Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Bill Bonney on February 5, 2013 at 8:02am

See http://www.diydrones.com/profiles/blogs/a-newbies-guide-to-uavs

It will cost $420 (ARF) to $700+ depending on what options and r/c control you opt for

See http://store.diydrones.com/category_s/28.htm for quads, but the flight times are in 10s of minutes best. Or you could try a plane for longer flights.

If you want video, you will need a video transmitter as well, which can be an extra $200+ dollars depending on what setup you want, and there's many options. Search for FPV (first person view)

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Permalink Reply by Kristopher James Roller on February 5, 2013 at 8:07am

I do not want any RC control I want to be able to set a fight path for it and make it go and maybe not transmitting any video would that cut down on the cost?

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Permalink Reply by Boston UAV on February 5, 2013 at 8:29am

You have to walk before you can run.

RC control will be required, despite what anyone else tells you.

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Permalink Reply by criro1999 on February 5, 2013 at 8:56am

Even you want to have a RTF or ARF system, you need some tuning and calibration post flight.

This requires the RC system.

The RTF is/could be really ready only first time you us it.

On next flies you will need permanent adjustment since motors, props, etc could start to have some mechanical plays (normal) and you always need to calibrate and tune.

And RC is your friend. If something happen with the autonomus model (radio interference, reset system in air), RC always will nudge (overwrite) the existing pre-loaded program.

You can find a good RC under $100, look for Turnigy 9x on web.

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Permalink Reply by Kristopher James Roller on February 5, 2013 at 8:46am

Well does any one think that thay would like to take on this type of project? If so contact me by email at akroller@gmail.com we can pan out the details.

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Permalink Reply by Kristopher James Roller on February 5, 2013 at 11:36am

Would any one like to make a UAV for me ? If you would like to at least help me come up with a designe for it I would like that very much you can contact me through email

akjroller@gmail.com

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Permalink Reply by Jonathan Challinger on February 5, 2013 at 1:15pm

Here you go: http://www.lehmannaviation.com/la/la100.php

Costs around $1300

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Permalink Reply by Kristopher James Roller on February 5, 2013 at 1:27pm

wow that is expensive any way to get it cheaper ?

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Permalink Reply by Michael Pursifull on February 5, 2013 at 3:27pm

You might find better help if you explained some requirements you have in useful ways.

- What quality of video data? Does it need to be streamed live, or can it be recorded, then played back after? NTSC, PAL, HD? 5fps? 15fps? 120fps@1024p? 

- What does "good battery life" mean? How long is "good"?

- What does "go pretty far" mean? How far is "pretty far?" Please answer in feet, meters, kilometers, or miles.

- Are there any other requirements you have? The list above is too narrow. For example:

       - Do you need it to fly fast? If so, how fast?

       - Do you need it to fly in wind? Remember, if there is 10kph wind, then it needs to fly at least 10kph just to stay still

       - Does it need to hover?

       - What kind of PC do you have, or can you get? Linux? Windows XP? Windows 7? Windows 8? Mac?

       - Do you know what kind of radios you need? See my questions about range above. It is also helpful, to pick radios that will work, to know more:

                     - In what country do you plan to fly? This is important because there are different rules for what types of radios are ok, and which frequencies you can use. Which freqencies are important because they function over different distances, and also because your video and your other radios (telemetry) have to play nice with your GPS, etc.

                     - Do you plan to fly day or night or both? This is important for many reasons, the kinds of cameras you use, and also because radios work differently in the day and night, slightly, and because you might want lights on your UAV.

                     - Do you plan on flying in places with lots of trees? If so, evergreens or decidious? THis is important for radio selection (video and telemetry) 

                     - Will you be able to see the UAV? This is also important for the selection of your radio. Some radio frequencies need to be able to "see" directly, called line of sight, and if there is anything in the way, then the signal gets blocked. See my question about trees, but it is also important to know if you plan to fly around buildings, or near large bodies or water, or near large metal structures. These can all cause problems with radio, so if you do need to do any of this, it is best to list what you need, so the right frequencies can be picked. If you cannot see the UAV, the radios may need to be very different, but it is not as easy to just swap them out, because you also need to have the correct antenna for it, and that most likely means different weight. Weight is very, very important, so it is better to have as many details before you spend money .... especially if you want to keep the cost down. 

Answer some of these questions, and you might have more success. 

                     - 

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Permalink Reply by Jason McManus on February 6, 2013 at 4:33pm

Hey guys, I'm interested in this thread as well. I'm new to UAV's and very interested. I will make it short and sweet to the above questions.

Stream and record video. The better quality the better for me.
5-7 miles or more.
No hovering.
Windows 7.
USA
Day and night.
Lots of trees and no line of site.
Would love manual and auto pilot.

Would like to start with something to learn with but at the same time I want to "future" proof it as much as possible. To be able to swap out parts in 8-12 months if possible. I don't want something that I will get bored with in 3 months. Any recommendations or suggestions?

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Permalink Reply by Jeff Taylor on February 7, 2013 at 6:01am

Maybe you guys would be interested in this: (from my company)

https://www.event38.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=E382

It's made primarily for aerial photography but it's a big, stable frame, easily modified with widely available replacement parts. No video yet, and still needs an R/C transmitter. Check it out and let me know if you have any questions. Thanks!

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