Newbie re Drone Purchase and Flight Range Restricted in South Africa or not?

[Kilrah]

Isn’t the “crop” the same as 2x digital zoom?

Crop is usually referred in marketing as things like "lossless digital zoom" or "clear zoom". I.e. when as many or more actual sensor pixels are used than in the output frame, so either 1:1 or downsampling, but no upsampling.

Simple "digital zoom" means upsample some smaller crop than the output size to the output size. If there's nothing clear about it's pretty much always the latter.

 

[NewbieNewbie]

Thank you for all your excellent advice.
The Mavic zoom has a price that is a bit steep for now.
After much research and advice from many, I think the Parrott Anafi is small and compact without DJI watching and monitoring and being a nanny, with 3xzoom. Does anyone foresee any problems with my choice? I have considered the FIMI X8 SE, but apparently the company also acts as a nanny, like DJI.
I have not made the purchase yet.
Do you think 3x zoom from 120 metres altitude might not be adequate to spot an intruder on the farm? I noted it has a full 180 degree vertical camera.
Thank you again to everyone for all your advice to me as a newbie

 

[Meta4]

I think the Parrott Anafi is small and compact without DJI watching and monitoring and being a nanny, with 3xzoom. Does anyone foresee any problems with my choice? I have considered the FIMI X8 SE, but apparently the company also acts as a nanny, like DJI.

I can't imagine how DJI's policies would interfere with how you intend to use your drone.
DJI don't watch or monitor your flights.
Whoever is telling you that they are "being a nanny" is misinformed and spreading myths.

 

[Kilrah]

The anafi is pretty good, flight isn't as solid as DJI stuff but still fine. The transmission distance/reliability is way inferior to DJI's ocusync models though.

It doesn't have no fly zones but is hard limited in height at 150m from start point so if your place has hills it could be a problem. So unless you are in a DJI no fly zone at your place a DJI aircraft would be less restrictive.

 

[Meta4]

unless you are in a DJI no fly zone at your place a DJI aircraft would be less restrictive.

The DJI no-Fly zone map for South Africa looks mostly clear.

DJI FlySafe

www.dji.com

 

[NewbieNewbie]

Hi Meta4 and Kilrah

Thank you kindly to both of you.

In fact both Meta4 and Kilrah has made me reflect upon this concept of height restriction. Is the altitude restriction based on my position where the RC is, so that if I walk from flat ground to a hill or mountain, then the altitude limit will "increase" because the height limit will then be from the point where I am standing (after having walked from flat ground onto the hill or mountain whilst the drone is in the air)?

On this very same note I encountered this youtube video of a 1 kilometre (0.62 miles) altitude flight with the Anafi after a 2019 firmware update which is written in the comments below the video at this link:

May I ask if a record of flight of the drones is routinely recorded by all companies, not only DJI?

Thank you again to Meta4 and Klrah and everyone else.

Best wishes

 

[Meta4]

Is the altitude restriction based on my position where the RC is, so that if I walk from flat ground to a hill or mountain, then the altitude limit will "increase" because the height limit will then be from the point where I am standing (after having walked from flat ground onto the hill or mountain whilst the drone is in the air)?

All heights are relative to the spot where you launched.
DJI drones are able to fly to 500 metres higher than the launch point altitude.

May I ask if a record of flight of the drones is routinely recorded by all companies, not only DJI?

Whoever is suggesting this to you has no idea at all.
DJI don't record, monitor or see your flight data unless you choose to upload it to their servers.
Even if you do, they still don't care what's on it, unless you make a warranty claim and they need to analyse the flight data to see if the incident was caused by a DJI issue or an operator error.

 

[NewbieNewbie]

Hi Meta4 and all the other members

Thank you for this. I have looked at the map that you kindly sent me.

There is an old aerodrome near my farm. I see it in blue. It says "authorization zone".

May I ask you if this can be bypassed?

What happens if I am flying and then stray by accident in this bit of air space? Is there a geofence that simply stops the drone from entering that air space? Or does the drone land immediately?

I have read a few horror stories of people losing their drone where a NFZ suddenly springs up (eg. a football game), and the drone ran out of battery power and ended up in the lake.

Thank you for all your excellent and knowledgeable advice, and thank you to everyone else.

Best wishes

 

[DanMan32]

In the US, FAA can put up temporary flight restrictions. DJI does add them to its database if listed sufficiently in advance. Scheduled games are also added since flying near a stadium during and shortly before/after a game. One should look for TFRs before flying.

I don't know what the rules are in SF, if governing agencies have TFRs there.

Authorization zones can be unlocked.

If

 

[Kilrah]

Is there a geofence that simply stops the drone from entering that air space?

This.

On this very same note I encountered this youtube video of a 1 kilometre (0.62 miles) altitude flight with the Anafi after a 2019 firmware update which is written in the comments below the video at this link:

You need to be careful since these things can come and go. I haven't looked closely but I seem to have seen that Parrot patched that vulnerability and it doesn't work on current firmware anymore. You'll want to document yourself thoroughly.

