Flytrex Live 3G Released - Review
- Thread starter Dirty Bird
- Start date
DrJoe said:
I went with the CAN bus adapter option - already did the foil mod on the top shell and GPS cable - so GPS signal should be unaffected. We'll see when we get the 3G installed.
Brent10 said:
Brent, I'm in the exact same spot. Same status and still no delivery. Patience is wearing thin.
Anyone having trouble with the time reported in the mission? Mine is 8 hours into the future after my flight. I am in Pacific time and I was thinking they are using GMT but I heard someone on the east coast was 4 hours into the future. I reported to Flytrex but no updates other than they were looking into it. I was just wondering if everyone sees this or an isolated few. I have 2 Live 3G's and both do the same.
PhantomPhreak said:
That may have been me out east you're referring to. I'm on EST, and the times I logged (UTC and LOCAL) were both the same, and the time was neither local not UTC/GMT. I reported it and Flytrex asked me which of my flights it was so they could look into it, as it appeared to them it was a bug. I read something somewhere later where they said it had been fixed. UTC/GMT is 8 hours ahead of your time on Pacific Standard Time (PST). It appears it did log correctly for UTC/GMT, so maybe they did get it fixed. I haven't flown since I had the issue, so I don't know myself. Were the times in an exported .csv file the same in both the LOCAL and UTC colums?
Mine Is way out too. On the website it's about 8 hours out but when I download the csv file for dashware it comes in correct. Strange. I'm MST here in Alberta Canada.
Chuck26287 said:
I did a flight after they said it was fixed for all future flights and it was still a problem. I was going to download the csv file to check it out and noticed all my flights now have the correct time. Even flights from several weeks ago. Please recheck to see if yours has been fixed too. If they can fix the Android app all will be perfect.
US customers, I received a message from Amit Regev from Flytrex regarding the shipping delays some of us have been experiencing. The long and short of it is, weather delays on the East coast and a USPS backup at the point of entry. Following are excerpts from his message.
"...I'm terribly sorry for the delay and trouble with this.
All shipments were shipped and handed over for express shipment a while back and since we understood shipments are delayed we've been doing our utmost to better understand the reason for the delay and how we can help push those shipments as fast as possible to those who are waiting for it. I've been calling the shipping service daily myself, pretty much every morning, to try and understand how we can speed things up and what exactly is causing these issues.
Based on the feedback we received from them, they are experiencing shipping delays only to the US that are related to recent weather in the US. I can confirm that indeed shipments to other countries have been going very fast per usual.
After getting similar answer from them for 3 or 4 days I searched to find similar reports over the internet and was able to confirm what we were explained by other shipping services as well."
"...We were promised multiple times that all packages will arrive shortly to their destination. We are also doing the best we can to see how we can speed this.
We've been shipping with EMS and USPS for a long time now and those have already been working very well, so we honestly didn't expect having such problems. I do trust them that the packages will arrive soon though. If not, we will find the way to help each of our customers individually with their shipment."
"...Again, we're terribly sorry for this delay and doing everything in our powers to help push these shipments to our users as quickly as possible.
Thank you for your understanding."
Yes, it sucks that we have to wait for our much anticipated devices due to weather delays but Mother Nature always has the last word.
Thanks for the update Amit.
"...I'm terribly sorry for the delay and trouble with this.
All shipments were shipped and handed over for express shipment a while back and since we understood shipments are delayed we've been doing our utmost to better understand the reason for the delay and how we can help push those shipments as fast as possible to those who are waiting for it. I've been calling the shipping service daily myself, pretty much every morning, to try and understand how we can speed things up and what exactly is causing these issues.
Based on the feedback we received from them, they are experiencing shipping delays only to the US that are related to recent weather in the US. I can confirm that indeed shipments to other countries have been going very fast per usual.
After getting similar answer from them for 3 or 4 days I searched to find similar reports over the internet and was able to confirm what we were explained by other shipping services as well."
"...We were promised multiple times that all packages will arrive shortly to their destination. We are also doing the best we can to see how we can speed this.
We've been shipping with EMS and USPS for a long time now and those have already been working very well, so we honestly didn't expect having such problems. I do trust them that the packages will arrive soon though. If not, we will find the way to help each of our customers individually with their shipment."
"...Again, we're terribly sorry for this delay and doing everything in our powers to help push these shipments to our users as quickly as possible.
Thank you for your understanding."
Yes, it sucks that we have to wait for our much anticipated devices due to weather delays but Mother Nature always has the last word.
Thanks for the update Amit.
milspecjsc said:
I feel rather foolish for paying for express shipping on an item that I ordered a month ago.
