdriver instead of using your nail to separate this end of the battery from the GPS band. If using a small flat-head screwdriver, I find it best to just spin or rotate the screw diver once the head is placed in the gap between the back of the battery and GPS band and the battery will then easily separate from the GPS band. Once this end of the battery is separated from the GPS band you can then slide the battery away from you to take it out of the GPS band. The battery is designed to fit very snugly so that it does not fall out while the bird is flying. I hope this helps. Aloha, Sean

[@deborahhanson1895]

@@alohapigeons9440 thank you. I used a hair clip. I was afraid to stick something in there afraid i would break the clips

[@suedriver4106]

Hi Shaun, Dave here, would like to message you about the sky leader, I bought it a month ago, and I'm not quite sure if Ive got it right Are you on FaceBook, ??

[@alohapigeons9440]

Hi Dave, I'm happy to help but if you search skyleader gps on Facebook you will be able to message them directly and they're very quick to respond. They will send you their new 2.0 software if you don't already have it. Feel free to ask me any questions in these KZbin comments.

[@suedriver4106]

Thanks for the reply, I'm having a few problems , think its the language barrier, I have asked them direct, but your explanations are easier for me to follow, they tell me I have to leave my rings in the sun for 2 hrs before I use them , so I need a bit more of an explanation.