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Post by myarrow1 on Dec 11, 2016 19:42:02 GMT 10
Nice spot Snoops !! 😉
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Post by snoops on Dec 11, 2016 20:03:02 GMT 10
That is a nice spot, far from the rat race.  It is near a privilege to have you own private camping site with sooo much room. I hope that the council will not come with the idea to start using a drone  It's too far from anywhere for them to bother I should think. Speaking of drones, I've just taken delivery of my latest - which I should have in action over the Christmas break, so hopefully some footage from it will make it here showing a birds eye view of the area. It's a semi professional unit I've bought from a mate who flies them as a side line - it's big enough to hold a DSLR camera and decent lens, but I'll just have a small video camera on it for a start. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 11, 2016 20:07:38 GMT 10
That is a nice gadget, I am hopeless with coordination and for sure I will crash it on the first go.
Perhaps I should get a toy one to develop some skills.
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Post by snoops on Dec 12, 2016 8:52:53 GMT 10
Yes, get a toy one and practice in the house - you'll still crash it, but they are cheap. If you get the bug and buy something bigger, then there is more to loose when you prang it (not if, but when). My quad is a cheap home made unit with a cheap ($14) frame and about $300 for the motors, motor speed controllers, receiver, etc. Most of the electronics are quite robust and will take a fall no dramas, but things like the props, frame arms, landing gear, etc will all require spares on hand. Hobby King sell all the parts and they deliver quickly to get you back into the sky. The big Hex I've just bought is fully GPS stabilised so it will sit where you fly it to and won't crash - it can even land on its own if the battery starts to get too low, or if you loose sight of it, you can flick a switch on the controller and it will fly straight back to you and land. Pretty cool stuff. |
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Post by snoops on Dec 12, 2016 18:46:32 GMT 10
Here's the Hex - a Tarot 680 Pro. 2D camera gimble with Möbius HD camera, FPV transmitter and over 25 minutes flight time on the 8800mAH 6S battery and the 15" carbon fibre props. Control is by Naza GPS, Frsky Taranis 16 channel transmitter. This puppy flies on its own basically - you stick it where you want and it will stay there. Makes a great eye in the sky for filming camping spots, etc. Although something like a DJI Phantom 3 would run rings around this as far as video and size goes, this can lift a full size DSLR camera and lense if that's your thing, or anything else that would keep a Phantom grounded. Flight time with something like that would be around 10 minutes. This is around the same price and has much more 'cool' value.   Here's what it looks like with one of the (scared shitless) Pugs near it for scale (she thinks it's a giant bug come to eat her. )  The props come off easily and the arms fold in to make it more easily transportable. These frames can be had second hand now for reasonable money - all the bits that bolt onto it are the sort of thing you move from one frame to the next. The motor and prop combination came after about 6 different combinations were tried and tested (and failed). All good fun learning what works and what doesn't, but it does add up. If you bought everything here new (I got most of it second hand) you'd be in over $2K for all this. |
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Post by tasmillard on Dec 12, 2016 19:24:46 GMT 10
Whoooooooaaah, nice kit there! FVP would be awesome on that too. Is it fully programable with geo-fencing, return to base etc etc? Will be getting something in future, more a standard quad tho. I look forward to some footage (hint hint) 😉
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Post by snoops on Dec 12, 2016 19:29:40 GMT 10
Yes, geo fencing, return to base, etc, etc - all the good stuff. The geo fencing is good because the ceiling height is set to 120 metres which is now the max height you can legally fly one now (400 feet actually, so 121 and a bit metres. If the battery starts to go flat, it will just land - not great if you're over water, but the latest firmware allows you to pull it back towards you so easier to prevent drowning it. I'll post some videos once it's all sorted - it's undergoing programming now - the Taranis is a new bit of kit to me and it's a whole different ball game using S-bus and the almost limitless options this brings. the FPV was fitted and tested tonight. I have it running to my iPad - I just want to know where the cameras pointing, not to use it through goggles to fly it with (which is now illegal without a spotter anyway - line of sight with the naked eye is now required for all RPA's). The names also changed - UAV is out and RPA - Remotely Piloted Aircraft, is now the new wording in the legislation. These regulations even cover kites and small balloons now. I've just ordered a mount so I can stick my iPad on my old tripod with the receiver. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 12, 2016 19:58:38 GMT 10
Love it, in a couple of years they will be cheaper and big enough to send it shopping for more beer at the local waterhole |
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Post by tasmillard on Dec 13, 2016 7:16:36 GMT 10
I wasnt aware of the new legislation, is this for your state only? I have a couple of lads at my work, one has a plane and the other a quad copter. Both have set up for FPV and neither has talked about having a spotter (or height regs). Ill ask them and see what they say.
