Long live the P3S!

[HermannG]

I had/have Mavic pro p3a p3pro and p3s
I fly mostly Litchi missions and after 3 years I can tell the one which never let me down. P3s.
Cheap and reliable.
Currently I have a p3s 8960 mah at 1357 grams - home brew, own "design". Love it to bits!!!
Long live P3S!
Get it back in production DJI!!!!!
You will have plenty of life time customers!
If one thing I don't like is that I still can't reset the battery board with new cells....

 

[shuggins]

HermannG, ha! Thats great. So, tell more about this 8960 mah (I assume)
battery. Got pics? How long can you fly? Yea, agreed... P3s is a workhorse. Flew it last night. It was 33 degrees and it flew like a champ as always. Its really a good quad is for extension. Lots have customized their p3s...

I have 5 other dji drones and a yuneec drone. P3s is favorite. Its like an old, faithful dog.

 

[HermannG]

HermannG, ha! Thats great. So, tell more about this 8960 mah (I assume)
battery. Got pics? How long can you fly? Yea, agreed... P3s is a workhorse. Flew it last night. It was 33 degrees and it flew like a champ as always. Its really a good quad is for extension. Lots have customized their p3s...

I have 5 other dji drones and a yuneec drone. P3s is favorite. Its like an old, faithful dog.

Hi shuggings
Thank you for your interests! I always loved to mod not for the sake of modding but for extra flying time. I fried the ESC's on a P3 pro and my 960 grams Mavic Pro sooner or later would switch to Atti due to magnetic interference triggered by higher magnetic fields caused by high currents. I like the pro, not 2, but could not give me what I want. I want 30 min real world flight time, every time without draining the battery to minimum. The launch of M2 with basically the same flight time as the existing drones is a clear sign that DJI is not going to give me what I want.
Now about my P3S. 30 minutes? Not (yet) ****! ?
My target weight was 1280 g as P3A but doesn't look like I can get that light.
But it will get lighter than 1357g
What it can do? (wintery conditions) 8 degrees C
In a very calm day flew 20.1 km - Litchi.
Speed set close to max, towards next waypoint, back and forth, straight lines (stopping at each waypoint) Battery 16 % on ground, carbon DJI props.
Or manual GPS flight, looking for the best shot around sort of flying, 18 and a half minutes with 65% battery starting down to 14 % landed. Still 7 to 8 degrees Celsius but a bit more wind.
It has no landing gear and the core is the battery pack. 2 p3 batteries from where the 8960 mah is assumed, one battery has no smart board and the other one has the plastic case removed
I want to make a YouTube video but had no time yet. I have been too busy with the "development" plus that my wife doesn't like if I spend to much time in the garage.

 

[Primpwatcher]

I still fly my P3S. I've seen videos on YouTube where people are saying that Phantoms are no longer relevant. I disagree. The Standard has a fast response time, flies as it should, and has caused me minimal issues. It holds well in high winds, up to 35 for me. I'll keep flying mine until it no longer wants to work.

 

[shuggins]

Primpwatcher- amen to that! I fly mine all the time. Camera and everything about it holds up so well. They are also built like a tank. It is very responsive. My Mavic Air (or my Spark) don't react nearly as "immediate" as the P3S.

I've also flown in 22-25 mph winds. Stable video and very cool to see the trees are going nuts in the wind, but the quad is completely stable!

Only thing I can think of that went wrong, is I got the "jello effect" a few months after flying it. But tightening that screw that attaches gimbal to camera (seen in many youtube videos) totally got rid of my jello.

Got any pics or video done with your P3S? Anyone else? Love to look at them.

 

[redlion13]

Yea, silly, but I don't care...I love this drone. I have a P4, a P3P, a Mavic Air, a Spark and a P3S. I find myself drawn way more to this drone mostly because it's a huge underdog in many ways (don't you think?). But, it's upgradeable. Only reason I'm posting this here instead of photos and videos is because it's my first try and a long range flight in an open area (over a lake). The video starts as I'm half way across the lake. Once I get to the other side, the p3s is 11,741 feet away from me. Shot a little more video and had to hurry back before I ran out of battery. If anyone's interested, I can explain how one free mod and another $9.99 mod pushed the range of my P3S way beyond what I thought could be done. I'm not the first to do this, but it's sure exciting to pull it off....

Anyone else done some cool mods to your P3S?