 

[Meta4]

What happens if I am flying and then stray by accident in this bit of air space? Is there a geofence that simply stops the drone from entering that air space? Or does the drone land immediately?

If you fly into an airport no-fly zone, it's like the drone has hit a soft, invisible wall.
You can fly along it but you cannot fly through it.

I have read a few horror stories of people losing their drone where a NFZ suddenly springs up (eg. a football game), and the drone ran out of battery power and ended up in the lake.

It's probably only the USA that has such things.
I've never heard of any other country having official temporary no-fly zones for sports matches.
The usual "horror story" is about people who launch inside a NFZ and are impatient.
What happens is that they launch before their drone gets good GPS location data (which would advise them of the NFZ and prevent launching).
They launch without GPS and soon after, when the drone acquires GPS, it starts to autoland.
It's easily prevented by waiting for GPS before launching (which is normal safe practice anyway.

 

[NewbieNewbie]

Hi DanMan32 and Meta4 and Kilrah

Thank you again for all this most helpful info. You people are making swaying me in the direction of rather buying the Mini 2 than the Anafi.

May I ask how does one unlock these blue authorization zones?

I just have a last question if I may.

In your experience, would you argue that the Mini is less likely to blow away in high wind due to the "strength" of the occusync 2 compared to the Anafi which has the weaker wifi (assuming they both fly in the same heavy wind conditions)?

I know the Anafi is supposed to have higher wind resistance between 50 km/h to a max of 80km/h according to their website whereas the Mini 2 wind resistance is close to 40km/h, BUT I have seen youtube videos where it performs at wind speeds higher than 55km/h with gusts, but at low altitude. I presume it would be highly risky to fly at high altitude when the wind speeds are that high with a drone weighing just under 250grams.

I only ask this question because I am a total newbie and here there are high winds often. Therefore I thought perhaps the risk of the Mini 2 blowing away will be less with the stronger Occusync 2 compared to the Anafi's wifi? OR am I wrong? I have seen articles where the Anafi blew away.

I must add that there is very very little info on the Mini 2 versus the Anafi because the Mini 2 is so new, but there are comparisons of the original Mini with the Anafi (which does not help).

Thank you to Meta14, DanMan32, Kilrah and everyone else again for all your excellent advice at this forum that I just recently joined.

Best wishes

 

[Meta4]

In your experience, would you argue that the Mini is less likely to blow away in high wind due to the "strength" of the occusync 2 compared to the Anafi which has the weaker wifi (assuming they both fly in the same heavy wind conditions)?

The radio signal isn't what gives the drone its ability to deal with wind.
It's the speed of the drone.

I know the Anafi is supposed to have higher wind resistance between 50 km/h to a max of 80km/h according to their website whereas the Mini 2 wind resistance is close to 40km/h

Wind resistance is the max wind speed at which a drone can hold position without being blown away.
Wind resiatance approximately equals max speed.
No recreational drone can hold position in an 80 km/h wind.

BUT I have seen youtube videos where it performs at wind speeds higher than 55km/h with gusts, but at low altitude. I presume it would be highly risky to fly at high altitude when the wind speeds are that high with a drone weighing just under 250grams.

No drone can make headway in a wind that is faster than the max speed of the drone.
Be careful with Youtube accounts.
Accurately measuring actual windspeed is one of the things they often get wrong.

Also, be aware that if the wind strength is even half the wind resistance, although a drone can make headway against the wind, its speed will be reduced by the speed of the wind.
And it could still be lost if you were to fly too far downwind and couldn't return before the battery ran out.

ps .. according to manufacturer's specs the max speed of the Anafi anad Mini 2 are quite close.
Anafi = 15 m/s
Mini 2 = 16 m/s

 

[NewbieNewbie]

Hi Meta 4

Thank you for all your words of wisdom, so in reality, just to summarize, you are saying its the speed of the drone that dictates if it will be able to fly in that wind, therefore the Mini 2 should be slightly better because it is slightly faster or must we also take into account the weight of the drone?

The reason I ask this is because I saw at their website with this link here:

Parrot ANAFI | Professional Drone Camera 4K HDR

THE drone for your aerial shots with a x3 zoom and 180° tilt of the 4K camera to obtain a detailed view of the observed target.

www.parrot.com

They state wind speeds of 50km/hour and gusts of 80km/h if you scroll down on the right side. Its just important for me to conclude which one of these 2 drones will hold up better because of strong winds often here.

On another note, may I ask if you (or anyone else) know, with regard to return to home activation; is it possible for me to walk to another location and the drone then lands at that location when I activate return to home (as opposed to the original take-off location. Or can the Mini 2 and Anafi not do this? Is there any drone that is capable of this?

