3DR Solo with normal waypoints and NO points of interest.

3DR Solo with normal waypoints and NO points of interest. Using Tower app for android. No gimbal.
Deer Lake, Burnaby, BC
nphoto.ca
2 crashes and 60 bucks in replacement propellers later here are my findings:
1. Before every flight it is recommended to calibrate the level and compass (optional but highly recommended to get precise waypoints flight)
2. GPS locking that is essential of the auto/smart flight is not always reliable. Even nearby trees could be on the way, so maximum flat field of view is required. Issues are random problems with GPS locking (one of my crashes was due to this I think - flu under trees and it just lost horizontal control). Sometimes you need to restart the system a few times to get GPS lock. (one really easy and free mod here that I am sure I will do here - • 3DR Solo - GPS mod ). Better mod to have GPS +GLONASS (30 USD) is here - • Video review here • 3DR Solo FPVLR
4. Footage with no gimbal is not usable for any production purpose… lots of vibration as you can see here especially when windy
5. Automated flight is a great feature, but the line of communication with the drone is still required (which beats the purpose IMHO)… if the drone loses contact with the remote it will automatically come back despite incomplete flight mission (investigating how to overcome that)**** Update: Thanks to John Bucci here is the fix: hit the 3 horizontal lines in the upper left hand side of the app, 6th line down below settings is Parameters. it will only list them while it is connected to the Solo. You need to change FS_GCS_ENABLE & FS_THR_ENABLE both to a value of "2". Then upload mission to the Solo after you make the change, only the changed parameters get uploaded.
6. Android devices have less Wi-Fi range with Solo than iOS devices IMHO. I recommend to purchase a tablet only for the drone with the strongest Wi-Fi. BUT iOS devices do not support Tower App required for automated flight....
7. Waypoints and points of interest are a bit tricky to understand, but really great to enhance the automated flight footage. • 3DR Solo automated fli...
8. Use GoPro on medium wide until gimbal arrives to exclude the landing gear from the image (rumor has it that even with gimbal you can not shoot 4K with no legs in the shot)
9. It would be impossible to fly indoors due to absence of GPS locking and absence of other tools to stabilise the drone indoors. But you could carry the drone inside and still get a good footage (once gimbal arrives). **** UPDATE - 3DR says "Optical flow accessory currently under development" - which is required for a stable indoor flight.
10. A+B+Pause is something we all need to remember to kill props while crashing. Otherwise the propellers will spin for a second or two completely trashing themselves... it's like Ctrl+Alt+Delete for drones :-)
11. Even with the gimbal your Hero4 will not be charging from Solo as this is only supported with Hero3
12. Follow mode was a disaster in my tests as I could NOT get it to work at all. Blaming my phone with bad GPS locking for that.
13. When flying with no gimbal it might be worth balancing the props to get rid of gello effect - • Video
Otherwise it is a great tool for outdoors filming and surveillance!
Additional modifications that we might need (some could increase performance):
1 - Better long range antenna - fpvlr.com/stor...\ (130 USD)
2 - Tablet instead of a phone (only Android devices support Tower App) - online RC crowd recommends Galaxy Tab S
3 - Proper carrying case

[@AlekseyNapolskih]

Video description has all the latest results/updates

[@1957TAH]

Was this with the gimbal, or just a hard mount. Seems shaky