I've flown my DJI FPV drone less than a dozen times in total... and been disappointed every time 😞 Their FPV system is great... but that drone is never going to compare with a decent carbon frame.
Nah, the tune is miserable and it’s too fragile/difficult/expensive to repair… but the image is great, signal performance with FCC/Stock Antennas is incredible, hovering & adjustable gimbal are really handy, and last but not least all of my family (including my 3 year old!) loves to fly it! So it’s a not even close to a replacement for proper quads, but for me it serves some neat purposes. I literally sit on my couch and fly around the property to look at things, like a surveillance drone! Haha
I feel for you man. That's a horrible feeling. I've lost my 7" drone THREE TIMES and was LUCKILY able to find it each time. Once I was saved by the ViFly Finder 2 unit that I now install on EVERY build. The other two times I was just lucky to be able to review the OSD footage and go to the last recorded GPS coordinates and walk the flight path. Still took several agonizing hours. The damage sustained in the three crashes combined was: a broken top plate of the frame, a destroyed 6s Li-Ion battery, and the front left motor. A total of maybe $130. Nothing compared to your loss of thousands. I'm so sorry to hear of your losses. I really enjoy your channel and appreciate you sharing your adventures. Happy flying amigo. 🫡 🍻
Hey man, thanks for the kind words. This is an unfortunate reality of the hobby… and the main reason it’s so exciting! I too have lost & found my other quads many several times in the past, and also use ViFly Finder buzzers! At first I was pissed that it just turned off and crashed… but later that night while laying in bed I replayed the events and realized I had actually disarmed the drone by mistake! Had I have done nothing it would have gently landed and probably been fine… lesson learned. I actually bought another used setup days later; sold the extra goggles & controller and so basically the new drone cost me $100 and some effort. I like to have two of these for family & friends to fly around with! Appreciate you supporting the channel, I try to keep it fun and interesting!
I only have two quads. I cut my teeth on a Hubsan H501s that I flew for almost eight years! It was finally beyond repair about six months ago so I built the 7". I'm almost done with a 3.5" cinewhoop. Just saving up for the 03 air unit. I've liked the looks of that flying potato and the Avata too for the reasons you've listed. I'm thinking about adding an Avata to the hangar because the prices are dropping now that the Avata 2 has arrived. I love everything about this hobby except the cost of components lol. Thanks for the correspondence. Happy flying amigo. 🫡 🍻
OMG, sorry for your loss, I feel with you, Peter 😮💨. You are not alone, I did the same - disarming insted of kick-in rescue - my 7‘‘ fell like a stone out of the sky. I‘ve learned from many search- and rescue-operations that reflective tape on the quad is not enough to find it after a crash far away - therefore all of my quads carry 6 gramm additional weight for an autonomous beeper (ViFly Beacon) which is located in the rear of the quad. This beeper works for 30 hours with 105 dB noise and until today I found every crashed quad with it’s help.
Yeah, that's a real danger and requires full concentration to avoid touching that button. It happened to me on my first flight, so I've been really careful since then. But I'm curious, it seems logical to me - that is, if we can disarm the drone at high altitude, can't we also arm it while it's falling? Or am I mistaken?
@@Wild__FPV Yea you can actually re-arm while the quad is falling, but two things: - Most digital VTXs go into Low Power Mode when disarmed, so you will most likely not have video when attempting this. - In the BF settings you have to make sure your Arming Angle limit is set to 180º, or the quad might not re-arm while falling. - Since you probably won't have video, flipping into Angle mode will also be necessary to level the quad. In either case quick action, and luck will be needed!
@@mog59 Thanks, and no worries it was a good lesson about the limits of this drone... and actually I bought another one a few days after this crash. I have two because it's a lot of fun for the family to fly around the property together. I could tell my father in law was disappointed that I lost one because of this... so I found another one used. Lots of great used deals now a days! On all my "proper quads" I also use ViFly Finder Buzzers, they are great, unless it's really windy, or you're near a waterfall... then they can't help much I've found. Definitely going to get some reflective tape, I've always used regular RED tape on my quads, but think RED reflective tape would be a step up!!
I have one DJI camera drone and my biggest gripe is all of the automation can get in the way of simply flying. Heck, even when stopping the sticks when trying to line up a photo, the latency until the command stops the quad rotating is really annoying, especially when you get such super stick feel on our opensource fpv fligh contollers.
Yea, we have a Phantom 4 Pro, and my father in law, who has become quite good with flying the DJI FPV tried to fly a big gap with the Phantom and struggled hard. I than attempted to do the same and found it very difficult. This was because the camera FOV is very narrow, but also that stick latency is very slow, in comparison to FPV quads. Must be almost 500ms delay. The DJI FPV is a neat mix of the drone styles, and I appreciate it for that!
Hey buddy, gotta admit, I couldn't help but chuckle! I mean, yeah, it's definitely a tough situation, but you turned it into a bit of a comedy, and that's cool. It's good that you're taking it all in stride. So, yeah, it's basically an engineer goof-up. They should've seen the whole accidental cancel button smashing coming. Should've split up those functions, ya know? Anyway, what can you do? Good luck finding the drone in the spring, but seriously, watch yourself out there. Not worth risking life and limb for a piece of tech. And hey, I can't agree with you on the DJI FPV not being for mountain surfing. I mean, I've taken that bad boy up in the mountains plenty last summer, but yeah, you gotta hike up to the summit. Anyways, good luck up there, bro!
Thanks bud, all good points! Though the DJI FPV can sort of mountain surf my proper 7” is so much better for the purpose! Heavy, powerful, long flight times… you know all about it now! But I still love the DJI FPV for other purposes, I currently have two of them (Bought another used one after this crash) and they’ll see some mountain spots again I’m sure! My wife want to mountain surf now! Haha
Yea, over the years I’ve had dozens of close calls, but guess my luck ran out this year. Historically I’ve been flying 6” & 7” quads with either analog or HDZero systems. These quads give you full control over battery usage, and better signal warning/recovery than you get with WS/DJI. Oh well, all part of the fun. I replaced this drone with another used one a few days later.