Thank you sincerely Meta 4 and to everyone else

Best wishes

 

[Meta4]

you are saying its the speed of the drone that dictates if it will be able to fly in that wind, therefore the Mini 2 should be slightly better because it is slightly faster or must we also take into account the weight of the drone?

So slightly it really makes little difference.
No, the weight makes no difference to its ability to push against wind.

The reason I ask this is because I saw at their website with this link here:
They state wind speeds of 50km/hour and gusts of 80km/h if you scroll down on the right side.

Their information is confusing.
Their specs show a max speed of 50 km/hr.
If that's as fast as the drone can fly, an 80 km/hr gust is going to blow that drone away at 30 km/hr.
But if their drone could fly at 80 km/hr they would say that in the specs.
Ask them what they mean, because it doesn't make any sense.

On another note, may I ask if you (or anyone else) know, with regard to return to home activation; is it possible for me to walk to another location and the drone then lands at that location when I activate return to home (as opposed to the original take-off location. Or can the Mini 2 and Anafi not do this? Is there any drone that is capable of this?

This is a feature that very few flyers use.
You would have to check the Parrot manual to find out if they have this feature.
In DJI drones you can reset the home point to the current location of the controller and have the drone return there.
Many users report difficulty with this feature when using iPads.
The latest DJI drones (those using DJI Fly app) also have the ability to reset the home point on a map.

 

[DroneToJoy]

Hi. Welcome to the forum. I live down in Cape Town and have both a Mini and an Air. There are no restrictions on either drones. The limit may be imposed until the drone is registered with dji and obviously if the settings are in beginner mode if I remember correctly otherwise you are free to fly to the max of the drones abilities. Enjoy and stay safe on your farm.

Hey Duds

I'm in Cape Town too. Is there a forum or group you know for drone or hobbyists here somewhere you know of? Be great to hook up on occasion and keep learning.

Cheers
Adam

 

[NewbieNewbie]

Hi Meta and Adam and Duds and everyone else

Does anyone perhaps know how to bypass the blue authorization zones? Or is this very complex? I am just asking this question before I make a final decision if I should buy the Mini2 or stay away from DJI (in terms of all their restrictions).
Thank you again
Best wishes

 

[Kilrah]

The app shows a message that this zone needs unlocking, you click the button with an active internet / cell connection and it unlocks.

 

[NewbieNewbie]

Thank you Kilrah, so basically the blue authorization zone is not a big deal at all to unlock. I am very grateful to you for clarifying this point. It helps me to make a decision in terms of whether I buy the Mini 2 or the Anafi.

On another note, I am not sure if anyone can answer this question, but if one flies the Mini 2 in circles for lets say a total distance of 10km and it loses battery power, and then lands by your friend's house 1 kilometre away. If he inserts a new battery, then can I take off from his house with my RC which is 1 kilometre away?

Sorry for asking such technical questions.

Thank you again

Best wishes

 

[Robert Prior]

If you fly into an airport no-fly zone, it's like the drone has hit a soft, invisible wall.
You can fly along it but you cannot fly through it.

It's probably only the USA that has such things.
I've never heard of any other country having official temporary no-fly zones for sports matches.
The usual "horror story" is about people who launch inside a NFZ and are impatient.
What happens is that they launch before their drone gets good GPS location data (which would advise them of the NFZ and prevent launching).
They launch without GPS and soon after, when the drone acquires GPS, it starts to autoland.
It's easily prevented by waiting for GPS before launching (which is normal safe practice anyway.

I nearly splashed by Mavic a couple of years ago. Wanted a shot of a waterfall near my mother's house in BC. Checked the NavCan map and I was good to go — small airport nearby but the law was 'fly with caution' rather than 'requires authorization', and as I was in a valley below the level of the runway I didn't worry about it.

Started drone, waited for GPS lock and the home point to be established, and took off. When the drone got about five metres away it suddenly realized it was in a DJI-no-fly-zone and started landing. Fortunately I was able to get it to shore before it splashed, because there was no way to cancel or slow the descent. I think what happened is the initial GPS position got updated when I got to 3m altitude and the GPS got locks on more satellites (I was in a treed valley so not much sky visible when I launched)). Looking at the DJI map the waterfall is in a no-fly-zone with authorization required, which is more stringent than the law. Oddly, DJI would let me fly over the local seaplane port and hospital helipad just fine! (Each of which has more flights in a day than the airport has in a week, and the helipad is certified so advanced license and authorization required.)

I took two lessons from this:

1) Check the DJI map before you take off. Don't rely on the indicated location — verify your actual location in case the aircraft updates its location and applies new rules. And be really careful if you are near a DJI-no-fly-zone, as an update in position may change the rules you're flying under.

2) Don't rely on DJI to be synchronized with local laws. They can be both more and less restrictive than your country allows. (In Greenland I couldn't fly near a winter-only helipad in the middle of summer.)