Def Droning on again

Outback in Idaho · **Reply #30 on:** February 12, 2022, 02:46:32 AM

How long can you fly before the battery runs out. And assuming a smartphone is needed to control it, I would think the range would be seriously limited in range.

Have a couple of toy drones I wanted to try with the recumbent to get photos and videos where I cannot do it alone or with people that do not take photos.

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #31 on:** February 12, 2022, 01:33:36 PM

I get about twenty minutes on the small drone and 15 on the big one. I have several batteries for each though.

Range is not too shabby- the big one is limited by how far I can see it (need to maintain line of sight at all times) and in ideal conditions I can get about 700m (2300 feet or just under half a mile) before I can't see it anymore.

The small one doesn't require line of sight (under the legal limit) and has a rated transmission range of 10 kilometers (6.5 miles), but the battery doesn't have that kind of range. You can safely get it out about 2kms (1.2 miles) and be able to bring it back safely.

The range is more a factor of battery life than transmission range- unless you want to land the drone wherever it runs out of juice, the further you go, the further you need to come back.

And yes, you use a smart phone or tablet, but it is connected to the controller, and all communications between the phone/tablet and drone are done through the controller, so you aren't limited by wifi or Bluetooth range.

As a bonus, the relatively large battery in the controller also charges your phone/tablet when you fly.

Def

Outback in Idaho · **Reply #32 on:** February 12, 2022, 02:34:58 PM

I need a better paying job to get the mini 2. Looks rather nifty, and they really seem to fly quite high.What is the lowest altitude it can fly if on a flatter area like a bike trail? And too bad it did not have two cameras running, one at the subject (of course) and another facing away.

So now I see what Amazon is selling these drone light kits, add-ons, and strobes -- so you can see them better.

Too bad you did not have a light weigh 360 camera loaded out the back, and take intermittent photos based on time, or do a time lapse. The Ricoh Theta SC2 is not too bad for taking 360 intermittent shots.

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #33 on:** February 12, 2022, 06:59:50 PM

The Mini 3 is due out in the next month or two, so the price may drop. There is also the Mini SE, which is just like the Mini 2, but has a 2.7k camera instead of a 4k camera.

It can fly about 18 inches off the ground. It has sensors on the bottom that keep it from hitting the ground until it's time to land.

A lot of people put strobes, 360 cameras and other doodads on the drones, but these are likely to push them over the 250g limit, which defeats the purpose of the Mini series in the first place.

Def

Outback in Idaho · **Reply #34 on:** February 13, 2022, 02:35:21 AM

That one video you showed going on down the river, obviously you could not see it unless you sprouted wings. So, how could you determine where you were and what you were seeing? Is all that shown on your phone? I know this may be risky to do, unless all phones have the accessibility feature to take screen shots, but what do you see on the phone there when it is out and about?

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #35 on:** February 13, 2022, 12:24:24 PM

I'll take a screenshot for you the next time I am flying to show you what it all looks like. You see a live view from the camera, and there is a map in the lower corner. You can navigate by Google Maps, by eye or through the camera view, or any combination of the three.

The map shows you not only your current location and orientation, but also shows a blue line of where you have been and a red line showing the direct route to the Home Point- aka the place where you took off from.

Def

Outback in Idaho · **Reply #36 on:** February 13, 2022, 04:54:53 PM

Sounds interesting. Thank you for the replies. Is very helpful. Hope you do not feel like I'm pestering you. Awesome videos BTW.

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #37 on:** February 13, 2022, 05:48:51 PM

I'm glad that you like the videos.

As for pestering, I'm pretty sure a forum survives on conversation, so no worries there! I'm happy to help with stuff like this!

Def

derekmac · **Reply #38 on:** February 14, 2022, 04:20:20 PM

Pestering Def is a well established, and loved past time here.

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #39 on:** February 14, 2022, 04:38:03 PM

See?

