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Drones: General Chat Thread

Doge

Don't forget to follow the thread!

Hope the mods are okay with me setting up a general chat thread. It could save a lot of new threads for general drone talk and a is a good place to focus off topic chat. These seem to work well in other sub forums.

My Mavic Mini came today, bought it for about 262 euro + postage from the Amazon France warehouse as Used - Like New.

It came factory sealed in the original plastic that covers the box with an Amazon warehouse sticker on the side so I'm absolutely delighted its unused.
Did an indoor flight with the prop guard on and it's working fine.
Had problems with the DJI Fly app saying the firmware was up to date but when I went to fly it would say incompatible firmware version. (on the latest app that dropped for the Air 2, the previous version had the same problem).
So had to get out the laptop and use her DJI Assistant 2 software to refresh the firmware.

I can get the DJI Care Refresh for €39.

Is it worth it do you think?

Cheers!

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DuckSlice

Has the use of drones really increased in the last few months? or is it just because i have one now that i notice it a lot more on social media?

theothernt

etxp wrote: »

Has the use of drones really increased in the last few months? or is it just because i have one now that i notice it a lot more on social media?

Not recently, but it was predicted that the sky would be full of them a few years ago, but it never happened - they are still quite expensive and unless you like to take photos, etc most people get bored of flying them.

Plus it's on everyone who owns a drone to follow the rules (ie. stay away from people, don't annoy them, etc) and report anyone who doesn't

Doge

First flight went really well!
It's scary at first when you fly the drone about 100m away from you worrying if it will come back!
But he Mavic mini is such a stable beast for its size.

I recommend one of these foldable landing pads, they're more expensive than the cheaper circular ones but fold up really nicely into the size of a notebook so they're easier to carry:

Makes landing much easier. The brand I have is StartRC which has holes in the corners so you can use pegs to pin it down.

I got mine from Amazon Germany as it's not in stock on Amazon UK, just their Chinese store has it in stock.

madmoe

Doge wrote: »

First flight went really well!
It's scary at first when you fly the drone about 100m away from you worrying if it will come back!
But he Mavic mini is such a stable beast for its size.

I recommend one of these foldable landing pads, they're more expensive than the cheaper circular ones but fold up really nicely into the size of a notebook so they're easier to carry:

Makes landing much easier. The brand I have is StartRC which has holes in the corners so you can use pegs to pin it down.

I got mine from Amazon Germany as it's not in stock on Amazon UK, just their Chinese store has it in stock.

Looks exactly what I need! I have the PGYTECH 55cm Drone Landing Pad that I need to sell first though!

Cheers,
M

Doge

madmoe wrote: »

Looks exactly what I need! I have the PGYTECH 55cm Drone Landing Pad that I need to sell first though!

Cheers,
M

PGYTECH do their own foldable landing pad also just minus the holes you can peg down and is fulfilled by Amazon.

https://smile.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07FCLSXW3/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_4TTN0GSQZWS2P00C7XST

The one I have smells like armbands so i reckon it's a good waterproof material!

madmoe

Doge wrote: »

PGYTECH do their own foldable landing pad also just minus the holes you can peg down and is fulfilled by Amazon.

https://smile.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07FCLSXW3/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_4TTN0GSQZWS2P00C7XST

The one I have smells like armbands so i reckon it's a good waterproof material!

Thanks, I don't mind which one I end up getting as long as it is the folding one.

M

fenris

I have a folding round one that I can just clip onto my Mavic bag, the contrasting colours are perfect for enabling the precision landing function on DJI drones

Fionn

Doge wrote: »

First flight went really well!
It's scary at first when you fly the drone about 100m away from you worrying if it will come back!.............

Well done!

I noticed that the drone (Air2 S) sits really close to the ground, all the previous ones were Phantoms, so not what I'm used to.

I wonder could you make a DIY landing pad?
After paying out to register and also upgrading my phone, I'm thinking if i can 'do it yourself' I might just do. Also need to look at a hood for the screen.

Doge

Fionn wrote: »

Well done!

I noticed that the drone (Air2 S) sits really close to the ground, all the previous ones were Phantoms, so not what I'm used to.

I wonder could you make a DIY landing pad?
After paying out to register and also upgrading my phone, I'm thinking if i can 'do it yourself' I might just do. Also need to look at a hood for the screen.

Thanks! The rear legs of the Mavic mini are almost non existent they're so small so I ordered PGYTECH leg extensions before the drone arrived as they were recommended online.

https://smile.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07ZTV3GKG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_RKT4RCWT62CD5YXDV31Q

The front 2 leg extensions need to be removed each time for the Mavic mini to fit in the case that comes with the fly more combo but it's it much of a big deal.

