Comprehensive inflight test of the Mavic 2 Enterprise Dual thermal camera

[RCdancer]

Finally, the weather cleared enough for me to do a comprehensive test of the M2ED thermal camera. Test was in high winds at 125 ft AGL in a dense forest.

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[FatherXmas]

Excellent video. I sure hope the weather gets to where I can do some testing. In the meantime, I'll rely on your testing to give me a clue.

 

[AnzacJack]

thats great. certainly something that would require a bit of practice.

 

[RCdancer]

thats great. certainly something that would require a bit of practice.

After more testing in various conditions, my intent is to provide recommended guidance on when to use what thermal setting.

Right now I would say the gray palette is probably best (providing good contrast) at night or in low visibility, particularly in cold weather. Isotherm would also work well but you need to dial in the temperature range to exclude non-human false alarms. I'm curious to test in mid-day in hot conditions ... thinking the cold-spot palette might work well then.

In spite of the naysayers, it's clear to me that the M2ED thermal camera (despite the low resolution) is a powerful SAR tool. But it requires training and practice to effectively use. Lots of practice. As long as you understand its' limitations and know how to maximize its' capabilities, you have an impressive tool for drone SAR operations.

 

[CactusJackSlade]

In spite of the naysayers, it's clear to me that the M2ED thermal camera (despite the low resolution) is a powerful SAR tool. But it requires training and practice to effectively use. Lots of practice. As long as you understand its' limitations and know how to maximize its' capabilities, you have an impressive tool for drone SAR operations.

I'm not going to fully disagree with your assessment that this is a "SAR tool" but will definitely disagree with "powerful". At the poor resolution of this FLIR camera (160x120) they are using you will not be able to see your target at more than 150 feet. 100 feet and closer maybe, and that is moving VERY slow with little or no other hotspots near the target.

I bought the FLIR Duo specifically to use with my old Phantom 2 and Zenmuse gimbal for SAR... and ended up returning it... after my testing and review: FLIR Duo - Test and Review

The lens AND sensor on the Enterprise FLIR are the same as the FLIR Duo camera (57 deg lens with 160 x 140 sensor), both provided and manufactured by FLIR.

IF you happen to be directly overhead, moving VERY slow, at less than 100 feet then MAYBE you can use this for SAR - but it will be absolutely nothing like you see on TV, like on the Cops shows etc.

If you are going to get one of these specifically for SAR operations - TRY BEFORE YOU BUY!

Please re-post your opinion and review after you use this for actual SAR operations, not on a review where your target is already identified. Not bashing you, just want people to know exactly the limitations of this first version of their FLIR setup.

In my opinion, for true SAR really, you still need a Matrice with at least the 336 × 256 FLIR camera, if not the 640 × 512 camera... and then you are looking at about $20-$25K

 

[RCdancer]

just want people to know exactly the limitations of this first version of their FLIR setup.

In my opinion, for true SAR really, you still need a Matrice with at least the 336 × 256 FLIR camera, if not the 640 × 512 camera... and then you are looking at about $20-$25K

As we point out in our intro brief, we are not competing with the professional SAR drones; we're grateful for them.

But at 10% of the cost of the Matrice and a heck of lot more portable to haul around and get onsite, I would say that "powerful" is a perfectly adequate description of the M2ED .... especially given the other accessories that it comes with. (I can take the M2ED and all the accessories as carryon luggage on the airlines; it will even fit in the tight space under the seat in front of me.) Heck, even a Spark is a "powerful" SAR drone in the right circumstances - i.e., a cliff rescue scenario.

Contrast the size of a Matrice and Mavic Enterprise. It's difficult to imagine just how compact the M2ED is until you see it in its' surprisingly small case (or hold it in your hand and then slide it into your cargo pants pocket) and contrast it with the size of the Matrice. Both are shown below.

As we say in our brief:

• What's the most powerful camera? Answer - the one in your pocket when a once-in-a-lifetime shot presents itself. Not the high-end SLR with a 400mm lens in the big camera case at home.
• What's the most powerful gun for self-defense? Answer - the small CCW on your hip or in your pocket when life-threatening danger manifests. Not the big 44 magnum in your gun safe at home.
• What's the most powerful drone for SAR? Answer - the one onsite.

Our focus is on the consumer drones that proliferate throughout the culture. If we can get a significant number of those drone pilots trained in SAR operations, we stand a much better chance of saving someone .... especially if one has to wait hours or a day (or more) to get a Matrice onsite, when a Mavic is probably minutes away.

 

[FatherXmas]

you are looking at about $20-$25K

And there lies the problem. Most months, the rescue squad I'm a member of can barely afford to put gas in the trucks, buying a $20k drone is WAY out of the question. I have a M2ED that I bought myself. I have actually used it in a SAR, not the FLIR part since not even your fancy expensive drone would spot a victim that was deceased and in frigid water. We were able to fly areas that weren't accessible from the ground. Unfortunately, the victim wasn't found and the recovery effort has been suspended.
After flying a number of practice missions where we had a child hide in the woods or tall grass, I have no doubt that I would be able to see something well enough to send a ground team to check it out. Like RCDancer said, what we do is in no way a replacement for ground search teams or expensive FLIRs, but we can get in the air quickly and possibly make a difference.
If you still feel strongly that we absolutely have to have a better piece of equipment, PM me and I'll send you the address to where you can mail the check. We'd be happy to buy a Matrice. BTW, we're a 501c3, so you can take it off your taxes.

