How wrong ....or right am I?

[Hyperjack]

hi all. i'm a newbie to the drone world.... so new that i haven't even received my drone yet. i just ordered a Mavic Air 2 bundle off of eBay a few hours ago. i just made this sound like an impulse buy, but ...rest assured....it's not. i've been actually thinking about this for a few years now.

so, the reason for my first post is this. while i've done a significant amount of research, i still have a few unanswered questions. questions that would help me figure out if i have any unrealistic expectations about drone ownership. here's what i expect out of all this ...or why i want to have a drone. it may sound silly to all of you out there....but, i can take the criticism. please feel free to tell me where i'm wrong or right.

to start, i bought a Mavic Air 2 bundle from an eBay store with a good rep. had a carrying case, extra battery, some software, a 32 gig memory card and a landing mat. i'm sure you're all familiar with bundles like these.

my first reason i wanted to own a drone was to scout camping sites when i'm out with an RV trailer. i thought it would be great if i could send a drone out to see if there were any unoccupied spots out in some BLM land before i took the time to drive down some winding dirt road that would be difficult to turn around from. seemed like use that would be a great big time and anxiety saver.

the other...and this may sound real corny .... was a great sense of freedom through flight. i know there are many restrictions on where, when and how you can fly....and i know there's a great danger of losing and damaging your drone as well....but , the idea of being able to check out a tall structure, skim above a body of water...get a closer look at things that were well out of your reach...has a huge appeal for me. i know it'll probably take a lot of practice, but i'm willing to put that time in if i could fly and do all those things.

taking pictures and video are all nice, but not my main reason to get a drone.

anyway, what do you think? do i have this all wrong? am i not getting what you can and can't do with a drone and should i just return the thing and move on? please let me know....and thanks in advance for your time.

 

[Thomas B]

Your answer may be in the full online only 50 page DJI manual for you drone. Get it here:

https://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/Mavic_Air_2/20200615/Mavic_Air_2_User_Manual_v1.2_en_.pdf

 

[Deleted member 103366]

Your reasons for wanting the drone strike me as sound though I would have concerns about encountering loss of signal when scouting campsites. So make sure you know the rth and loss of connection behaviours inside and out and set it up as is appropriate for each flight. Be wary of intruding on others privacy when you are scouting.
Perhaps my biggest concern is that the bundle may not have been your best option, how did its price compare with a combo kit?
I do not see a 32Gb card as a significant selling point nor a landing mat, car floor mats have been used quite successfully as landing mats.
What software was included?
Can you power the MA2's battery hub via a USB cable? If so a good cigarette lighter USB thing might be a good idea

 

[Phantomrain.org]

hi all. i'm a newbie to the drone world.... so new that i haven't even received my drone yet. i just ordered a Mavic Air 2 bundle off of eBay a few hours ago. i just made this sound like an impulse buy, but ...rest assured....it's not. i've been actually thinking about this for a few years now.

so, the reason for my first post is this. while i've done a significant amount of research, i still have a few unanswered questions. questions that would help me figure out if i have any unrealistic expectations about drone ownership. here's what i expect out of all this ...or why i want to have a drone. it may sound silly to all of you out there....but, i can take the criticism. please feel free to tell me where i'm wrong or right.

to start, i bought a Mavic Air 2 bundle from an eBay store with a good rep. had a carrying case, extra battery, some software, a 32 gig memory card and a landing mat. i'm sure you're all familiar with bundles like these.

my first reason i wanted to own a drone was to scout camping sites when i'm out with an RV trailer. i thought it would be great if i could send a drone out to see if there were any unoccupied spots out in some BLM land before i took the time to drive down some winding dirt road that would be difficult to turn around from. seemed like use that would be a great big time and anxiety saver.

the other...and this may sound real corny .... was a great sense of freedom through flight. i know there are many restrictions on where, when and how you can fly....and i know there's a great danger of losing and damaging your drone as well....but , the idea of being able to check out a tall structure, skim above a body of water...get a closer look at things that were well out of your reach...has a huge appeal for me. i know it'll probably take a lot of practice, but i'm willing to put that time in if i could fly and do all those things.

taking pictures and video are all nice, but not my main reason to get a drone.

anyway, what do you think? do i have this all wrong? am i not getting what you can and can't do with a drone and should i just return the thing and move on? please let me know....and thanks in advance for your time.

Drones are used in all kinds of creative ways , and your is just one of the creative uses out of many. The Air 2 was a great choice. The fact that people need to fly in the rain and land on water its a testament to how drones are being used today through out the world in different ways.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your Air 2 in the Rain and Float on water.