Def

pfrsantos · **Reply #40 on:** February 15, 2022, 01:20:22 PM

Quote from: derekmac on February 14, 2022, 04:20:20 PM

Pestering Def is a well established, and loved past time here.

Well,

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #41 on:** February 19, 2022, 02:27:59 PM

I was out flying this morning and unfortunately forgot to grab a screen shot while I was out, but I grabbed this one quickly while dumping photos when I got home.

Starting in the top left you see I am in S mode, which is Sport. The drone flies faster in Sport mode than Normal or Cinematic modes.

Then you see the Low Battery warning, which is because the battery was almost dead by this point, and why I had come home. I have three other batteries, but there was more than enough power in this one to dump photos from, so I left it.

Along the top right you see I was at 15% power in the drone battery. Next up is elapsed flight time (reading 00:00 as I hadn't flown since getting home), remote connection strength and number of satellites it is connected to. It's a low number since I am indoors, but usually it is 16-18.

The main section of the screen shows the camera view (obviously!) and you can turn the grid lines on and off. I like having them on.

Along the right side you have shooting modes, shutter buttons and settings, although for some reason they seem to be cut off in this screenshot.

Bottom right is the camera format and how much space is on the MicroSD card inside.

Bottom left is the map (which can be expanded to fill the screen and the camera view will shrink down to this position) and the location/speed info. The altitude is not at sea level, it is measure from the Home Point, so if I am 100 feet above the home point at the top of a hill, it is much higher if I fly level off the side of the hill. Because of this, it is very possible that you can have a negative altitude.

In the far left is the auto take off button that will raise the drone off the ground to about 6 feet where it will hover until instructed to do something else. When it is in flight, that symbol changes so the arrow is pointed down, and it becomes the auto landing button.

Def

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #42 on:** February 19, 2022, 02:46:43 PM

Here are a few pics I took this morning. My intent was to grab some pics of the brown/yellow vessel, but after flying straight out almost 2 kilometers and using the 2x zoom option, I still wasn't anywhere near it.

Bedford Basin is a lot larger than it looks!

On the way back I snapped pics of some of the Coast Guard vessels that are stationed near my house and a cargo ship working at the local container pier.

Def

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #43 on:** March 14, 2022, 01:36:37 PM

A few more photos for the fun of it.

Def

Outback in Idaho · **Reply #44 on:** March 16, 2022, 01:54:26 PM

Wow! Impressive!!

Really good resolution too. Wished I had the funds to acquire one.

Saw this a bit ago, and it is in its infancy. Uses an Ion Drive system, no propellers, no noise. But, it's got a long ways to go technological wise.

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #45 on:** March 17, 2022, 09:54:04 AM

There are some interesting ones for anlot less money- although I can't speak to their effectiveness. I bought one on Amazon for about $50 with impressive specs for a friend for Christmas, but he rarely flies it, doesn't take it outside and has yet to hook his phone up to it, so I can't actually comment on it's abilities.

GoolRC X1 RC Drone with Camera 4K WiFi FPV Mini Foldable Quadcopter with Function Trajectory Flight Headless Mode 3D Flight with Storage Bag https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B09CG19899/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_XV5QDK22YNYTYNFTK5S1

I wouldn't expect too much for $50, but it has two batteries and a 4k camera.

Def

pfrsantos · **Reply #46 on:** March 17, 2022, 01:06:57 PM

Quote from: Outback in Idaho on March 16, 2022, 01:54:26 PM

Wow! Impressive!!
Really good resolution too. Wished I had the funds to acquire one.

Saw this a bit ago, and it is in its infancy. Uses an Ion Drive system, no propellers, no noise. But, it's got a long ways to go technological wise.

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #47 on:** March 24, 2022, 06:04:29 PM

Here is a shot I took last week. I used one of the automatic flight modes to shoot this- the Helix mode flies around and up relative to the subject and in this case, the subject is my Phantom 4 Pro. This video was shot with the Mini 2.

