Ordered myself a drone from Banggood

[Bert2006]

http://www.banggood.com/Hubsan-X4-H501S-5_8G-FPV-With-1080P-HD-Camera-Brushless-Motor-GPS-RC-Quadcopter-RTF-p-1004657.html?rmmds=search

 

Needed something to keep me occupied until next riding season so ordered one of these this week:

[uncledj]

Been thinking about getting one, but not sure what I'd do with it.

[snyper316]

They are pretty cool but, tricky to control so from my amatuer experience if you need to make adjustments make sure its in the middle of a football field. I landed my sons on the roof upside down.

[Bert2006]

Yup, got this one to learn with before investing in higher quality model. I do a lot of photography so this will open up a whole new area for me. I bet those first few flights will be interesting.

[Leland]

My son bought one to use for work. He's in the cell phone tower business. Many of the new low power sites need line of sight. He can see what the antenna sees with the drone. His iphone attaches to the controller and he sees what the drone sees. Can also take pictures directly to the phone. Of course to him, it was just another video game.

[Snaggletooth]

Be interested in your feedback after you receive it. Been playing with some smaller ones over the summer to get familiar with the flight controls but time to move up. Like you I want more experience before moving up the the high end stuff.

 

The first permit is no issue but the license for commercial photography looks like it's going to be restrictive around here.

 

So have fun.

[Leland]

This is the one that my son got. http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?124577-On-my-wishlist-(non-motorcycle)&highlight=drone

It has built-in GPS and a "Go Home" button. When you press it, it lands in the exact spot that it took off from with no further operator assistance required.

[snyper316]

Does it have auto home or land feature? The one I got my son has a camera I have the video and pictures off of it i was surprised at quality being I bought it from dollar general for 35 bux. Be good for him to learn with and it came with 1 or free parts replacement and spare blades.

 

Living life one curve after the other. Vroom scooting, thru the countryside.

[Bert2006]

Be interested in your feedback after you receive it. Been playing with some smaller ones over the summer to get familiar with the flight controls but time to move up. Like you I want more experience before moving up the the high end stuff.

 

The first permit is no issue but the license for commercial photography looks like it's going to be restrictive around here.

 

So have fun.

 

 

Will post updates, but it is coming from China and they only shipped it 2 weeks after I ordered. Current tracker say's its been on a flight to Canada for the past 4 day's (must be a strong headwind). I am not expecting it to arrive before early or mid-Jan. As long as it does not go above 300M or used commercially, no permit required in Canada. However, some have flown the model I got well above 1500M so far by upgrading the antennas.

[Bert2006]

Does it have auto home or land feature? The one I got my son has a camera I have the video and pictures off of it i was surprised at quality being I bought it from dollar general for 35 bux. Be good for him to learn with and it came with 1 or free parts replacement and spare blades.

 

Living life one curve after the other. Vroom scooting, thru the countryside.

 

Yes, It has return to home as it is GPS enabled. Can engage RTH anytime when flying or it will auto engage if it loses the connection with the transmitter. Will auto-land when in RTH. Also has a follow-me mode. Camera is a 1080, so quality should be good.

[snyper316]

That is cool I would probably use auto land if I had one

 

Living life one curve after the other. Vroom scooting, thru the countryside.

[baylensman]

If you are doing anything other than just playing in the back yard or garage during the winter, I'll say this, more than 4 rotors is much more stable.

Auto land and auto return are nice.

Live video is a must.

Check upgrades to software/controller, some of the newer controllers you don't really control the drone, you tell the onboard computer what you want more of a fly by wire experience. (not a bad thing)

Some of the starter models also have a "Learning" mode, which slows done the reaction to controller inputs. So if you slam the joystick left or right you get more a of a gentle roll, and it limits the range to about 100 feet from the controller so your $$$$drone doesn't run away.

[snyper316]

it limits the range to about 100 feet from the controller so your $$$$drone doesn't run away.

 

I don't think they run, First flight with my sons it was set on beginner mode, well it wasn't lifting up so I pushed the stick a little further. Well it reminded me of those satellites it went vrrrrr straight up, wind gust got it and threw it on the roof. I was standing maybe 10 feet from my house. So I tried out my fishing skills and pulled it off the roof. I would have tried to fly it off but it was upside down.

[Bert2006]

Thought I would provide you with an update on my drone adventure.

