Arctic Sledding Mission.

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Hi Guys,

I would greatly appreciate some input on this. In 3 weeks I and my team of 8 Sleddogs are moving to a location right on the Arctic Circle. The temperature will be as low as -40 centigrade come winter with an average of around -20.

I know I'm going see a huge reduction in flight time but it would be great if you could offer me some guidance in terms of what to expect and if I should take any extra parts with me like spare motors etc? Obviously I'll take some extra props but anything you can think off that would come in handy would be extremely useful.

I'm likely to be flying for the most within line of sight with a standard V2+ but Should I Upgrade anything such as Wi-Fi, landing gear, perhaps booster software etc? Ideas for getting the most out of batteries?

Any ideas will be greatly appreciated and thanks.

Snowdug.
 
Man that is going to be tough on the electronics & batteries. You need some way to warm up the batteries before flight...maybe put them inside your parka before flight? Once the Phantom starts drawing juice they will hopefully generate sufficient heat to stay functional. I would suspect the gimbal motors are going to be struggling too. Curious how GPS reception will be that far north?
 
I could put them inside a sock, then inside another sock with an active sealed gel hand warmer then in my pocket, this should generate enough heat for the time I require. If I can get even 7mins per battery that would be enough. Pretty basic but should work or might the battery blow my pocket up with the extra heat?

I've checked the satellite status in the area which is Lappland and it would appear on paper to be 6-12 depending on time of day but I'll find out and post my findings on performance, pic and video for people's information.
 
Probably going to need some heat packs around the bird until flight, maybe a pack under the hood too! :shock:
 
I could also stick my baggage with the kit in it inside a pre-warmed -40 sleeping bag and wrap it around before I drive up on the Snowmobile to film the teams perhaps. It's when it comes back down after 1st battery what effect the temperature will have on the other part such as Gimbel motors like Dirtybird stated.

SD
 
At least in Lapland the magnetic variation shouldn't be a serious issue like it might be in parts of the Canadian Arctic.
The lines on the map are a good distance apart where you'll be.
 
Paint the phantom in a fluro colour - Hot pink. Paint the landing gear at least just for more visibility when it RTH lands.
 
Mako79 said:
Paint the phantom in a fluro colour - Hot pink. Paint the landing gear at least just for more visibility when it RTH lands.

I as seriously toying with the idea of painting it but not really ever being a serious hobbyist or Rc head I don't have the first clue on how to go about it, what paint to use, brushes, do I need an undercoat, what do I use if I get paint somewhere it shouldn't be, do I need to take it apart, if so how severely and will the paint effect anything such as control, flight time and balance?
 
Snowdug said:
Mako79 said:
Paint the phantom in a fluro colour - Hot pink. Paint the landing gear at least just for more visibility when it RTH lands.

I as seriously toying with the idea of painting it but not really ever being a serious hobbyist or Rc head I don't have the first clue on how to go about it, what paint to use, brushes, do I need an undercoat, what do I use if I get paint somewhere it shouldn't be, do I need to take it apart, if so how severely and will the paint effect anything such as control, flight time and balance?

If you want permanent:
For plastics, find an adhesion promoter. I think Duplicolor makes them. Just a light dusting to encourage paints to stick. Use an aerosol and you'll be fine.
If aesthetics isn't important, then just remove the top cover and landing gear and give it new coat. It will save you time and you don't have to mask anything.

If you want temporary
Use plastic dip. It is all reversible. No prep required and they now come in fluro colours.
Make sure you cake it on so it can peel off easy later.

Do the foil mod while you're there.
 
Watch for icing on the props if there is any moisture in the air as this will almost certainly cause a crash. Test fly for a few seconds, pull the craft in and do a good examination. Also keep an eye out for condensation on the camera lens. Will your phone work at those temperatures for FPV?

I'd love to see the footage!
 
Why not send DJI an email and ask if they would like to sponsor you in the way of spare parts or spare bird etc.

Make it enticing for them so if it flies well in those conditions they can advertise as such, also offer them footage.

If they will not sponsor, just ask for advice on what spares you should need.

Personally if I owned a business I would jump at the opportunity to test my products in those conditions.

There is no harm in trying...... :)
 
I will do Connor, Humidity up there is generally pretty low, so I would imagine it should be fine but valid point, I will put it on my checklist. Do you think I would benefit from taller landing gear or taking a few extra motors with me? I'll be sure to post links to my footage here and on my you tube channel. I will be there in 3 weeks so I will be taking footage before and after the snow comes as the place changes dramatically. Also do you think I would benefit from upgrading the wifi etc?
 
DownunderPhantom said:
Why not send DJI an email and ask if they would like to sponsor you in the way of spare parts or spare bird etc.

Make it enticing for them so if it flies well in those conditions they can advertise as such, also offer them footage.

If they will not sponsor, just ask for advice on what spares you should need.

Personally if I owned a business I would jump at the opportunity to test my products in those conditions.

There is no harm in trying...... :)

Now There Mr DownunderPhantom,

The amount of times I've asked for sponsorship for the dogs and it didn't even cross my mind - What a Brilliant Idea - Thank You - I'm on it now.
 
Snowdug said:
DownunderPhantom said:
Why not send DJI an email and ask if they would like to sponsor you in the way of spare parts or spare bird etc.

Make it enticing for them so if it flies well in those conditions they can advertise as such, also offer them footage.

If they will not sponsor, just ask for advice on what spares you should need.

Personally if I owned a business I would jump at the opportunity to test my products in those conditions.

There is no harm in trying...... :)

Now There Mr DownunderPhantom,

The amount of times I've asked for sponsorship for the dogs and it didn't even cross my mind - What a Brilliant Idea - Thank You - I'm on it now.

It will be interesting to find out what they say...

Good luck..
 
Snowdug
I just acquired my P2V+ but flew a F550 all last winter in temps down to -5F. I took batteries directly from +70 F to sub zero temp and only noticed minimal loss. Only issue I had was my fingers. Suggest one of the gloved tx enclosures.
 
UgashikBob said:
Snowdug
I just acquired my P2V+ but flew a F550 all last winter in temps down to -5F. I took batteries directly from +70 F to sub zero temp and only noticed minimal loss. Only issue I had was my fingers. Suggest one of the gloved tx enclosures.

Hi Bob, Could you ping me a link to some please?
 
The main concern is temperature and what it does.
Most electronics are designed to operate in the + region unless its military specs.
Consult what DJI states as specs for temp.
Main concern is when you come from the outside and have flown the bird. It would be cold and going inside in warm air makes that water-vapor in the air condensate on any cold surface.
Also use the booster app, for a stock bird its a must have.
 
The timing of this post is spectacular for me. I will be the primary photographer on a NASA sponsored expedition to the Arctic circle in April/May time frame of 2015. I am going on an expedition to Greenland this next spring and was planning on using a GoPro system on a quadcopter to film portions of our expedition which include some time in the arctic circle. I would greatly appreciate some feedback on your findings. Our temp range will be very similar - -50 to 0 degrees in nearly identical conditions. I would be glad to swap information I find as I start my research with you. Please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Sincerely,

Darren Hill
[email protected]
 
I have flown in Greenland (in Northern Greenland actually - Qanaaq region, you can check out our blog http://qaanaaq2012.blogspot.com/) but with a fixed wing aircraft.
What we found is that if you keep the lipoly batteries reasonably warm (we would keep them inside our jackets and use our body heat to keep them warm) they are fine to fly with.

The biggest problem we had is with our laptops completing freezing within minutes. We were there in April with temps in the -25 to -35C range. Hopefully you will be warmer.
Have fun - it is beautiful out there.
 

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