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Post by 78466noM on Dec 13, 2016 8:32:40 GMT 10
my wife has been hinting at a drone copter being a photographer she wants another angle on her photo's .
I am glad she didn't see the pic of yours snoops. I have been trying to talk her into something cheap to practice with and save for the bells and whistle one.
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Post by snoops on Dec 13, 2016 11:27:29 GMT 10
I wasnt aware of the new legislation, is this for your state only? I have a couple of lads at my work, one has a plane and the other a quad copter. Both have set up for FPV and neither has talked about having a spotter (or height regs). Ill ask them and see what they say. No, Federal regulations stipulated by CASA, enforcable in all states and territories. Like all laws, ignorance of them is not a defence, so they better start reading up - www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2016L00400The spotter is only required if wearing FPV googles - this breaches the 'must be able to see the RPA at all times with the naked eye' part of the regs. I have a screen just used to aim the camera, so that's fine as I can still see the aircraft. CASA actively look through youtube and other video hosting websites now for non compliance. There are several documented cases of fines over $1,000 being handed out so far for flying over a populated area (including that recent case highlighted by the media of a guy picking up a sausage from a Bunnings store - actually, our local Bunnings here in Sunbury... ) |
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Post by snoops on Dec 13, 2016 11:33:43 GMT 10
my wife has been hinting at a drone copter being a photographer she wants another angle on her photo's . I am glad she didn't see the pic of yours snoops. I have been trying to talk her into something cheap to practice with and save for the bells and whistle one. The big sucker shown in the pics here is much easier to fly that a smaller, cheaper unit as it is full GPS controlled, but cutting your teeth on something smaller and cheaper is still a good idea. Learning how to fly one properly - even in stability mode - takes some time and a bit of dedication - she will crash it and damage it. You'll know if she has what it takes when it's in pieces on the kitchen table every other night being repaired. If you get into them, they are addictive - kind of like Land Rovers, but that's a whole other story... |
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Post by tasmillard on Dec 13, 2016 12:32:08 GMT 10
On the topic still... there are plans I have that you can build your own copter body out of PVC tubing... then buy the running gear separately. I was thinking of doing this so this way I can build new bodies if needed lol
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Post by snoops on Dec 13, 2016 13:47:02 GMT 10
That's a good idea - the most commonly broken bits are the frame, motor mounts and the props. The motors, ESC's and other electronics usually survive no dramas. My first one - a simple quad, used a $14 frame kit from Hobby King - I bought 2, and used one for spares - I still have an arm and a couple of motor mounts left. But whatever your happy and comforatable with, I've seen plenty of home made frames - they still fly great and you'll still learn how to fly and not crash it just the same. There's some great forums out there for drones, and the community is very welcoming and supportive of newbies that know nothing - that was me only 18 months ago, now I can fly my quad in full manual mode (plucking up the courage to flip it and do other more risky stuff) and have gone on to bigger things as you can see. Flying one is like any new skill - you need to do it often enough for your brain to connect the neural pathways to make it second nature - this takes time, so don't be despondent the first time you crash - I first broke my quad 10 seconds into my first flight. |
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Post by 78466noM on Dec 13, 2016 20:10:05 GMT 10
I had a tiny helicopter a few years ago it was said they were easy to fly after hours of trying the best I could do was about six meters to the closest hard object. I did get a lot of practice charging it lucky its design was robust and it didn't fly fast enough to do damage.