Thanks, yea I think I’ll give it another shot. Was a relatively easy climb up there, and I have GPS coordinates that I got from the DJI FLY app logs now. Even if it is smashed it would still feel successful to find it, stay tuned!
Maybe im lucky i lost the first drone i ever built. The feeling was probably one of the worst of my life. The crippling anxiety, the looking around a pond for hours, days, weeks. Rebuilding ordering and waiting for forever for parts to come from china. So cautious now, i never risk any distance, flying over water or anything close to that.
I kinda lied… technically I lost a cinewhoop years ago; but I was trying to hang Christmas lights with it outside on a dark windy night. It blasted into the sky & crashed somewhere in the forest. I search for days but never found it. I was also crushed, like I lost a pet… these last two drones were kinda like “ugh, that’s sucks”. My only real shame is that I didn’t just let the drone land… didn’t even realize I disarmed it until I replayed the events in my head later that night.
Yea, my previous “WalkSnail Search & Rescue” attempt was much like epic. Climbed some proper mountain peaks, with insane wind, rain & awesome views! This hike was more casual, but still a great time! Thanks for watching, cheers!
Funny I was just flying this quad for a week and a half on vacation. Flies surprisingly well for how stupid heavy it is. Anyway props to you for sending it and at least you got a killer video out of the loss!
Yea, I like the drone for what it is. I actually have two of them currently, I’ve bought three in the last month… haha! Keep finding good used deals! The signal performance is incredible, like I sit in my couch and fly around the property! And I love that you can plug your phone into the goggle and share the live feed! So it doesn’t have the raw performance or durability of my proper FPV quads, but it’s got lots of advantages!
Yea, I’ve flown proper FPV quads for years, and to me this thing is awesome. In terms of raw performance it sucks compared to my other drones… but with this drone I can stop, hover, adjust the gimbal, and hand the controller over to basically anyone! I did a video about this a few weeks ago: th-cam.com/video/HhiX9TU7Fc4/w-d-xo.html The used market is so good right now you should look for you, I’m sure you’d enjoy it. I often sit on my couch and fly this drone around my property, I’d never do that with my proper FPV quads. Haha!
Sorry for your loss 😒but thanks for sharing 👌 I've also lost a few recently but was lucky to find them again, until now only one in a fly away with no video, so I guess I've been lucky One of my recent losses was due to that I did'nt test failsafe after changing ESC firmware from BLheli_S to Bluejay, so my WS HD pro quad just landed in the middle of a marsh when I lost radio connection as I was flying too low, 10 sec earlier it would have been in deep water 🙃
Phew you got lucky! Honestly I’ve been so lucky for 4-5years, lost, crashed and found my drones dozens of times! However now I’m paying for those debts I guess. Haha! All good though, I buy everything used when I see good deals! I actually have two DJI FPV drones now because they’re fun to fly with the family!
@@GiantAntCowboy That was also a great video you made with DJI FPV 😃👌Guess I would not have been that lucky if I was in the same terrain with your awesome mountains 😉 here in DK its almost flat like a pancake 😄
@@DK-TechCorner yea, the benefit of flat terrain is easy LOS and easy recovery! The disadvantage is pretty boring scenery… haha! You gotta take a trip to Norway, super easy from DK!
@@GiantAntCowboy Been in Norway for fishing and hunting years ago, that was a beautyfull scenery, would love to enjoy that again from above with FPV 😃👌 How are the rules in Norway, can you fly almost anywhere in the mountains?
@@DK-TechCorner basically everything in this hobby is borderline illegal… just gotta use common sense and avoid flying near people, or tourist spots. I’ve never had any issues. It’s a big country with a small population.
Neon yellow might work well in an Urban environment, but where I fly it’s often black, green & yellow. On my proper quads I always use bright red and found that works very well when searching. Appreciate the feedback though!
@@GiantAntCowboy Red, hot pink, dayglo orange. Saved me more than once. Had a lost plane that was yellow, black and white. Had good coordinates from my crossfire but with those colours, I was standing right on top of it and couldn't see it in dense bush. Walked within 4 feet of it several times before I found it. I immediately changed the colouring on all my planes to include something that pops in the mountains and bush. Hope you find your drone, even if it is smashed to bits. Gotta be something worth salvaging.
@@jimross898 yea, black & green are the worse. May as well paint it camouflage… I’ve been using RED tape for year and it’s very helpful. 3M Reflective Tape seems like an ultimate option i might have to explore.
@@moonie_fpv Great tip, thanks. I’ll be looking into the tape, or some 3M reflective tape. Black drones are impossible to find in basic any environment, worse color…
Well actually I have two more… 😅 in my previous video i explain why I actually love this drone. I’ve flown FPV for 4-5years and have a dozen proper FPV drones. So I enjoy the luxuries of this drone, stop, hover, look around with the gimbal, and most importantly hand the controller to almost anyone and let them try! Can’t do that with my other quads… But as far as raw performance, or pushing limits, this thing is not the best choice, as shown here… lol
I had some of the best experiences ever in FPV with the dji fpv drone....going to a top of a mountain and flying above the clouds without caring a bit about reception or anything cause I know that could take it. Sure I have gps in all my 2 quads and all the ones before that...but the dji fpv drone just made me feel like I never had to worry...except getting low on battery power...but hey that's FPV life for you! oh and the fact you can put the headphones on and listen to the motors from miles away...damn that was the best!
@@TOP_GUN_FPV yea I agree the DJI safety features are confidence inspiring. Like I sit on my couch and fly around the property because 1) the signal performance is incredible, and 2) if I lose signal I trust it will hover and RTH without issue. Wish I could have “overridden” this auto landing situation though… And yea, hearing the props is great, I used to do that with my analog quads back in the day!