According to my shipping notification and the online tracking updates, my package didn't leave Israel for 3 days after a shipping label was created. So much for six day shipping.
PhantomPhreak said:
Just checked and my times are still the same as they were the day the flight was flown. A newly exported .csv file still shows both localtime and utctime columns containing duplicate time data.
milspecjsc said:
So I wonder what his excuse is for late/no delivery to the UK. I ordered over a week ago, received the standard, "Your order is ready for despatch" email and then a deafening silence.
A little customer communication goes a long way Amit.
milspecjsc said:
I'm another person who is VERY frustrated with this whole series of delays. Our human nature (okay, I'll say MY human nature) is to look for who's responsible and get upset. Especially when I paid for expedited service, and I seem to be getting anything but that. However, I only hold Flytrex accountable for the delay(s) while my order was in their hands. They delayed my order, no doubt, but what could I really expect of them? I suppose they could have emailed me and asked if I wanted them to go ahead and ship my products without testing them. I would have said no. I prefer reliability over fast shipping anyday. I did complain to them, but not about the delay so much as the faultering communications when things didn't go as stated on their website, relative to the delays. The nice thing is they replied, both publicly and in private email communication. They came back to me with what I must say were very reasonable responses, containing honest explanation, accountability and sincere apology. I don't guess as a customer looking for complaint resolution, I can really ask for much more than that. They got my order out the door and to the shipper. To me, that's where their accountability for delays in my receiving my order ends.
As for the current delay, I work in equipment service and deal with expedited parts shipping all the time. This is what severe weather does. It will pass, and I'll get my order. It will be late. Life sucks sometimes. As unhappy as I am with all these circustances, and the fact that I am STILL waiting on my Can Bus Adapters, I am very happy with Flytrex. They are not perfect, but I think their priorities are right. The bottom line is very simple. If their product(s) weren't worth waiting on, I wouldn't.
I'm still waiting for my package to arrive.
I have spent a couple hours reading this thread, and poring through much of the content on the flytrex web site. It would be great if one of you FL3G gurus could do for this thread what Ian Wood did/does for the 14SG thread: keep the first post as the compendium of all salient knowledge for someone who has decided to get on board, enabling them to find the essential knowledge from these ~38 pages in a consolidated page or two. I don't think the FAQ on the flytrex site encompasses all the knowledge that exists out there. In particular, I am curious about (and tired of wading through shipment delay rants to find) the following:
I am sure some of these answers are out there, buried in the 38 pages of shipping frustrations and carrier sim card questions. And I am sure there are several other key points some of you learned the hard way, or just via time-consuming trial and error. Just wishing the key knowledge was concentrated in one dense page. EDIT: I do appreciate Dirty Bird's OP, and that was quite helpful. However I think there are additional tribal learnings that are not in that OP.
Kelly
- Canbus cable -- what does it provide? Is it the only way to install on a P2 / P2V, or just the best way? Other connectivity methods?
- Are there any differences in install between a P2 and P2V?
- Haven't seen many stories about exactly what happens in a fly-away. And failure analysis of what happens if the FL3G has power and cell connectivity, but the bird has taken on a mind of its own, and/or lost connectivity with the radio?
- On a related note: success stories, failure stories?
- I see concerns about privacy of flight data. Is there a way for the tracker to speak only to a private portal on the internet, such that if Flytrex the company bit the dust, the system can still achieve much of its lost model functionality? For example, a simple backup tracker functionality would be to text your last known coordinates every 5 min to a user-specified cell #. That would be very simple, independent of Flytrex the company, and achieve >> $200 in value on any flyaway.
- Are GPS interference issues specific to Visions, or are non-Visions susceptible too? What is best install method to avoid GPS degradation?
I am sure some of these answers are out there, buried in the 38 pages of shipping frustrations and carrier sim card questions. And I am sure there are several other key points some of you learned the hard way, or just via time-consuming trial and error. Just wishing the key knowledge was concentrated in one dense page. EDIT: I do appreciate Dirty Bird's OP, and that was quite helpful. However I think there are additional tribal learnings that are not in that OP.
Kelly
I have spent a couple hours reading this thread, and poring through much of the content on the flytrex web site. It would be great if one of you FL3G gurus could do for this thread what Ian Wood did/does for the 14SG thread: keep the first post as the compendium of all salient knowledge for someone who has decided to get on board, enabling them to find the essential knowledge from these ~38 pages in a consolidated page or two. I don't think the FAQ on the flytrex site encompasses all the knowledge that exists out there. In particular, I am curious about (and tired of wading through shipment delay rants to find) the following: As far as Shipment delays go, I believe they are Non-Existent in the USA, there are so many Dealers to choose from, & I know that I was able to get mine in 2 days by going down the attached list in the URL & calling & asking if they are in stock... http://www.flytrex.com/dealers/flytrex-live/
Canbus cable -- what does it provide? From what I can tell, this new connector will enable you to install soldier free
Are there any differences in install between a P2 and P2V? I had mine professionally installed into my P2V+, but common sense tells me that it will be slightly different than the P2V...
