MAVIC ISSUES, This time with Tom Tech Time

[Robbyg]

The drone had only few scratches, so we just replaced the props and Tom flew it all day long using this time another tablet with downgraded application and iOS system.

Broken Record here but once again your post points out exactly what many of us have been saying.

If you want to fly with certainty and get great video's with a 100% success rate then you need to be on .0400 or .0700 firmware and running the older App and an older IOS version with data turned off on a dedicated device.

I have logged way over 100 flights and I have never had one incident of an updating database prompt, a firmware update prompt, a competency test prompt, a how is my sex life prompt or a software crash. I am not lecturing anyone, it's your choice, I am just letting you know my personal experience.

Rob

 

[Lon Denard]

I'd agree for the most part, although it does seem things are getting sloppier. I just had two platinums in a row that had issues - my old Mavic is rock solid even after repairs from a crash.

I went through 6 3DR Solos, 2 GoPro Karmas, 2 Parrot Bebops, 3 Parrot AR Drones and 1 Yuneec Q500 4K. Oh and a couple build your own drones. With the Solos especially, I was a nervous wreck flying them. I had almost no confidence that it wouldn't suddenly fly away at any moment! The Karma isn't much better, since they went with just one GPS system, it drops frequently. Since there are no other sensors, you're basically flying a kite with an invisible string!

I know I sound like a fan boy sometimes but I've been doing this for almost 10 years and this is by far the best experience I've had. I try to fly everyday and even take shots of jobs I do, so I fly indoors a lot. No problem.

Let me remind some of you of some things;

1. Obstical avoidance
2. Can use 2nd controller
3. Can fly from your phone alone
4. 4 mile range
5. Smart return home
6. Quick shots, panos, etc
7. Portable

There's nothing in this price range that compares to this drone, absolutely nothing.

 

[Dabrain]

What phone are you using

Droid turbo 2

 

[Brojon]

I have one of the very first MPs shipped last January with 144 flights on it. I'm sorry others are disappointed, but I am mightily impressed.

I have always upgraded both the drone and the Go4 app whenever requested. I have had no problems worth complaining about. My app has never once crashed. My camera produces some of the best quality images I've seen in an entire career as a video production engineer.

Updates have reset my preferences and one confused my obstacle avoidance sensors. All I had to do was review my preferences and calibrate the VPS. My Mavic has shrugged off pilot errors and collisions that would have completely destroyed a lesser quality build and it has never failed to perform exactly as touted.

I somehow doubt these forums are a true gauge of the typical Mavic owner's experience. Many of us here seem to be a bit demanding of a thousand dollar piece of equipment. This is pro-sumer electronic device not a piece of high-end gear.

Did DJI perhaps ship drones that were sub par and not thoroughly tested to meet our early demands? Probably. And I'm betting those are the ones getting all the negative attention.

Dude - you need to check out the Phantom 4 Pro then...
I would disagree with the point about early builds - I think those are the most solid.
I would also rate the Mavic as a consumer drone and teh Phantom 4 Pro as a "pro-sumer" grade

 

[Youser]

I went through 6 3DR Solos, 2 GoPro Karmas, 2 Parrot Bebops, 3 Parrot AR Drones and 1 Yuneec Q500 4K. Oh and a couple build your own drones. With the Solos especially, I was a nervous wreck flying them. I had almost no confidence that it wouldn't suddenly fly away at any moment! The Karma isn't much better, since they went with just one GPS system, it drops frequently. Since there are no other sensors, you're basically flying a kite with an invisible string!

I know I sound like a fan boy sometimes but I've been doing this for almost 10 years and this is by far the best experience I've had. I try to fly everyday and even take shots of jobs I do, so I fly indoors a lot. No problem.

Let me remind some of you of some things;

1. Obstical avoidance
2. Can use 2nd controller
3. Can fly from your phone alone
4. 4 mile range
5. Smart return home
6. Quick shots, panos, etc
7. Portable

There's nothing in this price range that compares to this drone, absolutely nothing.

What do you mean by 'use second controller'?

Bind another controller when the 1st ones battery goes flat?

 

[Lon Denard]

What do you mean by 'use second controller'?

Bind another controller when the 1st ones battery goes flat?

Oh that you can have two controllers bound at the same time. It's cool if you want to share the display with another person or teach someone else to fly the Mavic with you having the ability to jump in and take over. It's also good if you want to concentrate on flying while someone else operates the gimbal or adjusts the camera settings. Note to DJI, if they made the main controller fly in headless mode while the second could spin the craft, that would be awesome! At least allow the second to move the gimbal left and right. I'm saying it's a feature not everyone has.

 

[Lon Denard]

Dude - you need to check out the Phantom 4 Pro then...
I would disagree with the point about early builds - I think those are the most solid.
I would also rate the Mavic as a consumer drone and teh Phantom 4 Pro as a "pro-sumer" grade

I agree with this. The P4P will be my next drone unless they do something amazing with the Mavic's camera. Or if I suddenly find myself with the money to buy an Inspire... Drool....

 

[Brojon]

I agree with this. The P4P will be my next drone unless they do something amazing with the Mavic's camera. Or if I suddenly find myself with the money to buy an Inspire... Drool....

A guy had an Inspire at our local done meetup yesterday - it did nothing but turn my lust up a notch.
VLOS with that thing is a no-brainer! And the looks - like a Klingon Bird of Prey when it takes off...
*sigh*

 

[51 Drones]

To whoever ask who is Tom.
His reviews on You Tube are highly recommended and he is considered as one of the 3 most knowledgeable and influencers for DJI products.