It was great starting out having that no questions asked. There were a few times I went behind big rocks or something and it just came right back up and like 10 seconds later I was back at it again. I remember going out to the mountains and going like 2-3 miles away, coming back after 40% power used, then going nice and and easy and never worrying about it. Only thing, is that before this year I was a drunk and smoked more than snoop dog...so any of my videos from 2023 and before are just that! Wow and I'm watching one of my videos now...that's why I got so crazy with my flying. Nothing at all to be proud of, and I think that I fly better now and put out better videos for sure...been sober this year and couldn't ask for more honestly. And for the dji sounds...I would always wear big headphones and just listen to that motor noise! And I had ear buds so I could listen to music as well :) Now I just wear big headphones so I can't hear the motors or drone but only the music :) I need that in order to fly, as I hate hearing the sound of the drone, it's just too annoying and distracting to me. Another TMI post by me lol...but you get the point. I did analog with one of those RTF kits before I got the dji fpv drone...returned that after a day as it was the cheap stuff and I hated the box google thing going on. Now I just have to be happy with what I have...and man I have so much FPV junk that they don't make anymore after a year or two....talk about taking us for our money!@@GiantAntCowboy
I love lots of the features, for proper long-range mountain flights my 7” quad is just better equipment. That quad handles strong winds very well, and flys over 20mins & 20km (12miles) on a single battery. I’m sure bi-blades would help the DJI FPV with flight time for sure!
Yea, weird situation with the battery, made worse by me “button mashing”… And yes to O3 testing, in fact I have a brand new O3 unit sitting right here! Very excited to finally complete my testing/comparisons. If it performs anywhere as good as the DJI FPV it’s going to dominate the penetration tests… (as everyone has always said). I can’t get over how good this DJI FPV works in stock form.
@@GiantAntCowboy can’t wait to see the o3 go through the gauntlet 😂although as good as it is, i still don’t know if i can go back to variable latency. wish we could have the best of both o3 and hdzero 😂
@@herokme0 yea, I almost made it through the Gantlet with the DJI FPV today actually, video was doing good, but the control link was dropping hard! Strange, and if I failsafes it’ll try to fly home which isn’t great in the gantlet because of all the trees. So I need to disable RTH, and then test it again. HDZ vs DJI is like an old manual transmission sport car vs a new Cadillac town car.
Bummer...I have a tendency to "disarm" in mid-air when I start freaking out... I still have a ton of muscle memory from flying single-rotor helis where flipping the "throttle hold" becomes instinctive...
Yea, I’m this case I was just trying to cancel the RTH mode… but a year ago I was testing a new Angle Mode switch on my 7” quad and accidentally hit disarm! Lol The quad dropped 30m straight down on to some rocks… but miraculously had no real damage, just a couple scuff marks! Proper quads are built to crash, unlike DJI drones. Different animals.
That was actually the first quad I looked at when I first started researching what was out there. Of course, I saw what custom stuff would do and steered away. Sad to see you lose yours.
Yea, proper FPV drones are better in terms of Raw performance and durability. But this DJI drone has some unique qualities that make it a welcome member to my hobby room. I actually have two of them which I’ve been using with the family, I bought another used one days after this crash. Haha! But for proper mountain surfing I’ll stick with my 7”! Thanks for watching, appreciate the kind words!
one my other camera drones i found out what ever u set critical battery level to it start auto lowering altitude. it hit a tree. i was right above the trees.. i told company that is so stupid. just cause i set critical to 25% why land at that.. that my warning for me to return to home. was so mad
Yea, the drone could have easily made it back “home” to me. I was only 600m away and high above, so it would have used very little battery. However had I have not tried to stop the landing it would have landed, and I would have found it… dumb drone, stupid pilot.
Yea, this particular case was so dumb. I had plenty of battery to fly 600m downhill to where I was parked… however if I didn’t accidentally Disarm, the quad would have gently landed and I would have almost guaranteed retrieved it with minimal issue. Safety features are great, but not always the best… oh well.
@@undeze haha yea, didn’t really have time for this hike, and definitely didn’t have time for injury… I can see this location from my house, and have been thinking about going up again with the last know GPS coordinates I pull from the logs. Obviously it’ll be pretty worthless at this point, but still fun to find!
@@ByronBrownSydney yea, I felt like the battery should have gotten me home. In more recent tests I’ve found you can actually push the emergency landing quite far, but in my case I accidentally disarmed… dumb. Oh well, live & learn! Good exercise 🏔️ 😄
Oh, that's really horrible.. After watching videos like this, I am still thinking of applying an additional GPS module in order to find it at least if it fails. I hope you find it the other day
Yea you need to find a way to receive data from that secondary GPS though. AirTag or Bluetooth beacon could be helpful. Also sticking a ViFly Finder Beacon on could help for sure! I’ll take another hike up in the coming months. Would be nice to get the SD card back!
@@GiantAntCowboy well, yes makes sense! Air Tag covers something around 150m, that should be enough while walking around there. Jne more thing may also be important is the colorful painting of the drone. It may also serve as a bad mark for predator birds. And.. I've just learned about some strobe lights on batteries. Ordered some pieces already and this is also for 2 things: 1) to inform birds about the non-natural object that is not their competitor. 2) if the drone fails, there is a hope that the light will not be broken. There are chances to find yours if you manage to get the flight data and calculate the path better
@@vasianders as far as adding color, try to find RED 3M Reflective Tape. I currently use just RED electrical tape which works great, but the 3M stuff would be perfect. Regarding AirTags I’ve heard in a real-life search situation the true range is only like 10-15m because it’s usually so close to the ground.
@@GiantAntCowboy Oh, I will check for it, thank you! AS for the air tags, it depends on the version thy use. I am sorry I may be mistaken a bit becasuse I was also esploring tags like that from Samsung. Did the tape lower attention of birds to your drones?
@@vasianders yea, I haven’t research AirTags too much. You’re probably right that there is different sized ones. I’ve never really been attacked by a bird, so I guess it works. Haha
This thing only have 2000mah batterys, that won't last like traditional long range drone. So many sensors and safety I guessing that consume more batteries amps
Yea, the drone should have made it back no problem. Was only 600m away descending the whole way. Had I not have interfered it would have safely landed though… so dumb drone, stupid pilot.
@@GiantAntCowboy perhaps the DJI batteries are more sensitive to the cold than the Li-Ions you normally use? Or the way DJI interprets the voltage and displays the percentage is weird? I like displaying the per cell voltage on my OSD, so I can pay attention to how the voltage is dropping, which I’m sure is what you’re used to too
@benkitesurfs yea, I always prefer raw data. Voltage, Current, mAh Used, ect. So I can plan and estimate myself. My OSD is pretty full on my proper quads, but it’s nice to have the whole picture and know the limits.
