Traditionally, only people with issues with a product post their issues on the internets. Traditionally people without any problems are out enjoying said product, drinking margaritas and could care less about the internets. I thought i would break that tradition and post my positive experience with the 3DR Solo.
First thing i did was RTFM. its available online. Setup was a breeze, the update went off without a hitch, done and done in 10 minutes on an a iPad Air 2. I also have galaxy tab s and at the time, the tab s wasn't an approved device. a simple email to 3DR's mobile app division and was granted access to the beta google play android app. after the update, i performed a level calibration and off to flying i went.
for my first flight i decided to find an open area instead of a mini yard between two houses. gps lock happened in about 1min 30 secs and i was in the air. the very first flight was auto takeoff and auto land. i tested rth as well. i was quickly impressed with how stable it was in hover. i was able to put the controller down and take several pictures with my canon 70d. i tested the cable cam, orbit and selfie. the smarts shots alone sets solo apart from the rest of the field. i landed with my first battery at 20% for bout 21 mins of flight time.
So far i have over 100 flights with Solo and each has been enjoyable and issue free. but then again i perform pre-flight checks instead of just throwing it up in the air and hoping for the best. i get over the advertised range consistently and have not had any issues with loss of signal. actually i take that back i lost signal when i ventured out over 1km. lost signal then and solo came back home. even though i don't have any issues with signal, i still pay attention to RSSI as its more accurate then looking at the bars.
GPS was great for me even before the update. i always checked my hdop before take off and i always checked GPS status online so that i could be aware of what GPS health should be in my area. see its not magic and we are at the mercy of the planet, space as well as the NGA. after the update i get GPS lock in less than minute. between battery changes its less than 40 seconds.
All in all the solo has been perfect for me and will only get better in the future when the gimbal is added as well as other add ons such as lidar. and the apps, i can't wait to see what python scripts and apps people come up.
Replies
Wow a hundred flights! You must fly everyday!
Hello Ahmed, Like you I have had my Solo for a month with many flights and never a glitch or single App crash. It flys excellent and has great range. There are certainly more people that have had our experiences with the Solo, but because of the nature of the internet you will always see an over representation of people with problems online looking for answers while those that don't are flying. Unfortunately, there are those on the Forums that have never owned the Solo but choose to say that it is a terrible product that should never had been released because of 'so many' problems.
Fly Safe..