New Member

[Rfamily]

New member from Wisconsin
Looking for some guidance as I want to purchase a drone that I can use when fishing on Lake Michigan to take pictures and videos of seniors and others out with me catching salmon. Which Drone do I consider being none of the DJI are waterproof and need to have the drone that will have auto tracking and return home capability to the controller reference point which is nonconstant and constantly moving? Thoughts and suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[LoudThunder]

Looking for some guidance as I want to purchase a drone

Welcome from the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, USA. We have a Member's Map in the Upper Right of the Title Bar. Click on "Members" and then Click on "Member's Map…" Check it out and you might find some new flying friends.

Member Map

mavicpilots.com

You will get a lot of wonderful advice, and you only have to decide exactly what you want to do and how much you are willing to spend to do it… YouTube is your friend, when considering a particular drone, watch lots of videos, you will soon be able to separate the truth from the hype…

Also as a Soon to be New Drone Pilot, there are a couple of Legal Things you may need to do…

If you have not already done so, you will need to get your TRUST Certificate. Once you decide on a drone, if it weighs more than 250 grams you will need to register it ($5.00), no biggie, but an FAA rule…

You can get the TRUST Certificate at the Pilot Institute Web Site (FREE…).

Link to the TRUST Certificate at the Pilot Institute Web Site (FREE…)

FAA TRUST Online Portal for Recreational Drone Operators - Pilot Institute

Get your FAA TRUST Certificate of Completion to legally fly drones for recreational reasons in the United States.

trust.pilotinstitute.com

FAA TRUST Online Portal for Recreational Drone Operators - Pilot Institute
Get your FAA TRUST Certificate of Completion to legally fly drones for recreational reasons in the United States.
trust.pilotinstitute.com trust.pilotinstitute.com

Link to the FAADroneZone (Optional Registration for Drones under 250-Grams…)

FAADroneZone

faadronezone-access.faa.gov

If you are considering acquiring your Part 107 License, here is a link to get you going…

Online Ground School: Aviation Classes - Pilot Institute

Pilot Institute offers courses on drones and airplanes from world-class experts. Pass the Part 107 or Private Pilot exam and take to the skies.

pilotinstitute.com

Since you live in Wisconsin, there are specific laws and rules for you to follow, please check the link below for all the Rules and Laws that are in effect in your neck of the woods and it also links you to some of the Best Places to Fly in your area… Also, if you travel on vacation, visit friends, and relatives in other parts of the country, check back here so you do not run afoul of the law.

Federal Drone Laws in the United States (FAA) - Pilot Institute

44809 is an exemption from Part 107 drone laws. This means that drone pilots fly under Part 107 drone rules by default unless they meet all 9 of the requirements to fly under 44809, the exception for limited recreational operations of unmanned aircraft. You can read more about these requirements...

pilotinstitute.com

Even if you have flown Drones before, here is some Good Old Fashion Advice…

You paid a lot of money for that Drone, put your phone number on it. If your drone gets lost or stuck in a tree and it finally comes down when you are not around, give the finders an opportunity to contact you so it can be returned.

Now, for the Fun Part, But do not let the excitement of the moment get the best of you. When you are going out to fly, do it slowly and deliberately. Get used to a set procedure and even practice it.

There are so many things I could write but these are the highlights that I feel need mentioning.

Plug in your phone/tablet into your controller; turn on the Controller and DJI Fly App (if it does not start on its own…). On the Drone, open the front legs, then open the back legs, then remove the Gimbal Cover.

The Gimbal is the most delicate item on the Drone and banging or bumping can damage it. I also fastened a short "Remove Before Flight" ribbon to the cover so it's more noticeable and I do not forget to remove it…

Turn on the drone and watch it come to "life." Watching the Gimbal go through its self-check is almost like watching a puppy or kitten opening its eyes for the first time…

Place the drone down (preferably on a Landing Pad) while it finishes its self-test (collecting satellites, etc…).

Check your battery status (Phone, Drone, and Controller), check the Signal Strength, by now the Controller should have reported it updated the Home Point.

Lift off, 6- feet (2-meters) or so, hover a bit, check the controls (move the drone a bit forward, back, left, right, yaw left and right). By now, your Controller will probably report again, Home point Updated.

If you go out in a rush and race thru your start up and take off before the drone has finished it prep, it may update its Home Point over that pond or that old tree you are flying over and in your excitement, you'll fly the drone long past it Low Battery point and when it engages Return to Home and lands in the pond or in a tree; it will be all on you…

Now go have fun, learn to fly the drone by sight before you try to fly it out a distance depending on the video feed, FPV.

I would also advise you to use YouTube and watch a lot of the Videos on flying and setting up the Drone. When it is too dark, too cold, or too wet, you can "fly it vicariously" through YouTube. Also watch some of the Blooper Drone Videos and learn how not to fly your "New Baby."

Fly On and Fly Safe…

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

New member from Wisconsin

........ and need to have the drone that will have auto tracking and return home capability to the controller reference point which is nonconstant and constantly moving? Thoughts and suggestions would be appreciated.

Welcome.
If I understand you correctly the latter is known as a dynamic home point and I know of no DJI drone that offers it 'out of the box' whilst using the relevant DJI app.
HOWEVER
1) those DJI drone's that can use Litchi as a control app can, I think, set up "dynamic home point" whilst flying via Litchi.
I HAVE NOT used the feature myself and it is a vague recollection of seeing it offered whilst going through the Litchi menus.
You'd need to check with Litchi etc. to see the relevant models.
2) You can reset the home point manually in the DJI's control apps but you would have to remember to keep updating it every few minutes or so.

