Anyone own a drone?

[ChicosBailBonds]

Thinking about getting into this.  Looking at the Phantom 3 and another one.  Curious if anyone is into this, pros and cons, etc.

Thx

[keefe]

I have not actually flown a MQ 9/Reaper but we directed them to targets. The Reaper has greater lethality than its Predator cousin and can bring a high degree of persistence and precision. In the hands of a highly skilled TACP the Reaper can drop Paveways and JDAMs on bad guys who had no idea it was there.

A new Reaper will run you about $50MM dry. Munitions are extra.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Thanks Crash....I was thinking more the kind that doesn't require a DOD authorization.


https://youtube.com/v/7jJn7uvqgc0

[keefe]

Thanks Crash....I was thinking more the kind that doesn't require a DOD authorization.


https://youtube.com/v/7jJn7uvqgc0

Oh, toys. Got it.

[rocket surgeon]

Thanks Crash....I was thinking more the kind that doesn't require a DOD authorization.


https://youtube.com/v/7jJn7uvqgc0

tits!!  how much are they?  sure beats the one verizon gave you for $100 when you signed up for some extra service or something.  it was cool, but next to impossible to fly consistently

[rocket surgeon]

the phanton 3's go from $1000- 1800  probably depends on stealth qualities-heyna

[mu_hilltopper]

CBB - I own two (cheap) drones.

The Phantoms are, of course, fantastic, but quite spendy.  Yes, you can get fantastic video, which is the whole point.

But .. I'd tell you to try a cheap drone first.  It'll give you some needed training, and instead of crashing a $1300 drone, it's $80.    And you will crash them, or catch them in trees. Naturally, the stability and photographic quality of the $80 drone is quite limited .. but at least it'll give you an idea whether you want to invest 10x+ in a better one.

You'll also find that .. you won't be flying your toy every day.  Occasionally, you'll see a nice big field and you'll wish you had it with you, but it's kind of like flying a kite, in that, after flying it one day, you likely aren't jonesing to fly it again tomorrow.

Add in that .. in just the past 12 months, there are double+ the number of drones on the market, and prices are falling.    I'll bet in 3 years something with Phantom like ability will be $250 and less.

[ChicosBailBonds]

CBB - I own two (cheap) drones.

The Phantoms are, of course, fantastic, but quite spendy.  Yes, you can get fantastic video, which is the whole point.

But .. I'd tell you to try a cheap drone first.  It'll give you some needed training, and instead of crashing a $1300 drone, it's $80.    And you will crash them, or catch them in trees. Naturally, the stability and photographic quality of the $80 drone is quite limited .. but at least it'll give you an idea whether you want to invest 10x+ in a better one.

You'll also find that .. you won't be flying your toy every day.  Occasionally, you'll see a nice big field and you'll wish you had it with you, but it's kind of like flying a kite, in that, after flying it one day, you likely aren't jonesing to fly it again tomorrow.

Add in that .. in just the past 12 months, there are double+ the number of drones on the market, and prices are falling.    I'll bet in 3 years something with Phantom like ability will be $250 and less.

Thanks

We had them at work yesterday doing some VR stuff we are trying to put out on the market with a few VR vendors.  I was pretty amazed with the Phantom's how if you really wanted to, you can start flying hour zero just by programming it into the GPS and telling it where to go. Obviously that's a bit boring from a piloting perspective, but pretty amazing with the technology.  Claims to have a 1.2 mile range, but I've already found one video online where the guy has it out to about 5 miles, but he barely got it back home due to battery power.

I'll keep looking...thanks for the tip

[mu_hilltopper]

Some of those guys flying huge distances have custom rigs.  Lots of them are either making their own with custom components or buying rigs and modifying them with better transmitters, antennas, bigger batteries, gimbals, better cams, VR headsets, etc.

Some have the auto Return To Home (RTH) that if it loses signal, it knows by GPS where to return .. but it'd better avoid trees as it comes back to you. 

