OT: Recreational Drone Recommendations

ColtsFan

I have 275 kv lines at the edge of our property. I'm always nervous flying above them when messing around at home. My RTH height is set at 60 meters just to be safe.

lkapigian

guess I need to figure out how to set the RTH, no idea just figured it was automatic 

nolaegghead

lkapigian said:

guess I need to figure out how to set the RTH, no idea just figured it was automatic 

https://www.google.com/search?channel=nus5&client=firefox-b-1-d&q=set+return+hight+dji+fpv#kpvalbx=_Bcw3YbOQLe-iggeY0LmwCg19

alaskanassasin

When you turn everything on and set it in the grass give it a minute or so to lock onto some satellites the goggles will say something like home location updated. 

   Is it possible that you flew off before it was able to lock onto satellites and so when it did your rth location was your neighbors yard?
 Either that or you battery was dying so it forced a landing. 

 You can go into the goggle settings and change everything to imperial units and change your return to home elevation. 

 As with full scale aviation it is probably worth your time to figure out what went wrong so it doesn’t happen again;-)

lkapigian

alaskanassasin said:

When you turn everything on and set it in the grass give it a minute or so to lock onto some satellites the goggles will say something like home location updated. 

   Is it possible that you flew off before it was able to lock onto satellites and so when it did your rth location was your neighbors yard?
 Either that or you battery was dying so it forced a landing. 

 You can go into the goggle settings and change everything to imperial units and change your return to home elevation. 

 As with full scale aviation it is probably worth your time to figure out what went wrong so it doesn’t happen again;-)

I learned a lot after this incident , never realized there was a satellite count hou can see in the goggles , when it went crazy I still had plenty of battery . I know , the tower that I think caused it, every time I drive by it in my car, my car, the satellite radio cuts out ....many lessons learned fir sure 

alaskanassasin

I think it needs 9 satellites to lock onto a home location. 

alaskanassasin

What I have learned is you can basically fly long distance if you have a clear line of sight.  You can see your controller and goggle signal strength in the goggles while flying, I wish there was a bit more scale to the indicator that your about to lose control.  Your goggles will buffer a bit and that is the first indicator that you are losing signal.

 I have flow over a mile away at a higher elevation but if I drop down below a certain elevation the trees will block my signal and it will auto rth. At that point it flies up to the rth elevation I pre set and usually I get signal back and can re take control.

alaskanassasin

If it’s close you will have a stronger signal and can fly with obstacles around without signal lose.

JohnInCarolina

Uhmm... food for thought?

https://petapixel.com/2021/09/03/gator-chomps-drone-out-of-the-air-goes-up-in-smoke/

lkapigian

JohnInCarolina said:

Uhmm... food for thought?

https://petapixel.com/2021/09/03/gator-chomps-drone-out-of-the-air-goes-up-in-smoke/

LoL

nolaegghead

JohnInCarolina said:

Uhmm... food for thought?

https://petapixel.com/2021/09/03/gator-chomps-drone-out-of-the-air-goes-up-in-smoke/

Kind of an a-hole move, IMO, flying a drone that close to a gator.  But I have to admit the lithium fire in the gator's mouth was pretty spectacular.  Hope the drone person didn't have insurance in this case.

CTMike

Damn this place and the vacuum it places on my wallet. I’ve been looking at buying a drone for a couple years, and finally made the leap yesterday. Ordered the Mavic 3 Fly More pack with Care Refresh. It arrives Tuesday - impatiently waiting. 

CTMike

JohnInCarolina said:

Uhmm... food for thought?

https://petapixel.com/2021/09/03/gator-chomps-drone-out-of-the-air-goes-up-in-smoke/

She should be arrested, EPA should fine her for polluting the Everglades, FAA should ban her from ever owning a drone again. This is just irresponsible - all for some likes on her page.

lkapigian

You will love it @CTMike , I fly mine most everyday ,

Photo Egg

Any of you use a tracker for your drones? Or has technology passed using this method?

lkapigian

Photo Egg said:

Any of you use a tracker for your drones? Or has technology passed using this method?

Curious what it is/for @“Photo Egg"

Photo Egg

lkapigian said:

Photo Egg said:

Any of you use a tracker for your drones? Or has technology passed using this method?

Curious what it is/for @“Photo Egg"

It’s a frequency receiver. You can put a small transmitter on your drone, rocket or whatever else you want protect. I have seen them used with hunting dogs as well. If your drone goes down in a wooded area it makes finding it easier.
But I’m sure many of new drones have built in GPS locators?

lkapigian

Photo Egg said:

lkapigian said:

Photo Egg said:

Any of you use a tracker for your drones? Or has technology passed using this method?

Curious what it is/for @“Photo Egg"

It’s a frequency receiver. You can put a small transmitter on your drone, rocket or whatever else you want protect. I have seen them used with hunting dogs as well. If your drone goes down in a wooded area it makes finding it easier.
But I’m sure many of new drones have built in GPS locators?

