Thinking of making a purchase

[Flyinwylie]

Hi I am new to the forum. I live in Dallas tx. I have never flow a drone or anything for that matter. I did buy a 100.00 helicopter last year that I took out and it went up once and I took my hand off for the decent and it came straight down.that was the end of that. I certainly don't want another trial as that. Especially since this new venture is sure to cost my a lot more then the heli.
Any input here would be great. Iv been looking at the phantom 2 Vision. Looks like an awesome piece of machinery. My concerns are that I have no experience flying and don't want to buy a toy this expensive and only be able to use it once or twice. I plan on taking it real slow. Readin as much as I can on the subject. I just don't see why buy a cheaper model if it's not what I'm looking for.
I really like what iv read about the gps mode where it virtually hovers in one place giving you time to use your camera.
Question : I read that the older phantom and thr gopro that u had to get for it went on the same frequency so you couldn't run both at same time. This has been fixed with the vision hasn't it?
Do you think I should start off with a cheap 100.00 model and play with it first and be totally disappointed or just go with the purchase I can be proud of?

We go Atv four wheeling a lot with my family and I plan on getting some incredible shots and video. Also my boys age 10 play football and again would be excellent way to get some footage.

Curious to what y'all got to say...thanks for having me...and Merry Christmas!

 

[Narrator]

Hi and welcome.
Depending on your budget and your confidence, get a Hubsan X4 first for under $50. Great to practice with. Then get a Phantom.
And if your budget is tight, get a Vision+, not one you have to fit a GoPro to. To do the GoPro fully will cost a few hundred more than a Vision+.
Regarding straight down decent and hovering, read up on Vortex Ring State (VRS). (Gave me a fright to read - I'd done a lot of straight down and hovering.)
As for filming sports events, read up on the rules in your area. Filming sports events is not often well received.
I have yet to see a team sport event captured on a hobby quad, and for good reason.
Caution is a good thing, and you'll love the Phantom.
Cheers

 

[SteveMann]

I haven't seen the Husban X4 as I got my crash training with the Parrott AR-Drone V1. I have also seen people recommend the Nano 3d Quadcopter, $33 at Amazon, (http://www.amazon.com/UDI-RC-U839-2-4G- ... ds=nano+3d) because the controls fly just like the Phantom.

 

[750r]

Welcome to the forum
Best thing to do is download the manuals from DJI next watch some vids on the phantom the older ones with Collin are pretty informative .Look at the FAA rules and be respectful to your surroundings & people this hobby is under the gun right now .
Getting a cheaper quad like stated above is a good idea.
Ok just little info for you
P2V & + fly on 5.8 frequency meaning that you can use your smart phone app to see what the camera sees & gives flight info pretty much all you need is a phone .
P2/W gimbal fly on 2.4 meaning NO phone or Wifi can be used
You'll need a GoPro if you want FPV you will need a transmitter ,receiver & monitor , set of good antennas , very good idea to add a iosd for flight data this route takes some work and can cost little more .
Take some time read some threads a lot of great info here

 

[TimmyG94]

I bought the Cheerson CX-10 for my 8 yr. old nephew and it flies pretty good for a nano quad. It takes around 8-10 minutes to charge with a USB cord and flies for about 4-5 minutes and has range of around 75 feet, although a slight wind can blow it around easily. The sticks operate 6-way movements just like the Phantom, so it's a very cheap way to learn how to fly a Phantom or any similar-priced quad. In fact, the Cheerson is a lot more finicky so if you can master flying it then the Phantom will be a breeze (esp. in GPS mode).

http://www.amazon.com/Cheerson-Cx-1...qid=1419542397&sr=8-1&keywords=cheerson+cx-10

 

[Happyflyer]

A very good bunch of information above. But, the difference in flying a mini quad and a Phantom is like day and night. The little ones can be a ***** to fly. The Phantoms almost fly themselves. I would save the money the little one will cost and use it on a second battery for the Phantom.
If you read, learn, and follow directions, you should do well with a Phantom. Just take it out of the box, charge the battery, and then fly you will have problems. Remember: They are a manufactured device and things can go wrong with them. Just look at all the auto recalls. There must be thousands of people that have had 50 to 100+ flights and never had a problem. Which Phantom you pick will depend totally on your research. Many posts here on various opinions on which one is best for just what you want to use it for.
Welcome to the forum. Best place for the best information!

 

[GaryDZ]

. . . the difference in flying a mini quad and a Phantom is like day and night. The little ones can be a ***** to fly. The Phantoms almost fly themselves. I would save the money the little one will cost and use it on a second battery for the Phantom.

I respectfully disagree. You can buy six mini quads for the cost of a Phantom battery. Yes, they are a ***** to fly. That's the point. If you can master it, then flying the Phantom will be much easier. Also, experience at flying any quad will train your hands and mind to control it when it faces a direction other than pointing away from you (for the novice, when it turns 180 degrees and points at you, forward moves it backwards, left moves it right. 90 degrees left, right moves it away from you, back moves it to the right. And so on). I lost my first mini in a pond next to my house. I laughed and went out and bought another. If I had done that to my Phantom it would have been a very bad day.

 

[Happyflyer]

You must be referencing very cheap quads. My X4 cost more than a Phantom battery.
Your mini went for a drink because hard to fly. You would almost have to force the Phantom into the pond.
Agree with everything else you stated.

 

[SteveMann]

I agree with Gary - too many Phantom pilots have never switched to manual mode for fear of crashing, and when things don't go as expected they don't have basic flight experience to fall back on. Learn to fly the micro quad first and you will be a much better Phantom pilot.

 

[Happyflyer]

You have a good point Steve. But if your new mini worked as bad as my X4 many may never have gone beyond. I am in the process of having a person that flies many minis check mine out and see if there is something very wrong with mine or it is just me. IF using my X4 and passing a flying test to be allowed to then purchase my phantom, the P2V never would have been purchased. I have tried many hours of attempts with that mini to keep it in the air and it just cannot be done. Me or the X4? Don't know yet but early into January it will be checked out by an "expert" then I will know.
Maybe the $30-$50 minis fly better. That I do not know.
When flying weather returns(April, late)I am going to attempt manual again with my P2V now that I have read what I was doing wrong with my first attempt. We shall see.

 

[sergekouper]

I've got another approach about training. You can use AeroSim RC , which is a simulator that you can load on any PC, It works with many RCs, it has the phantom2 vision in it's database, behaves and crashes just like the P2, and you can fly it in GPS or ATTI mode, use the FPV or not. It has a training program as close at it can be to the real thing, so you can REALLY learn and stay safe... I use it personally to stay current and it's a good help. The difference with the real P2 is that you don't have the adrenalin pumping but you don't have it either with these nano quads... and again if you crash it, even in the water... you can restart without a concern... A P2V is still an expensive piece of kit and it's not a bad thing to be prepared.
That said, if you're following seriously the manual recommendations and watch the beginners videos, as said above, the phantom is able to fly more or less by itself. Things start to go wrong when you become overconfident too quickly and crash because of your own stupidity... I know ... you can take my word for it.
Anyway, tha's just another option that you might consider before your purchase.

 

[PsychopathRC]

If you're planning to use a GoPro and want to use it with WiFi, check out the Phantom FC40. It's cheap, comes with FPV capabilities and you can upgrade it to use with a GoPro, with WiFi.

 

[Happyflyer]

I've got another approach about training. You can use AeroSim RC , which is a simulator that you can load on any PC, It works with many RCs.....

Very interesting program. Not cheap and would need new controller. Also out of stock in many places in the USA. But very interesting. Something one would like to "play" with before dumping almost $200.00 on it and controller.