RideForum.NET

So I bought a drone this weekend. Technically it doesn't arrive until late this week so I haven't flown it yet. I got a Phantom 3 standard that dropped to $399 over the weekend on eBay. Kind of a impulse purchase really.

Now that it's on the way I really have no clue what I will do with it besides get some cool video of something. Was wondering if anyone else had one and if so did you find any surprising uses? Maybe even motorcycle related? Jokingly i told my wife I could use it to see if my gutters were clogged before getting the ladder out which didn't sell her.
Just wondering.
Jim

yes .....and they are a lot of fun. Had been wanting one for a few years so late last fall pulled the trigger and purchased one a big one with camera. I soon crashed it , and it was supposed to be fool proof ,well not so much, I think between operator error and some malfunction of the machine, well it went in for repair. Not to be discouraged while waiting I purchased a Blade inductrix and a Latraxx Alias, to learn how to fly better, which I did. I would highly recommend purchasing either one or both of these to learn to fly better before flying the larger more expensive one. The inductrix is mostly and indoor one that fits in the palm of your hand, the Alias is close to a foot across and is better flown outdoors. I have found the Alias is nearly indestructible. If you fly them quite a bit the little motors wear out ,but are easily replaced and can be obtained from a place called Micro motor warehouse.
Back to the bigger one with a camera, it is a lot of fun and you can get some real cool video footage with it. I have been using mine to check pheasant pens, fields, and other things around the farm. Since I am using it for business it is deductible and did I mention fun at the same time. I even used it to get a ducks eye view of my brother in laws duck blind , helped him understand things from a ducks point of view.
Mine is a Typhoon Q500+ ,it has a lot of cool features including gps system which aids in flying it. I have had it out far enough I lost sight of it and was able to fly it back using the instrumentation and video feed on the controller.
Yes you can use it to check your gutters and much more.

Well looks like I had better luck than you. After watching a few YouTube videos I took it out for my first flight last night. I was shocked how easy it was to fly. Handed the controls over to my 12 year old son and it is obvious how video game playing skills help. He took to it like a duck to water. It got a little ify when I took it to 400 feet and the wind started really picking up. Almost blew it off my property before I got my bearings and brought it closer to the ground and flew it home. Your right it is super fun. I could see filming could get boring at least around this area but just flying it was addicting. Got sucked into flying it and forgot to check my gutters

I looked up your model and it looks pretty sweet. If I ever come to your house to ride again I will bring it to compare. Thanks for the info.

Here is some video in case anyone is interested. The dicey spot starts at about the 9 min mark.

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

Jim

I have a couple of questions:

Can those drones with cameras be flown out if visual line of sight if so how far?

How long can the drones stay in the aloft?

Can you watch what the drone sees live or does it need to be flown back and then viewed?

I think it would be helpful to check cattle that are spread out over 100's of acres.

Yes , it would be very helpful and useful checking cattle. You cant get a lot of super fine detail but certainly can count head or see other problems. I am comfortable at this time flying mine out to approx. 1/4 mile although it will go out to nearly 1/2 I think. It does have live video feed back to the controller and though not recommended can be used to fly it. There are several other aids on the controller that would enable you to fly it without the video feed. Flying it out of site ,for me anyway ,seems pretty dicey/risky and really pointless. The video feed will reach as far as you can comfortably fly it with visual sight. There is an app that can be downloaded that will allow the video to stream to a lap top or other larger screen device to allow better on the spot viewing. I usually just record to a sd card then take it to the computer to view. Mine will stay aloft 15-20 minutes and fly around 15-17 mph. The range on the typhoon q 500+ is greater than the video feed range , I cant remember what it is but at 1/4 mile I still had video and the quad was getting difficult to see ,at 250 ft elevation. 400 ft is the max. legal limit which is quite a ways up for what it is (seems to me anyway). You are welcome to come see mine sometime.

Thanks Larry. I need to swing by your place and check it out.

Larry and I have two different models but mine (and probably Larry's) has an option where you can program in waypoints and it will fly those waypoints. Which might be helpful for what you are thinking about. Basically set a path through your property and the drone will fly it automatically at a set speed and altitude then you can concentrate on watching the video and not flying. That being said the DJI model I have will return to home once it looses signal with the controller. So if you property is too large it will just go out a claimed 1000 meters then loose connection and then turn around and head home. Mine is simply an amplified Wi-Fi connection but the DJI advanced and pro models use Lightbridge technology which per the YouTube video below supposedly gives them a range of 5km (I think the advertised specs are more like 3000m). The DJI models claim a 25 min flight time but the 4-5 flights I have completed in the last few days I am seeing more like 20-22 mins. It's worth a try. Like all electronics they just keep getting cheaper and if it doesn't work for cattle they sure are fun.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwJKC9ldfJs