Pretty cool, mine has gps , but if it didn’t I would get that

i was able to use google maps to pinpoint mine when I lost it 

CTMike

Unfortunately Brown Santa didn’t arrive until well after dark so I had to settle for unboxing, charging the batteries and controller, and reading the manual. 

Inaugural flight tomorrow. 

lkapigian

CTMike said:

Unfortunately Brown Santa didn’t arrive until well after dark so I had to settle for unboxing, charging the batteries and controller, and reading the manual. 

Inaugural flight tomorrow. 

Congrats , that’s supposed to be a great drone …I do like being immersed in FPV, took some getting used to

CTMike

lkapigian said:

CTMike said:

Unfortunately Brown Santa didn’t arrive until well after dark so I had to settle for unboxing, charging the batteries and controller, and reading the manual. 

Inaugural flight tomorrow. 

Congrats , that’s supposed to be a great drone …I do like being immersed in FPV, took some getting used to

So I did some googling, and it appears that an app can be sideloaded on to the Oculus Quest 2 VR headset to allow FPV control of some DJI drones. My grandson happens to have said headset so I might do a little tinkering. 

lkapigian

CTMike said:

lkapigian said:

CTMike said:

Unfortunately Brown Santa didn’t arrive until well after dark so I had to settle for unboxing, charging the batteries and controller, and reading the manual. 

Inaugural flight tomorrow. 

Congrats , that’s supposed to be a great drone …I do like being immersed in FPV, took some getting used to

So I did some googling, and it appears that an app can be sideloaded on to the Oculus Quest 2 VR headset to allow FPV control of some DJI drones. My grandson happens to have said headset so I might do a little tinkering. 

You’ll never go back 

JohnInCarolina

Just keep it away from all of those alligators up there in CT, @CTMike

lkapigian

JohnInCarolina said:

Just keep it away from all of those alligators up there in CT, @CTMike

Lol

alaskanassasin

@lkapigian I can fly it with out FPV but its a chore. Throw the goggles on and I fly maverick ;-).

   I can't quite get the eye part on the goggle adjusted just right so there is always blurry spot on my peripheral until I focus on it. I think my eyes are too far apart for the goggles and with the blurry spot it makes it hard to tree ski.   If I pull the goggles like a half inch off my face everything is in focus so hopefully someone else with have that problem and create a solution or spacer.

  I still haven't unleashed the final mode, still new enough that I am not ready to crash it but I would like to bump it from 60mph to 90, not sure about aerobatics with the goggle issue I have.

lkapigian

alaskanassasin said:

@lkapigian I can fly it with out FPV but its a chore. Throw the goggles on and I fly maverick ;-).

   I can't quite get the eye part on the goggle adjusted just right so there is always blurry spot on my peripheral until I focus on it. I think my eyes are too far apart for the goggles and with the blurry spot it makes it hard to tree ski.   If I pull the goggles like a half inch off my face everything is in focus so hopefully someone else with have that problem and create a solution or spacer.

  I still haven't unleashed the final mode, still new enough that I am not ready to crash it but I would like to bump it from 60mph to 90, not sure about aerobatics with the goggle issue I have.

I flew line of sight only for a while , then got on the simulator over and over, now I race that thing around a couple square miles no issues ….have not gone acrobatic mode , but I’m ready ….DJI has some insets if you wear readers that may clear it up for you 

JohnInCarolina

Y'all are making it awfully difficult to hold off on buying one of these things.  

lkapigian

JohnInCarolina said:

Y'all are making it awfully difficult to hold off on buying one of these things.  

Just do it, took me a while but “ No Regerts” 

a simple pleasure the other day, we had low clouds and just took that thing straight up until I got above them, pure beauty, like being in a plane 

alaskanassasin

lkapigian said:

JohnInCarolina said:

Y'all are making it awfully difficult to hold off on buying one of these things.  

Just do it, took me a while but “ No Regerts” 

a simple pleasure the other day, we had low clouds and just took that thing straight up until I got above them, pure beauty, like being in a plane 

 I flew over to a neighbors farm about a mile away and kicked up a swarm of starlings, as soon as I saw them I turned back and ran for it, about 5 seconds later all the collision alerts on the goggles went off, they had flanked me.  They circled back and went at me head on, luckily no contact that I know of but that could have been bad.  Next time more recon on his perimeter security before diving in.

lkapigian

alaskanassasin said:

lkapigian said:

JohnInCarolina said:

Y'all are making it awfully difficult to hold off on buying one of these things.  

Just do it, took me a while but “ No Regerts” 

a simple pleasure the other day, we had low clouds and just took that thing straight up until I got above them, pure beauty, like being in a plane 

 I flew over to a neighbors farm about a mile away and kicked up a swarm of starlings, as soon as I saw them I turned back and ran for it, about 5 seconds later all the collision alerts on the goggles went off, they had flanked me.  They circled back and went at me head on, luckily no contact that I know of but that could have been bad.  Next time more recon on his perimeter security before diving in.

LoL