Strobe lights ? Any preferences or any recommendations.

[Lionfish]

Hey ,

I’m thinking of getting a strobe light for my new Mavic zoom , which I haven’t got around to ordering yet !.
I would like to hear from anyone who flies with one , the good and the bad , maybe the ugly too !.
Are they as good as the website says ? , has anyone tested one to see how far away it can be seen ?
Well I’m interested in hearing anything , pros , cons or recommendations on strobes ? .
Thanks .......

 

[Starz]

The search function on this forum works really well.
There are actually 10 pages of threads on this subject.
You will probably be reading for a week.
Happy spinning!

 

[Thomas B]

Hey ,

I’m thinking of getting a strobe light for my new Mavic zoom , which I haven’t got around to ordering yet !.
I would like to hear from anyone who flies with one , the good and the bad , maybe the ugly too !.
Are they as good as the website says ? , has anyone tested one to see how far away it can be seen ?
Well I’m interested in hearing anything , pros , cons or recommendations on strobes ? .
Thanks .......

I strongly suggest the Firehouse ARC XLs ....the ARC2s are excellent also.

drone strobe light

drone strobe light faa 107

www.firehousetechnology.com

certified for up to 3.5 miles visibility.
Here’s a 10 second video in daylight... check out the ground below.

 

[Fred Garvin]

I have (1) red Cree, (1) green Cree and (1) Firehouse Arc2 white.

I have Aerial-Pixel mounts for all 3, a set for my Typhoons, M2P and Mavic Air.

1 set of lights that I can use on all my aircraft. I try to keep things simple and shared as much as possible. All three lights can easily recharge from an inexpensive USB charger brick.

 

[Lionfish]

I strongly suggest the Firehouse ARC XLs ....the ARC2s are excellent also.

drone strobe light

drone strobe light faa 107

www.firehousetechnology.com

certified for up to 3.5 miles visibility.
Here’s a 10 second video in daylight... check out the ground below.

 

[Lionfish]

That’s a very impressive video .
I wouldn’t have believed they could be as good as that , it looks like my choice has been made .
My apologies for not using the search function, I’m not sure why I missed that .
I’ll go with being new to this forum , which by the way is awesome , the info that’s stashed in here must cover just about it all.
Thanks .

 

[Thomas B]

That’s a very impressive video .
I wouldn’t have believed they could be as good as that , it looks like my choice has been made .
My apologies for not using the search function, I’m not sure why I missed that .
I’ll go with being new to this forum , which by the way is awesome , the info that’s stashed in here must cover just about it all.
Thanks .

I also use the mounts from our own @Aerial-Pixel ... love them... fronts can be arm or landing gear mounted and there’s a model that works with the PolarPro landing gear installed.

3d printed

Products by drone pilots for drone pilots. In 2013 we started Aerial-Pixel as a drone photography and videography service. Since then we have grown to also provide vinyl graphics, apparel and 3D printed products for the drone industry.

www.aerial-pixel.com

 

[Bobvt]

I also use the mounts from our own @Aerial-Pixel ... love them... fronts can be arm or landing gear mounted and there’s a model that works with the PolarPro landing gear installed.

3d printed

Products by drone pilots for drone pilots. In 2013 we started Aerial-Pixel as a drone photography and videography service. Since then we have grown to also provide vinyl graphics, apparel and 3D printed products for the drone industry.

www.aerial-pixel.com

Msinger has really good mounts also he is a member here

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

With the M2Z and the larger ARC XL, you will really have to use the arm mounts.
Same with the ARCII if you choose those.
Mostly because the M2 drones have rear and side sensors too, not many places to velcro mount them.

The ARC XL are really bright at 1000 lumen, and has an audible alarm in case your drone comes down, can greatly assist finding it.
Not only the strobe still flashing, but if the drone is still for 4 minutes, the 90db alarm goes off !

For comparison, the ARCII strobes are 600 lumen, and this is quite enough for great VLOS for most pilots and flights.

