DJI drones - New Mavic 2 pro announced tomorrow

[Handruin]

Anyone been following or interested in the release announcement tomorrow on the new DJI Mavic 2 pro?

There is an early leak of information here:
https://www.slashgear.com/dji-mavic-2-pro-and-mavic-2-zoom-drones-leak-again-22542187/

Live event tomorrow:
https://live.dji.com/

 

[Stereodude]

I haven't been following it. They're neat, but I can't come up with a killer user case for one myself that would make me go out and spend the money.

 

[Handruin]

I decided to order one. I've been on the fence for a while and had been considering the previous generation but there had been so much leaked info that everyone said to wait...which I did. Normally I'd wait for reviews but I decided to jump on it. My understanding is this is not a pre-order. They claim it will ship tomorrow.

 

[LunarMist]

Most areas where I would be interested in using one are off limits.
The really good drones are over the consumer weight limit and require a different license.

 

[Handruin]

The DJI Inspire is way under the 55lb weight limits for consumer drones and this offers very high end video capabilities with their camera setups.

 

[ddrueding]

I still just have the Phantom Pro 3. Decent image quality, but I like the new features of the newer models. The software is getting a bit difficult, though. So many places are geo-locked, and bypassing that is getting more difficult.

 

[Handruin]

Interesting, I wasn't aware they geo-fenced locations. What kind of examples have you found you were unable to fly?

Also, did you end up registering with the FAA and pay the $5?

 

[jtr1962]

Here's a map:

https://www.dji.com/flysafe/geo-map

I was pleasantly surprised to see the only restricted zones in NYC are near the airports. With NYC having a penchant for banning just about everything that's remotely fun, I half expected the entire city to be a red zone.

 

[Handruin]

I looked through my area and it's mainly airports that have major restrictions which I would fully expect.

 

[Stereodude]

When do you get the new toy?

 

[Handruin]

I wasn't expecting delivery until Wednesday, however FedEx tried to deliver it this morning while I was in the shower...so I missed it. I'll be able to pick it up after work tonight which is probably for the best.

I've been doing a bunch of reading on the laws of flying and it's a bit complicated. I have some plans in the near future to go to New Hampshire in the White Mountains and I'm unclear if I'm within my rights to fly in certain areas. I understand that parks managed by the Nation Park Service do not allow Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) to take off or land in their area. However, parks managed by the national forest service (like in New Hampshire) do allow for flying in accordance with thew FAA rules for hobbyists. The Nation Forest Service does has specific no flying restrictions in areas designated as Wilderness Areas which is fine. I'm using this as my reference. The area where I was looking is also a MOA (military operations area) which has some interesting rules. From what I found this doesn't restrict flight but I need to call and see if the area is "hot/active" because they request access for flight down to 100 feet.

 

[Stereodude]

Which one did you order? The Zoom or the Pro?

AFAIK, you're basically going to end up breaking the law/rules to use it in any meaningful way. The FAA requires you to have line of sight to it at all times and you can't fly it over private property that you don't have permission to fly over. As you've noted public property is a quagmire of rules. Even if you aren't breaking direct "drone" rules they can always get you on some phony thing like disturbing wildlife or other such nonsense. So, you might as well just do what you want and and just not get caught.

I've also been told that the DJI app uploads logs of your flights (GPS data) to them and rats you out. My buddy uses a phone with no service as the display running the DJI app to keep that from happening.

 

[Handruin]

I ordered the Mavic 2 Pro.

I agree that's what most of the confusion with the laws seems to be boiling down to. I want to do my part to be responsible when I know I can with respect for the rules/laws. This will be part of the challenge in having fun with this hobby. For example, the park near my house is right on the very edge of the 5-mile radius for multiple airports. These are tiny airports and heliports. Does this mean I have to notify all 7 of them to fly in the park under 100 feet? Well, technically by FAA rules I need to. I have to first understand if all 7 are still in operation.

I'm aware that they record a lot of information. Part of this is for their own determination of fault in the event of a problem that may result in loss of the drone. The other part I would guess is for the reasons you've described but I haven't done enough research to see how this comes into play. I imagine if it ever came down to it, that a warrant could be used to get the data. I have another older mobile phone I can use for the display to see if this works for me without mobile connectivity. I will have to experiment with things for a while until I figure out what I'm comfortable with using.

 

[Stereodude]

I have another older mobile phone I can use for the display to see if this works for me without mobile connectivity.

You'll want to keep it off your WiFi too. AFAIK, you install the DJI app and then sever all connectivity to the phone.

 

[LunarMist]

Sever connectivity?

 

[Handruin]

Sever connectivity?

Meaning, leave the phone in a state that it never connects to cellular or WiFi connectivity. Such as in airplane mode.

 

[LunarMist]

So what controls the drones then without Wi-Fi or cell signal?

 

[LunarMist]

So what controls the drones then without Wi-Fi or cell signal?

 

[Handruin]

The remote for the drone uses its own 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz auto-switching radio to communicate with the drone.

 

[Stereodude]

Meaning, leave the phone in a state that it never connects to cellular or WiFi connectivity. Such as in airplane mode.

Doesn't video come back to the phone over WiFi? You'd just want to have it forget all WiFi networks so it can't get online.

 

[Handruin]

Doesn't video come back to the phone over WiFi? You'd just want to have it forget all WiFi networks so it can't get online.