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Post by snoops on Dec 14, 2016 4:41:53 GMT 10
I had a tiny helicopter a few years ago it was said they were easy to fly after hours of trying the best I could do was about six meters to the closest hard object. I did get a lot of practice charging it lucky its design was robust and it didn't fly fast enough to do damage. Helicopters are much harder to fly than drones, hence why I started the way I did. I did have a fixed wing plane but that lasted 5 minutes before I buried it into the ground at full speed... |
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Post by 78466noM on Dec 15, 2016 9:18:55 GMT 10
the wife is getting her Chrissy present a phantom3 it is the only one she could find with a decent camera that didn't have the price-tag of a late model small car it has auto hover and return to start she said you can also set max height and distance looks like for Christmas I am going to need a large magnifying glass for repairs. she also said it has a twenty five minute flight time between battery charges or changes. Looks like this could be more expensive than caravan rebuilds.  |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2016 9:37:47 GMT 10
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Post by snoops on Dec 15, 2016 12:08:50 GMT 10
the wife is getting her Chrissy present a phantom3 it is the only one she could find with a decent camera that didn't have the price-tag of a late model small car it has auto hover and return to start she said you can also set max height and distance looks like for Christmas I am going to need a large magnifying glass for repairs. she also said it has a twenty five minute flight time between battery charges or changes. Looks like this could be more expensive than caravan rebuilds. VERY nice bit of kit - she will be stoked with it - I have used my mates and it is truly an awesome bit of kit. The video quality and how stable it is is quite amazing - you need to see it to believe it. |
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Post by snoops on Dec 15, 2016 12:18:52 GMT 10
Interesting - I've emailed them to ask for a quote, but if you fly to the letter of the law, then I'm not sure you would need it, as you can't fly it over or near people, populated areas, etc. If it falls out of the sky, it usually only costs a couple of hundred dollars for a couple of props, frame parts, etc. Unless you dropped it into the ocean, I couldn't really see how you could end up with a total loss, but I'll see what they come back with. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2016 12:28:46 GMT 10
It would be interesting how much it is the excess for claim lost on land or water.
If it is very high then will be good only for those drones $3000 or more.
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Post by tasmillard on Dec 15, 2016 12:55:48 GMT 10
A mate of mine was thinking of using inflatable items (like balloons or fishing floats) and attach to the craft if flying near water. They weigh next to nothing and it may avoid a permanent loss.
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Post by 78466noM on Dec 16, 2016 9:28:40 GMT 10
It cost just under $600 delivered she has been studying what she can't do and what she can for months we can't afford to loose everything we have worked for for something stupid. What she has been talking about is getting a birds eyes view different natural structures etc. I saw some good footage from a drone when it flooded at Cowra showing under the main bridge where a road is if you know the area it wasn't hard to work out about how deep it got.They didn't fly too high above the water if it was me it would have been my luck it would have stalled and fell into the river never to be seen by me again.
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Post by snoops on Dec 16, 2016 18:48:57 GMT 10
Start small - in a nice big open park with no one around - the Phantom is GPS stabilised so if it starts to go somewhere it shouldn't, just let go of the controls and it will stop in the one spot. Read all the instructions, make sure it has GPS lock on it before taking off - it can take a couple of minutes to lock on properly - don't rush it, as this is a major cause of run aways. And of course - have fun! I'll post some video of mine once I get the new controller sorted. You can post yours too, |
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Post by 78466noM on Dec 16, 2016 22:52:25 GMT 10
it belongs to the wife I will stay away from it that way it may stay in one piece much longer
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