Haven't seen many stories about exactly what happens in a fly-away. And failure analysis of what happens if the FL3G has power and cell connectivity, but the bird has taken on a mind of its own, and/or lost connectivity with the radio? Can't see how this can be an issue due to a proper installation....
On a related note: success stories, failure stories? OK here is the part that you may not like to read, but full disclosure....Upon getting my P2V+ back with the Fly_trex 3g Professionally installed, I went to a T-Mobile store & asked the store Mgr for help with what I needed to get going...(actually I called first and asked if they knew...& they did) I needed to buy the following; a. Electronic Pin $10.00 b. TMO SIM Starter Kit $15.00 c. MICROSIM PLUG 128k $0.00 Total cost for all was $27.26 this incld $2.26 in taxes. Now this is what T-Mobile told me in the store the night I bought the (starter kit), that this was a Pre-Paid setup & it would cost $10.00 each month. However, something is ****** up with their system accounting....this is what happened to me....Everything worked as it should for 7 days...then my system stopped working????I called up and asked what the status was on my acct. & I was informed that what I had purchased was only good for 7 days & that any type Prepaid data plans were only good for 7 days, unless I paid $40.00 @ month!!!! Now before you readers tell me how stupid that is or I am....your preaching to the congregation....I sent an email to FlyTrex support & I was given some totally different info that has even confused me more....this is the response I received;
Thank you for your mail. This is the first time I am hearing anything like this in regards to T-Mobile. Almost all users have reported the $10 per month plan, pay-as-you-go. Unfortunately, we do not have any direct association with T-Mobile or any other mobile carrier for that matter, so I am not sure on how to direct you with regards to T-Mobile specifically. I can suggest either reaching out to other Flytrex users (via Flytrex on Facebook or forum) to see what insight they may be able to offer with regards to T-Mobile specifically or taking your business to H20 Wireless if there is sufficient coverage in your area (part of the AT&T network). In the US, there are many users who have secured a pay-as-you-go SIM with H20 Wireless. This is the feedback from one user just last week: "Cost was ten dollars for the sim card at many retailers such as Best Buy, WalMart and others. Then you register on line with them and I got a plan for $10 good for three months. At best, you will have spend 40 dollars for a years time. Each ten dollars is good for 100mb of data. You will have to do a lot of flying to use that much in three months. If for some reason you aren't able to fly, you don't renew. You can always restart it when you are ready.".
I have not actually gone back into into the original T-Mobile store that I started with & began a dialog fixing the problem, but when I do I will be sure to take the email response I just listed with me & see if I can not only fix the "7 Day" Issue, but also modify the plan to make it more inline with that $40.00 a year total cost deal!
Now for a totally new issue/problem/WTF's is that I tried to download the "FLYTREX LIVE 3G PROGRAMMER" along with the "FTDI driver for Windows" my Windows 7 told me to go **** Myself! I'm not an IT expert, but then again I'm not a IT Moron either..... so WTF???? I am hoping that the local user I found in my area my be able to coach me to a successful direction with EVERYTHING THATS A PROBLEM...
I see concerns about privacy of flight data. Is there a way for the tracker to speak only to a private portal on the internet, such that if Flytrex the company bit the dust, the system can still achieve much of its lost model functionality? For example, a simple backup tracker functionality would be to text your last known coordinates every 5 min to a user-specified cell #. As far as your Privacy issues are concerned, there are only 2 ways to go ; You can make your flights open to the public online or not....anything else you have referenced I have not ever heard mentioned in any of the reading or conversations I have had with the Experts I know of...(if You found out otherwise please PM me because I can see how our FAA folks could really use this info against you...if U know what I mean...)
Hi Kelly,
I'm so glad that you made your post. As you, I did my share of Due Diligence on this product before I actually purchased it. After reading through your concerns I can help you with several of your ?'s (I hope) but unfortunately, I am going to end up with many more concerns for you... Not to worry though... I have been watching online, another user of the product in my zip code & he has logged over 100+ successful flights, thus giving me promise that all will be good once I get things sorted out! I hope that I was able to help you some with this info, I see that I just spent an hr with answering your post...but in the spirit of PP.com's website..that's what it takes in order to help us with the many unique challenges that this wonderful hobby generates.....
Peace...
