Drone Questions

[dmksails]

Hi All!

I'm planning a trip up the inside passage next year and the idea came to me that having a drone along to take pics might be nice.

I've checked on amazon and the price is all over - $50 to over 1,000. I will want to use it for the occasional photo/video.

So here are my questions -

1. I want to be able to see what the drone sees while it's flying. Possible? If so, what is this feature called?

2. I'm looking for a water proof unit.

Price-wise I'm looking for as cheap as possible. Any recommendations.

[simonthepom]

Checkout www.splashdrone.com

One of the few waterproof drones on the market.


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[delmarrey]

You may want to check the Canadian laws if you plane to use it before Alaska. Regulations are getting pretty tight right here in the USA.

[elaak]

For your first question, look for FPV (first person view).

For your second question, I think you may run into the same problem I had. I wanted a drone that was waterproof and very easy to use. At the time, it was either or and I chose to go waterproof at first. I think this was a mistake. As someone new to drones, I think it would have been better to go for something easier to use. You'll have way better FPV options, they will be a better value, and with some practice you can have come confidence of being able to launch and retrieve from the mothership.

Anyways, I had the predecessor of the splash drone (Mariner).
Pro:
- Waterproof
- Sorta plug and play
- Very powerful. Could keep up with the boat in 20kts of apparent.
Con:
- $$$
- Not quite plug and play enough. It was definitely a real drone that came with a hobbyists RC controller.
- I thought the stock feedback loops were definitely geared towards the higher end of the performance spectrum. Made for shaky footage but aggressive flight performance.
- Its a pretty big machine for a first drone.....could do a lot of damage
Video of flying it around the marina:
https://vimeo.com/120253394

Sadly, I was flying it when the wind picked up to 20kts+. Lost sight of it when it couldn't keep up and wasn't able to retrieve it. Looking back, I should have put in the water as soon as things started looking dire (remember this if you do end up going with a waterproof unit).

After I lost the Mariner, I bought a normal DJI phantom. Very not waterproof but good quality, easy to use, the every mans drone. The footage of it being used sailing from Hawaii to SF starts about half way through this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kNZ8K61k_Q

With a good amount of practice on land, I was able to launch and retrieve the drone 30x. The only time things got dicey was when I pushed the flight time too far once. Every other time I was able to put it in one of my crews hands.

[downunder]

Looks as if GoPro are about to release a drone.

it looks good and simple to operate.

The New GoPro Karma Looks Like The Most Versatile Drone Yet | Gizmodo Australia

[CAELESTIS]

The new DJI Mavic looks like a great drone as well.

I've been wanting to get one for a while but the water crash scenario is a $1000 mistake!

Has anyone mastered the landing technique on a moving sailboat?

[barnakiel]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZrN-cLT4zM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YybWigcQJQ8

stuff like this drone like EUR 1000 or thereabout and not waterproof

and yeah I love them

Cheers,
b.

[Cool Hand Luke]

Originally Posted by CAELESTIS

The new DJI Mavic looks like a great drone as well.

I've been wanting to get one for a while but the water crash scenario is a $1000 mistake!

Has anyone mastered the landing technique on a moving sailboat?

Much easier on a Cat than a Monohull. Have a friend standing on the bow and catch it while you're flying close. Then, just kill the engines

[CAELESTIS]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

stuff like this drone like EUR 1000 or thereabout and not waterproof

and yeah I love them

Cheers,
b.

Amazing footage! But I am in the market for an American drone, not French!

[barnakiel]

They all do. You can see the take off on Tanguy's video I think there is also one that shows the landing phase.

If you browse this guy's website:

Voyage d'Yvinec

you will find a most amazing winter / ice drone session. Off course, landing is done on the boat.

You can also find nice footage on Katharsis blog. The also take off from / land on the boat.

All the boats are monos. It should be twice as easy to land on a cat though.

b.

[barnakiel]

The videos here:

Videos — Voyage d'Yvinec

You can quickly notice the videos are all shot in light airs.

We must wait a year or two before one can get a decent storm drone. But just imagine the footage then!

The drones are all common brand market stuff. They are all 1k or more if you want nice, smooth, detailed and saturated images and a couple of minutes of flight on one battery (get spare batts for any serious work).

Cheers,
b.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Cool Hand Luke

Much easier on a Cat than a Monohull. Have a friend standing on the bow and catch it while you're flying close. Then, just kill the engines

Makes me think of putting my hand in either a blender or maybe a garbage disposal.
I'll fly it, you catch it

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by CAELESTIS

Amazing footage! But I am in the market for an American drone, not French!

Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria. US Army surplus stores.

I thought we were discussing shooting VIDEO.

;-)
b.

[tomfl]

Originally Posted by dmksails

SNIP

Any recommendations.

I have been flying RC way too long. Conventional wisdom is the first thing you should do is get some time on a sim. RealFlight is the gold standard but is not cheap. I have a nVidia Shield and there are some good sims for android platforms that run maybe five bucks. Unless you can get on a sim, take off, fly a figure eight, and land ten times in a row without any crashes you are not ready for the real thing.

Not sure what your time line is but if you want to buy something there is a waiting list for some choices. Something like a Phantom 4 is probably the best choice if you need it right away. Most experienced folks get extra batteries since your flight time will be limited to about 20 minutes or so per battery.

I have pre ordered a Mavic and am very close to the front of the waiting list but I am not expecting it before the first of November at best. If you order now you may not get delivery till December at best. Lots of online discussion about them not being here till after the first of the year unless you ordered early. Keep in mind that both the Phantom and Mavic are dji products and some folks advise to buy from an official dji vendor to avoid any warranty issues. Ask the vendor before you buy.

I have a Splash as well and have been very unhappy with it. There are problems with water proof RCs. The electronics inside are often too close and there is interference, not to mention a problem with heat buildup. I found the Splash very hard to control. I also had problems with the gimbal holding the camera and had to reinstall the software multiple times. It definitely is not plug and play.

I also have a couple of HexH20 platforms and a QuadH20 as well. Both these platforms are waterproof and designed to deal with interference by isolating the components and they also have external cooling fins to deal with heat. There can be a wait for these platforms. The HexH20 platforms are significantly bigger than the QuadH20 which is significantly bigger than the Phantom platforms which is significantly bigger than the Mavic. The H20 platforms would probably take up half a bunk, the Phanton 1/3 of a bunk, and the Mavic is about the size of a big water bottle.

There are a couple of other waterproof platforms but I have no experience with them.

Quite frankly the only platform I have been able to fly in winds over about 15 knots is my Inspire. This is big somewhat expensive almost pro level platform with a dedicated camera that produces great image quality.

I suggest you go to youtube and look at some footage from the various platforms and try and get a feel for the minimum level of image quality you are willing to accept. Then look at the price point for that level of image quality. At that point you will be able to make a realistic assessment of getting into UAS ownership.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9qycMFc15Q

[SV.Maverick]

Originally Posted by downunder

Looks as if GoPro are about to release a drone.

it looks good and simple to operate.

The New GoPro Karma Looks Like The Most Versatile Drone Yet | Gizmodo Australia

I am at the point of thinking of my first drone also and since I already have lots of GoPro items I can't wait to try some hands on time with the GoPro Karma when it hits stores