Drones?

[Lycanthrope]

It’s actually line of sight there is no designated distance away. Going to the faa website will have all the information.

I can see 10 miles, but I try not to fly more than 6 miles away...

 

[wstnodak]

Get one with thermal is my one recommendation.

 

[Wall-eyes]

Couple farm and ranch buddies have them very interesting for sure. I thought about it but with all laws figure I will pass.

 

[jdfisherman]

The DJI mini's are small and light gray in color, so by the time they're 100 feet away they're practically invisible. Even straight up they disappear pretty quick.

 

[snow2]

The DJI mini's are small and light gray in color, so by the time they're 100 feet away they're practically invisible. Even straight up they disappear pretty quick.

Ive read dji drone control use cell phone app to use as display, phone locks in place on controller, good point about line of sight, maybe some florescent tape is in order?

Haven't pulled the trigger yet,so many options.

What is the learning curve like? Crashes and such,good idea to have spare parts on hand? I suspect extra props is a good thing

 

[CatDaddy]

Ive read dji drone control use cell phone app to use as display, phone locks in place on controller, good point about line of sight, maybe some florescent tape is in order?

Haven't pulled the trigger yet,so many options.

What is the learning curve like? Crashes and such,good idea to have spare parts on hand? I suspect extra props is a good thing

I own a DJI Mavic Air 2. I was going to go with the Mini, but decided the larger one would be more stable in our wind. And boy am I glad I went with the bigger one - you don't realize how many days the wind is blowing 20 mph+.

I bought a refurbished one from Drone Nerds, couldn't be happier. Bought a bundle that came with an extra battery, charger, filters for the camera, propellers, carrying case, and more. You can buy a $100 "DJI Care Refresh" warranty for it and it covers pretty much everything, including operator error. Coverage allows you to replace the drone for like $100 or something.

DJI Care Refresh: https://www.dji.com/support/service/djicare-refresh

Here's the link to a DJI Air 2S refurb from them. From what I can tell it's an upgrade from the one I own: https://www.dronenerds.com/collections/drones/products/dji-air-2s-fly-more-combo-dji-refurbished

Here are the specs on the DJI Air 2S:
https://www.dji.com/air-2s/specs

If I were you I'd stick with DJI - they have been in the business a LONG time and they know what they're doing. Don't worry about needing a recreational license, it's no big deal to get, I think it cost me $5 and a "test" that took 10 minutes or so. Not hard. Unless you're using it for unlawful reasons, who cares if "they" are watching you. They already are even if you don't own a drone

As far as ease of use, I handed it over to my (then) 15 year old and he was able to fly it with ease. YouTube videos are very helpful, they'll walk you through everything. But, saying that, if you can get the app downloaded to fly it and you can turn it on the thing dang near flies itself.

Hope this helps. I can't stress enough to stick with a proven brand, something big enough to use in windier conditions, and don't be afraid of the tech. It really can almost fly itself!

A few pics I've taken:

Casselton Res:

Casselton Night Shot:

Fourth of July (drone was higher than the fireworks):

 

[snow2]

Sweet cat,i was eyeballing this unit but its over 550grs do you do part 107 for faa?

This exo caught my attention 249gr 9 mile range,40min flight time.

Lots of chater about this dji seems #1 for green peas and up to advanced dji 4

Vedio,quality pics,range over 1 mile,gps is all i want,no faa license.

I see the mav has night mode,is display screen adequate?

 

[grumster]

snow2 you're about a year late, sold a Mavic Pro with 3 battery's a display (so you don't have to use a phone) and a Pelican hard case for less than you can get just the drone... sorry.

 

[snow2]

Thanx for the refurbish link wow! Huge $$ saving

Warrenty for "flyaways" so these flyers make a run for the hills eh? Escaped convict would piss me off,kinda concerned about checking my yahoo buddies out fishing,battery takes a shit then what dang thing could be anywhere on the lake so if fly aways happen often,warranty might be a good investment.

 

[snow2]

snow2 you're about a year late, sold a Mavic Pro with 3 battery's a display (so you don't have to use a phone) and a Pelican hard case for less than you can get just the drone... sorry.

Ah man story of my life....the ole "shoulda been here yesterday or last week...

How come you dumped it? Upgrade?
Ole lady put her foot down? Curious

 

[grumster]

Ah man story of my life....the ole "shpulda been here yesterday or last week...

How come you dumped it? Upgrade?
Ole lady put her foot down? Curious

We just didn't use it much, sitting there collecting dust... and I wanted panoptix..lol

I wear the pants in my house.