 

[Gindra]

I strongly suggest the Firehouse ARC XLs ....the ARC2s are excellent also.

drone strobe light

drone strobe light faa 107

www.firehousetechnology.com

certified for up to 3.5 miles visibility.
Here’s a 10 second video in daylight... check out the ground below.

I have these same strobes on my Zoom. Two white up front and two red on the rear. Really like these. Much easier to turn on and off than the Arc2s, which I had before.

 

[e143slime8]

I use the Firehouse Arc2 with arm mounted holders (vs. velcro). Very pleased.

 

[Frustrated]

I use the Firehouse Arc2 Velcro to the battery and strobe. I bought white, wish I Would have bought maybe red, i don't fly at night.

 

[Thomas B]

With the M2Z and the larger ARC XL, you will really have to use the arm mounts.
Same with the ARCII if you choose those.
Mostly because the M2 drones have rear and side sensors too, not many places to velcro mount them.

The ARC XL are really bright at 1000 lumen, and has an audible alarm in case your drone comes down, can greatly assist finding it.
Not only the strobe still flashing, but if the drone is still for 4 minutes, the 90db alarm goes off !

For comparison, the ARCII strobes are 600 lumen, and this is quite enough for great VLOS for most pilots and flights.

I use the front legs of my M2P for the ARC XLs in mount made by aerial-pixel. Not discounting any choice. Just pointing out that they are available... even with the PolarPro landing gear... mine are made to fit this.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

I use the Firehouse Arc2 Velcro to the battery and strobe. I bought white, wish I Would have bought maybe red, i don't fly at night.

White is by FAR the brightest though, best for daytime VLOS.
Red is 2nd brightest, green 3rd.

See attached pics showing white and red on the back of my M1P.
Clearly the white is best all round for brightness.




I just checked your 1st post, you have an Air, then on the battery underneath is the best spot for yours

My BIL fitted a FHT Spark strobe under his Air (on the battery too), it has an acrylic dome that scatters light to a lower angle.

Not a good video of the output, because the auto exposure on the iphone camera against the light grey sky, washes out light from the strobe as well.
600 lumens, same output as the ARCII.

 

[EricJT]

Msinger has really good mounts also he is a member here

I have the ARC II's (rear 2 white, front 1 red & 1 green) mounted using Mike Singer's arm mounts....love the setup.

 

[Tonyzak]

I am new to flying drones so bare with me on this. I flew my drone over water and lost sight of it rather quickly.
I immediately realized I need to add to add some lighting. So I have a couple questions in mind. It appears that the lighthouse brand is the way to go.

How do I want to mount the lights for the best daytime use. I don't fly at night and don't intend to.

How much does strobe light extend visibility ? I realize that not everybody has the same eye sight.
What is the best configuration for mounting the lights ?
If the light is in the front you will at least know the drone is headed you way but you won't be able to see it as it flies out.
So you do need to mount another light somewhere on the drone where it can differentiate the orientation of the drone.

What else needs to be considered.

 

[Frustrated]

I use the Firehouse Arc2 Velcro to the battery and strobe. I bought white, wish I Would have bought maybe red during clear skies., i don't fly at night.

 

[Tonyzak]

Using the search feature I have some good information. It's just a matter of what words you use to search with.
But some stuff may be outdated so any suggestion to add would be appreciated. I like the idea mounting two strobes in the front and one in the back.

 

[Starz]

The brightest one I’ve found. Velcro is a good choice.

Amazon.com: Drone Strobe, 5 White Cree LEDs Drone Strobe for Night Anti Collision, Fits All Multirotor Quadcopter Drones Like DJI Phantom, Mavic, Spark, DJI Inspire 1 2, Matrice, 3DR Solo, Matrice: Toys & Games

Buy Drone Strobe, 5 White Cree LEDs Drone Strobe for Night Anti Collision, Fits All Multirotor Quadcopter Drones Like DJI Phantom, Mavic, Spark, DJI Inspire 1 2, Matrice, 3DR Solo, Matrice: Toys & Games - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

 

[Frustrated]

I guess it matters where you can attach it. MY mavic air has an exposed battery at the bottom where I have mine