Other The drone thread

[golden_blunder]

any drone fans/owners?

I have a Dji phantom vision but have just preordered a Dji mavic. Excited about that one

GoPro Karma also looks pretty sweet

 

[100]

Would love one


Too expensive unfortunately

Maybe in 5 years

 

[Olly Gunnar Solskjær]

Want one but can't afford one.

 

[MoBeats]

Mate of a mate has a decent one, I had a play while at a BBQ last summer. Took it all the way to my house and zipped around my garden much to the non delight of my dog.
Loads of fun. The guy takes loads of aerial videos and photos and stuff. Set up a company doing wedding shots and corporate shoots.
Don't know if he makes much out of it.
I wanted one for Xmas, got the millennium falcon drone instead.

 

[Earthquake]

I'd love one, but have no idea where to start.

 

[11101]

I like the idea, but having had a DJI Phantom clip a building 50 storeys up and come down within 6ft of me I hope they all get banned unless you have a licence to operate them.

 

[golden_blunder]

I like the idea, but having had a DJI Phantom clip a building 50 storeys up and come down within 6ft of me I hope they all get banned unless you have a licence to operate them.

anyone who flies in a built up city without proper prior permission is an idiot frankly. Too many things can go out of your control, loss of battery power, loss of GPS signal, strong cross wind, an external factor such as someone taking a pot-shot at it, etc.

There needs to be a bit of common sense applied when flying drones

 

[Arruda]

Just this past month, there have been 4 commercial airliners that had to do sudden manouevers to avoid drones near Lisbon airport. The other day I was feeling uncomfortable by watching a young kid flying a rather large drone above a dense crowd of people at an event. Kept thinking if he screwed up or the thing malfunctioned, it could potentially injure a few people. Against an airliner engine who knows what could happen?

Some time ago, only serious hobbyists used this kind of machine, usually within very careful rules and in controlled and safe environments. Now every idiot buys one for cheap in every mall and though there are regulations in force they seem impossible to sistematically apply.

Are we waiting for something disastrous to happen for this to be rethinked or is it just my ignorance and unfounded fears speaking? I know nothing about it or the potential harm one could cause...

That's not even getting into privacy, etc.

 

[Arruda]

There needs to be a bit of common sense applied when flying drones

Common sense doesn't work. You can see that with guns in the US. You see it with motorized vehicles. Guns are deadly and almost useless toys (at the hand of civilians), vehicles are deadly but far too necessary for the economy to flow that we need to accept them in a risk vs benefit assessment.

Where do we sit with drones? They're not as deadly as guns but aren't utilitarian at all. I accept their use by professionals, in fact they are tremendously useful if not used just to play around. They are being used by professionals to detect forest fires, for example, I find that awesome.

It's the "random and ever increasingly cheaper" toy thing that gets me.

 

[spwd]

I recently got one, pretty decent for £50 with a 720p camera on it, can't fly the thing to save my life lol.

I agree about the damage they could cause and injuries, I only caught my hand on the plastic props and it was a noticeable graze and swole up pretty quickly and it's only 400mm wide, I can't imagine this kind of size doing damage to airliners due to the range and how light they are but the bigger ones definitely.

 

[One Night Only]

I fancy getting a mavic, never had a drone and will probably crash it instantly though.

 

[Nick 0208 Ldn]

Apparently, the London Fire Brigade has been using a drone during its operations at the Grenfell Tower. You can certainly see how one might help with investigations, and maybe even actual firefighting with a prolonged emergency.

 

[spwd]

I fancy getting a mavic, never had a drone and will probably crash it instantly though.

I must admit they're tough little feckers, I've got a sima x5uw.

Apparently, the London Fire Brigade has been using a drone during its operations at the Grenfell Tower. You can certainly see how one might help with investigations, and maybe even actual firefighting with a prolonged emergency.

Yeah they can be a great help in things like that even if it's just to see the condition of the building or whatever.

 

[spwd]

I watched the 2016 DRL (Drone Racing League) recently, feck knows how they fly those things like that, worth watching if you're interested.

 

[One Night Only]

I watched the 2016 DRL (Drone Racing League) recently, feck knows how they fly those things like that, worth watching if you're interested.

