Lost my Phantom - Need Advice

[taimoor]

Today is a really sad day for me, since I have lost my Phantom. Before anything, id like to clarify that it was user error and I cannot blame anyone but myself. When I calibrated compass I left in ATTI mode instead of GPS. When I took off, I took off in ATTI and didn't realize till the wind knocked it into a tree. I was at the edge of a forest and there was no finding it. It was absolutely terrible, and im heartbroken. Lesson learnt though, it was definitely some overconfidence which has no room here.

But, ive decided, the only way to get over the loss is to get back on the horse fairly quickly or ill keep moping. Im gonna take the financial hit and get another one, but I need some advice.

I still have the controller (Futaba T8J) which im assuming I can pair with it? I think im going to stick with the Phantom2 since I have two spare batteries for it and it seemed to serve my purposes well. I would like to get better FPV system as the video would break up. Also, the range wasn't super impressive with the Futaba. It would go to FS at about 1Km and I was hoping to get a bit more.

Any advice on how/where to purchase. Im not good with soldering or parts, so id like to get as much done as possible. I was hoping to send my Futaba in and they could build, pair, test and send it back to me reasonably quickly. Anyone have any thoughts on who could do that for me. Any other advice from the forum on what I should do differently. I definitely want to get a light on it for orientation. And I may invest in a GPS tracker for next time too.

Thanks for your advice again. Looking forward to the responses.

 

[Wedeliver]

Today is a really sad day for me, since I have lost my Phantom. Before anything, id like to clarify that it was user error and I cannot blame anyone but myself. When I calibrated compass I left in ATTI mode instead of GPS. When I took off, I took off in ATTI and didn't realize till the wind knocked it into a tree. I was at the edge of a forest and there was no finding it. It was absolutely terrible, and im heartbroken. Lesson learnt though, it was definitely some overconfidence which has no room here.

But, ive decided, the only way to get over the loss is to get back on the horse fairly quickly or ill keep moping. Im gonna take the financial hit and get another one, but I need some advice.

I still have the controller (Futaba T8J) which im assuming I can pair with it? I think im going to stick with the Phantom2 since I have two spare batteries for it and it seemed to serve my purposes well. I would like to get better FPV system as the video would break up. Also, the range wasn't super impressive with the Futaba. It would go to FS at about 1Km and I was hoping to get a bit more.

Any advice on how/where to purchase. Im not good with soldering or parts, so id like to get as much done as possible. I was hoping to send my Futaba in and they could build, pair, test and send it back to me reasonably quickly. Anyone have any thoughts on who could do that for me. Any other advice from the forum on what I should do differently. I definitely want to get a light on it for orientation. And I may invest in a GPS tracker for next time too.

Thanks for your advice again. Looking forward to the responses.

today i was flying at a local lake beach and i have a phantom v 1.2 with the old style props. one of the prop caps (a black one) came off, prop came off and i crashed. my wife and i looked for 1/2 hour for that little black cap but there was gravel all over the ground so we gave up. my 8 year old grandson walked over looked for a few minutes and he found it. big beach also. the point is, your quad is there,don't give up. send other eyes and if you put the effort in, you will find it.

 

[kgarrison]

Whatever you get, make sure you get some kind of locator. This one works great and you can almost always get close enough to get it to work.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005N0 ... 7F2GY4ONY3

 

[Mal_PV2_Ireland]

Maybe post where you lost her on as many multirotor grouos in the hope another flyer with a camera can look with you. Its been done before. I know I'd help if someone posted a bird down story local to me. Its been done before.

 

[Happyflyer]

.....At the edge of a forest and hit a tree. I have to guess it was out of sight and you only saw it on the screen. Otherwise just go check that tree. It has to be there somewhere. If what is in the forest bothers you, just put a pistol in your pocket and go searching. Don't give up. They cost too much to leave in a tree.

 

[Gizmo3000]

you'd need to get a replacement Futaba Rx for the T8J to work in a new Phantom 2. (only the higher end Futaba's will work with the new Phantoms).

I use a tagg pet locator on mine. (having one experienced a costly flyaway that never came home).
buying a replacement is therapuetic