DRONES

My elementary-school-aged daughter keeps asking for a drone, and although I'm dubious about whether she's old enough I'm thinking of giving her one for her birthday. Neither she nor I have ever flown one before, so one of those cheap (~$50?) mostly-indoor slow ones with a prop guard would be appropriate.

However, there is one thing I'm picky about that makes it hard to just look at some reviews or pick one randomly from Amazon: I have a pretty strict policy of avoiding proprietary software, so having it use some sketchy smartphone app for the video feed (or anything else) is a deal-breaker. Having the firmware on the drone itself be open source is almost as important. (I'm not sure, but I get the impression that most of the non-DJI no-name and FPV racing type ones are? The drone youtube videos I've been watching mention Betaflight a lot, and seem to assume that pretty much any drone supports it.)

I would also very much prefer it to use "standard"/popular communications protocols (ELRS and analog video if I get something with an FPV camera...?).

Finally, I'm not afraid of 3D-printing the frame and soldering together the components myself, especially if it could result in a significantly better drone for the money. However, I am intimidated by the notion of sourcing components that work together properly, so if somebody could just spoon-feed me a BOM that'd be great.

Suggestions?

Hi there, I want a digital video system with a range of about 2 miles, that is also foss friendly. I notice many common systems are proprietary(ex. dji, walksnail, hd0), and would like a free one. Ideally it should integrate with QGC or MP and work on low power.

Thanks for any suggestions!

I'm looking for a well documented 3D printed drone build for beginners to drone flying.

I'm not new to 3D printing and have a degree in electronics so I have quite a bit of experience soldering and working with electronics. I even used to work for a drone company and even contributed to Ardupilot development, but I've literally never flown a drone (successfully) before.

My main interest is just getting into the hobby a bit, learning how to fly it, and getting some cool drone footage. Eventually I may want to get into FPV.

I want to start with a 3D printed design because it is likely I will break this drone quite a bit while I am learning to fly and I figure it will be cheaper and faster to be able to print a new body when I need it.

Does anyone have a design they can recommend? I'd like one that can at least support a GoPro on it.

I'm currently working on a DIY Laptop, that can also controll a drone. I found recievers for the video signal, but i have no idea how to controll the drone from my PC, like in a Video Game. Does anyone know what i would need for that? Software and Hardware wise.

Greetings! I am going to build my first drone with custom-selected parts. I have a good bit of experience with building drones but have mainly built RTF kits instead of selecting all my parts. I plan on this being an Ardupilot build. I hoping to get other's opinions on any parts I should upgrade to a higher quality, parts I should keep the same, or any incompatibilities that I missed. I'd also like to note that I went for the cheaper end of products with the intention of upgrading later, but I don't have a set budget.

• Frame: DJI F450(nylon, built in pdb, 280g)
• Motors: Racerstar BR2212(1000kv, 208g)
• Props: 1045(plastic, 20g)
• ESCs: Hobbywing Skywalker(30a, proprietary programming tool, 132g)
• Autopilot: Matek H743 Slim(7g)
• PDB: Matek PDB-XPW(BEC, might not be needed, 7g)
• Receiver: RadioMaster RP1 ELRS(2.2g)
• Battery: Pre-owned LiPo(11.1v, 3s, ~300g)

Does anyone know where to start when trying to add GIS data to an oblique drone photo? I'd love to automate it, but I'm also willing to just photoshop it in if no other option.

Hi guys! My modded Mavic Pro is on its last legs, after 7 years of rather good use. I'm starting to consider it might die soon, and I might want to buy a replacement. But, I'd like to know how is the privacy situation with DJI these days. Do they still demand your app to check-in online every few days in order to upload your flight data? That was the reason I got a modded firmware/apk downgrade back in the day, and never looked back. But I wonder how are things now... Thanks!

I've recently purchased a DJI Avata, and I've been reading about the different "hacks" to enable higher power modes and additional channels for the O3 system.

I understand that CE mode is specifically for European countries with more restrictive power limitations. I'm in the USA, so I apparently my drone is in "FCC mode" by default. I'm specifically curious about "Ham mode," though. I am a licensed ham radio operator, which means that legally, I can use frequencies and power levels that are outside the range of normal Part 15 devices. In general, the regulations state that my transmissions must be unencrypted, I must transmit my callsign every 10 minutes, and I'm limited to 1.5kW (which is obviously far less than any drone would use). Is there a firmware hack that allows this?

I'm not trying to break the line-of-sight rules, but if I can enable a mode that would allow me to get better signal fidelity within the FCC and FAA regulations, I'd like to try it. Even a little bit of extra power can make a significant difference in certain cases.

Cross post from https://sopuli.xyz/post/4910207

One types of content I'd really like to see here is guidance from experienced pilots on how to get started. There is a lot of conflicting information and deferral to non-cited authorities online, and even those authorities sometimes have ambiguous and conflicting information. I'd love to see posts like "I am a part 107 certified pilot in X jurisdiction and here are my top 10 do's and don'ts, and my preflight checklist."

One particularly confusing aspect I've encountered is all the differences on drones 250g and above. It seems to me like so much FAA guidance is written with complete disregard for drones below 250g, so much so that I'm not sure if I have to be licensed, if I have to register my drone, if I need to label it, if I'm allowed to fly in various circumstance and times, all because they appear to write a lot of their documentation as if all drones weigh more than 250g. As a result of this ambiguity and confusion I'm considering getting part 107 certified just to cover my bases, but even then, I wouldn't feel confident that I understood the laws and regulations.

I'm getting ready to start using my drones commercially- I'd like to get into roof inspections, mapping and 3dmodeling. Anyone have advice on things I need to do? Sites to join? Etc...

I have my 107. I have decades of flight experience with drones I'm considering making an llc. I have capital to buy multiple additional drones and sensors just need customers to justify it.

Any thoughts/advice is appreciated

Zoom in to see the birds having a chat on top of the bale.

Just a picture of the x500 under construction. It will carry a rpi4 as the SBC.

This picture was taken in Collegeville, Minnesota on the Saint Johns University campus.

Yesterday, we came across a few leaked photos that purportedly showcase new DJI drones. While it’s expected to see more photos of the Air 3 as we approach a possible announcement, the photos of a potential Mini 4 came as a surprise. Especially since the release of a new Mini drone would deviate significantly from DJI’s typical product timeline.

Jasper Ellens shared some new photos yesterday, featuring the Air 3 and supposedly the Mini 4 Pro being tested in the field. Typically, these field test photos indicate that the drone’s release is near, usually within the next six to eight months. However, the specific timing is dependent on the product type. (cough cough… Inspire 3)

I am trying to get into the hobby but also potentially do professional work down the line as I will be getting my Part 107, I am planning on doing things like rooftop inspections and photogrammetry. I know that most people recommend the DJI Mini Pro 3 for prosumers. Will the DJI Mini 3 Pro actually cut it for a pro shoot? I really am almost thinking Mavic 2 Pro, just because the software ecosystem is mature for mapping with waypoints, also it seems to have really good obstacle avoidance/that full size airframe for wind resistance and stable shots. Does the mini size really make much of a difference? Should I be going with something that has an extra n00b mode like the Parrot Anafi (I know most people consider it a toy bc 2 axis gimbal)?