Friday, 25 October 2019

Droning On

One of the things I have hankered for over the past few years is a drone. One with a camera as I fancy taking some aerial photography for a change. It would show a different aspect of the village and local farming. First things first though. Would my remaining 'little grey cell' be capable of fast enough decision making to control one? A decent drone with HD resolution still and movie taking abilities can be an expensive investment. About a decode ago I bought a model helicopter with the same ideas in mind and found its operation outside my abilities.

A few days ago I spotted a drone on sale on Amazon. It is designed with children in mind and doesn't have a camera but it was an ideal price for trying out and learning to fly one. Even better was the price. With the sale discount plus a discount voucher it cost me less than £19.  It seemed too cheap to be of any real use but having read dozens of really good reviews and watched a user video on YouTube I ordered one.

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On unpacking the first task was to remove the propellers and add the guards which protect the drone in case of collision and make it safer to use. The controller seems small but I soon got used to operating it.

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Here it is, hand held to show the size

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Well, I've had a couple of practice sessions with it in the garden and am delighted to find it relatively easy to control. Once it has been paired with the controller a press of the take off button and it rises to about 8 feet in the air and hovers automatically. Only one crash so far and the protectors saved the drone from being damaged. I was going to try videoing it in operation today but it has started to rain and strong winds are forecast . That will have to wait for another day.
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4 comments:

  1. Adrian Ward25 October 2019 at 09:59

    We have one here. It is virtually automatic. Will follow machines and comes back when the batteries get low.. Good fun.

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  2. the veg artist25 October 2019 at 09:59

    Last summer I looked out of the window to see next-door's son-in-law, who was down on holiday, in our garden. That would have taken some effort for him to come through the hedge. I tapped on the window to make him realise I'd seen him - and he looked up sheepishly. Yes, he had been playing with a drone, and it had crashed in our garden. He hadn't found it, but I could see it from inside, so I pointed and he scuttled to pick it up. It didn't happen again!
    I agree about the photo opportunities though. It could be very interesting and fun.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Rob25 October 2019 at 13:31

    I must say I have been tempted but never actually bought one, and now there has been a lot of bad publicity recently I have got put off a bit.

    ReplyDelete
  4. A Brit in Tennessee26 October 2019 at 02:30

    I love seeing pictures taken from drones, they are used for taking overhead shots of prospective property for sale.
    Good luck !
    Jo

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting. Hope you enjoyed the pictures. Any comment, or correction to any information or identification I get wrong, is most welcome. John

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