 

[redlion13]

Yea, silly, but I don't care...I love this drone. I have a P4, a P3P, a Mavic Air, a Spark and a P3S. I find myself drawn way more to this drone mostly because it's a huge underdog in many ways (don't you think?). But, it's upgradeable. Only reason I'm posting this here instead of photos and videos is because it's my first try and a long range flight in an open area (over a lake). The video starts as I'm half way across the lake. Once I get to the other side, the p3s is 11,741 feet away from me. Shot a little more video and had to hurry back before I ran out of battery. If anyone's interested, I can explain how one free mod and another $9.99 mod pushed the range of my P3S way beyond what I thought could be done. I'm not the first to do this, but it's sure exciting to pull it off....

Anyone else done some cool mods to your P3S?

 

[redlion13]

Yea, silly, but I don't care...I love this drone. I have a P4, a P3P, a Mavic Air, a Spark and a P3S. I find myself drawn way more to this drone mostly because it's a huge underdog in many ways (don't you think?). But, it's upgradeable. Only reason I'm posting this here instead of photos and videos is because it's my first try and a long range flight in an open area (over a lake). The video starts as I'm half way across the lake. Once I get to the other side, the p3s is 11,741 feet away from me. Shot a little more video and had to hurry back before I ran out of battery. If anyone's interested, I can explain how one free mod and another $9.99 mod pushed the range of my P3S way beyond what I thought could be done. I'm not the first to do this, but it's sure exciting to pull it off....

Anyone else done some cool mods to your P3S?

 

[redlion13]

Yea, silly, but I don't care...I love this drone. I have a P4, a P3P, a Mavic Air, a Spark and a P3S. I find myself drawn way more to this drone mostly because it's a huge underdog in many ways (don't you think?). But, it's upgradeable. Only reason I'm posting this here instead of photos and videos is because it's my first try and a long range flight in an open area (over a lake). The video starts as I'm half way across the lake. Once I get to the other side, the p3s is 11,741 feet away from me. Shot a little more video and had to hurry back before I ran out of battery. If anyone's interested, I can explain how one free mod and another $9.99 mod pushed the range of my P3S way beyond what I thought could be done. I'm not the first to do this, but it's sure exciting to pull it off....

Anyone else done some cool mods to your P3S?

 

[redlion13]

I love the phantom 3 standard also have litch with argtek and 1 amp on transmit and receiver. I am rebuilding a 2nd phantom 3 stand my beginner drone has been to hell and back. Putting it in a new shell must fix broken leds wire.Good on windy days.I also have a mavic plat. and evo. Just had a promark gps drone drop from sky today probally frooze moter.

 

[redlion13]

I love the phantom 3 standard also have litch with argtek ant and 1 amp on transmit and receiver. I am rebuilding a 2nd phantom 3 stand, my beginner drone has been to hell and back. Putting it in a new shell must fix broken leds wire.Good on windy days.I wanted to do magic 5 but chicken out and heard it cuts flying time with battery drain. Think I am losing video at 4,000 last time I noticed it.
I also have a mavic plat. and evo. Just had a promark gps drone drop from sky today probally frooze moter.

 

[redlion13]

I love the phantom 3 standard also have litch with argtek and 1 amp on transmit and receiver. I am rebuilding a 2nd phantom 3 stand my beginner drone has been to hell and back. Putting it in a new shell must fix broken leds wire.Good on windy days.I also have a mavic plat. and evo.I Just had a promark gps drone drop from sky today probally frooze moter.

 

[shuggins]

So to hear about your promark falling! Dang. I also got the Argtek about 3 days ago. It, combined with Magic Power 5 mod, got 8299 feet range in a highly congested area. How has your Argtek setup faired? A lot better? For me, it's the FPV stays a lot more solid. No breaking up in signal (or at least not as bad as it was before Argtek).

Good luck on that rebuild. It sounds daunting but also rewarding if you can bring it back to life.

I need to post pics of my P3S setup. It's now a performer....when bought stock, it was a frustrating experience with constant pop ups in DJI Go app about strong interferences... and the choppy FPV.

Also, wanted to ask about your 1 amp you mentioned... did it really make a noticeable difference? Got a link where you bought it? Thanks.

I love the phantom 3 standard also have litch with argtek and 1 amp on transmit and receiver. I am rebuilding a 2nd phantom 3 stand my beginner drone has been to hell and back. Putting it in a new shell must fix broken leds wire.Good on windy days.I also have a mavic plat. and evo. Just had a promark gps drone drop from sky today probally frooze moter.

