Who flies out-of-the-box stock, & why?

[ChrisRL]

Had three P3Ps now, all of them were stock. Since moved on and up. And sideways, since I've been doing this for money now. About a year ago, I bought three of them, crashed, for pennies on the dollar, learned their design and construction on one, then bought new parts and repaired all three to factory spec, then flew the heck out of them (at least three batteries a day), no worries, rock steady all of them. Sold one, built the next, flew that, sold that, built the third, flew that too, just sold it.

All three still look brand new, all are still flying bone stock at last report. I think one of the guys might have put some antenna mods in, that's about it.

Had a while where I was going to go with antenna mods, sticker mods, camera mods, and honestly, outside of ND filters, they fly just fine, no need to do anything else to them for their intended use and design envelope.

Of course, none of them fly as fast as my sports drones, or are weatherproof like my custom built hexa, or carry as much camera as my heavy lifters. But then who would mix up a race car with a heavy hauler truck? : )

 

[jwmcgrath]

I do because it works for me. It will remain stock as long as it does what I want it to do.

Well said.

 

[jwmcgrath]

Had a while where I was going to go with antenna mods, sticker mods, camera mods, and honestly, outside of ND filters, they fly just fine, no need to do anything else to them for their intended use and design envelope.

That's probably the best paragraph to sum up why I started the thread!

There is one very specific place I want to reach in the summer... a swimming hole about 2200M from the campground we are parked in. A stock P3S isn't likely to reach it... and by "isn't likely" I mean "even the box says it won't." I'm collecting enough stuff to do he DBS mod but with a separate RC that allows me to leave my original purchase completely stock.

And I don't even know why I obsess over that but it's nice to hear others are still pleased with stock equipment.

 

[chopperguy]

My P4 is completely stock but I'm to new to this to know what if any mods I'd do. I've only been flying for a month so I'm just trying to learn everything I can, I don't know if it's really a mod but I do want pro polar filters for the camera.
Now my other personal vehicles and R/Cs all have mods done because I can never leave well enough alone.

 

[jwmcgrath]

Now my other personal vehicles and R/Cs all have mods done because I can never leave well enough alone.

LOL!

With a P4 I might have been more tempted to leave it alone too... with the extra range, higher $...

I see all the range mods and variances in distance... I'll be thrilled if I can get 2200M but the stock 1km is more than enough to learn on.

 

[JBR]

I am completely stock...I figure I have enough money tied up in this thing. Although I have bought some FPV goggles if that counts. I cannot see adding range extenders since most of us should not be flying too far out of sight especially in urban areas. I however have a ranch which encompasses 13 sections yet I still adhere to keeping the aircraft in sight or at least not too far out.

 

[Hammerman]

It can be fun to mod, but also intimidating & warranty voiding, but gain distance... lots of pros and cons.

Who flies bone stock, and WHY? Do you intend to continue to leave it stock?

Stickers and windsurfers aside (because they aren't permanent), just curious what you fly and why you don't mod.

Me:
P3S. I'm intrigued by DBS but plan to leave it stock for the duration of my store's all-perils warranty.
I have goodies like a windsurfer, OEM batteries, I put an Inspire tablet holder on it but did NOT drill the hole, I have prop guards coming but have decided not to use them because I don't want to touch the motor mount screws. I changed the camera/gimbal guard and attached a Getterback but so far that's it and probably will be until I go through a summer. All of that is removable and reversible.
For me there is probably a fear factor of messing up a pricey purchase while it's still as new as it is, and I purchased the warranty so I don't want to undermine it.

I fly my P3 Standard just as is from stock. I have no idea how to mod, and I'm worried I'd screw up my $500 toy if I did, so that keeps me as is I guess. If I knew someone that could show me tricks and tips to tweak it, I'd be okay with that. But I don't learn well from text and video. More hands on.

 

[ChrisRL]

Even as a person who's been building for decades now (I roll my own drones!) it's hard to justify modding the Phantom design much beyond where DJI have already taken it. I've had a close look through every circuit board and component, and have found that there's a pretty darn good reason for each and every item to be where and how it is.

In fact, I'm thinking of buying me another crashed P3P and taking its guts out to put into another airframe, just to see how well it does...

If you bought the pieces separately (which I did) and put a Phantom drone together from scratch (which I have) you'll see that there really isn't much call for modifying the insides much. Really. The only thing I'd do is maybe add a set of prop guards for if you're filming near humans or animals, and also maybe a set of those alumin(i)um motor mount reinforcers cause the screw holes in the plastic motor mounts might get worn with age and hard use. That's about it, really.

Want to soup a drone out? I'd start with something with redundancy first, minimum 6 rotors, probably 8, with space to add stuff and change stuff and not spend an arm and a leg finding out if component X would work better than Y.

I think most of us builders have done a 550-600 sized hex or quad at some stage, with some variant of a Naza/Wookong deal and a lightweight fpv camera to go with GoPro in a Tarot gimbal. If you want to try modding, start there. The frames are cheap, the ESCs and motors and FC units can all be interchangeable and re-usable on subsequent builds, and the entire aircraft is big enough so you can fit stuff into the airframe, and also build with a slight margin for error and still get a decent flying machine.

