Posted: 9/29/2016 3:54:26 PM EDT
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http://petapixel.com/2016/09/27/dji-unveils-mavic-pro-foldable-ultra-portable-camera-drone/
seems like intel about your surroundings would be tremendously valuable in just about any situation. It would be a lot of weight to backpack with, but i'm already carrying the solar chargers etc that could keep it running (for a few minutes at a time at least). If you're in a car though, it seems almost like a no-brainer. i'm curious if anyone has a drone (flying or rolling) in their kit today i'm pretty close to pulling the trigger on something like this, but it's not something i would use every day so it's a little hard for me to justify |
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I really can't see this as a sustainable option if on foot. Maybe cycling with a small trailer or with a vehicle where you could do shorter patrols with a "base" to return to it would definitely provide solid intel.
We had a demo at our church which hosted a community "outdoors" banquet with vendors and businesses. One of the vendors was doing a demo with a few of his mini-drones. One used his iPhone attached to a controller and it shot up high enough that you couldn't see it or hear it, yet the video was unbelievable and gave enough detail to identify people. Of course this was the top of the line and expensive. Battery life was only like 20 minutes or so, which would necessitate extra batteries and a better charging system (which would preclude carrying by foot). I would say unequivocally, any form of eye-in-the-sky would provide valuable information and really help extend your observation range. It would really be a force multiplier. I have a hard time seeing a viable option for having this on foot without a decent supply train; however from a bug-in location, dismounted from a vehicle base or boat, it would be a big asset. Adding that the link to the drone you posted is actually pretty good. Over a 4 mile range and 27 minutes of flight time is quite a bit. You could observe a pretty large radius or danger area. I would want to really test the camera quality from max elevations, but I'll be honest, having see some drone demonstrations, the best shooters with their favorite goose guns would be extremely hard pressed to bring one down unless it was sitting static at 70-80 feet. Man, prices are really coming down and looking reasonable...this is tempting! ROCK6 |
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Quoted:
I really can't see this as a sustainable option if on foot. Maybe cycling with a small trailer or with a vehicle where you could do shorter patrols with a "base" to return to it would definitely provide solid intel. We had a demo at our church which hosted a community "outdoors" banquet with vendors and businesses. One of the vendors was doing a demo with a few of his mini-drones. One used his iPhone attached to a controller and it shot up high enough that you couldn't see it or hear it, yet the video was unbelievable and gave enough detail to identify people. Of course this was the top of the line and expensive. Battery life was only like 20 minutes or so, which would necessitate extra batteries and a better charging system (which would preclude carrying by foot). I would say unequivocally, any form of eye-in-the-sky would provide valuable information and really help extend your observation range. It would really be a force multiplier. I have a hard time seeing a viable option for having this on foot without a decent supply train; however from a bug-in location, dismounted from a vehicle base or boat, it would be a big asset. Adding that the link to the drone you posted is actually pretty good. Over a 4 mile range and 27 minutes of flight time is quite a bit. You could observe a pretty large radius or danger area. I would want to really test the camera quality from max elevations, but I'll be honest, having see some drone demonstrations, the best shooters with their favorite goose guns would be extremely hard pressed to bring one down unless it was sitting static at 70-80 feet. Man, prices are really coming down and looking reasonable...this is tempting! ROCK6 For a bug-in or vehicle bug-out, I was thinking the same thing. What a great asset to survey your surroundings from cover. Damn, I might just have to get me one of these. |
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That looked pretty cool but it seems like your sending up a flare as to your location. I have always said I would get one when they where pretty much automated. I have ADHD and I would go insane trying to watch my back and fly one. Well the cool thing as I read it, you could launch with the remote from a decent distance and with cover. You can even program the drone to fly a certain pattern and return, not even needing the controller other than to view the video. Still, I agree; I see this as a "crew-served" intel device. It would be nice to have this for a small patrol group where security could be out while a couple are scouting the perimeter or targeted location off a monitor. From what I read, you can also have the drone run it's route and just return to its launch site; you could be behind cover, moving to ambush or cutting your losses and moving out quickly. This is really piquing my interest...I don't know how reliable the AI is, but if it's as reliable with all the features the marketing suggests, I see this as a serious survival-multiplier. ROCK6 |
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that's what i'm thinking.
and even if it's just in your house when you're bugging in, it would be great to fly around and check things out like people moving around in the neighborhood, or flood waters rising, or rioters/looters, police checkpoints, etc. i had a dude knock on my door at 11pm last month. he was obviously totally out of his mind. wearing only shorts, grass all over him like he'd been rolling in the yard. he was jumping behind the bushes and trying to look in the windows and looked like he was about to knock them out and try to enter, so i let him know i was home and asked him what he wanted through the door. i told him i'd call him a wrecker and called the police. he ran off as soon as i stepped away back from the door. when i called the police they told me i was the 5th call they'd had on him that night. the police still took 2 days to catch the dude. if i'd had the drone, seems like i could have just followed him and let the police know where he was and ended that rather quickly. might be a more manual process of actually flying the drone in the dark, instead of just telling it to follow the guy. but still |
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Mavic is fantastic. Best drone out there to date. I have a Phantom 3 Pro and love it - Mavic does the same things but smaller.
If I was backpacking, don't know that I would bring it - after the batteries are dead, it requires about an hour to charge batteries with a 100W charger; would be pretty difficult to recharge after the first go. But if in a vehicle or at home, absolutely - could be *really* useful. Just keep it high enough and moving so that it doesn't become a target. |
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I bought the DJI Mavic. it can fit in your pocket, Looking forward to a field report...I'm going to start saving my piggy-bank slush fund for one of these...I just see so much value, especially for just patrolling our property. We do some backpacking, but for day hikes it would be a great form of flying selfie platform 
ROCK6 |
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The DJI drones are so easy to fly a child could do it easily (while also being the best thing out there right now). Just don't think you're flying a sport aircraft - its purpose is getting quality aerial photos and video. Where people get in trouble is being stupid and flying into the ground/power lines/buildings. Believe me, it's plenty fun doing exactly what it does - no need to try to Red Baron with it!
It's about as much fun as you can have with your clothes on. I finally realized a drone was the last thing missing on my Right Wing Nutjob Checklist - it was worth hitting my credit card for!! Do it and don't look back - I fly every day I can. Believe I've heard of one guy who shoots at either 400 or 1000 who flies his drone out, hovers a few yards from the target, and shoots, then using the live feed to spot for himself. Pretty slick... |
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Believe I've heard of one guy who shoots at either 400 or 1000 who flies his drone out, hovers a few yards from the target, and shoots, then using the live feed to spot for himself. Pretty slick... Hmmm...a drone spotter...that is a pretty slick idea. You could set up the monitor, fly to that point above the target and hover with live feed to review and make adjustments...ingenious! ROCK6 |