It's really not exciting, but I would like to say again just how hard it is to spot one drone with the other!

Def

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #48 on:** March 24, 2022, 06:17:11 PM

And here are a couple of stills from the same day. A pic of the Phantom 4 Pro, taken with the Mini 2, and a photo of the Mini 2 taken with the Phantom 4 Pro.

The Mini 2 is a hard little booger to spot, and the Phantom 4 isn't as easy as you'd think it should be.

And, in case any flight inspectors are reading this, there were two Pilots on site, one per drone as per Transport Canada requirements. Megan flew the Mini 2 as she is unlicensed and therefore cannot fly the P4P. All rights reserved, void where prohibited.

Def

pfrsantos · **Reply #49 on:** March 24, 2022, 06:38:29 PM

Quote from: Grant Lamontagne on March 24, 2022, 06:04:29 PM

Here is a shot I took last week. I used one of the automatic flight modes to shoot this- the Helix mode flies around and up relative to the subject and in this case, the subject is my Phantom 4 Pro. This video was shot with the Mini 2.

It's really not exciting, but I would like to say again just how hard it is to spot one drone with the other!

Def

I can only see a "This video is private" message...

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #50 on:** March 24, 2022, 10:41:41 PM

Oops.

I'll see if I can fix it....

Def

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #51 on:** March 24, 2022, 10:44:47 PM

Maybe working now?

Def

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #52 on:** March 25, 2022, 12:40:33 PM

Mom loved the ocean, and so I had been in the habit of filming or photographing the ocean and sending it to her since she lived over a thousand miles inland and couldn't see them for herself. Even though she is no longer with us, I am still in the habit of filming waves and stuff.

Def

Gio_Luso · **Reply #53 on:** March 25, 2022, 02:18:09 PM

Nice!!

pfrsantos · **Reply #54 on:** March 25, 2022, 08:37:07 PM

Quote from: Grant Lamontagne on March 24, 2022, 10:44:47 PM

Maybe working now?

Def

It is, thanks!

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #55 on:** April 17, 2022, 02:48:08 PM

I shot this footage yesterday of one of our new AOPS vessels, being built in that big building right next to it.

https://canva.me/mjv0sBSGipb

As Climate Change is affecting the Arctic Ocean, what we call the Northwest Passage (the space between Canada and the North Pole) is open water more and more often. The Canadian Government has commissioned several of these AOPS vessels (Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship) to monitor the area. They are being built a couple of blocks from my house.

If you are curious about these, here is a lot more info that I could regurgitate to seem smart, but I'm also lazy so here's the link!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_DeWolf-class_offshore_patrol_vessel

Def

Aloha · **Reply #56 on:** April 17, 2022, 04:40:02 PM

Really cool. Thanks for sharing. These are so cool yet I don't see many around my area.

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #57 on:** April 17, 2022, 09:01:39 PM

In case the Canva link isn't working....

Def

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #58 on:** April 17, 2022, 09:20:21 PM

And here is a lake I shot today.

Def

Chako · **Reply #59 on:** May 07, 2022, 07:06:15 PM

Thanks Def for being an enabler...which is the MT.O way.

After buying a bunch of cheap drones back in 2017 and finding I couldn't level off let alone take off...and then getting hit with the weight restrictions thereafter, I finally pulled the trigger on a Mini 2. I hear the Mini 3 is going to come out at a thousand bucks. A bit steep for me as a starter, but I was able to swing the Mini 2 Fly More bundle. I really was looking at getting the Mini SE for 2 hundred less, but the Wifi on the SE scare me a little. The Mini 2 has a better signal from everything I have read.

Just charging the batteries right now and thinking I will do a ton of reading before I even take it out.

20220507_123156A by Chako, on Flickr

20220507_123209A by Chako, on Flickr

20220507_123315A by Chako, on Flickr

20220507_123511A by Chako, on Flickr

20220507_124852A by Chako, on Flickr