Tom's Tech Time - Drones, Reviews, Comparisons

I would say maybe 1 of the top 8.

 

[Lon Denard]

A guy had an Inspire at our local done meetup yesterday - it did nothing but turn my lust up a notch.
VLOS with that thing is a no-brainer! And the looks - like a Klingon Bird of Prey when it takes off...
*sigh*

I'm scheduled to purchase a new motorcycle next year but if I ran into a serious deal on an Inspire... I guess I could get a new body kit and pretend my bike is new...

The other drone that looks evil is the Yuneec Typhoon H. Still not as mean looking as the Inspire though.

 

[Muppet With A Chopper]

This week I went with Tom Tech Time on Off Road Trip to the dessert in Israel.
One of his targets was reviewing the Mavic Platinum.

No Doubt that Tom is one of the more knowledgeable guys WW and probably one of the most influencers given his very busy channel on You Tube.

Using his iPhone with the latest application and firmware - Guess what ?

The application crashed every few minutes, smart tracking modes did not function as they should, black screen can up every few minutes and finally he almost lost his drone while taking amassing footage of one of the most interesting places. The application crashed while the drone was deep in the wadi and while trying to bring it back, the drone hit the cliff. It was almost dark and the cliff is sloppy, so we had to drive there again the next day to find the drone, which we were lucky to find it. Luckily we had the last minute accurate GPS coordinate using FIND MY DRONE application.

The drone had only few scratches, so we just replaced the props and Tom flew it all day long using this time another tablet with downgraded application and iOS system.

Deferentially the hardware of DJI is great, but the application and software release process just SUCKS...

I hope this time, DJI will consider more seriously to respect itself and its customers, to debug and to clean the application from those bugs so we can turn again this very expensive weight into a leading and functional drone.

Welcome to life with the Android version!

 

[Shedi]

This week I went with Tom Tech Time on Off Road Trip to the dessert in Israel.

Interesting. I have just completed a sailing trip to Israel but did not take my Mavic as I read on the Net that you need to obtain a licence and must have insurance. That said, the first evening I came across two Phantom flyers who said that this was not necessary, but warned that European drones are not frequency compatible with Israel. Can this really be true? Can anyone confirm this?

I too have had flawless operation from my Mavic using Android and I have a lot of respect and admiration for DJI for making such a fantastic piece of kit. The only frustration that I have had is that the Go 4 app often would not talk to my RC. After trouble shooting with another Android phone I realised that I had a bad install of the app on my UMI-Z, which I use for flying. After uninstalling and reinstalling the app, it now works straight away every time.

In my view anything Apple is for eating. A cheap Android smart phone may be the way to ensure trouble free operation.

 

[Xtreme Drone Pilot]

Using his iPhone with the latest application and firmware - Guess what ?

Guess what - if you signed up for a life in a walled garden, you agreed for the whole ride, both good and bad. When it's good, it's good. When it's bad, you're SOL, as you can't rollback OS and apps on ios. If it takes them a week or a month to fix, you're grounded for the whole period, or worse yet, your $1K+ investment turns into a pile of broken plastic.

Case in point: I knew all the probs people are having with Go 4.1.18, so I simply installed .15 on my Wunderphone, BOOM! Smooth as butter, solid as rock.

 

[Xtreme Drone Pilot]

In my view anything Apple is for eating. A cheap Android smart phone may be the way to ensure trouble free operation.

BINGO

 

[s2seyecle]

Guess what - if you signed up for a life in a walled garden, you agreed for the whole ride, both good and bad. When it's good, it's good. When it's bad, you're SOL, as you can't rollback OS and apps on ios. If it takes them a week or a month to fix, you're grounded for the whole period, or worse yet, your $1K+ investment turns into a pile of broken plastic.

Case in point: I knew all the probs people are having with Go 4.1.18, so I simply installed .15 on my Wunderphone, BOOM! Smooth as butter, solid as rock.

I'm new to this forum and I promise you, not out to make arguments or enemies, .... but geeeez... could some of you get OFF the apple-bashing! Whether a fan-boy or not, it gets really really tiresome and provides absolutely nothing to the conversation or didactic.

While awaiting the arrival of my quads I've been reading the manuals, watching hours of videos, and following various topics on two forums. My pledge -as a new participant- to keep to the facts, ask good questions, and keep the heat to myself.

 

[TerryJ]

Who?



Agreed without a doubt mate

And this is probably why more and more people are either downgrading, or simply staying in their current versions and not 'upgrading'.

I stopped updating about 3 versions ago and am still happily flying with no issues. I dont need or use quickshot type of gizmos. I can fly them myself. As far as pano shots I've been doung those for months manually with a stitching app. Find a firmware you like and stick with it is my motto.

 

[vtcats]

Guess what - if you signed up for a life in a walled garden, you agreed for the whole ride, both good and bad. When it's good, it's good. When it's bad, you're SOL, as you can't rollback OS and apps on ios. If it takes them a week or a month to fix, you're grounded for the whole period, or worse yet, your $1K+ investment turns into a pile of broken plastic.

Case in point: I knew all the probs people are having with Go 4.1.18, so I simply installed .15 on my Wunderphone, BOOM! Smooth as butter, solid as rock.

No doubt, a dedicated device, IMO, is the way to go regardless of IOS, Or Android. I have both.
And yes, Android is easier for app rollback, but once you’ve done it once on IOS (yes it can be done), it’s also not too difficult to manage and rollback (the app).

 

[zvisegal]

Here is the first part of the video documenting the off road trip and loss of the drone: