Do Bright Skins Make Visibility a Lot Better?

[DJayI]

Mental concentration weighs nothing, costs nothing. That said, you won't instantly gain it or own it by turning to Amazon or hoping for a magic wand. It's acquired step by step. But it's by far the best way, or "tool", to keep your Mini 2 (or any drone) in sight.

This is basic psychology. Yes, I appreciate that many fall for the "monkey do what monkey see" con of psychological avoidance - all those excuses, distractions, displacements, etc - and that it's like Ronseal (you just avoid what you want to avoid). But it's 2021. Anyone like that Snow Patrol song Open Your Eyes?

There is no substitute for concentration. I have that in lots. However, aging eyes need all the help they can get.

 

[Hillbilly1236]

I think I have read most of this topic and having just purchased a Fire Technology from USA a strong strode with a plastic attachment to attach to the underneath of my Mini2. I was really pleased when I fixed it and weighed it, and it was just 250gms, and sometimes it drifted into 249. My joy was short-lived when I realised that the attached strobe was too big which meant on landing and take off, the craft was resting on the strobe !! If I put the leg extensions on it the combined weight will be well over 250 grammes. So having chosen this option because I thought the underneath fixing would be more visible when the craft was in the sky, will it be as visible if I attach by velcro on top of the mini2. Or do I put the extending legs on and hope the new strong strobe doesn't attract the Drone Police. I do have my flyer and operator registration, but I enjoy the benefits of being in the under 250 gramme category. Another option might be landing and take off by hand, but not too sure about that.

If you got the same one I did, then it comes with built in landing strips on the plastic frame that holds the lights. Those strips across the front and back of the mount are intended to be landing strips. Check the description in the Fire Technology website. I missed that the first couple of times I read the description but after using it I noticed the drone would rest on those when it landed.

I found the weight on the drone put me over 250g. Maybe I need to get a different scale. I also had a really tough time getting the light assembly off of the drone the first time and thought I would break the drone belly plastic. I suspect it will get easier with time.

So far I've only tried them out once and could see them out to 300M, on a bright sunny day. Then I took my eyes off the drone and lost sight of it and only seen the lights again when it was much closer. What I realized afterwards, is that when the drone is flying back towards the operator it is tilted forward and the lights are hidden. It will take a few more test flights to get a true sense of how far out these will allow me to see the drone.

 

[anotherlab]

There is no substitute for concentration. I have that in lots. However, aging eyes need all the help they can get.

It's all well and good to talk about concentration, but once you get to a certain age your eyes start to lose some ability. It's not hard to lose a drone in the sky, even when well within VLOS. I would love to see DHI add Cree strength LED strobes to a drone that you could trigger from the remote. "Can't find the drone right in front of you? Press the strobe button"

 

[Hillbilly1236]

Mental concentration weighs nothing, costs nothing. That said, you won't instantly gain it or own it by turning to Amazon or hoping for a magic wand. It's acquired step by step. But it's by far the best way, or "tool", to keep your Mini 2 (or any drone) in sight.

This is basic psychology. Yes, I appreciate that many fall for the "monkey do what monkey see" con of psychological avoidance - all those excuses, distractions, displacements, etc - and that it's like Ronseal (you just avoid what you want to avoid). But it's 2021. Anyone like that Snow Patrol song Open Your Eyes?

Mental concentration is great when you keep your eyes on the drone but as soon as you look at the phone to check out the picture you want to frame and look back, your concentration doesn't mean a thing. Now it's all about eyesight, or some visual aid to help your eyes regain contact with the drone. Even before I looked at the phone to check out the picture, I made a mental image of where the drone was, relative to the surrounding landscape and still lost sight of it when I looked back. It happens when the drone is out a long ways. Obviously it's easier to regain contact if it's closer or bigger or both.

I certainly don't see the "monkey do what monkey see" comment being pertinent to this thread. If you followed the thread from the beginning you will see that it is an information gathering thread. Asking people what their experiences are and what works for them, to increase long range visibility. That's how I make decisions about something new to me. I gather as much information as I can, from people that have experience with the subject matter, then I sift through that information to sort out what I believe to be the most relevant to my needs and then make an informed decision, based on that information. No "monkey see monkey do", involved. In my mind that is simply, informed decision making.

 

[DJayI]

Can't find the drone right in front of you? Press the strobe button"

Or better yet, maybe it would just activate at the sound of panicked screams.
But yes, I'm all for it. Specially the M2, so small and a color scheme the Wobbly Goblin could appreciate from a stealth perspective. Seems to blend in to almost any skyscape one you take your eyes off of it.

I have added a neon orange accent wrap and it has been a positive for relocating the drone. Not a magic bullet, but I will take whatever advantage I can get.