Then you can work it (as I have), or sell it, either as one unit or in pieces, or take the radio and FC gear out and hang it on your wall as a memento / evidence of milestones conquered (as in 99% of the YouTube drone programs you see).

 

[42FrankZ]

Actually there's one small mod I want to try in summer at some lakes. I want to try using the drone with the coat hanger trick for casting light fishing tackle further than I can with a rod.

Is it legal to do so there? Here it is not, but there a lot of things that are allowed in free America that the king doesn't let you do here....

 

[jwmcgrath]

I fly my P3 Standard just as is from stock. I have no idea how to mod, and I'm worried I'd screw up my $500 toy if I did, so that keeps me as is I guess. If I knew someone that could show me tricks and tips to tweak it, I'd be okay with that. But I don't learn well from text and video. More hands on.

I have a lot of that going on in my head too... the "screwing up a $500 toy" part.

I don't mind tinkering and I'm not shy to try, but not when it's new and I haven't even come close to learning its maximum capability, even while still stock.

I'm am working on a good compromise for me though... a separate, mod'd RC so that I can still have my original, try the mod I want, and still have a stock toy to revert to if I prefer.

 

[jwmcgrath]

Is it legal to do so there? Here it is not, but there a lot of things that are allowed in free America that the king doesn't let you do here....

Interesting... what's makes it illegal? How do they define that? The system I'm reading about is simply using the drone to carry the line out further than you could normally cast... is that what you mean?

I'd be curious how that law is worded, and what it's intent is!

 

[42FrankZ]

Interesting... what's makes it illegal? How do they define that? The system I'm reading about is simply using the drone to carry the line out further than you could normally cast... is that what you mean?

I'd be curious how that law is worded, and what it's intent is!

It is illegal to use a drone for fishing, which includes spotting and casting.

I do not have a link to the code right now.

 

[ChrisRL]

Hmm... what about this?
Is Drone Fishing Legal Under IGFA Guidelines?

 

[jwmcgrath]

It is illegal to use a drone for fishing, which includes spotting and casting.

I do not have a link to the code right now.

Wow. Something like that would never have occurred to me. Goes to show you don't know what you don't know.

 

[Sky Pirate]

I've used this kinda comment before but it SOoooo fits here. "It's not so much knowing what you want, it's wanting what you've got"

It really makes for a much more satisfied life I believe, do you really want a nice polished BRAND NEW CAR just because a guy across the street has got one? Do you really want a bigger boat because the guy at the lake caught a bigger fish from a boat bigger than yours?

If you're happy with what you have why live someone else's life? I luv my P4, up to now it does everything I could have expected it to. I luv my wife too, she's just about the same!

 

[Sky Pirate]

I meant to add my P4 is stock, not changed any bits, it's about the same with the wife, not changed any bit there either!

 

[jwmcgrath]

I've used this kinda comment before but it SOoooo fits here. "It's not so much knowing what you want, it's wanting what you've got"

It really makes for a much more satisfied life I believe, do you really want a nice polished BRAND NEW CAR just because a guy across the street has got one? Do you really want a bigger boat because the guy at the lake caught a bigger fish from a boat bigger than yours?

If you're happy with what you have why live someone else's life? I luv my P4, up to now it does everything I could have expected it to. I luv my wife too, she's just about the same!

Great points! (Especially if your wife reads this) [emoji6]

Honestly though, as much as there is a LOT of "keeping up with the Jones'" in this world, it's not about that for me. It really comes down to a few simple points:

-I wasn't willing to spend on much more than a P3S to get into the sport until I knew if I'd like it.
-Even with the lower-than-comparable cost of the P3S, it's still enough to make me second guess altering it
-I trust and rely on a product in its stock form more than if I'd altered it, and am curious who else feels the same way, and why

If there comes a point that the performance of the P3S lacks some desired functionality, and I'm thinking that is either range or image quality, gathering opinions will help me decide how to compensate for that... whether mods or upgrade!

 

[GVDD scout]

It can be fun to mod, but also intimidating & warranty voiding, but gain distance... lots of pros and cons.

Who flies bone stock, and WHY? Do you intend to continue to leave it stock?

Stickers and windsurfers aside (because they aren't permanent), just curious what you fly and why you don't mod.

Me:
P3S. I'm intrigued by DBS but plan to leave it stock for the duration of my store's all-perils warranty.
I have goodies like a windsurfer, OEM batteries, I put an Inspire tablet holder on it but did NOT drill the hole, I have prop guards coming but have decided not to use them because I don't want to touch the motor mount screws. I changed the camera/gimbal guard and attached a Getterback but so far that's it and probably will be until I go through a summer. All of that is removable and reversible.
For me there is probably a fear factor of messing up a pricey purchase while it's still as new as it is, and I purchased the warranty so I don't want to undermine it.

Fairly new to this, and until there is a burning need for something better, I will trust and appreciate the very good engineering already in my P4P.

 

[jwmcgrath]

Right now, I'm going down the path of "best of both worlds."

It's still fully stock, but I have a DBS mod'd RC coming that I can experiment with, but still go back to full stock of I so choose.

 

[Sky Pirate]

I put 'ONLY' my point of view, please don't think I'm saying what you should do. Hey, your life, live it, to the full with a bit of luck.