 

[maintenanceguy]

1) You're going to fill up that 32G card pretty fast. 30 minutes of video takes up a lot of space.
2) Scouting in the woods won't be as easy as you think...probably. From above, it just looks like trees. Fly high enough to get any perspective on where the different campsites are and you won't see the campsites through the tree canopy. Get low enough to see campsites and you won't have any perspective to know which campsite you're looking at.
3) The flying for fun part you got right. Don't worry about 1 and 2, 3 is awesome enough to make up for it.

 

[Thomas B]

32 GB in your card will hold video from flights lasting through 3-4 complete batteries.
Being able to maintain VLOS and controller connection will be difficult if you fly low enough to see details in a wooded area as noted above. Be sure you are familiar with “find my drone” and/or have other locator devices.... even with that, trees eat drones!

 

[Hyperjack]

Your answer may be in the full online only 50 page DJI manual for you drone. Get it here:

https://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/Mavic_Air_2/20200615/Mavic_Air_2_User_Manual_v1.2_en_.pdf

thank you for that link. i could get a head start on the reading before my drone arrives....good stuff!

 

[Deleted member 103366]

Ummmm, that you say "i've done a significant amount of research" and seemingly didn't have the manual is rather disconcerting.
I would consequently suggest you spend quite a bit of time reading the manual and the MA2 forums here etc. before you fly, no offense meant.
With regards to the manual do not try to read it all in one go, there is probably too much to take in in one session and it is very easy to miss the significance of phrases etc, when this is all new to 'you'.

 

[Tony McDrone]

Welcome to the forum. You’ve come to the right place for answers.

There are many posts videos on both the forum and YouTube regarding first flight recommendations. I’d highly recommend flying in areas unobstructed with trees, telephone poles/wires, and tall buildings before flying in wooded areas. You will be able to learn the flight characteristics of the drone. Flying in wooded areas presents a special challenge, as it highly reduces connectivity. Trees are a drones worst enemy. You’ll want to understand how the the return to home(RTH) button works prior to going on your BLM land search. As @Thomas B already mentioned, you‘ll need to understand how the “find my drone” function of the app works as well. It has saved me, particularly while flying in an open field with no apparent obstructions...ooops, except that stupid telephone wire that hung only 5 feet off of the ground.

And finally. Ask any question, share your experiences. I hope you like flying your drone, as much as most of our forum members.

 

[THE CYBORG]

Hi Hyperjack Welcome to Mavic Pilots.
I know you have some good answers but I will add my usual New flyer advice anyhow.
Wide open space.
Slow & easy
Power-lines & trees are evil.
Don't forget to read the manual
Download Air 2 manual HERE

 

[Hyperjack]

Your reasons for wanting the drone strike me as sound though I would have concerns about encountering loss of signal when scouting campsites. So make sure you know the rth and loss of connection behaviours inside and out and set it up as is appropriate for each flight. Be wary of intruding on others privacy when you are scouting.
Perhaps my biggest concern is that the bundle may not have been your best option, how did its price compare with a combo kit?
I do not see a 32Gb card as a significant selling point nor a landing mat, car floor mats have been used quite successfully as landing mats.
What software was included?
Can you power the MA2's battery hub via a USB cable? If so a good cigarette lighter USB thing might be a good idea

a great point on privacy. i would only get as close enough as to see if a spot is occupied....and to do that as quickly as possible so i wouldn't violate anyone's sense of security.

just how great a connection is in that area, is another great point. i guess that depends on the area and the limitations of the tech involved, right? now that i know it's a possibility, i'll delve into understanding the tech as best as i can and hope i can get the best connection possible depending on the area i'll be in.

the 32 gb card was not a selling point for me. even though video and photography was not a top priority for me, i knew enough that i'd carry multiple cards with me so it would force me to not keep tons of footage on the drone that i may lose.

i paid 799$ for the bundle. here's a link to the listing DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone Quadcopter 48MP 4K Video HDR with Remote Control Bundle 190021015999 | eBay

here's a link for another listing by the same seller, for 200$ bucks more ...for more stuff... DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone Quadcopter Fly More Combo 48MP 4K Video with Remote Bundle 190021016132 | eBay

if you think i should get that one...or any other bundle you may know of , feel free to let me know.

thanks for your input.

 

[Hyperjack]

Drones are used in all kinds of creative ways , and your is just one of the creative uses out of many. The Air 2 was a great choice. The fact that people need to fly in the rain and land on water its a testament to how drones are being used today through out the world in different ways.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your Air 2 in the Rain and Float on water.

true, i'm finding that out more and more. however, when i googled about using drones as a scouting device, i didn't come up with great results.....maybe my google-fu is weak, or i'm just not remembering that well. i have been looking into this sporadically for a couple of years, so that's a possibility lol.

BTW, nice video of that life jacket....that was cool to watch.