 

[CactusJackSlade]

And there lies the problem. Most months, the rescue squad I'm a member of can barely afford to put gas in the trucks, buying a $20k drone is WAY out of the question. I have a M2ED that I bought myself. I have actually used it in a SAR, not the FLIR part since not even your fancy expensive drone would spot a victim that was deceased and in frigid water. We were able to fly areas that weren't accessible from the ground. Unfortunately, the victim wasn't found and the recovery effort has been suspended.
After flying a number of practice missions where we had a child hide in the woods or tall grass, I have no doubt that I would be able to see something well enough to send a ground team to check it out. Like RCDancer said, what we do is in no way a replacement for ground search teams or expensive FLIRs, but we can get in the air quickly and possibly make a difference.
If you still feel strongly that we absolutely have to have a better piece of equipment, PM me and I'll send you the address to where you can mail the check. We'd be happy to buy a Matrice. BTW, we're a 501c3, so you can take it off your taxes.

FatherXmas, I agree completely, and I was not trying to be rude or snide, people just need to know these are not going to be looking at thermal images like they see on "Cops Live" TV... and based on my use I still am of the conclusion that at over 150 feet you will not see anything useful... maybe MAYBE if the (live) person is in an open area, relatively cool surroundings and very little obstructions anywhere near the person... but at 150 feet away the heat signature is getting down to less than 2 pixels - that is difficult.

As I said, if you can go very slowly at 100 feet or less, few obstacles, then yes, you can probably find someone. Believe me, I wish like heck this had a better sensor, I... and thousands of others, would be all over this in a heartbeat. Obviously something is better than nothing.

When you start finding people with this during your future SAR efforts, please report back, I would be thrilled to see good results come from this product.

 

[richardseguro]

As we point out in our intro brief, we are not competing with the professional SAR drones; we're grateful for them.

But at 10% of the cost of the Matrice and a heck of lot more portable to haul around and get onsite, I would say that "powerful" is a perfectly adequate description of the M2ED .... especially given the other accessories that it comes with. (I can take the M2ED and all the accessories as carryon luggage on the airlines; it will even fit in the tight space under the seat in front of me.) Heck, even a Spark is a "powerful" SAR drone in the right circumstances - i.e., a cliff rescue scenario.

Contrast the size of a Matrice and Mavic Enterprise. It's difficult to imagine just how compact the M2ED is until you see it in its' surprisingly small case (or hold it in your hand and then slide it into your cargo pants pocket) and contrast it with the size of the Matrice. Both are shown below.

As we say in our brief:

• What's the most powerful camera? Answer - the one in your pocket when a once-in-a-lifetime shot presents itself. Not the high-end SLR with a 400mm lens in the big camera case at home.
• What's the most powerful gun for self-defense? Answer - the small CCW on your hip or in your pocket when life-threatening danger manifests. Not the big 44 magnum in your gun safe at home.
• What's the most powerful drone for SAR? Answer - the one onsite.

Our focus is on the consumer drones that proliferate throughout the culture. If we can get a significant number of those drone pilots trained in SAR operations, we stand a much better chance of saving someone .... especially if one has to wait hours or a day (or more) to get a Matrice onsite, when a Mavic is probably minutes away.

Very well put and I agree 100%

 

[tillmanclt]

It comes back to doing some research into your mission needs. We are using the M2E in SAR and LE tactical situations. We know that the FLIR is not going to provide much actionable data beyond 100 ft. We have been able to identify fire in moderate cover at over 800 ft out, but only identify that is was a fire. Could not identify the firefighters when they arrived at the fire, but we could tell them where the fire was. The biggest issue we have in SAR is the one we will always have. to much canopy, water, etc. that will hide the source from everything. We had a flood/drowning victim that we used an LE helicopter and the M2E and found nothing even after overflying the location of the deceased. It was boots on the ground that found the body. We need to remember that these are all tools in our bag. The M2E is not the best FLIR by far. But, for some missions, it provides the best mix of capabilities. We are saving up for a Matrice with the 2XR and the Z30. We are also buying 2 more M2Es. We can keep these in a squad car, or rescue unit. First asset on scene. It has provided us with an enhanced SA that we definitely did not have before, and for accident reconstruction/documentation, it added things we did not know we could add. And we still fly Sparks and Mavic Airs for some missions... Mission needs, mission outcomes.

 

[RCdancer]

It comes back to doing some research into your mission needs. We are using the M2E in SAR and LE tactical situations. We know that the FLIR is not going to provide much actionable data beyond 100 ft. We have been able to identify fire in moderate cover at over 800 ft out, but only identify that is was a fire. Could not identify the firefighters when they arrived at the fire, but we could tell them where the fire was. The biggest issue we have in SAR is the one we will always have. to much canopy, water, etc. that will hide the source from everything. We had a flood/drowning victim that we used an LE helicopter and the M2E and found nothing even after overflying the location of the deceased. It was boots on the ground that found the body. We need to remember that these are all tools in our bag. The M2E is not the best FLIR by far. But, for some missions, it provides the best mix of capabilities. We are saving up for a Matrice with the 2XR and the Z30. We are also buying 2 more M2Es. We can keep these in a squad car, or rescue unit. First asset on scene. It has provided us with an enhanced SA that we definitely did not have before, and for accident reconstruction/documentation, it added things we did not know we could add. And we still fly Sparks and Mavic Airs for some missions... Mission needs, mission outcomes.

Excellent summary. Thanks.