Truth. My father in law keeps mentioning that we should go up again. Just got some fresh snow, so I’ll wait until proper spring gets here. Thanks for watching!
Haha, never too soon for comedy. Honestly it wasn’t until later that night, when I was replaying the events in my head, that I realized I accidentally disarmed… It happened right with 1sec left so I thought it just shut off! Oh well, I found another used deal the next day. Haha
DJI FPV DRONE SUCKS - I'm sorry for your loss, but that thing is too computer controlled. I know I had two of them. LOL I lost mine in the mountains cause I wanted to adjust my headphones mid flight and it slammed straight into the ground. I would never go find it if I crashed it like that.
time to build a proper long range with gps that does all the DJI FPV DRONE does without all the AI computer stuff! Good luck! if you want to save 45% off on the best motors and frames let me know and I'll send you some links.
@@TOP_GUN_FPV Thanks for the offer. I've actually been flying proper FPV in the mountains for 4-5 years now. I bought these DJI FPV drones used for the family to play with, but couldn't resist trying a mountain flight! Suck yours got slammed... I almost didn't go search for it, but felt I had too... would have been a good parts drone. Anyway, thanks for the offer, I actually have more motors and frames than I have time to deal with at the moment... but I'll keep the offer in mind, cheers!
I hear you there boss. I just figured you were a DJI FPV DRONE only guy. But you know how it goes. You are a good family man in that case :) That's one thing I didn't like about that drone, it's automatic control if something was going wrong. I'd rather just cruise home and let it die on it's own. But yeah I feel you. It's one thing to know where it lands but another to know where it tumbled a million times. And with that drone good luck having anything worth saving. Good old plastic drones don't you love them!@@GiantAntCowboy
@@TOP_GUN_FPV yea, it’s nice to have unlimited control over your equipment. In this video (th-cam.com/video/gxSfD6PH1P0/w-d-xo.html) I was doing a 7km test flight and the return was so stressful, completely killed the battery, but almost made it home! Haha
Yes, i obviously pushed the battery too far, but in this situation I was only 600m away and high above myself. The drone with 20%+ battery could have easily made it back to where I was standing.
I totally disagree. I think its awesome for mountain surfing. Here is a flight I did up to the top of a volcano which was almost 8'000' out and 2'300' up. The mountain is 4,583' high. I used an Osmo Action 2 on the top and stabilised the video with Gyroflow. th-cam.com/video/ZurfUhtmuK8/w-d-xo.html
What is the unit of measurement here? Feet or Meters? Must be feet. This drone can of course fly into the mountains, but compared to my 7” FPV quad it’s lacking range, power, & stability. Here’s a quick highlight reel showing raw dvr footage, no stabilization, and you can see how well my 7” performs, and how far out it can go. th-cam.com/video/5xRpicNfvBI/w-d-xo.html I love the DJI FPV for what it is, but won’t be using it for any proper mountain surfing. Nice video and beautiful location btw, cheers!
@@GiantAntCowboy I sold my FR7 long range quad which was a great flier but even with a 6S1P 2170 Li-ion pack I couldn't get more than 7 minutes of flight which I can easily get with my DJI FPV. The only advantage is how smooth if flies compared to the DJI but I have never seen mine shake like yours do!! I would shit myself if I saw that much movement in my goggles!! I fly with EIS off and in manual so I find it more than smooth enough and the Osmo Action video comes out buttery smooth. I have no need to build another 7" for the type of flying I do.
Sorry for your loss. Just last week I also lost mine above the water. Lesson learned that with lake surface calm as a mirror I must have altitude sensors. th-cam.com/video/3XD-6GWaqBA/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Agu6a_4dQyeUdZNA
Oh man, still water is amazing for shots, but impossible to judge. I watched your video and it looked like you were a meter or more from the surface then suddenly, splash! I was flying close to the water with the DJI FPV the other week and was loving the sensor feedback! Sorry for your loss as well, all part of the experience though!
I've flown my DJI FPV drone less than a dozen times in total... and been disappointed every time 😞 Their FPV system is great... but that drone is never going to compare with a decent carbon frame.
Nah, the tune is miserable and it’s too fragile/difficult/expensive to repair… but the image is great, signal performance with FCC/Stock Antennas is incredible, hovering & adjustable gimbal are really handy, and last but not least all of my family (including my 3 year old!) loves to fly it!
So it’s a not even close to a replacement for proper quads, but for me it serves some neat purposes. I literally sit on my couch and fly around the property to look at things, like a surveillance drone! Haha
I feel for you man. That's a horrible feeling. I've lost my 7" drone THREE TIMES and was LUCKILY able to find it each time. Once I was saved by the ViFly Finder 2 unit that I now install on EVERY build. The other two times I was just lucky to be able to review the OSD footage and go to the last recorded GPS coordinates and walk the flight path. Still took several agonizing hours. The damage sustained in the three crashes combined was: a broken top plate of the frame, a destroyed 6s Li-Ion battery, and the front left motor. A total of maybe $130. Nothing compared to your loss of thousands. I'm so sorry to hear of your losses. I really enjoy your channel and appreciate you sharing your adventures. Happy flying amigo. 🫡 🍻
Hey man, thanks for the kind words. This is an unfortunate reality of the hobby… and the main reason it’s so exciting!
I too have lost & found my other quads many several times in the past, and also use ViFly Finder buzzers!
At first I was pissed that it just turned off and crashed… but later that night while laying in bed I replayed the events and realized I had actually disarmed the drone by mistake! Had I have done nothing it would have gently landed and probably been fine… lesson learned.
I actually bought another used setup days later; sold the extra goggles & controller and so basically the new drone cost me $100 and some effort. I like to have two of these for family & friends to fly around with!
Appreciate you supporting the channel, I try to keep it fun and interesting!