Finding them great so far, but they can come loose in time according one of the more critical YouTubers.
To be fair he probably flies drones daily and comes across as a bit cynical.

Fionn

ive seen various ratings for the ones on offer on Amazon, a few probs noted; some of them are too light and can be blown over by a breeze others have the pegs too big and have caused damage to rotors etc. there is hand catching which i used to do with the Phantoms, but there was much more clearence than these little ones.

Moment Rugged Drone Landing Pad

looks to be the biz, American company, weighs nearly as much as the drone, but that might be a good thing eh?

So for now it might be an old car mat or bit of carpet or maybe a set of gloves...

madmoe

Doge wrote: »

Thanks! The rear legs of the Mavic mini are almost non existent they're so small so I ordered PGYTECH leg extensions before the drone arrived as they were recommended online.

https://smile.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07ZTV3GKG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_RKT4RCWT62CD5YXDV31Q

The front 2 leg extensions need to be removed each time for the Mavic mini to fit in the case that comes with the fly more combo but it's it much of a big deal.

Finding them great so far, but they can come loose in time according one of the more critical YouTubers.
To be fair he probably flies drones daily and comes across as a bit cynical.

I was gonna get something like those but then started to practice the hand launch and hand landing and my Mini 2 has now never really touched the ground at all! It's actually quiet easy to do but one word of warning is that in windy conditions it is not as easy to do and you need to be more careful.

Cheers,
M

madmoe

Fionn wrote: »

ive seen various ratings for the ones on offer on Amazon, a few probs noted; some of them are too light and can be blown over by a breeze others have the pegs too big and have caused damage to rotors etc. there is hand catching which i used to do with the Phantoms, but there was much more clearence than these little ones.

Moment Rugged Drone Landing Pad

looks to be the biz, American company, weighs nearly as much as the drone, but that might be a good thing eh?

So for now it might be an old car mat or bit of carpet or maybe a set of gloves...

I just added that one to my wishlist on Amazon ;-) It's currently out of stock.

Cheers,
M

sheesh

etxp wrote: »

Has the use of drones really increased in the last few months? or is it just because i have one now that i notice it a lot more on social media?

Could be 2 reasons

I put up some footage so maybe facebook algorithm is now showing me more drone stuff

Clear dry weather means more people out flying

Even if you have not put up footage most sites will have cookies from google and facebook tracking what you are looking at so they will deliver content they think you want to see

fenris

I just need to figure out how to land on a sailing boat without losing either a drone or fingers!

Fionn

Is there any hood designs/layouts online that might be useful or should I be looking at a manufactured solution?, was out the other day and couldn't see anything on the screen!

peterwhit

madmoe wrote: »

I was gonna get something like those but then started to practice the hand launch and hand landing and my Mini 2 has now never really touched the ground at all! It's actually quiet easy to do but one word of warning is that in windy conditions it is not as easy to do and you need to be more careful.

Cheers,
M

Yup, hand launch and hand landing is the way to go. Unless you’ve got a really flat surface, the camera will probably touch the ground; and landing pads are a pain and not necessary (can only vouch for Air 2s takeoff & landing though). Obviously though be careful; I initially used a thick glove when trying it the first few times. Here’s a good video:

https://youtu.be/hLiOB3W9XtQ

I’m using Premiere to grade the 5.4K D-log footage, since that’s the NLE I know. I’d like to learn Resolve too, but FWICT premiere is better for multitrack editing.

Image is very clean; and if you scale down the 5.4K to a 4K timeline, super sharp.

Hopefully DJI can get the Air 2s retrospectively EU-classified, an issue I wasn’t aware of before I bought it! Still, two years is a long time in drone-land..

sheesh

Low winds tomorrow so might be a good day to be out

GottaGetGatt

Anyone into FPV drones,? thinking of getting into it. Downloaded the Sim from steam but its tough going with a console controller.

sheesh

looked up about them after that bowling alley video they are cool and look like they are more rugged and protected than the other types

theothernt

sheesh wrote: »

looked up about them after that bowling alley video they are cool and look like they are more rugged and protected than the other types

Quite the opposite. Most are DIY, will break far more easily due to how they fly, have far less fly time, etc.

Also, I really think most people a) won't be able to fly them and b) get bored after a few tries. Plus there are a lot less places you can fly them given how dangerous they are.

... the important thing to remember is that DJI drones basically fly themselves, have great cameras and transmission systems - FPV drones do not. There is a good reason why you never see them in public.

Keith186

GottaGetGatt wrote: »

Anyone into FPV drones,? thinking of getting into it. Downloaded the Sim from steam but its tough going with a console controller.

I got Drone League Racing on PlayStation. Yes it is harder with a controller than full sized radio especially the throttle finesse control, but put in 20 hours practice and you'll notice the difference.

