Hi.
I want to buy a drone for video footage to start a new business.
I have no experience flying UAVs.
The 3DR X8 UAV is a good choice for me?
I have read that it is very difficult to set up initially.
A maximum load of less than one kilo, it is a problem?
Anyone could talk about this?
Replies
I'll second that. I have been wanting to make the move from "toy" multi-copters and am very interested in the X8. I see that these are currently out of stock from 3DR. This begs a few questions. Are the X8's so popular that 3DR cannot keep up with demand? I understand that 3DR want to put recent technologies into a smaller package that almost anybody would benefit from. Any word on what the near future of the X8 and the Iris+ is?
I truly appreciate your comments and your time.
I printed all your answers to read at detailand to learn from them.
I'll be posting my experiences with UAVs I finally buy.
Thanks again.
As everyone has said, start with something easy, get a mentor. I started with a Phantom, flew it/crashed it/fixed it and then made some money with it, then I made the jump. You need to get real hands on not just flight recovery but the guts of the system as well
What kind of accessories has your 3DR X8?
I want to buy one; can you tell me about what should I buy with it, in your opinion?
Of course I have to buy a Husban or something like that, too.
Thanks for your time!
Victor, when I ordered my X8 I went all out on the RTF, I ordered the complete package to include the OSD/camera/transmitter combo, the telemetry radio, gimbal, even the gopro and sim card all from 3DR. I hate shopping around for things :-) How you configure yours will be totally up to you, I configured mine as a survey/inspection/ag tool.
For info the phantom is pretty much a reboxed NAZA, and I can fly 16 waypoints with my NAZA and their new ground station, I presume you already can, or will soon be able to fly waypoints with a phantom - not got one to try/hack though, so someone else may be better placed to answer this.
As we experienced pilots know, gps can go wrong, RTL can fail, and other things can get messed up - for example at AVC last year solar activity was high and we saw some pretty serious GPS jumps. The only way to try and protect yourself against these eventualities (other than the great work being done around here to cope better with these sort of situations) is experience, practise, failsafe testing and above all good piloting skills in case anything in automated or GPS assisted flight goes wrong, With these things in place you will still at least have a chance of bringing it home manually. Being a good pilot is the number one failsafe in my book, as you'll be armed with vital skills and experience without which could end in disaster much more easily.
I think given the time frame, I'd get practicing quick, but take what i think is so far the best advice - get in a hired gun for your first few jobs, this is a fantastic way to learn. I'd offer my services if I thought you lived near me... good luck!
Victor. From someone who is a newbie slightly further along than you, you have been given sage advice. You CANNOT know the various options for you out there until you spend some time on forums, web search's and actually handling a multi yourself. I'm now onto a Hoten X after learning the rudimentary skills on a Lady Bird with FPV. I am installing the FPV on the Hudson myself for the learning process. An intimate knowledge of the working of the multi's is so important. No one has event mentioned prop/motor/flight control options, let alone FPV, batteries etc. A myriad of choices usually dictated by personal opinions and some slick marketing. Until you have first hand experience and better still, have been taken under the wing of an expert you won't be able to do what you wish.
Have you considered bringing in a hired gun until you are competent? I did exactly this and it is the best decision I have ever made. I didn't make much on the jobs but I learnt heaps and didn't kill someone.
Good luck.
Obviously that decision is mission specific & mission planner requires a great deal if common sense & planning but just thought I'd put it out there.
Still need certain flying skills
Thank you all for your comments.
It is clear that I must learn with a Husban.
One last question.
Which of these three UAV choose?
1) X8 3DR
2) DJI F550 / Naza v2
3) Storm Drone 6 GPS
Hi Victor,
A few thoughts based on your choices.
Looked at Storm Ads, 2 things bother me.
Only 9" props, nice 9" props, but that is definitely small for a hex.
Imitation DJI Flamewheel frame Arms. Traditionally these are excessively flexible allowing excess vibration to get back to camera and flight controller and especially on a heavy (camera and gimbal carrying Multi.
Real DJI arms as found on the DJI F550 are OK but most of the copies are not..
I have a close friend with a DJI F550 with a GoPro and Gimbal on it.
It worked OK but it was heavy, slow, noisy and didn't get as good a battery life as expected.
So he has switched it out for a Hoverthings Flip FPV Pro.
This is a Dead Cat design Quad with a shock mounted platform for a GoPro with a Brushless Gimbal.
It is rock solid, produces Jello free GoPro HD 1080P video and handles really, really well.
If a GoPro will work for the Camera, bigger is not necessarily better, the big multis handle like a truck.
If you need a bigger camera than a GoPro you will need a Hex or Octo, (Or big Quad) otherwise try to stick with a well designed Quad, they are easier and more fun to fly.
FYI the bigger the prop diameter the higher the efficiency, of course you need to stay within the prop tip clearance available and within the performance characteristics of your motors.
Best Regards,
Gary
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