I only have two quads. I cut my teeth on a Hubsan H501s that I flew for almost eight years! It was finally beyond repair about six months ago so I built the 7". I'm almost done with a 3.5" cinewhoop. Just saving up for the 03 air unit. I've liked the looks of that flying potato and the Avata too for the reasons you've listed. I'm thinking about adding an Avata to the hangar because the prices are dropping now that the Avata 2 has arrived. I love everything about this hobby except the cost of components lol. Thanks for the correspondence. Happy flying amigo. 🫡 🍻
OMG, sorry for your loss, I feel with you, Peter 😮💨. You are not alone, I did the same - disarming insted of kick-in rescue - my 7‘‘ fell like a stone out of the sky. I‘ve learned from many search- and rescue-operations that reflective tape on the quad is not enough to find it after a crash far away - therefore all of my quads carry 6 gramm additional weight for an autonomous beeper (ViFly Beacon) which is located in the rear of the quad. This beeper works for 30 hours with 105 dB noise and until today I found every crashed quad with it’s help.
Yeah, that's a real danger and requires full concentration to avoid touching that button. It happened to me on my first flight, so I've been really careful since then. But I'm curious, it seems logical to me - that is, if we can disarm the drone at high altitude, can't we also arm it while it's falling? Or am I mistaken?
@@Wild__FPVI think you are right. In my case it was too late when I realized what I had done. Panic mode … 😵💫💗
@@Wild__FPV … but I leaned this lesson. The switch for rescue is now on the other side of my remote … far away from arm/disarm 😉
@@Wild__FPV Yea you can actually re-arm while the quad is falling, but two things:
- Most digital VTXs go into Low Power Mode when disarmed, so you will most likely not have video when attempting this.
- In the BF settings you have to make sure your Arming Angle limit is set to 180º, or the quad might not re-arm while falling.
- Since you probably won't have video, flipping into Angle mode will also be necessary to level the quad.
In either case quick action, and luck will be needed!
@@mog59 Thanks, and no worries it was a good lesson about the limits of this drone... and actually I bought another one a few days after this crash. I have two because it's a lot of fun for the family to fly around the property together. I could tell my father in law was disappointed that I lost one because of this... so I found another one used. Lots of great used deals now a days!
On all my "proper quads" I also use ViFly Finder Buzzers, they are great, unless it's really windy, or you're near a waterfall... then they can't help much I've found. Definitely going to get some reflective tape, I've always used regular RED tape on my quads, but think RED reflective tape would be a step up!!
Oh damn, that's sucks! Sorry to hear that it's gone.
Yea, “dumb drone/stupid pilot”… sucks it decided to land, but the real disaster was caused by my actions.
Oh well, wasn’t my proper 7” build at least!
I have one DJI camera drone and my biggest gripe is all of the automation can get in the way of simply flying. Heck, even when stopping the sticks when trying to line up a photo, the latency until the command stops the quad rotating is really annoying, especially when you get such super stick feel on our opensource fpv fligh contollers.
Yea, we have a Phantom 4 Pro, and my father in law, who has become quite good with flying the DJI FPV tried to fly a big gap with the Phantom and struggled hard. I than attempted to do the same and found it very difficult. This was because the camera FOV is very narrow, but also that stick latency is very slow, in comparison to FPV quads. Must be almost 500ms delay.
The DJI FPV is a neat mix of the drone styles, and I appreciate it for that!
Hey buddy, gotta admit, I couldn't help but chuckle! I mean, yeah, it's definitely a tough situation, but you turned it into a bit of a comedy, and that's cool. It's good that you're taking it all in stride. So, yeah, it's basically an engineer goof-up. They should've seen the whole accidental cancel button smashing coming. Should've split up those functions, ya know? Anyway, what can you do? Good luck finding the drone in the spring, but seriously, watch yourself out there. Not worth risking life and limb for a piece of tech. And hey, I can't agree with you on the DJI FPV not being for mountain surfing. I mean, I've taken that bad boy up in the mountains plenty last summer, but yeah, you gotta hike up to the summit. Anyways, good luck up there, bro!
Thanks bud, all good points! Though the DJI FPV can sort of mountain surf my proper 7” is so much better for the purpose! Heavy, powerful, long flight times… you know all about it now!
But I still love the DJI FPV for other purposes, I currently have two of them (Bought another used one after this crash) and they’ll see some mountain spots again I’m sure! My wife want to mountain surf now! Haha
Totally feel ya. Lost my fpv drone when I crossed the ridge too...GPS did not work, dunno why. Experience gained. You at least could walk there.
Yea, over the years I’ve had dozens of close calls, but guess my luck ran out this year. Historically I’ve been flying 6” & 7” quads with either analog or HDZero systems. These quads give you full control over battery usage, and better signal warning/recovery than you get with WS/DJI.
Oh well, all part of the fun. I replaced this drone with another used one a few days later.
Sorry for your loss.
I would go look more, longer and several times before i give up. Its probably not as damaged as you think.
Thanks, yea I think I’ll give it another shot. Was a relatively easy climb up there, and I have GPS coordinates that I got from the DJI FLY app logs now.
Even if it is smashed it would still feel successful to find it, stay tuned!
Maybe im lucky i lost the first drone i ever built. The feeling was probably one of the worst of my life. The crippling anxiety, the looking around a pond for hours, days, weeks. Rebuilding ordering and waiting for forever for parts to come from china. So cautious now, i never risk any distance, flying over water or anything close to that.
I kinda lied… technically I lost a cinewhoop years ago; but I was trying to hang Christmas lights with it outside on a dark windy night. It blasted into the sky & crashed somewhere in the forest. I search for days but never found it. I was also crushed, like I lost a pet… these last two drones were kinda like “ugh, that’s sucks”.
My only real shame is that I didn’t just let the drone land… didn’t even realize I disarmed it until I replayed the events in my head later that night.
But at least you had an epic time mountaineering! Beautiful scenery bro. 👍👍🍺🍺
Yea, my previous “WalkSnail Search & Rescue” attempt was much like epic. Climbed some proper mountain peaks, with insane wind, rain & awesome views! This hike was more casual, but still a great time! Thanks for watching, cheers!