I watched that last year, was laughing at it being a sport, then got insanely addicted to it and binge watched the entire tournament great fun.

 

[spwd]

I watched that last year, was laughing at it being a sport, then got insanely addicted to it and binge watched the entire tournament great fun.

I know what you mean but once you realise how good they must be it's great, even my 70 year old mum loved it lol.

 

[Stactix]

So recently got into drones, brought some micro ones for 18quid for flying around the house. Crashed a tonne but can fly quite comfortably for the most part now, amusingly I thought it was quite quick so changed the speed mode (40%/100%) and then It hit me that I was on the slow fecking mode.

Looking to get into FPV anyone know anything? The main question i have is compatibility do Certain goggles only work with certain recievers? Likewise with Cameras.



Will probably just upgrade one of the microdrones with a camera/reciever then buy goggles too.
Eventually I'd love to build my own racing drone but long way from that!

 

[Stack]

So recently got into drones, brought some micro ones for 18quid for flying around the house. Crashed a tonne but can fly quite comfortably for the most part now, amusingly I thought it was quite quick so changed the speed mode (40%/100%) and then It hit me that I was on the slow fecking mode.

Looking to get into FPV anyone know anything? The main question i have is compatibility do Certain goggles only work with certain recievers? Likewise with Cameras.



Will probably just upgrade one of the microdrones with a camera/reciever then buy goggles too.
Eventually I'd love to build my own racing drone but long way from that!

Ive been using drones for my work for about 8 years now. Started out making everything myself because there was nothing commercially available.
With respect to fpv there area a number of websites which sell the fpv gear and they selll the gear thats compatible with other gear.
These guys have always been reliable for me http://www.readymaderc.com/store/

Also this forum and sub forums will give you tons of answers https://www.rcgroups.com/multirotor-drone-talk-659/

 

[Stactix]

Ive been using drones for my work for about 8 years now. Started out making everything myself because there was nothing commercially available.
With respect to fpv there area a number of websites which sell the fpv gear and they selll the gear thats compatible with other gear.
These guys have always been reliable for me http://www.readymaderc.com/store/

Also this forum and sub forums will give you tons of answers https://www.rcgroups.com/multirotor-drone-talk-659/

Thank you, what do you do? if you don't mind me asking

I've been watching quite a few youtubers, quite enjoyed the DRL and their recent series with big gaming youtubers.

What are your thoughts on banggood? Been told by some it's the best place price wise but told by others to avoid as they steal ideas or something?


Thanks again, will certainly do a lot of research before I jump in, probably read up on the law too, seems quite strict here in the UK.

 

[Phil]

My mate has the Mavic Pro and it's amazing in just about every way.

 

[izec]

Arent the rules and laws zoo strict/tight?

Probably a lot of fun, but i think i wouldnt buy one if you are getting limited in the usage

 

[spwd]

This is my Syma x5uw, cost roughly £50 with a few spares, and you have a bracket on the remote for your phone so you can fly it by that, it's around 400 mm , the camera has a sad card slot and you can either download the video/stills to the card or straight to your phone, can't fault it Really for a first drone.parts are readily available too, also it has prop protectors that clip on too.

 

[golden_blunder]

Dji Mavic has a Little brother out now, the Dji 'spark'

Half the price and packed with nice features. It's a bit smaller too.

May very well be my next drone when I can afford it

 

[Stactix]

Completely overlooked the fact that I wear glasses, so suitable FPV goggles seem a rarity.
Could use a screen but I imagine that kills the immersion

 

[Stactix]

Ordered a Wizard x220 from banggood + spares / upgrades.
Time to bash the simulator!

 

[Phil]

Dji Mavic has a Little brother out now, the Dji 'spark'

Half the price and packed with nice features. It's a bit smaller too.

May very well be my next drone when I can afford it

Did you end up getting the Mavic Pro? Was watching a Spark review earlier in 4k and the picture quality just wasn't the same.

 

[Dante]

Did you get it from sector 7G?

 

[golden_blunder]

Did you end up getting the Mavic Pro? Was watching a Spark review earlier in 4k and the picture quality just wasn't the same.

