In Use:

With the device setup and confirmed to be working, it is time to put it to use! To test the Location Marker out, I clipped it to a trail camera I have on my property. Even though I should know exactly where it is, since it faces away from the direction I approach it from and because it is well camouflaged, I don't always find it right away when I am looking for it. I could have used the camera's webbing to hold the Breadcrumb in place, but I did not want to have to remove the camera from the tree since it is aimed in just the right spot, and since it has been there a while it would be my luck that the webbing or buckle would break in the process. I realize putting the Location Marker on the webbing would be the best bet though, as that way I would be sure that the five LEDs would be facing away from the tree and would give me the best chance of seeing them in the dark.



Once placed, I then loaded up the app to make sure the location was noted, which is confirmed on the map tab rather obviously, and on the details tab in terms of lattitude and longitude. I then went away for a while and walked back to the general area, but at a greater distance to the camera than I usually get on my own - just to test it out. The app searched for the Breadcrumb for a few seconds and then confirmed I was "Very Close". While not shown, eventually two buttons appear at the bottom of the screen under "Very Close" to give you the option to find via the LEDs or via the LEDS and beacon.



I pressed the button to light the LEDs and sound the beacon, and was easily able to navigate my way to the trail camera. In daylight, during the mid afternoon in a well wooded area, the LEDs do not do much to draw you to the target as they are just washed out by the strong ambient lighting. A repeated test in the dark in the same location showed that the LEDs really do well to reveal the location. So in brighter situations, you will probably need the beacon to help you to the finish line, but it is not all that loud. During the mid afternoon test the conditions were calm and I was able to hear the sound from about 75 feet without issue, though a bit hushed from that distance. The repeated night test was rainy and windy, and the LED lights were now doing all the work. The beacon could not be heard until I was much closer, but considering how bright the lights were, the beacon was unnecessary in this situation.



After just over two weeks out in the elements I gave the Breadcrumb a bit of a checkup. The battery was still about as high as it was when I started (green for roughly 80+% of the indicator), the housing was still intact, and the seals seemed to be holding since there was no water or condensation in the housing. I couldn't ask for more than that. The only issue I am having is that sometimes the Breadcrumb Location Marker is not found on my first attempt to find it. The app will say scanning for several seconds and eventually say out of range, which isn't true as in some cases I am testing the function with my phone and the Marker just a foot or so apart. I would say this happens about 40% of the time, and scanning a second time finds the Marker almost every time, while I have had to try a third time once or twice. I can not say what that is all about, and overall the process takes a bit longer, but never totally fails.