Funny I was just flying this quad for a week and a half on vacation. Flies surprisingly well for how stupid heavy it is. Anyway props to you for sending it and at least you got a killer video out of the loss!
Yea, I like the drone for what it is. I actually have two of them currently, I’ve bought three in the last month… haha! Keep finding good used deals!
The signal performance is incredible, like I sit in my couch and fly around the property! And I love that you can plug your phone into the goggle and share the live feed!
So it doesn’t have the raw performance or durability of my proper FPV quads, but it’s got lots of advantages!
As someone who has only ever built quads. This thing does look fun just to have and mess around with. Sucks you lost yours!.
Yea, I’ve flown proper FPV quads for years, and to me this thing is awesome. In terms of raw performance it sucks compared to my other drones… but with this drone I can stop, hover, adjust the gimbal, and hand the controller over to basically anyone! I did a video about this a few weeks ago: th-cam.com/video/HhiX9TU7Fc4/w-d-xo.html
The used market is so good right now you should look for you, I’m sure you’d enjoy it. I often sit on my couch and fly this drone around my property, I’d never do that with my proper FPV quads. Haha!
P.s. sucks I lost it, but I bought another one last week and current have two for flying around with non-FPV family and friends.
Sorry for your loss 😒but thanks for sharing 👌 I've also lost a few recently but was lucky to find them again, until now only one in a fly away with no video, so I guess I've been lucky
One of my recent losses was due to that I did'nt test failsafe after changing ESC firmware from BLheli_S to Bluejay, so my WS HD pro quad just landed in the middle of a marsh when I lost radio connection as I was flying too low, 10 sec earlier it would have been in deep water 🙃
Phew you got lucky! Honestly I’ve been so lucky for 4-5years, lost, crashed and found my drones dozens of times! However now I’m paying for those debts I guess. Haha!
All good though, I buy everything used when I see good deals! I actually have two DJI FPV drones now because they’re fun to fly with the family!
@@GiantAntCowboy That was also a great video you made with DJI FPV 😃👌Guess I would not have been that lucky if I was in the same terrain with your awesome mountains 😉 here in DK its almost flat like a pancake 😄
@@DK-TechCorner yea, the benefit of flat terrain is easy LOS and easy recovery! The disadvantage is pretty boring scenery… haha!
You gotta take a trip to Norway, super easy from DK!
@@GiantAntCowboy Been in Norway for fishing and hunting years ago, that was a beautyfull scenery, would love to enjoy that again from above with FPV 😃👌
How are the rules in Norway, can you fly almost anywhere in the mountains?
@@DK-TechCorner basically everything in this hobby is borderline illegal… just gotta use common sense and avoid flying near people, or tourist spots.
I’ve never had any issues. It’s a big country with a small population.
You have the "Paint drone red?" popup, but it comes with a neon yellow canopy in the box from factory.
Neon yellow might work well in an Urban environment, but where I fly it’s often black, green & yellow.
On my proper quads I always use bright red and found that works very well when searching.
Appreciate the feedback though!
@@GiantAntCowboy Red, hot pink, dayglo orange. Saved me more than once. Had a lost plane that was yellow, black and white. Had good coordinates from my crossfire but with those colours, I was standing right on top of it and couldn't see it in dense bush. Walked within 4 feet of it several times before I found it. I immediately changed the colouring on all my planes to include something that pops in the mountains and bush. Hope you find your drone, even if it is smashed to bits. Gotta be something worth salvaging.
@@jimross898 yea, black & green are the worse. May as well paint it camouflage… I’ve been using RED tape for year and it’s very helpful. 3M Reflective Tape seems like an ultimate option i might have to explore.
Use Solas tape on as many sides of the frame as possible. if you can get something else up in the area and you still have sun, it will reflect off it.
@@moonie_fpv Great tip, thanks. I’ll be looking into the tape, or some 3M reflective tape. Black drones are impossible to find in basic any environment, worse color…
sorry for your lost, my man
Thanks bud! No worries, already replaced with another good used deal!
@@GiantAntCowboy cool! Glad to know that 👍👍
At this rate you should make a series on how to search for lost drones come summer
Haha, at this rate I basically already do! Stay tuned, cheers!
I would say, now you're free.😁 that thing is hard to love - just saying.
Well actually I have two more… 😅 in my previous video i explain why I actually love this drone. I’ve flown FPV for 4-5years and have a dozen proper FPV drones. So I enjoy the luxuries of this drone, stop, hover, look around with the gimbal, and most importantly hand the controller to almost anyone and let them try! Can’t do that with my other quads…
But as far as raw performance, or pushing limits, this thing is not the best choice, as shown here… lol
I had some of the best experiences ever in FPV with the dji fpv drone....going to a top of a mountain and flying above the clouds without caring a bit about reception or anything cause I know that could take it.
Sure I have gps in all my 2 quads and all the ones before that...but the dji fpv drone just made me feel like I never had to worry...except getting low on battery power...but hey that's FPV life for you!
oh and the fact you can put the headphones on and listen to the motors from miles away...damn that was the best!
@@TOP_GUN_FPV yea I agree the DJI safety features are confidence inspiring. Like I sit on my couch and fly around the property because 1) the signal performance is incredible, and 2) if I lose signal I trust it will hover and RTH without issue.
Wish I could have “overridden” this auto landing situation though…
And yea, hearing the props is great, I used to do that with my analog quads back in the day!
It was great starting out having that no questions asked. There were a few times I went behind big rocks or something and it just came right back up and like 10 seconds later I was back at it again. I remember going out to the mountains and going like 2-3 miles away, coming back after 40% power used, then going nice and and easy and never worrying about it.
Only thing, is that before this year I was a drunk and smoked more than snoop dog...so any of my videos from 2023 and before are just that! Wow and I'm watching one of my videos now...that's why I got so crazy with my flying. Nothing at all to be proud of, and I think that I fly better now and put out better videos for sure...been sober this year and couldn't ask for more honestly.
And for the dji sounds...I would always wear big headphones and just listen to that motor noise! And I had ear buds so I could listen to music as well :) Now I just wear big headphones so I can't hear the motors or drone but only the music :) I need that in order to fly, as I hate hearing the sound of the drone, it's just too annoying and distracting to me.
