Puttin' the ol' Mavic Pro to work....

[Donnie Frank]

Hey doods!

One of my new gigs is to gather evidence for traffic fatalities. Tested this rig today with UgCS. So far, so good! I think this rig's going to work out nicely.





D

 

[Gagey52]

Good one Donnie, I’ve been trying a similar setup using Ram clamps on the tripod.
Regards

 

[MavicFlyer2]

Hello to you....is that a Base Station that allows you more accuracy in your mapping ?

 

[Donnie Frank]

Hello to you....is that a Base Station that allows you more accuracy in your mapping ?

Well...since I can launch my drone and monitor telemetry data from my Desktop computer, I suppose that technically it IS a base station, albeit, a homemade one.

Here's a screenshot of my Desktop computer during testing.




But in reality, it's just a controller and a 12.9" iPad mounted to a tripod.

And while I DO sort of use this tripod setup and software for Photogrammetry, I do not use the Mavic Pro for mapping. This rig was built for the sole purpose of collecting video evidence for an investigation firm for a traffic lawsuit.

The reason for putting this rig together is because I'm used to using the Mavic Pro for small jobs. So I honestly haven't flown it out more than 500' for the past couple years. It's diminutive size makes it perfect for shooting in neighborhoods where people might be upset by a drone. This next job is a bit different from previous "Mavic jobs," because I'm shooting almost a mile of Interstate. I'm launching from the center of the 1 mile span, which is still roughly 2500' out in both directions. Because I haven't flown the Mavic that far out in years, I thought I would conduct tests to make sure she could handle that kind of distance. The ability to physically raise the controller to a higher position helps increase a given drone's range (my invention). So I was testing the signal boost of the tripod rig by mounting the controller to the tripod along with a passive parabolic signal boosters.

As you can see in this screenshot, less than halfway out (500 meters) the Mavic started losing signal:



So I simply raised the tripod a couple feet and was able to regain signal to 75% all the way out to 1Km (3280').




It's almost ironic that I have other drones with MUCH better range, but since I'm going to be flying along side a busy Interstate (not directly over, of course), I'm pretty insistent on not using a larger drone. Even my P4P is too "visible" for this job in my humble opinion. The Mavic's thin profile makes it almost invisible to passersby. I plan on flying fairly low, about 20 meters, which will make the Mavic nearly invisible to those not looking for it.

D

 

[Donnie Frank]

Good one Donnie, I’ve been trying a similar setup using Ram clamps on the tripod.
Regards

Copy that. I like the Ram stuff. I use it inside my vehicle for mounting iPads.





Which Ram hardware do you use? I really like their stuff. Good quality.

D

 

[MavicFlyer2]

Well...since I can launch my drone and monitor telemetry data from my Desktop computer, I suppose that technically it IS a base station, albeit, a homemade one.

Here's a screenshot of my Desktop computer during testing.
View attachment 160254



But in reality, it's just a controller and a 12.9" iPad mounted to a tripod.

And while I DO sort of use this tripod setup and software for Photogrammetry, I do not use the Mavic Pro for mapping. This rig was built for the sole purpose of collecting video evidence for an investigation firm for a traffic lawsuit.

The reason for putting this rig together is because I'm used to using the Mavic Pro for small jobs. So I honestly haven't flown it out more than 500' for the past couple years. It's diminutive size makes it perfect for shooting in neighborhoods where people might be upset by a drone. This next job is a bit different from previous "Mavic jobs," because I'm shooting almost a mile of Interstate. I'm launching from the center of the 1 mile span, which is still roughly 2500' out in both directions. Because I haven't flown the Mavic that far out in years, I thought I would conduct tests to make sure she could handle that kind of distance. The ability to physically raise the controller to a higher position helps increase a given drone's range (my invention). So I was testing the signal boost of the tripod rig by mounting the controller to the tripod along with a passive parabolic signal boosters.

As you can see in this screenshot, less than halfway out (500 meters) the Mavic started losing signal:
View attachment 160255


So I simply raised the tripod a couple feet and was able to regain signal to 75% all the way out to 1Km (3280').
View attachment 160256



It's almost ironic that I have other drones with MUCH better range, but since I'm going to be flying along side a busy Interstate (not directly over, of course), I'm pretty insistent on not using a larger drone. Even my P4P is too "visible" for this job in my humble opinion. The Mavic's thin profile makes it almost invisible to passersby. I plan on flying fairly low, about 20 meters, which will make the Mavic nearly invisible to those not looking for it.

D

Thank you....I was curious so decided best way to find out is to ask.