No didn't, can't afford it at the moment due to unforeseen medical costs

The spark doesn't shoot in 4K. It's one of the cutbacks in order to make it half the price of the mavic. Had to be a compromise. Spark is more for fun

 

[Phil]

No didn't, can't afford it at the moment due to unforeseen medical costs

The spark doesn't shoot in 4K. It's one of the cutbacks in order to make it half the price of the mavic. Had to be a compromise. Spark is more for fun

Ah sorry mate, didn't realise. Hope all's well.

Yeah probably didn't phrase that amazingly. I meant I watched the review in full 4k so it compared the Mavic's quality in all its glory with the Spark at 1080p, the quality difference was quite substantial.

That being said, I'm with you. The Spark being tiny and half the price makes it a lot more tempting..

 

[Stactix]

Anyone on here fly FPV? Very fun, yet expensive hobby!

 

[pocco]

I got a £50 Syma for xmas last year to get me started. My dog chewed up my charger though and I'm yet to replace it.

With the government clamping down on their use, has anybody had issues flying theirs in the uk? What sort of prep do you go through prior to flying ie notifying aviation authorities etc?

 

[Stactix]

I got a £50 Syma for xmas last year to get me started. My dog chewed up my charger though and I'm yet to replace it.

With the government clamping down on their use, has anybody had issues flying theirs in the uk? What sort of prep do you go through prior to flying ie notifying aviation authorities etc?

The new regulations haven't been put into place just yet, I don't think they're 100% confirmed either.
I just think it's a bit silly, anything over 250g needing to be registered and have a safety check. The drone I have (Wizard x220) had a massive discount recently. The version with just the drone went down to around 70quid, I'd be willing to bet registering it & safety check could easily be double that.
Then you take into account some pilots have a dozen or so quads that'd need registering.. and many of these are custom built..
In my opinion, it should be pilot registration for a small fee. Get a license card, hey I can fecking fly, stick license code on all drones over 250g
Wallah.
Unfortunately, the government see it as a way to make a buck.


No prep required really, unless you're flying in a spot that you probably aren't aloud to fly in without permission.
I've flew around 30 times over the last couple of months. Hour or so each time, Never had anyone come up to me, had plenty of people watching even had some old bloke waving at the fecking thing. Aslong as you keep away from people and fly in parks. You'll be fine.
My quad at full throttle is extremely loud, so far no complaints!

 

[Shamwow]

I've been told that you can use a drone (either on follow mode, or with someone controlling for you) to follow behind you while you run around with FPV goggles on and it's like playing a 3rd person computer game.

Please can someone here who owns a drone give this a try?

 

[pocco]

The new regulations haven't been put into place just yet, I don't think they're 100% confirmed either.
I just think it's a bit silly, anything over 250g needing to be registered and have a safety check. The drone I have (Wizard x220) had a massive discount recently. The version with just the drone went down to around 70quid, I'd be willing to bet registering it & safety check could easily be double that.
Then you take into account some pilots have a dozen or so quads that'd need registering.. and many of these are custom built..
In my opinion, it should be pilot registration for a small fee. Get a license card, hey I can fecking fly, stick license code on all drones over 250g
Wallah.
Unfortunately, the government see it as a way to make a buck.


No prep required really, unless you're flying in a spot that you probably aren't aloud to fly in without permission.
I've flew around 30 times over the last couple of months. Hour or so each time, Never had anyone come up to me, had plenty of people watching even had some old bloke waving at the fecking thing. Aslong as you keep away from people and fly in parks. You'll be fine.
My quad at full throttle is extremely loud, so far no complaints!

Fair enough. I attended a CPD on them as they're being increasingly used in the Building Surveying industry to survey roofs etc. The guys delivering the CPD explained all the rules such as heights you can fly at, distance away from neighboring properties etc.

The way they explained it made it sound like these rules were being enforced. They even called the aviation authority to let them know what time they will be flying and in which location etc when caeeying out surveys. Sounded like the fun was going to be sucked out of it for hobbyists.

