Any reasonable priced drones that can go 40 miles?

[Mark The Droner]

Something bugs me about that antenna. They seem to be trying to sell a tracker with it. So then I have to wonder about the beamwidth. If the beamwidth is too narrow, it will be very difficult to aim without a tracker and motor. Also what about the mounting hardware? There is no mention of it. Being that big and flat, it's probably an array antenna.

OTOH, there is no really good long range 5.8 vertical polarity antenna that drone guys use nowadays. Horizon used to make one but they went belly up. There must be something out there in this world, but I'm not sure what it is. We need some guinea pigs - somebody to buy some of these and try them out. One of the problems is very few people fly 5.8 these days, so nobody is motivated to come up with one that will work well for hobbyists. The CP supercannon might be the best option, but I'd want to mod the AC too. I am pretty sure the current world record holder for distance on the P2V used a supercannon on the 5.8.

I bought a huge 5.8 array antenna for $25 quite a while back just for fun. It was 2'x2' and very heavy. It retailed for like $350. It was made by a company that went under and was local and I bought it on eBay from a local guy who acquired it in an auction and picked it up locally so no shipping. It came with the mount. I mounted it on a pole. But I couldn't get more than two miles because the beamwidth was only 4.5 degrees. Haha.

 

[AnchorageAk]

chatikib.Your right. I was blow away by all the different drones you can buy on those sites. But, it is a gamble, I think. To bad a guy couldn't, easily, go over there and play with the drones first.

Mark The Droner. I thought I knew a lot. Well, the more I know, the more I realize there is a lot I don't know. As the line below says.....

 

[AnchorageAk]

I'm guessing the narrower the beam, the longer the range?

 

[N017RW]

Yes. Focusing the Photons concentrates the energy but it also reduces the aperture so you need to be more accurate and consistent in aiming toward the aircraft.

 

[Les Davidson]

Yes I know reasonable is a relative term. Sitting here trying not to spend any money on drones. At least for the day. Was thinking about how nice it would be, in my old age, to fly a drone to our cabin from my wheel chair, stroller, etc. For $10k I might think about it. Some thing tells me my wife wouldn't think about it. LOL. It is 40 miles over water. I know the government has all the good toys, but will there be a toy like that in our future? Just asking about the cost, technology, and the future. Not legal, moral, what my neighbor might thing, or if the nurse might rat me out for having a 10 foot drone under my bed.

This is what gets us a bad name. Fly within line of sight, that is a rule people like this come into the hobby then mess it up for all of us and then wander off and mess up another hobby. I hope he Doesn't own a gun.

 

[Mark The Droner]

By the time he reaches old age, flying out of VLOS might be as common as driving to the store for a quart of milk. The feds (US) are already considering it commercially.

Federal drone advisory panel knocked for ‘lack of transparency and poor management’

Oh, and read the comments. Three guesses on who posted the fifth comment. :-D

 

[AirMan05446]

There's nothing on the off-the-shelf consumer market that can get you 40 miles at any price. The two big obstacles are the battery and RC range -- and it won't be cheap to overcome them.

The battery issue can be addered by using a hydrogen fuel cell (Hydrogen-powered drone takes flight). The second by using a cell signal to tx/rx instead of a standard radio OR uploading the flight path to the AC and have it fly autonomously. Or you can rent satellite time a control that way. I'd also look at fixed wing instead of a quad as they are much more efficient.

 

[AnchorageAk]

There is always some one telling you , "you can't do that". If everyone believed that, the greatest advances in mankind would not exist. I remember hearing that some where.

Any way. Any one ever order a drone off the Chinese websites? One of the drones they had looked like a predator.

 

[Chrisedge]

That Hydro-Fuel company signed a deal exclusively with that Flightwave company I mentioned above.

 

[AnchorageAk]

That Hydro-Fuel company signed a deal exclusively with that Flightwave company I mentioned above.

