Multirotor, multicopter and quadcopter discussion - The Drone thread

MadMossy said:
Most of the videos you find will be from people in countries that don't have the ridiculous EU power limitations of 25mw, the FCC version is 1000mw. This is actual video of its range on the CE model flying at an altitude of 70m, range was ~1600m (less than a 3rd of the FCC model), obviously it would be much lower at a lower height where obstructions will be plenty.
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To check, the power is about the power given to the wifi in the controller and drone? Obviously, more power means it will work over greater distances?

Can US models be bought and used in the UK?
 
It's power used for transmission of radio frequencies used for the radio control and video transmission. CE (EU) is limited to 14dbm or lower, where as FCC (US and most of the world outside of the EU) are limited to 30dbm or lower. This translates to a 25mw CE limit and 1000mw or 1w limit for FCC. Each 6dbm above 14dbm doubles its range and penetration power.

The FCC model also has a better wifi connection which has much better stability at range. You can thankfully get the FCC model in the UK. You just need to order it from the US or China (banggood, gearbest etc), unfortunately that means paying a bit more as well. Normally you could just hack/tweak them to run at the higher power mode like you could with the Mavic Air, but DJI have actually changed the hardware between CE/FCC models so its no longer possible with the Mavic Mini.

EDIT: There are a couple people currently working on a mod for the Mavic Mini that will boost its power, possibly beyond 1000mw. This will require some technical skill with a soldering iron though.
 
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My Mini got delivered early on Saturday evening, it was to dark to take out that day so got it all ready for Sunday. Of course, mega wins and rain all day prevented me taking it out and now work all week. Hopefully this weekend the weather is better.
 
Got my first drone coming on Thursday. Went with a used Mavic Pro in the end. Got a good deal on a used one as eBay had 10% off. I managed to get the following for just over £420:

Mavic Pro Drone complete with original gimbal transport lock, clear camera protection dome
Remote Controller (still has original clear plastic screen protector attached)
1 + 2 x spare DJI standard batteries
Carry bag
Charger (single outlet for a single battery only) + battery charging hub for 4 batteries
Car charger (single outlet for a single battery only)
Battery to power bank adapter
3 x Li-Po safe bags (for carrying batteries on the airplane)
Set of ND filters: (CPL, ND4, ND8, ND16, ND32, ND64)
8 new spare propellers.

It's got a slight dent on the top but operates perfectly. I've looked and can get a replacement part for £15.
The only thing I think I need is an SD card?W any 128GB with a decent read/write speed be okay?
 
So my Mavic Pro arrived from eBay. Condition is decent and comes with all the accessories. Only major problem is that the camera is reporting a senor error & no image is displayed and I should contact DJI! I've reported it to the seller, he has requested photos of the Gimbal clamp which I have. Not really sure how I want to proceed. I am guessing a repair (if needed) will be £££ and the seller is unlikely to want to pay out. I''m covered so won't have any financial loss but I got a really good deal so keen to somehow make it work. Anyone else had this issue? Google results have not been very useful.
 
Probably why you got a really good "deal".

On another note have you tried to do things like calibrate the camera again, remove the SD card etc

You can reset/calibrate the camera in the DJI assistant 2 program for windows/mac, if that fails probably a dud camera sensor which could be costly to replace. In that case I'd return it and grab a Mavic Mini instead, small enough to fit in your pocket and light enough to avoid the daft registration fee's. Still a very capable camera and drone, just not 4K prosumer grade.
 
Don't often frequent this particular forum, but as a Club Secretary of a large BMFA Flying club. This Drone / CAA / BMFA Registration / competency. Whatever you want to call it is really confusing people.

We had a AGM the other evening for the club and I explained all the rules and what you need to do, including letting specific members know back in November if they have no recognised achievement what they need to do by the 30/11/19

It does get confusing, but bottom line is the police are aware of it. It is Law, and it does come with a £1000 fine if you fail to comply.

Lots of problems around all this, but one that is at the top at the moment, is not all retailers are telling customers about this registration when they purchase a Drone / Helicopter / Plane (above 250grams). Which is a little unfair on the buyer
 
MG42Maniac said:
So my Mavic Pro arrived from eBay. Condition is decent and comes with all the accessories. Only major problem is that the camera is reporting a senor error & no image is displayed and I should contact DJI! I've reported it to the seller, he has requested photos of the Gimbal clamp which I have. Not really sure how I want to proceed. I am guessing a repair (if needed) will be £££ and the seller is unlikely to want to pay out. I''m covered so won't have any financial loss but I got a really good deal so keen to somehow make it work. Anyone else had this issue? Google results have not been very useful.
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don’t even try to fix it. It is broken, not a bargain - return it.
 
The_Abyss said:
don’t even try to fix it. It is broken, not a bargain - return it.
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The seller thinks I have somehow damaged it. He is using a photo that was not in the listing and comparing against an up close photo I sent him where there is a slight mark on the Gimball. This will almost certainly go to resolution so hopefully eBay will rule in my favour and I can get another Drone. Annoying as I doubt it will be sorted by Christmas for my two weeks off :(
 
the guy has prob crashed it and damaged the video cable to the gimbal....its the most common part to break..i diid mine on my old mav 1.....get it retuned...sounds like hes trying to pull a fast one
 
I got myself a Tello and it's fun. What sort of things do you do with your drones?

It's also a bit big to fly indoors and it's often too windy to fly outside. I'm thinking tiny whoop FPV flying could be fun round the house. What's good these days?
 
I finally managed to get my Mavic Mini out for a proper fly today. Weather was chilly with a slight breeze but other than the light being poor, good conditions. I live out in the sticks in a small village, I walked the dog out a couple of miles and setup the drone.

This is where it all goes wrong. I flew the Mini back over to the village where I live and and took some pics. The battery was around 60% at this point, I thought that it has drained quite quickly, but I must admit I never checked it when I first turned it on. (I have the combo pack so 3 batteries).
An error then flashed on my screen stating that the cells were faulty in the battery, or something along those lines. The battery then reduced to 20%. The drone was around 1000m away from me so I decided to try bring it back, I still had visibility but the drone didn't appear to be responding to my forward/back action, only the turn actions. I decided to use the RTH option, the controller started beeping and I waited for it to come back, not knowing if the battery would last. I then realised the drone was going AWAY from me, in the complete wrong direction, the battery was quickly dying and eventually the drone came down, luckily, in a field. The find my done worked a treat, although it was a worrying walk back!

Annoyingly, the DJI app hasn't recorded the flight so I can't even check what happened! The one time I need the data...why would this have happened?

I've marked the battery so I won't use it again until I know the other two are fine and that it was that that was the cause.

It's been a while since I had a drone, a couple of years, I did have the P3 Advanced. I was under the illusion RTH was marked where you set off? Or do you manually need to mark it? Where the drone was going I had never been near so no idea why it got confused.

I'll be pretty hesitant to take it out again!
 
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