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Strobes for MP?

John235

Well-Known Member
Premium Pilot
Joined
Dec 28, 2018
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Location
Sullivan County PA (Endless Mountains)
I live in the PA mountains, and find I often lose visual of my MP, especially when it is backed by trees or the mountain. It can also be hard to pick up against the clouds or bright sky. Taking my eyes off it for a few seconds to check my tablet screen can cause me to lose track of it. I do not fly at night. Can anyone suggest a good strobe set? I would guess that the best solution would be a strobe on each of the legs.
 
I think this is a common problem that can be exacerbated depending on the background. I have a Lume Cube mounted on the rear of my MP that helps a lot in reacquiring the drone when I change my gaze from the drone to the screen and back again. With it mounted on the rear end (not on top but literally on the rear) I can see it at any altitute when the drone is facing away from me. If the drone is coming toward me and I lose sight of it a simply stop the forward progress and turn it 180 degrees to find it. The Velcro attachment is very secure and I've never had a situation where it can loose.
 
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Than
I think this is a common problem that can be exacerbated depending on the background. I have a Lume Cube mounted on the rear of my MP that helps a lot in reacquiring the drone when I change my gaze from the drone to the screen and back again. With it mounted on the rear end (not on top but literally on the rear) I can see it at any altitute when the drone is facing away from me. If the drone is coming toward me and I lose sight of it a simply stop the forward progress and turn it 180 degrees to find it. The Velcro attachment is very secure and I've never had a situation where it can loose.
Thanks. How is it when sideways to you? Is the strobe only blocked when directly facing you?
 
I’ve got a couple of sets of white STROBONS, which I believe were the brightest available when I bought them a year or so ago. Sourced in the US and supplied with 3D printed clips - just as in the pictures above. I have a set pointing the strobes down and another set with the strobes facing rear. That option is the best. No problems with camera interference and like the other poster, I just turn the drone till I see the flashes. A pair work best. In low light I can easily see them a mile away (tested in a country where VLOS wasn’t restricted to 500m). Probably one of the most useful accessories I have purchased.
 
I think this is a common problem that can be exacerbated depending on the background. I have a Lume Cube mounted on the rear of my MP that helps a lot in reacquiring the drone when I change my gaze from the drone to the screen and back again. With it mounted on the rear end (not on top but literally on the rear) I can see it at any altitute when the drone is facing away from me. If the drone is coming toward me and I lose sight of it a simply stop the forward progress and turn it 180 degrees to find it. The Velcro attachment is very secure and I've never had a situation where it can loose.
I cannot stress the importance of strobes. I literally lost my machine because I was trying for a shot that put her out of visual and when I got her back to my visual, I lost my orientation and flew her totally opposite of where I thought I was. I didn’t hit RTH, which is on me. Port/starboard Beacons would have saved my machine. My old Phantom 2 had great beacons. MavicPro? Not so much.
Just installed Lume Cube strobes on my replacement drone...and my flying confidence has been restored.
 
WrapGrade.jp has neon orange, yellow, and green wraps. They're completely un-natural and for me they work better than strobes in bright daylight or cloudy days. The orange is the best for me but the yellow and green are almost as good. I've got all grades of strobes trying to keep track of the 'neutral' Mavics and don't need them with the neon orange wrap.

I tried one of WrapGrade's beautiful metallic wraps and it looked great sitting still in good light and I thought it would be easy to see in the sky. But it wasn''t easier, just turns grey at some distance, and I replaced it with the neon orange...
 
I use the Fire house arc. Love them, one thing to remember is not to get them wet.
 
My buddy put a bright fluorescent orange skin on his MP which helps in close but it doesn't help out at further distances. On the other hand the firehouse Arc-II show up pretty well. But at distances over a couple thousand feet out, the strobes are all you see, not the quad. I've got 4 on my pro...white on the back and one on the bottom, with red and green on the sides. At 3000 feet out if you look away it might take time to re-find the strobe flash.
 
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