Just have a Tinyhawk 2 so far. Not sure where I'd get to fly a full sized one yet and would need more live practice before getting a bigger one.

fenris

DJI drones are basically stabilised camera platforms, control input from the remote is a suggestion that is then interpreted by the DJI system taking into account wind, programmed flight/stability parameters, legal factors, battery life remaining, obstacles etc. then the drone moves or doesn't as appropriate, that setup has a big weight and complexity penalty associated with providing the safety net and stability. The extra mass means that manouverability is reduced and any crash of a DJI drone will probably cause damage to the drone and possibly to whatever it hits, so a lot of the restrictions inherent in DJI systems are to minimise that risk.

Full FPV drones on the other hand are very barebones in terms of construction and features, no stabilised hover if you release the sticks, no obstacle avoidance, short battery life, but you do get massive speed and agility that people don't believe is real, full control and tuneability of the drone, freedom to mix and match components and a real in depth knowledge of lipo battery care and feeding ðŸ™‚
Smaller FPV drones are lightweight and agile, crashing generally doesn't break anything except maybe a prop if you are unlucky. The Tinyhawk Freestyle type or other 3" types are small enough to fly pretty much anywhere, car parks, pitches, abandoned buildings, industrial estates etc. you can unpack and be in the air within a couple of minutes of arrival (no waiting for GPS, software or flight databases to update), rip through a few packs and be out of there before anyone is the wiser.
It is definitely a "just do it" activity!
Bigger FPV drones (5" and up) need a bit more care, they are faster and heavier, big crashes break more parts, but you have more capability and can carry full GoPro or Insta360 type cameras.

I don't have the reflexes for racing, but love a bit of freestyle and cruising about.

I can drop a discord link if anyone wants for
our fairly active FPV group, lots of knowledge and expertise to be had there, regular meetups, much slagging ðŸ™‚

Cerdito

The IAA have issued new rules for drone use in Dublin airspace:

https://www.iaa.ie/docs/default-source/publications/aeronautical-notices/u---unmanned-aircraft/aeronautical-notice-u-04-direction-for-uas-geographical-zones-issue-18.pdf?sfvrsn=d57219f3_4

Height limit now 30m in the amber zone and 90m in the green zone.

https://imgur.com/gzx3hV9

MackMack

GottaGetGatt wrote: »

Anyone into FPV drones,? thinking of getting into it. Downloaded the Sim from steam but its tough going with a console controller.

Check out fpv-ireland on facebook. You'll find out everything you need to know there.

TychoCaine

Cerdito wrote: »

The IAA have issued new rules for drone use in Dublin airspace:

https://www.iaa.ie/docs/default-source/publications/aeronautical-notices/u---unmanned-aircraft/aeronautical-notice-u-04-direction-for-uas-geographical-zones-issue-18.pdf?sfvrsn=d57219f3_4

Height limit now 30m in the amber zone and 90m in the green zone.

https://imgur.com/gzx3hV9

Well that's just sh1te now, isn't it? I'm near Shannon and I basically have to drive 40 minutes before I can get somewhere I can fly at above 15m.

josip

sheesh wrote: »

https://imgur.com/a/dyux4hB
drone fine small chip on one prop

Glad to read it was ok, reminded me of this term.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controlled_flight_into_terrain

stuff.hunter

TychoCaine wrote: »

Well that's just sh1te now, isn't it? I'm near Shannon and I basically have to drive 40 minutes before I can get somewhere I can fly at above 15m.

IAA sold aerospace to MANA food drone delivery lol

fenris

stuff.hunter wrote: »

IAA sold aerospace to MANA food drone delivery lol

In fairness, it's probably more due to the international airport rather than Mana in Oranmore.
The new document is pretty good at explaining various restrictions like high ground making drones impinge on ILS glide slopes etc.
So complaining about restrictions around an airport is a bit like complaining about GAA matches in Croke park after buying a house beside it :-)

Clareman

TychoCaine wrote: »

Well that's just sh1te now, isn't it? I'm near Shannon and I basically have to drive 40 minutes before I can get somewhere I can fly at above 15m.

Really? I'm in Ennis and I haven't had a problem anywhere yet

stuff.hunter

fenris wrote: »

In fairness, it's probably more due to the international airport rather than Mana in Oranmore.
The new document is pretty good at explaining various restrictions like high ground making drones impinge on ILS glide slopes etc.
So complaining about restrictions around an airport is a bit like complaining about GAA matches in Croke park after buying a house beside it :-)

does NFZ around airports changed? Ive been looking at IAA updates and 5km didnt change, what I've noticed mostly is maximum altitude being slashed to 90m