Another TMI post by me lol...but you get the point.
I did analog with one of those RTF kits before I got the dji fpv drone...returned that after a day as it was the cheap stuff and I hated the box google thing going on.
Now I just have to be happy with what I have...and man I have so much FPV junk that they don't make anymore after a year or two....talk about taking us for our money!@@GiantAntCowboy
It’s hard to beat all of the features of the Dji FPV for long range cruising. I switched my props out for bi blades and get a better flight time
I love lots of the features, for proper long-range mountain flights my 7” quad is just better equipment. That quad handles strong winds very well, and flys over 20mins & 20km (12miles) on a single battery.
I’m sure bi-blades would help the DJI FPV with flight time for sure!
dang thats unlucky. are you gonna get an o3 on a new quad to do more dji testing? also curious about if you've ever tried inav for mountain surfing
Yea, weird situation with the battery, made worse by me “button mashing”…
And yes to O3 testing, in fact I have a brand new O3 unit sitting right here! Very excited to finally complete my testing/comparisons.
If it performs anywhere as good as the DJI FPV it’s going to dominate the penetration tests… (as everyone has always said). I can’t get over how good this DJI FPV works in stock form.
p.s. I have never tried iNav. It’s always in my thoughts, but it’s just another “to do” item and my free time is limited…
@@GiantAntCowboy can’t wait to see the o3 go through the gauntlet 😂although as good as it is, i still don’t know if i can go back to variable latency. wish we could have the best of both o3 and hdzero 😂
@@herokme0 yea, I almost made it through the Gantlet with the DJI FPV today actually, video was doing good, but the control link was dropping hard! Strange, and if I failsafes it’ll try to fly home which isn’t great in the gantlet because of all the trees.
So I need to disable RTH, and then test it again.
HDZ vs DJI is like an old manual transmission sport car vs a new Cadillac town car.
Bummer...I have a tendency to "disarm" in mid-air when I start freaking out... I still have a ton of muscle memory from flying single-rotor helis where flipping the "throttle hold" becomes instinctive...
I had the same tendency when I switched from single rotor to fpv quads. Just needed to remap my switches.. and I learned the hard way.
Yea, I’m this case I was just trying to cancel the RTH mode… but a year ago I was testing a new Angle Mode switch on my 7” quad and accidentally hit disarm! Lol
The quad dropped 30m straight down on to some rocks… but miraculously had no real damage, just a couple scuff marks!
Proper quads are built to crash, unlike DJI drones. Different animals.
That was actually the first quad I looked at when I first started researching what was out there. Of course, I saw what custom stuff would do and steered away. Sad to see you lose yours.
Yea, proper FPV drones are better in terms of Raw performance and durability. But this DJI drone has some unique qualities that make it a welcome member to my hobby room. I actually have two of them which I’ve been using with the family, I bought another used one days after this crash. Haha!
But for proper mountain surfing I’ll stick with my 7”!
Thanks for watching, appreciate the kind words!
i think next try with walksnail v2 with 2 antena
one my other camera drones i found out what ever u set critical battery level to it start auto lowering altitude. it hit a tree. i was right above the trees.. i told company that is so stupid. just cause i set critical to 25% why land at that.. that my warning for me to return to home. was so mad
Yea, the drone could have easily made it back “home” to me. I was only 600m away and high above, so it would have used very little battery.
However had I have not tried to stop the landing it would have landed, and I would have found it… dumb drone, stupid pilot.
Ouch! I appreciate the diy drones even more now - Build it yourself and it won't decide to land automatically to protect the battery
Yea, this particular case was so dumb. I had plenty of battery to fly 600m downhill to where I was parked… however if I didn’t accidentally Disarm, the quad would have gently landed and I would have almost guaranteed retrieved it with minimal issue.
Safety features are great, but not always the best… oh well.
Maybe time to move to a flat country Peter! Seriously though, sorry for your loss, a gut-wrenching experience for sure.
Yea, maybe you’re right.., haha! Oh well, all part of the fun right?
@@GiantAntCowboy Keeps you fit anyway :D
I put samsung smarttag2 on my drone. It have help me several time to find my drone.
Nice, I’ve been playing with that idea for a while. Glad to hear it’s been helpful!
@@GiantAntCowboy The battery last very long. You can search it after few week or month.
Haha. Bugger. Buy an ice axe maybe. Good on you for pushing it though 👍
@@undeze haha yea, didn’t really have time for this hike, and definitely didn’t have time for injury… I can see this location from my house, and have been thinking about going up again with the last know GPS coordinates I pull from the logs. Obviously it’ll be pretty worthless at this point, but still fun to find!
I did this once spent 3 days looking for mine in intense bush behind my house - thing just starting emergency landing - that's a big mountain to climb
@@ByronBrownSydney yea, I felt like the battery should have gotten me home. In more recent tests I’ve found you can actually push the emergency landing quite far, but in my case I accidentally disarmed… dumb.
Oh well, live & learn! Good exercise
🏔️ 😄
It's with harambe now.... RIP
For sure, haha! Thanks for watching
Oh, that's really horrible.. After watching videos like this, I am still thinking of applying an additional GPS module in order to find it at least if it fails. I hope you find it the other day
Yea you need to find a way to receive data from that secondary GPS though. AirTag or Bluetooth beacon could be helpful. Also sticking a ViFly Finder Beacon on could help for sure!
I’ll take another hike up in the coming months. Would be nice to get the SD card back!
@@GiantAntCowboy well, yes makes sense! Air Tag covers something around 150m, that should be enough while walking around there. Jne more thing may also be important is the colorful painting of the drone. It may also serve as a bad mark for predator birds. And.. I've just learned about some strobe lights on batteries. Ordered some pieces already and this is also for 2 things: 1) to inform birds about the non-natural object that is not their competitor. 2) if the drone fails, there is a hope that the light will not be broken. There are chances to find yours if you manage to get the flight data and calculate the path better
@@vasianders as far as adding color, try to find RED 3M Reflective Tape. I currently use just RED electrical tape which works great, but the 3M stuff would be perfect.