 

[MA2 317]

Hello from the Crossroads of America Rfamily.

Welcome to the Forum.

.

 

[old man mavic]

welcome to the forum

 

[Cafguy]

Welcome.
If I understand you correctly the latter is known as a dynamic home point and I know of no DJI drone that offers it 'out of the box' whilst using the relevant DJI app.
HOWEVER
1) those DJI drone's that can use Litchi as a control app can, I think, set up "dynamic home point" whilst flying via Litchi.
I HAVE NOT used the feature myself and it is a vague recollection of seeing it offered whilst going through the Litchi menus.
You'd need to check with Litchi etc. to see the relevant models.
2) You can reset the home point manually in the DJI's control apps but you would have to remember to keep updating it every few minutes or so.

For a dynamic homepoint this is probably the best way really. As for WATERPROOF-No drone can be completely waterproof BUT you can cut down a majority of the moisture by putting on a wet-suit from Phantomrain.org Any of the DJI drones would serve you well. If you are not planning on buying Brand New then may I suggest an AIR2s, They are very cheap as far as batteries go and IMO they are one of the best drones DJI made. but really you couldn't go wrong with any of the models. With all the stuff you already have to take to the water with you, you might consider a MINI and
Welcome to the forum from Bakersfield!

 

[Kendallfordguy]

Welcome from Western Wisconsin!

 

[careless]

Welcome from Kentucky

 

[James in the Desert]

New member from Wisconsin
Looking for some guidance as I want to purchase a drone that I can use when fishing on Lake Michigan to take pictures and videos of seniors and others out with me catching salmon. Which Drone do I consider being none of the DJI are waterproof and need to have the drone that will have auto tracking and return home capability to the controller reference point which is nonconstant and constantly moving? Thoughts and suggestions would be appreciated.

I fly over water a lot and it really takes never of steel (harder than City night flying) and a lot of studying especially from a moving boat. I would say get a lot of experience just flying a drone and dealing with the the unexpected then try it. Once you have a couple of months under your belt you will love this hobby.

 

[msinger]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[PakNheat380]

Welcome to the forum from NW Montana

 

[Rfamily]

Appreciate everyone's kindness with your response, thoughts, and experience with the art of using a Drone. Wondering if it would work to use the function "Return to Controller" and set the current return reference point just before you send the Drone to return to the dynamic location versus "Return to Home"? As it returns could you cancel this action just before it lands or at a specific height to stop it and simply grab it by hand? Another question if you do a video of someone let's say in a panoramic view and want to get the individual's verbal comments how would you do the audio recording so is in sync with the video recording?

 

[MA2 317]

return to the dynamic location versus "Return to Home"?

You can always update the Home Point with a GPS enabled device during the flight.

Might have to do this a few times if on the move so the aircraft doesn't go to the original HP when a low battery / distance warning pops up.

Practice hand launch / landings on land first. It can be tricky from a boat that's rocking and drifting in circles if stopped.

A neck lanyard attached to the remote will help.

Fly backwards when landing as the sticks are orientated to muscle memory.

If all else fails, take extra props and catch it with a hand fishing net. The gimbal might get damaged, but that's what DJI's Care Refresh is for.

To record audio during a flight for narration purposes, you might try using a screen recorder for the device you're using or use a separate recorder and sync it together in post.


.

 

[SpitFire]

Welcome to the forum from Chicago the Windy City.
FLY SAFE & FLY SMART

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

Appreciate everyone's kindness with your response, thoughts, and experience with the art of using a Drone. Wondering if it would work to use the function "Return to Controller" and set the current return reference point just before you send the Drone to return to the dynamic location versus "Return to Home"? As it returns could you cancel this action just before it lands or at a specific height to stop it and simply grab it by hand? Another question if you do a video of someone let's say in a panoramic view and want to get the individual's verbal comments how would you do the audio recording so is in sync with the video recording?

The "return to contoller " thing in DJI control apps applies changes the home point to where the controller was at the time the change was applied. In a boat it would be very quickly out of date and you need to reset it at intervals. IT IS NOT "dynamic home point".

You can cancel an RTH at any point in time, place and height. READ the manual for your chosen drone carefully as some drones cancel an on going RTH if you make certain joystick movements.

In addition to MA2 317's comments about hand catching practice, I would suggest you read the entire RTH section of the manual several times then go out somewhere safe and work through ALL the RTH behaviours in practice before you encounter them in real life. In real life you will probably be panicing and not thinking clearly, previous experience may reduce the level of panic and muddled thinking.

 

[twickers14]

A lot of useful advice from the best flyers around. I’d say practice practice, practice over land before you take off over water. I have done a few hundred flights with my Spark and MA2 and have only flown over water I think 4/5 times-it does nothing for the heart! Good luck and welcome to our Forum.

 

[wjkrysak]

Welcome to the forum. We look forward to your participation and your view of the world.

 

[LoudThunder]

The more I read and think about what the OP has asked I think the OP wants an Autonomous Operated Drone capable of accepting Voice Commands… He just has to wait a few years to the Drone AI market to catch up… L L . . .

 

[RkyMtnHigh]

New member from Wisconsin
Looking for some guidance as I want to purchase a drone that I can use when fishing on Lake Michigan to take pictures and videos of seniors and others out with me catching salmon. Which Drone do I consider being none of the DJI are waterproof and need to have the drone that will have auto tracking and return home capability to the controller reference point which is nonconstant and constantly moving? Thoughts and suggestions would be appreciated.

Welcome to the forum from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado! Happy and safe flying!

 

[GFields]

Greetings from Birmingham Alabama USA, welcome to the forum! We look forward to hearing from you!