If I remember correctly, I saw one on the Chinese web site. It had a silver cylinder in the center of the drone. Strange looking. Now, if it was real are not? Also, the Chinese apparently have no regard for patents. I'll see if I can find it again.

 

[KentA]

If I remember correctly, I saw one on the Chinese web site. It had a silver cylinder in the center of the drone. Strange looking. Now, if it was real are not? Also, the Chinese apparently have no regard for patents. I'll see if I can find it again.

Are you remembering FlightWave's Jupiter-H2?

 

[AnchorageAk]

Are you remembering FlightWave's Jupiter-H2?
View attachment 90818

That's it, or extremely close. I looked at about 500 drones, and couldn't find it again. So FlightWave has been around for a while?


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[pe9999]

The quad can only fly 17 minutes at 25 mph, unless it fly in a 60mph tailwind, it is not possible for flying 20 miles. Also if a fool fly in 60 mph wind, he will not get his quad back.

I think some day a drone will be able to do that, yes. Hell, there's a guy on this site who flew his Phantom almost 20 miles away...

Flytrex - Quadcopter and Multirotor Pilots Network

 

[Mark The Droner]

The quad can only fly 17 minutes at 25 mph, unless it fly in a 60mph tailwind, it is not possible for flying 20 miles. Also if a fool fly in 60 mph wind, he will not get his quad back.

I don't understand your post. Did you not click on the link?

 

[borschelrh]

I am surprised no one mentioned an RC plane. Planes are inherently more efficient and can carry much larger loads. Here is one example which went 80 km.

 

[borschelrh]

Here's another which went 203km.

 

[George_Sav]

Yes I know reasonable is a relative term. Sitting here trying not to spend any money on drones. At least for the day. Was thinking about how nice it would be, in my old age, to fly a drone to our cabin from my wheel chair, stroller, etc. For $10k I might think about it. Some thing tells me my wife wouldn't think about it. LOL. It is 40 miles over water. I know the government has all the good toys, but will there be a toy like that in our future? Just asking about the cost, technology, and the future. Not legal, moral, what my neighbor might thing, or if the nurse might rat me out for having a 10 foot drone under my bed.

How will you meet the FAA requirements that a Drone must be in visual range......?

 

[borschelrh]

That's an excellent question. How does anyone do it today even staying relatively close? Personally, I followed some excellent advice here and put stobes on mine so now at least others can see it if it is in their way and I can actually find it in the sky now even out to 5 miles. They really changed the way I do things and I am far more confident flying further.

However, IMHO the visual range requirement will be gone soon as it is not practical for commercial operations. Money will drive the issue and this will soon be a thing of the past. Part 107 licensed pilots will probably need an additional instruments only endorsement and I suspect there will be some kind of new enroute traffic control system created to handle this very similar to what we currently have for aircraft. My bets are on Amazon or similar driving this to a satisfactory solution as it is coming regardless. It is only a matter of when.

 

[netfolks2000]

Surely the time will come when drones can go further and there will probably be many more in the sky, all avoiding each other with new technology. But why would you want to fly to that camp so far away? Just to look around? You can have cellular game cameras that take motion activated photos now of wildlife or anyone that comes on the premises. Why not enjoy a drone available NOW where you are to get nice views around where you are? Don't wait all those years for something coming later.

 

[dgd3]

Yes I know reasonable is a relative term. Sitting here trying not to spend any money on drones. At least for the day. Was thinking about how nice it would be, in my old age, to fly a drone to our cabin from my wheel chair, stroller, etc. For $10k I might think about it. Some thing tells me my wife wouldn't think about it. LOL. It is 40 miles over water. I know the government has all the good toys, but will there be a toy like that in our future? Just asking about the cost, technology, and the future. Not legal, moral, what my neighbor might thing, or if the nurse might rat me out for having a 10 foot drone under my bed.

Parrot Disco fixed wing. Standard battery 30 in out & 30 km back with standard battery. Longer range battery's easily available.