 

[golden_blunder]

I've been told that you can use a drone (either on follow mode, or with someone controlling for you) to follow behind you while you run around with FPV goggles on and it's like playing a 3rd person computer game.

Please can someone here who owns a drone give this a try?

That's a fairly standard feature on some of the drones from leading manufacturers now.

Go and look up the likes of Dji mavic or the cheaper Dji spark. There are loads of YouTube videos

 

[golden_blunder]

Fair enough. I attended a CPD on them as they're being increasingly used in the Building Surveying industry to survey roofs etc. The guys delivering the CPD explained all the rules such as heights you can fly at, distance away from neighboring properties etc.

The way they explained it made it sound like these rules were being enforced. They even called the aviation authority to let them know what time they will be flying and in which location etc when caeeying out surveys. Sounded like the fun was going to be sucked out of it for hobbyists.

Anyone flying Drones need to follow some guidelines such as not flying in cities or built up areas, don't fly near airports or known flight routes. No flying over motorways or busy roads Ignore those rules and you're just an idiot asking for trouble. I've seen footage of drones hovering over busy motorways. What happens if the signal drops or you lose control? Potential injuries if not worse.

There are courses and indeed you can be licensed. This can be a benefit because it's easier to get insured for example. In fact many 'jobs' ask for you to be licensed and insured if you're using your drone for work.

 

[Stactix]

Fair enough. I attended a CPD on them as they're being increasingly used in the Building Surveying industry to survey roofs etc. The guys delivering the CPD explained all the rules such as heights you can fly at, distance away from neighboring properties etc.

The way they explained it made it sound like these rules were being enforced. They even called the aviation authority to let them know what time they will be flying and in which location etc when caeeying out surveys. Sounded like the fun was going to be sucked out of it for hobbyists.

Sorry I thought you meant the new regulations the BBC are getting stiffies over.
The current laws in place, just don't fly near airports, within 50ft of property you don't have permission to fly near( above counts)
25ft from a person without a camera drone, 50 with.
Flying fpv - requires a spotter.
Fly above 400 ft or more than 400 ft line of sight. I think is most of the 'basic' laws.

Unless people complain though, I don't think they're very well enforced.
Many youtubers fly FPV without a spotter for instance, or fly around buildings
Tom Smith Fpv is a pretty good example of this, He flys without a spotter & around buildings without permission etc but won't fly if people are anywhere near.
I have no problems with this really, as long as they don't fly near airports/ over roads or near peoples homes.

I've been told that you can use a drone (either on follow mode, or with someone controlling for you) to follow behind you while you run around with FPV goggles on and it's like playing a 3rd person computer game.

Please can someone here who owns a drone give this a try?

I imagine it's possible although I would not be able to walk in FPV goggles let alone run! makes me dizzy

You might like this though,

 

[buchansleftleg]

Manchester fire service use a drone for dealing with fires - check out the twitter feed @air_unit for some great footage

 

[golden_blunder]

Anyone hear use a drone for aerial photography? I am going to start travelling soon and I would love to have a drone to get amazing pictures and videos from mountains. Any recommendations on which drone to start with? Budget is around $300-400.

Wont get much choice within your budget for decent camera quality. May want to extend that a little.
Also you will need to consider size and weight, you won't want to be lugging around an extra backpack just to carry a drone.

This is why I'm recommending the likes of the DJI spark
https://www.dji.com/spark
Whilst it's no 4k footage it's still pretty good.

If you can stretch the budget more to pickup a 2nd hand DJI Mavic then you'd get A smallish drone with 4K quality

 

[RDCR07]

Wont get much choice within your budget for decent camera quality. May want to extend that a little.
Also you will need to consider size and weight, you won't want to be lugging around an extra backpack just to carry a drone.

This is why I'm recommending the likes of the DJI spark
https://www.dji.com/spark
Whilst it's no 4k footage it's still pretty good.

If you can stretch the budget more to pickup a 2nd hand DJI Mavic then you'd get A smallish drone with 4K quality

You're actually the 3rd person today to suggest the DJI Spark. I can do $500 provided they have monthly payments. Also how trustworthy is a 2nd hand drone? And whats a good website to find 2nd hand stuff?