Moose
Canbus cable -- what does it provide? From what I can tell, this new connector will enable you to install soldier free
Are there any differences in install between a P2 and P2V? I had mine professionally installed into my P2V+, but common sense tells me that it will be slightly different than the P2V...
Haven't seen many stories about exactly what happens in a fly-away. And failure analysis of what happens if the FL3G has power and cell connectivity, but the bird has taken on a mind of its own, and/or lost connectivity with the radio? Can't see how this can be an issue due to a proper installation....
On a related note: success stories, failure stories? OK here is the part that you may not like to read, but full disclosure....Upon getting my P2V+ back with the Fly_trex 3g Professionally installed, I went to a T-Mobile store & asked the store Mgr for help with what I needed to get going...(actually I called first and asked if they knew...& they did) I needed to buy the following; a. Electronic Pin $10.00 b. TMO SIM Starter Kit $15.00 c. MICROSIM PLUG 128k $0.00 Total cost for all was $27.26 this incld $2.26 in taxes. Now this is what T-Mobile told me in the store the night I bought the (starter kit), that this was a Pre-Paid setup & it would cost $10.00 each month. However, something is ****** up with their system accounting....this is what happened to me....Everything worked as it should for 7 days...then my system stopped working????I called up and asked what the status was on my acct. & I was informed that what I had purchased was only good for 7 days & that any type Prepaid data plans were only good for 7 days, unless I paid $40.00 @ month!!!! Now before you readers tell me how stupid that is or I am....your preaching to the congregation....I sent an email to FlyTrex support & I was given some totally different info that has even confused me more....this is the response I received;
Thank you for your mail. This is the first time I am hearing anything like this in regards to T-Mobile. Almost all users have reported the $10 per month plan, pay-as-you-go. Unfortunately, we do not have any direct association with T-Mobile or any other mobile carrier for that matter, so I am not sure on how to direct you with regards to T-Mobile specifically. I can suggest either reaching out to other Flytrex users (via Flytrex on Facebook or forum) to see what insight they may be able to offer with regards to T-Mobile specifically or taking your business to H20 Wireless if there is sufficient coverage in your area (part of the AT&T network). In the US, there are many users who have secured a pay-as-you-go SIM with H20 Wireless. This is the feedback from one user just last week: "Cost was ten dollars for the sim card at many retailers such as Best Buy, WalMart and others. Then you register on line with them and I got a plan for $10 good for three months. At best, you will have spend 40 dollars for a years time. Each ten dollars is good for 100mb of data. You will have to do a lot of flying to use that much in three months. If for some reason you aren't able to fly, you don't renew. You can always restart it when you are ready.".
I have not actually gone back into into the original T-Mobile store that I started with & began a dialog fixing the problem, but when I do I will be sure to take the email response I just listed with me & see if I can not only fix the "7 Day" Issue, but also modify the plan to make it more inline with that $40.00 a year total cost deal!
Now for a totally new issue/problem/WTF's is that I tried to download the "FLYTREX LIVE 3G PROGRAMMER" along with the "FTDI driver for Windows" my Windows 7 told me to go **** Myself! I'm not an IT expert, but then again I'm not a IT Moron either..... so WTF???? I am hoping that the local user I found in my area my be able to coach me to a successful direction with EVERYTHING THATS A PROBLEM...
I see concerns about privacy of flight data. Is there a way for the tracker to speak only to a private portal on the internet, such that if Flytrex the company bit the dust, the system can still achieve much of its lost model functionality? For example, a simple backup tracker functionality would be to text your last known coordinates every 5 min to a user-specified cell #. As far as your Privacy issues are concerned, there are only 2 ways to go ; You can make your flights open to the public online or not....anything else you have referenced I have not ever heard mentioned in any of the reading or conversations I have had with the Experts I know of...(if You found out otherwise please PM me because I can see how our FAA folks could really use this info against you...if U know what I mean...)
Hi Kelly,
I'm so glad that you made your post. As you, I did my share of Due Diligence on this product before I actually purchased it. After reading through your concerns I can help you with several of your ?'s (I hope) but unfortunately, I am going to end up with many more concerns for you... Not to worry though... I have been watching online, another user of the product in my zip code & he has logged over 100+ successful flights, thus giving me promise that all will be good once I get things sorted out! I hope that I was able to help you some with this info, I see that I just spent an hr with answering your post...but in the spirit of PP.com's website..that's what it takes in order to help us with the many unique challenges that this wonderful hobby generates.....
Peace...
Moose
Were you going to a T-Mobile dealer or to an actual T-Mobile store? In my experience with T-mobile is that the dealer does what profits him the most (and the dealer usually does not know all the plan options), and the store prioritizes the customer.
The question to ask first is "are you a dealer or owned by T-Mobile?"
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