I don't know how the video feed comes back. They may be using WiFi for that but I'll have to experiment once I get the drone to see how it works. The operation of the drone is not done through WiFi and I made an assumption that the video feed was also not using WiFi given their claim of 5 mile range.

 

[LunarMist]

So what is the phone for at all?

 

[Handruin]

Controls, options, live video feed of what the drone sees. Telemetry for speed, altitude, GPS location, battery life.

 

[Stereodude]

I don't know how the video feed comes back. They may be using WiFi for that but I'll have to experiment once I get the drone to see how it works. The operation of the drone is not done through WiFi and I made an assumption that the video feed was also not using WiFi given their claim of 5 mile range.

I was wondering that myself. I have also heard WiFi doesn't work due to the doppler effect once you get over a few mph.

 

[Handruin]

I believe the DJI Air uses WiFi for all communication which wasn't ideal for some people. I have no experience with it but feel that this specific radio that can use both bands is more ideal for improved communication. I'll try it with WiFi off and see what I get.

 

[Handruin]

So far not a great user experience out of the box. I've not been able to link the remote with the drone yet after messing with it for a couple hours. I'm waiting for the new firmware to update to see if I have better luck. I should be able to update firmware from the mobile app but I couldn't get it to connect. I've instead plugged the USB right into my laptop and attempting it this way and so far it's progressing.

Next I'll update the remote to the latest firmware and see if I can make any progress...

 

[LunarMist]

I was wondering that myself. I have also heard WiFi doesn't work due to the doppler effect once you get over a few mph.

Why would that be? Doppler effect is proportional to the speed so if the aircraft is traveling c/1000 (~186 MPH) there would be about a 1 ppm shift (2.4 MHz out of 2.4 GHz). That is about half of one channel and usually the bands overlap by a few channels.
Of course the consumer drones are nowhere near that speed. At 40 mph there would be ~500KHz shift for example.

 

[sdbardwick]

Doppler effect explanation sounds off to me as well. Lunar is a bit off in his calculations (c = 671,000,000 MPH, so c/1000=671,000 MPH) so any doppler shift would be even tinier.

 

[Stereodude]

Why would that be? Doppler effect is proportional to the speed so if the aircraft is traveling c/1000 (~186 MPH) there would be about a 1 ppm shift (2.4 MHz out of 2.4 GHz). That is about half of one channel and usually the bands overlap by a few channels.
Of course the consumer drones are nowhere near that speed. At 40 mph there would be ~500KHz shift for example.

Yeah, I Googled it last night and came to the same conclusion that it's super minor. I guess whoever was telling me that didn't know what they were talking about.

 

[Stereodude]

So far not a great user experience out of the box. I've not been able to link the remote with the drone yet after messing with it for a couple hours. I'm waiting for the new firmware to update to see if I have better luck. I should be able to update firmware from the mobile app but I couldn't get it to connect. I've instead plugged the USB right into my laptop and attempting it this way and so far it's progressing.

Next I'll update the remote to the latest firmware and see if I can make any progress...

That sucks. So much for having a good golden hour experience.

 

[Handruin]

From what I can tell so far my issues weren't from the firmware. DJI claims to not be compatible with my LG G6 phone. I wasn't aware they had a phone compatibility list but I guess that makes some sense. I tried the girlfriend's iPhone and it connected every time without issue. There's something related to the DJI remote control and the USB connection to my phone that won't allow the remote to link with my device. The remote links fine with the drone ever time.

 

[Stereodude]

Once you get a different phone you'll be breaking FAA regulations in no time! :nono:

 

[LunarMist]

It's completely unacceptable that a 2017 phone can't be used. ale:

 

[Stereodude]

It's completely unacceptable that a 2017 phone can't be used. ale:

Be sure to contact DJI and let them know! :idea:

 

[LunarMist]

I'm sure the Chinese give a damn that I don't buy that product.

 

[Handruin]

I let them know but it doesn't sound like it will make much difference for now. I dug out my old HTC One M8 and it works fine with the remote control. It's a little slow and doesn't handle the full 1080P live stream but otherwise works fine even if a bit slow. I've been considering the Samsung Note 9 but it's also not on their list. I also don't know if it will fit in the remote.

I probably already broke the law with my flight today. I'll see if I can get the picture and video I took. It's nothing special, I was just trying to learn how to use the drone while taking some video.

 

[Stereodude]

I probably already broke the law with my flight today. I'll see if I can get the picture and video I took. It's nothing special, I was just trying to learn how to use the drone while taking some video.

I took a quick skim of their regulations today no one would buy one of these drones if they intended to follow the regulations. You can't fly it indoors. You can't fly it out of line of sight (unaided). You can't fly it over 400ft. You can't fly it at night. You can't fly it over people outside who aren't part of your flying activity. You can't fly it if there is less than 3 mi visibility. etc...

What a joke...

 

[Handruin]

Yeah the laws are pretty restrictive. Here's a quick picture while playing around in the parking lot. I think I was about 160' up.

 

[Stereodude]

Yeah the laws are pretty restrictive. Here's a quick picture while playing around in the parking lot. I think I was about 160' up.

Playing with your toys at work?

 

[Handruin]

Yeah, my buddy and I took a break to enjoy the 97F weather and fly around in the empty lot.