Any drone operators on the forums?

[ReigleCM]

I ran it at my face today and it avoided me. ? it doesn’t have sideways avoidance, so you do have to watch out. I’m learning, so I watch it like a hawk.

Yeah eyes on all the time is a big thing. MY first one went into a waterfall never to be seen again, my second one hit a tree at max speed and was obliterated. Figured I didn't need a drone that much after that.

Time to hit up some snowy trails and get some cool shots!

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[Colo_Ranger]

Yeah eyes on all the time is a big thing. MY first one went into a waterfall never to be seen again, my second one hit a tree at max speed and was obliterated. Figured I didn't need a drone that much after that.

Time to hit up some snowy trails and get some cool shots!

I’m down! Did you have to Mini 2 or the 3 pro?

 

[RedlandRanger]

Yeah eyes on all the time is a big thing. MY first one went into a waterfall never to be seen again,

I'm glad I'm not the only one who has done that.... (had their drone go into a waterfall/creek). My first mini disappeared that way. I was in a wooded area - I thought there was enough space but the GPS signal wasn't good enough and it was jittery - it hit a tree branch, fell in the creek and we never found it. And we spent probably 2 hours looking for it too....

I ended up buying another one and I've been more careful to fly it in more open areas, and ALWAYS make sure it has a good GPS signal.

I have been intrigued with the obstacle avoidance of the mini 3 though - maybe I'll wait a couple more generations for it to get better before I replace my existing mini.

 

[Synfulz]

So I just bought a SJRC F11S 4K Pro. It costs me about $220. It has a 2 axis gimbal and GPS enabled. I am just starting but this drone flies so good and stable. You might want to look at some reviews on this. For the price it seems quite good.


Here is my video on just a hover of the drone.

 

[OFC Ranger]

I am my agency drone operator, but we have some pretty old stuff, Mavick's and a Matrice. I've tooted around in my off-hours to see how the video/picture quality is. Nothing to write home about, not sure about newer stuff.

 

[MountainGoat]

I also lost my drone. Got it as a birthday present. It took off into the woods and I never found it. Did the calibration and everything, but instead of hovering it moved away. Controls one way made it go away faster, controls the other way did the same but also higher! Is was some cheap Amazon one like ~$150. It's a good thing I'm in the middle of nowhere cause that thing was moving and could've caused an accident if it was near a highway.

 

[RedlandRanger]

I also lost my drone. Got it as a birthday present. It took off into the woods and I never found it. Did the calibration and everything, but instead of hovering it moved away. Controls one way made it go away faster, controls the other way did the same but also higher! Is was some cheap Amazon one like ~$150. It's a good thing I'm in the middle of nowhere cause that thing was moving and could've caused an accident if it was near a highway.

I don't know about the cheaper drones, but for the mini (and any of the DJI drones, I'm sure) it is critically important to have a good GPS lock before taking off. If you don't and ignore the warnings, it can do all sorts of weird stuff, including taking off in the wrong direction. All the "auto pilot/stability control" stuff is dependent on a GPS lock. I learned that the hard way.....

 

[MountainGoat]

I don't know about the cheaper drones, but for the mini (and any of the DJI drones, I'm sure) it is critically important to have a good GPS lock before taking off. If you don't and ignore the warnings, it can do all sorts of weird stuff, including taking off in the wrong direction. All the "auto pilot/stability control" stuff is dependent on a GPS lock. I learned that the hard way.....

It had a button that was supposed to make it return. By the time I thought to hit it, it must have been out of range.

 

[RedlandRanger]

It had a button that was supposed to make it return. By the time I thought to hit it, it must have been out of range.

Or it didn't have a GPS lock so it wouldn't have worked anyway.... Hard telling. It is unfortunate we have to learn things the hard way - but such is life.

 

[Tracy Bowman]

My son had a mavick. Was flying it at Noccalula Falls when it hit a small tree limb and was knocked out of the air. It took us quite a while searching. I happened on a man & his wife booking it out of the canyon as fast as they possibly could go. “So you were down here flying a drone too, huh”.
The look on their face was priceless. The beacon was going off on the drone. “Yeah, that’s my son’s drone, so glad you found it!” They grudgingly turned it over. Believe me, they definitely were not looking for the owner.

 

[Sophia0110]

Thanks for the advice above about GPS lock. I've recently purchased a DJI mini se and I'm still learning to control it. I like the camera, it is the same as the original Mavic Mini, it has a 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor with a fixed aperture, 24mm lens and 83°FOV. As for videos, the camera records in 2.7k at 30fps and 1080p at 60fps with a maximum bitrate of 40Mbps.

 

[AzScorpion]

Timely thread as I was thinking of getting a drone for our trip in June and don't have a clue about them. I didn't want to spend a lot in case (most likely will) I crash it lol After reading through the posts what are your thought on these 3? The first two are the DJI Mini 2 which look to be the same model just different bundle packages from Sam's/Costco.

$440.00
https://www.costco.com/.product.100...VGawNx5GPL48zZV1yAAtsA0D0BWyUVf91Ocx6K+WcYrg=

$450.00
https://www.samsclub.com/p/dji-mini...remote-controller/P03008008?xid=login-success

$272.00
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085VLSZ1...olid=3JCTL0QFBQY46&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

 

[Colo_Ranger]

Timely thread as I was thinking of getting a drone for our trip in June and don't have a clue about them. I didn't want to spend a lot in case (most likely will) I crash it lol After reading through the posts what are your thought on these 3? The first two are the DJI Mini 2 which look to be the same model just different bundle packages from Sam's/Costco.

$440.00
https://www.costco.com/.product.100679649.html?langId=-1&krypto=h8SqKGWKBZF2XK5u3YSUnpG2goPBqoZC/YInQ9mRqQ9knO6BZxfI9lAMHWgN1b0IQXSagGzFJhfZRTuc6fc+7r9Y4cfhPRYykuni/sOZa7KoU0dr/4K5WQ9jmCzuu/vr8rBBHGkyw3V2Iq34I0uSOo+wlHHOdRLMKcm0cf+1/+St0weKE1XsmqMeOVBlPnjVGawNx5GPL48zZV1yAAtsA0D0BWyUVf91Ocx6K+WcYrg=

$450.00
https://www.samsclub.com/p/dji-mini...remote-controller/P03008008?xid=login-success

$272.00
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085VLSZ1...olid=3JCTL0QFBQY46&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

The Mini 2 is a great drone, from what I've read. I don't think you can go wrong with it. Just make sure to fly it in a wide open area the first time. It moves surprisingly quick. Once you get the hang of it, its not too bad.

 

[AzScorpion]

The Mini 2 is a great drone, from what I've read. I don't think you can go wrong with it. Just make sure to fly it in a wide open area the first time. It moves surprisingly quick. Once you get the hang of it, its not too bad.

We have a few schools close by and a huge park where they fly RC planes. The park is wide open with no power lines so I'd probably go there. The mini looks nice and not having to get a FCC license is a bonus. But I didn't know if the last one from Amazon was any good for the price? Besides traveling I doubt I'd use it much and hate to spend $500 (with tax) and have it just sitting most of the year.

 

[Colo_Ranger]

DJI is the brand everyone knows. I don't know anything about the other brands. I guess you could buy it, fly it, and return it if it sucks. I just don't have experience.

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