 

[jdfisherman]

Ive read dji drone control use cell phone app to use as display, phone locks in place on controller, good point about line of sight, maybe some florescent tape is in order?

Haven't pulled the trigger yet,so many options.

What is the learning curve like? Crashes and such,good idea to have spare parts on hand? I suspect extra props is a good thing

Watch a few videos (watch a few before you buy - you'll see how easy and how amazing they can be), go out to a parking lot, start small and just experiment. I wrote down all the directions from one of the videos - threw it away after the first use it was so easy. Most have auto-land, return to home (RTH), and can even display their position on Google Maps right on your phone in real time if you toggle between camera view and map view. Don't have to worry about running out of battery - if it senses the battery is low it will let you know in time to get back (just use the RTH feature). Same with loss of signal - it will RTH on its own. No need for flourescent tape - you'll spend your time watching the camera through the phone rather than watching the drone (it's not like flying an RC plane). Recommend buying a combo pack - comes with extra batteries and charger (base pack comes with one battery - have to plug in the drone and it charges the battery), extra blades, carrying case, etc.

I'm 55 years old with somewhat limited tech skills and I was able to figure it out really quickly.

 

[snow2]

We just didn't use it much, sitting there collecting dust... and I wanted panoptix..lol

I wear the pants in my house.

Good to see your priorities are in order as well.

 

[snow2]

Watch a few videos (watch a few before you buy - you'll see how easy and how amazing they can be), go out to a parking lot, start small and just experiment. I wrote down all the directions from one of the videos - threw it away after the first use it was so easy. Most have auto-land, return to home (RTH), and can even display their position on Google Maps right on your phone in real time if you toggle between camera view and map view. Don't have to worry about running out of battery - if it senses the battery is low it will let you know in time to get back (just use the RTH feature). Same with loss of signal - it will RTH on its own. No need for flourescent tape - you'll spend your time watching the camera through the phone rather than watching the drone (it's not like flying an RC plane). Recommend buying a combo pack - comes with extra batteries and charger (base pack comes with one battery - have to plug in the drone and it charges the battery), extra blades, carrying case, etc.

Great info jd,things i was thinking about,no home puter ( im old school and cheap unless it goes boom or uses fuel) might visit one of my nerdie friends to view video.

 

[tikkalover]

What is the learning curve like? Crashes and such, good idea to have spare parts on hand? I suspect extra props is a good thing

Depends on how many edibles you eat or one hitters you smoke before flying it.

 

[CatDaddy]

Sweet cat,i was eyeballing this unit but its over 550grs do you do part 107 for faa?

This exo caught my attention 249gr 9 mile range,40min flight time.

Lots of chater about this dji seems #1 for green peas and up to advanced dji 4

Vedio,quality pics,range over 1 mile,gps is all i want,no faa license.

I see the mav has night mode,is display screen adequate?

Absolutely don't let the weight limit for having to register it be a major factor in your decision. It's not a big deal unless you're doing something illegal with it. You'll want bigger for better wind resistance, trust me. Nothing worse than trying to plan drone outings around the weather.

I did not take the 107. I only fly for recreational purposes.

As for the "night mode" I believe that's just the white LED on the bottom that you can toggle on. It's helpful when closer to the ground but otherwise unnoticeable. The display you use to fly is your phone hooked up to the controller.

 

[snow2]

Yeah wind... cant remember a windless day visiting nodak.

Have you or anyone else seen this EXO All these things have positive reviews online,checking stores tomorrow, seems best hands on selection is hobby stores.would be a good app to add a controller spot light on night mode.

 

[snow2]

Depends on how many edibles you eat or one hitters you smoke before flying it.

Lol,thanx... good point,

 

[VDAWG]

Ive read the 400 max ceiling is for recreational use uav's can fly below this ceiling w/o faa registration,true?

Also,unit im considering has a 6 mile range but only operates with goggles on,unit is "dji avert,package includes a nifty joy stick controller,goggles ,not keen on the goggle requirement,i like the line of site for certain applications.

The Avata is a First Person View(FPV) drone. That's definitely going to take some practice to fly. You can make some really cool videos with it and flying is a totally different experience. This drone has a very different application than the DJI mavic or mini series.

 

[snow2]

VD, thanx,opt out of avada because of the goggle deal,i would probably get vertigo and fall on my face flying the thing

Zeroing in on Mavic classic if its regular size i only find mini's not the pro,could careless about photography im looking for quality uav not just a plastic toy.