No doubt .. it's really cool stuff.  But it has a "loss factor" .. stuff sometimes goes wrong, big gust of wind, wear radio signal, etc.. and poof, your $1300 drone is now in a tree 80 feet up, or crashes 2500 feet away and you need to search for it for an hour.  This tech .. is not bullet proof.

Start simple with a $100 drone.  I'll upgrade some day, no doubt.  Love the idea of aerial photography.

One other tip for cheaper drones .. try to get one that has a "headless" mode.  Usually the left joystick is motor speed (up and down) and spin left/right.     The right stick is go left, right, fwd, back.     

Let's say you start flying with the drone pointing north, so you know if you pull back, it'll come back to you, since the head is north, the tail is south. -- But what if the drone twists 90 degrees?   Now pulling back on the stick will send it west and not back to you.  Suddenly, oh, crap, where is that going?

"Headless" mode uses a compass (or GPS), so (in this example) it always knows north is north.  If it twists 90 degrees, it still knows if you pull back on the stick, it should come south.   Very handy.

[keefe]

There is a 'Drone Store' here in Bellevue. These guys are always in the park across the street showing people how drones work. I talked with them briefly yesterday and mentioned this thread. They are happy to field questions about drones from anyone so I would call them.

Drones Plus   (425) 358-2549   

http://www.bellevuereporter.com/business/306072081.html

[Hards Alumni]

I had a Traxxis quad until I crashed it into the lake.

Flying it was extremely difficult.

[keefe]

Flying it was extremely difficult.

Rookie...

[WellsstreetWanderer]

I live on a lake and was out on the patio when one came over and hovered by me. By the time I returned with my shotgun it was gone.  Damn!!  would have been good practice before duck season.

Figure it was looking for sunbathers of the feminine persuasion not an old guy in shorts

[mr.MUskie]

Agree with 'topper. While I'd love to play with a $1000+ quad, I don't feel so bad when my $60 Ebay one crashes, lands in a tree, etc. So far, after multiple crashes, there's not a scratch on it. And yes, it is a tree magnet. If it holds up long enough for me to get better at flying it I might pop for something like a phantom.
I have a Syma X5C.

[real chili 83]

I live on a lake and was out on the patio when one came over and hovered by me. By the time I returned with my shotgun it was gone.  Damn!!  would have been good practice before duck season.

Figure it was looking for sunbathers of the feminine persuasion not an old guy in shorts

Pull!!!

[Blackhat]

Thinking about purchasing this drone.

https://www.youtube.com/v/xqHrTtvFFIs

[ChicosBailBonds]

Thinking about purchasing this drone.

https://www.youtube.com/v/xqHrTtvFFIs

There will be a terrorist attack of some kind using drones....no doubt about it. Strap on some explosives, fly them into a stadium, kaboom.  Not sure how on earth we stop that.

Maybe nets foul pole to foul pole.

[real chili 83]

Mount a 30-06, paint it blaze orange.

[Blackhat]

The buck would be like "what the f__k?!"

[Benny B]

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/s/man-shoots-down-drone-hovering-000032027.html

Even though I don't live in Kentucky, I'm pretty sure the laws are the same here.  So how do you protect your privacy without being visited by the Illinois State Police?

At first I figured, instead of a drone, I should save my money for a short-range, narrow-band EMP.  But that only guarantees me a visit from Homeland Security instead of ISP.

So what about a jammer?  That would be a violation of FCC Title 47, Part 15.5.

Maybe I could overpower the frequency and take control using my own transmitter?  That would probably be classified under theft statutes, which means now we're back to ISP.

So I'm pretty much convinced that whoever can modify this thing to repel drones is going to make a fortune.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Havahart-Spray-Away-Motion-Activated-Sprinkler-Animal-Repellent-5266/203281169

[Hards Alumni]

Rookie...

Its true.  The thing was about 8 inches tip to tip, and once it got 200 feet over the house I had a really hard time figuring out which was was forward.  That, and any sort of wind pushed it farther away.

This model doesn't have return to a location or a camera.

I may have been a rookie, but the controls were extremely sensitive, and it was very difficult to control.

[4everwarriors]

May wanna check out Drones R Us, hey?