 

[Chrislaf]

Yesterday I went out in heavy wet snow and flew 3 batteries. My P3S performed flawlessly. I just wiped it down with a towel between battery swaps and had a transmitter mitt to keep my controller dry.

I was again amazed at the sharpness of the footage when I watched it back on my iPhone and laptop.

I have been exploring the possibility of buying a Mavic 2 Pro since I take hundreds of photos and panos, but in situations like this I probably would not have even tried launching a M2P since it is 4 times the cost of my P3S and I would be worried about the damage the wet snow could do. Therein lies the beauty of the P3S - it is a solid drone that takes great photos and video and would not cause a major financial loss if it was lost or destroyed.

Chris

 

[shuggins]

Chris, that sounds really cool. Here in the Dallas area we don't get snow often...so I just have to imagine what you're talking about.

Any chance you could upload a video of it? Im sure everyone would love to see it....cause some can only imagine what that'd be like.

 

[Chrislaf]

Chris, that sounds really cool. Here in the Dallas area we don't get snow often...so I just have to imagine what you're talking about.

Any chance you could upload a video of it? Im sure everyone would love to see it....cause some can only imagine what that'd be like.

Once I get a bit of time to do some quick edits, I’ll post it. I’m not much of a video guy, mostly photos. Just had the video recording between panos.

My cousin lives in Dallas area. I remember when we were kids and he visited us in Canada during winter. He had never seen snow before and I remember him making a snowball and wanting to bring it inside and me trying to explain to him that it would melt. Kind of like the book by Ezra Jack Keats - The Snowy Day.

Chris

 

[shuggins]

Nice story,. Back in February of 2011, Dallas host the Super Bowl. The town was ecstatic until the week of it came. From 6 days out, we got the winter storm of the century! It never got above 28 degrees the week leading up to the football game, and a TON of sleet and snow. Somehow, I doubt the NFL is considering us anymore for the big game.

Look forward to seeing your edited video. I just got back from flying my P3S around (as the sun set - my sweet spot to go fly) a very expensive area of Dallas (Westlake). I will edit and post soon.

PS: ….I see your Syma X8G in your avatar! LOL, that was my very first drone back in October of 2016. I flew it into the ground. I recently went back and watched videos I made with that drone. Oh my.... pretty bad (lol!). At the time I thought it was the greatest thing. But, it's not even 10% as good (in my opinion) to a P3S but that drone totally did set the hook in my when it came to quads. That thing had 9 lives...and on the 10th life, it went to the grave. Still, I have fond memories of that drone.

 

[Chrislaf]

Nice story,. Back in February of 2011, Dallas host the Super Bowl. The town was ecstatic until the week of it came. From 6 days out, we got the winter storm of the century! It never got above 28 degrees the week leading up to the football game, and a TON of sleet and snow. Somehow, I doubt the NFL is considering us anymore for the big game.

Look forward to seeing your edited video. I just got back from flying my P3S around (as the sun set - my sweet spot to go fly) a very expensive area of Dallas (Westlake). I will edit and post soon.

PS: ….I see your Syma X8G in your avatar! LOL, that was my very first drone back in October of 2016. I flew it into the ground. I recently went back and watched videos I made with that drone. Oh my.... pretty bad (lol!). At the time I thought it was the greatest thing. But, it's not even 10% as good (in my opinion) to a P3S but that drone totally did set the hook in my when it came to quads. That thing had 9 lives...and on the 10th life, it went to the grave. Still, I have fond memories of that drone.

Yes, I still have my X8G and it still flies. Before I got my P3S I strapped a cheap 2 axis gimbal to it with an action cam. It worked great until I crashed it and messed up the gimbal. With the gimbal flights were short and it would come down fast because of the weight.

Chris

 

[shuggins]

(thread hijack)

Was that gimbal colored white? I remember a guy doing a review of it on youtube and I thought it looked intriguing....wasn't sure if I was going to buy it, then the Syma made the decision for me: it fatally crashed.

 

[Chrislaf]

(thread hijack)

Was that gimbal colored white? I remember a guy doing a review of it on youtube and I thought it looked intriguing....wasn't sure if I was going to buy it, then the Syma made the decision for me: it fatally crashed.

The first one (my avatar) was a cheap CNC one which was messed up on a crash. The second one was a Walkera one. I think that’s the one you are referring to. It was lighter, but made of plastic and worked very well until a hard landing broke it. Amazon refunded my money.

Chris