 

The Hubsan 501s that I ordered from BangGood NEVER showed up. :bang head: After waiting for 2 months, I lodged a claim with PayPal and got a full refund last week. Probably a good thing as they have been having major issues with quality on these in the past few months and folk who got them are not happy. Also, will never order anything again from a Chinese based vendor such as BangGood. Dirt cheap prices, but low quality and no customer service. They did not even respond to the claim with PayPal, so no wonder PP ruled in my favor and refunded me the money.

 

Now here is the good news, over the holiday's Best Buy had the Yuneec Typhoon H Pro package for sale at half price. I ordered one and it landed on my front steps 3 day's later. Have been flying it ever since. Now this is a high end unit and I am taking it slow as it will be expensive when it crashes. Its 4K video capable and takes high quality stills also. Full gimbled camera mount. Highly recommend it. Here are a few photos that I have taken so far...be kind as I am learning. I am at the stage that I am looking for something to fall on when I retire and this may very well fill the gap. Maybe a business proposition will come out of this, hence the watermark on the photos.

[Freebird]

^{I think the pictures look great and it looks like a lot of fun.}

[Woody]

I want one but I probably have enough toys, so says the boss. Pictures look great

[snyper316]

OK That is cool, Now I wouldn't say anything but they had something on the news recently about these drones something that I did not know, so this is the only reason I am saying anything. If your drone weighs roughly more then half a pound it has to be registered with the FAA if you live in the U.S. not sure about anywhere else.

[Bert2006]

OK That is cool, Now I wouldn't say anything but they had something on the news recently about these drones something that I did not know, so this is the only reason I am saying anything. If your drone weighs roughly more then half a pound it has to be registered with the FAA if you live in the U.S. not sure about anywhere else.

 

That would be correct for the US. In Canada, not required yet unless you are using commercially. Regulations are getting updated this spring though and it looks like Canada will be following the US route for registering based on weight of the bird, whether its used recreationally or commercially. This will also include getting licenced as an operator through some flight training (theory only). Will see what comes up and then decide if I want to invest more based on the regulatory requirements. All this because a number of idiots insist on pushing the envelope and are not being responsible with how and were they fly these.

[videoarizona]

Thought I would provide you with an update on my drone adventure.

 

 

Now here is the good news, over the holiday's Best Buy had the Yuneec Typhoon H Pro package for sale at half price. I ordered one and it landed on my front steps 3 day's later. Have been flying it ever since. Now this is a high end unit and I am taking it slow as it will be expensive when it crashes. Its 4K video capable and takes high quality stills also. Full gimbled camera mount. Highly recommend it. Here are a few photos that I have taken so far...be kind as I am learning. I am at the stage that I am looking for something to fall on when I retire and this may very well fill the gap. Maybe a business proposition will come out of this, hence the watermark on the photos.

 

 

Excellent choice. Having spent the past 40 plus years in film, video and still production...that would be the way I would go, as well. The popular competitor can't offer anything close to the feature set unless you get their $4K model.

 

Enjoy!

[ReadyTS]

Nice one! One of the best you could get for less than $300. I have a cheap Parrot drone too. I've chosen one so he could stand the weight of Go-pro cam. The control function seemed rather stupid to me but installing this app really helped me out. Can you say how long your drone can fly without charging? I'd like to hear the opinion of the experienced drone pilot (:

[SilvrT]

Now here is the good news, over the holiday's Best Buy had the Yuneec Typhoon H Pro package for sale at half price.

 

Just checked Amazon.ca and these things are well over a grand with some models around 4 grand .... just a tad out of my reach LOL

[Bert2006]

As an update I am now out of the drone business and sold them all a few weeks back. Not enough time to fly to justify the investment anymore or the upcoming expenses related to new regulations coming. Sold the Yuneec for $1250 with tons of accessories -. Someone got a good deal.

[Wizard765]

I have a DJI Mavic Pro.. it is AMAZING. I'd say because of how smart it is and the GPS etc anyone can fly this thing.. If you let go of the sticks it hovers in place (up to 25 MPH winds) until you decide what you want to do.. lots of auto features like following someone or circling a point etc.. 4K Video and 12 MP stills.. Use your phone or a tablet (I use an ipad mini) as a screen. It folds up small enough to carry in my saddlebag. The flight time is about 25 minutes per charge and the battery just snaps in so I have 3 and can go out for an hour of flying.. The range in an unobstructed area is 7 Kilometers (5 Miles). absolutely love this thing.. Oh and I can go UP 500 meters. (a little over 1500 feet) I can post a few pics if anyone wants to see