Regarding AirTags I’ve heard in a real-life search situation the true range is only like 10-15m because it’s usually so close to the ground.
@@GiantAntCowboy Oh, I will check for it, thank you! AS for the air tags, it depends on the version thy use. I am sorry I may be mistaken a bit becasuse I was also esploring tags like that from Samsung. Did the tape lower attention of birds to your drones?
@@vasianders yea, I haven’t research AirTags too much. You’re probably right that there is different sized ones. I’ve never really been attacked by a bird, so I guess it works. Haha
This thing only have 2000mah batterys, that won't last like traditional long range drone. So many sensors and safety I guessing that consume more batteries amps
The low temperature probably caused the battery chemistry to slow down, which is why it went so suddenly from 28% to falling out of the sky
Yea, the drone should have made it back no problem. Was only 600m away descending the whole way.
Had I not have interfered it would have safely landed though… so dumb drone, stupid pilot.
Yea you might be right, wasn’t horribly cold that day, in fact I was sweating hiking up there haha! But that would explain the sudden loss…
@@GiantAntCowboy perhaps the DJI batteries are more sensitive to the cold than the Li-Ions you normally use? Or the way DJI interprets the voltage and displays the percentage is weird?
I like displaying the per cell voltage on my OSD, so I can pay attention to how the voltage is dropping, which I’m sure is what you’re used to too
@benkitesurfs yea, I always prefer raw data. Voltage, Current, mAh Used, ect. So I can plan and estimate myself.
My OSD is pretty full on my proper quads, but it’s nice to have the whole picture and know the limits.
That sucks man...
Yea bummer, but already replaced it a few days later with another used deal! All part of the fun I guess! Haha
On the brighter side, you can grid your search and get some exercise for a few months! I know that my lost drones are sleeping with the fishies...
Truth. My father in law keeps mentioning that we should go up again. Just got some fresh snow, so I’ll wait until proper spring gets here. Thanks for watching!
To be fair, no drone is great for mountainsurfing if you disarm it on the way back :P - sorry man haha was that too soon?
Haha, never too soon for comedy. Honestly it wasn’t until later that night, when I was replaying the events in my head, that I realized I accidentally disarmed… It happened right with 1sec left so I thought it just shut off!
Oh well, I found another used deal the next day. Haha
DJI FPV DRONE SUCKS - I'm sorry for your loss, but that thing is too computer controlled. I know I had two of them. LOL I lost mine in the mountains cause I wanted to adjust my headphones mid flight and it slammed straight into the ground. I would never go find it if I crashed it like that.
time to build a proper long range with gps that does all the DJI FPV DRONE does without all the AI computer stuff! Good luck!
if you want to save 45% off on the best motors and frames let me know and I'll send you some links.
@@TOP_GUN_FPV Thanks for the offer. I've actually been flying proper FPV in the mountains for 4-5 years now. I bought these DJI FPV drones used for the family to play with, but couldn't resist trying a mountain flight! Suck yours got slammed... I almost didn't go search for it, but felt I had too... would have been a good parts drone.
Anyway, thanks for the offer, I actually have more motors and frames than I have time to deal with at the moment... but I'll keep the offer in mind, cheers!
I hear you there boss. I just figured you were a DJI FPV DRONE only guy. But you know how it goes. You are a good family man in that case :) That's one thing I didn't like about that drone, it's automatic control if something was going wrong. I'd rather just cruise home and let it die on it's own. But yeah I feel you. It's one thing to know where it lands but another to know where it tumbled a million times. And with that drone good luck having anything worth saving. Good old plastic drones don't you love them!@@GiantAntCowboy
@@TOP_GUN_FPV yea, it’s nice to have unlimited control over your equipment. In this video (th-cam.com/video/gxSfD6PH1P0/w-d-xo.html) I was doing a 7km test flight and the return was so stressful, completely killed the battery, but almost made it home! Haha
Well if you want another DJI FPV, I'm going to sell my unused backup FPV.
Appreciate it, but I have two currently. I’ve bought three this month, gotta take a break! Haha! Appreciate the offer though!
I hear that! LOL
please don't fly home at 30%, that's much too late at that long way. you never know when it gets windier how much more power it will need
Yes, i obviously pushed the battery too far, but in this situation I was only 600m away and high above myself.
The drone with 20%+ battery could have easily made it back to where I was standing.
I totally disagree. I think its awesome for mountain surfing. Here is a flight I did up to the top of a volcano which was almost 8'000' out and 2'300' up. The mountain is 4,583' high. I used an Osmo Action 2 on the top and stabilised the video with Gyroflow.
th-cam.com/video/ZurfUhtmuK8/w-d-xo.html
What is the unit of measurement here? Feet or Meters? Must be feet.
This drone can of course fly into the mountains, but compared to my 7” FPV quad it’s lacking range, power, & stability. Here’s a quick highlight reel showing raw dvr footage, no stabilization, and you can see how well my 7” performs, and how far out it can go. th-cam.com/video/5xRpicNfvBI/w-d-xo.html
I love the DJI FPV for what it is, but won’t be using it for any proper mountain surfing. Nice video and beautiful location btw, cheers!
@@GiantAntCowboy I sold my FR7 long range quad which was a great flier but even with a 6S1P 2170 Li-ion pack I couldn't get more than 7 minutes of flight which I can easily get with my DJI FPV. The only advantage is how smooth if flies compared to the DJI but I have never seen mine shake like yours do!! I would shit myself if I saw that much movement in my goggles!! I fly with EIS off and in manual so I find it more than smooth enough and the Osmo Action video comes out buttery smooth. I have no need to build another 7" for the type of flying I do.
Jones Barbara Johnson Robert Miller Richard
Sorry for your loss. Just last week I also lost mine above the water. Lesson learned that with lake surface calm as a mirror I must have altitude sensors. th-cam.com/video/3XD-6GWaqBA/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Agu6a_4dQyeUdZNA
Oh man, still water is amazing for shots, but impossible to judge. I watched your video and it looked like you were a meter or more from the surface then suddenly, splash!
I was flying close to the water with the DJI FPV the other week and was loving the sensor feedback!
Sorry for your loss as well, all part of the experience though!