Drone for the farm

RockOrBog

The sisters husband was asking me about a drone for his farm, he wants to use it for checking his sheep on hilly land. He heard you can buy cheaper drones on Temu.

I have a DJI Mini 2 myself which I do use on the farm sometimes and find it good. It's easy to use, has good software and app etc, range good 2 or 3 km no bother, and battery not bad, I was getting 25 mins when weather was calm and the battery was new... under the 250g limit which I think is a big deal???You can buy it now for around €450 that's with the 'fly more kit" which is extra batteries etc.

Has anyone found a good one for farm use which might be cheaper? Temu etc ....

OrangeBadger

If you are going to buy a drone get a good one which has a remote controller with a screen, I got the mini 3 this year and it is a serious bit of kit, farm expense for sure

Mehaffey1

Wouldn't look past the DJI Mini's, perfect for a beginner and get the 3 if at all possible.

Mo Ghile Mear

Do they not drive the cattle mad? Saw someone using one over fields with young cattle back in the summer and even though it was at a good height and fairly quiet they were stampeding around like wildebeest 😬.

Water John

Might have thought it was the sound of the Gadfly.

TinyMuffin

Cattle on an out farm go mad when the neighbours fly theirs. Gadding goin around the field with tails up.

roosterman71

Do you have to register these when ya buy them in order to fly them?

RockOrBog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121542032#Comment_121542032

If it's under 250g in weight, then no I don't think so. If it's over then who knows, there's probably a way around it anyway.

JustJoe7240

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121541722#Comment_121541722

Cattle get used to them very very quickly. I use a DJI mini 3 to check cattle 2km away as the crow flies with no issue. She's currently 3 legged though awaiting a hinge after a disagreement with a tree.

twowheelsonly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121542032#Comment_121542032

If it has a camera then yes, regardless of weight. Note that it's the operator is registered and not the drone (although larger commercial drones need to be registered AFAIK)

It's quite simple to do, takes 20 minutes or so online to go through the rules/guidelines video and answer 40 questions. Costs €30 then to register for two years. For commercial use there's extra work and testing to be done

I've no doubt that loads of people ignore the regulations though. Most people go with the 'under 250g' maxim but fail to heed the note about the camera !!

Whether or not using it on a farm would constitute 'commercial use' is a million dollar question. I would presume though that if you put it down as a farm expense you may be opening the door to this. Honest answer to that question though is that I don't know. (and I know nothing about farming!!)

IAA Website (Drone Page) : https://www.iaa.ie/general-aviation/drones

In response to the original question I'd stick to the Mini 2/3 as well. They're definitely the best around and anyone I ever met that bought the cheaper ones always ended up upgrading to DJIs' in any case. Easily available parts and the regular software updates alone are worth it.

OrangeBadger

Imagine someone coming around looking to see if you have registered a drone

twowheelsonly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121542447#Comment_121542447

It happens... Generally speaking though it's only after a complaint from someone or some act of complete stupidity.

There's been a few people done here including one dope who flew over an Ed Sheeran concert. Loads more done in the UK and around Europe as well. Pretty much the same rules apply around all of Europe.

OrangeBadger

When I got mine I mentioned to neighbours just incase they saw it because they would be amazing tools for basstards looking to rob equipment on a farm.

I agree with above poster just don't be a dope and realise where the drone is, you might be looking at something in the distance yet hovering someone's house/yard

Base price

What should you do if you hear/see a drone flying over your farm/yard/house etc. I think (stand corrected) that drones cannot be flown within certain meters of private property unless the user has permission from the land owner.

TBH if one was flying over here and I got the opportunity I would get the shotgun out ASAP.

Limestone Cowboy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121541722#Comment_121541722

Have one with 4 or 5 years now and can honestly say the cows never took a blind bit of notice of it even when it was only a couple of meters above them. Fair handy tool checking stock on mountains.

franglan

Anyone know a model that can be controlled completely remotely? As in I could be away for a weekend and control the drone back in Carlow with live footage coming back to the hotel in West Cork?

Mehaffey1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121542822#Comment_121542822

No idea about that at all, normal drones work off a system similar to wi-fi which is what limits your range.

onrail

Digging up an old thread here, but I'm thinking of picking up a drone in the 'sales', either a DJI mini 4k or 3 which seem to be around eur250-350.

Any feedback on these models or whether a drone is useful at all? We have an outfarm around 2.5km away, so it could be fierce handy for checking stock there.

RockOrBog

I have a similarly sized dji drone and it's on the limit at 2km away

farmertipp

get something with 10 to 12 km range . it should be good enough to get 2.5 then . also have focus in it so you can stay high and count cattle without reducing altitude and possibly losing contact due to trees and other things. it will return home automatically anyway if you do lose contact. I have dji air 2 s . Great drone . have it 3 yrs. had parrot bebop before that.

Bogwoppit

I have the 3, if there’s any trees in the way you won’t travel that far.

onrail

No shortage of trees in the way. Definitely not a clear line of sight anyway. Might leave it so

Mehaffey1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122870675#Comment_122870675

Battery life in one of DJI's Mini series would be a serious issue as well as the range. Any wind at all to battle through and the battery just disappears.

giveitholly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122868868#Comment_122868868

@farmertipp Is this the one you have?

https://www.harveynorman.ie/cameras-drones/drones-ireland/all-drones/demo-dji-air-2s-drone-en.html

farmertipp

yes that's it. has 8 times focus allowing you to stay high thus keeping a clear line of site. you could stay at 200 ft. it can be set to go alot higher but probably no need