 

[Hyperjack]

1) You're going to fill up that 32G card pretty fast. 30 minutes of video takes up a lot of space.
2) Scouting in the woods won't be as easy as you think...probably. From above, it just looks like trees. Fly high enough to get any perspective on where the different campsites are and you won't see the campsites through the tree canopy. Get low enough to see campsites and you won't have any perspective to know which campsite you're looking at.
3) The flying for fun part you got right. Don't worry about 1 and 2, 3 is awesome enough to make up for it.

1) true...i was going to get multiple cards at a larger size as well.

2) You're right on that, too. i didn't think that the drone would be the best choice in every case...but maybe more cases than not. a lot of the places i go would be the high desert...with few or less trees. or looking at spots that would be on a shoreline of a lake. that way i could get a good angle from over the lake. hopefully, i can get to be a good enough pilot that i'll get to more places than not....either way i can see that there will be more factors, like the ones you describe as well as connectivity issues....that it gives me a lot to think about. thanks for pointing that out.

3) that's so great to hear. i really hope that that will be my experience as well.

 

[Hyperjack]

32 GB in your card will hold video from flights lasting through 3-4 complete batteries.
Being able to maintain VLOS and controller connection will be difficult if you fly low enough to see details in a wooded area as noted above. Be sure you are familiar with “find my drone” and/or have other locator devices.... even with that, trees eat drones!

more good points....as i read the manual, i hope to understand those terms and features. who knows, maybe it'll change my mind about ownership? we'll see

 

[Thomas B]

more good points....as i read the manual, i hope to understand those terms and features. who knows, maybe it'll change my mind about ownership? we'll see

Naw... get in the right places, fly legally and get video like this:

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[Hyperjack]

Ummmm, that you say "i've done a significant amount of research" and seemingly didn't have the manual is rather disconcerting.
I would consequently suggest you spend quite a bit of time reading the manual and the MA2 forums here etc. before you fly, no offense meant.
With regards to the manual do not try to read it all in one go, there is probably too much to take in in one session and it is very easy to miss the significance of phrases etc, when this is all new to 'you'.

no offense taken

my research consists of watching a lot of youtube videos. there's a lot of great information there...and while i'm sure it's not all great, watching a lot of that stuff can give you a consensus of what's good and what's not...most of the time, at least.

but nothing beats reading an actual manual. it's worth doing and i'm glad many of you have mentioned it here. that and spending some time on this forum is going to teach me a hell of a lot more.

thanks!

 

[Hyperjack]

Welcome to the forum. You’ve come to the right place for answers.

There are many posts videos on both the forum and YouTube regarding first flight recommendations. I’d highly recommend flying in areas unobstructed with trees, telephone poles/wires, and tall buildings before flying in wooded areas. You will be able to learn the flight characteristics of the drone. Flying in wooded areas presents a special challenge, as it highly reduces connectivity. Trees are a drones worst enemy. You’ll want to understand how the the return to home(RTH) button works prior to going on your BLM land search. As @Thomas B already mentioned, you‘ll need to understand how the “find my drone” function of the app works as well. It has saved me, particularly while flying in an open field with no apparent obstructions...ooops, except that stupid telephone wire that hung only 5 feet off of the ground.

And finally. Ask any question, share your experiences. I hope you like flying your drone, as much as most of our forum members.

thanks for the welcome

do you find flying well above trees causes the same connectivity problems?

i find forums like these ....on any subject really....a vital resource. so i'm looking forward to spending more time here...hopefully contributing as well....if i happen to take to this drone hobby as a lot of you have here.

 

[Hyperjack]

Hi Hyperjack Welcome to Mavic Pilots.
I know you have some good answers but I will add my usual New flyer advice anyhow.
Wide open space.
Slow & easy
Power-lines & trees are evil.
Don't forget to read the manual
Download Air 2 manual HERE

thanks for the welcome cyborg...and great points all!

 

[Hyperjack]

Naw... get in the right places, fly legally and get video like this:

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wow...that's what i'm talking about. just the flying experience by itself. to get up close to those huge rock formations. that's what i'd love to do. thanks for that post!

 

[Tony McDrone]

thanks for the welcome

do you find flying well above trees causes the same connectivity problems?

i find forums like these ....on any subject really....a vital resource. so i'm looking forward to spending more time here...hopefully contributing as well....if i happen to take to this drone hobby as a lot of you have here.

You are likely to lose some connectivity as the trees will block your signal. You can fly higher to gain some of the lost signal, but then you give that up in range. It is somewhat of a trade off depending on the height of the trees, and where you are flying from. If your takeoff point is on a hill and you are flying above the trees, you won’t have range issues because your signal is not being blocked.