Drone for taking aerial photos of anchorages?

AntarcticPilot said:
But be aware that Google a) masks areas that are offshore, even if there are reefs or whatever and b) uses imagery that may be several years out of date. Neither are show-stoppers, but both are important to know about. To paraphrase a warning we often put on our maps: the absence of a feature on Google does not mean that no feature exists.
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Indeed, though more options than just Google, plus in SASplanet it's quick and easy to flip between cmap/navionics/several satellite sources. Very useful resource especially in much of the world where marine charts are not the most reliable.
 
Great article by Norman Kean in the current issue of YM, about his trip round Ireland with the objective of taking drone photos to update the latest version of the Irish Cruising Club Sailing Directions (a highly recommended guide).

I loved the bit about how he had put a flat board across the davits for launching/landing the drone - but hadn’t had time to test it.
Launched fine, but then “the drone came back, sat hovering 6 feet out, and glared at us - or to be precise, at the backstays: too clever by half!”

Don’t know how he resolved it, but presumably the automatic collision sensing stuff can be a bit of an issue on a yacht ;-)
 
dunedin said:
I loved the bit about how he had put a flat board across the davits for launching/landing the drone - but hadn’t had time to test it.
Launched fine, but then “the drone came back, sat hovering 6 feet out, and glared at us - or to be precise, at the backstays: too clever by half!”
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If you leave the sensors on then you have to land it backwards onto a landing platform like that since there are no rear facing proximity sensors. Fine when at anchor but landing backwards whilst underway is tricky.
 
laika said:
+1. Thanks to drones you and your guests can no longer sunbathe in the cockpit unseen by others because BZZZZZZZZZZ yup some pervy anorak is taking pictures from above which will end up on the Interweb. The noise of them is also intensely annoying in a peaceful anchorage. If they're less than the legal 50m from the top of your mast I reckon they're fair game.
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We just turn over and all they see is our bums.
 
northcave said:
...the best thing is to grab it with gloves on and then turn it upside down. That cuts the motors automatically...
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Thread drift but that reminded me of tagging sea turtles in Mexico - grab shell behind head and above tail, if you're quick enough and flip them upside down straight away you could swim them to the surface to be tagged...:)
 
V1701 said:
Thread drift but that reminded me of tagging sea turtles in Mexico - grab shell behind head and above tail, if you're quick enough and flip them upside down straight away you could swim them to the surface to be tagged...:)
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Aren't sharks supposed to go catatonic if turned upside down? Not that I'm ever going to try. Or is that catfish?

Mike.
 
Just got a Mavic Mini for my birthday .... it shoots 2.7K video (which gets downsized to 1080p for YouTube) and takes very nice pics. Well impressed by what it has produced ....

Buy DJI Mavic Mini - DJI Store

My first video ....


Pic (Original is 12 Mp) ...

Herrsching.JPG

Bit sensitive to strong wind, if you can afford it then a Mavic Air 2 is the best bang for buck at the moment.

Can't wait to get on the boat when we all get let out again ?

PS: This was first attempt at a HDR panorama ...

HDR.JPG
 
One other point .... buy a DJI Drone and their "DJI Care Refresh" package (£35 for the Mini) and you can drop your drone in the sea twice in one year and get it replaced for a very small fee.

Question 18 of their FAQ.

18 My aircraft crashed into water. Will replacement be covered under DJI Care Refresh?
Damage occurring after the product has come into contact with water is covered by the DJI Care Refresh. Product that suffers water damage can be replaced under DJI Care Refresh.
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DJI Care Refresh - supported aircraft, scenarios, service process, FAQ and terms of service

.... for the Mavic Mini first replacement £39 ... second £45

This was a deciding factor for me as I want to use it during my sailing holidays so water is unavoidable.
 
Baggywrinkle said:
Just got a Mavic Mini for my birthday .... it shoots 2.7K video (which gets downsized to 1080p for YouTube) and takes very nice pics. Well impressed by what it has produced ....

Buy DJI Mavic Mini - DJI Store

My first video ....


Pic (Original is 12 Mp) ...

View attachment 89336

Bit sensitive to strong wind, if you can afford it then a Mavic Air 2 is the best bang for buck at the moment.

Can't wait to get on the boat when we all get let out again ?

PS: This was first attempt at a HDR panorama ...

View attachment 89339
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That looks great. When you say Strong wind, what sort of wind strength are you talking? Struggles in 5kn / 15kn /25kn at mast level?
 
scruff said:
That looks great. When you say Strong wind, what sort of wind strength are you talking? Struggles in 5kn / 15kn /25kn at mast level?
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20 mph, 32 kmh, 17 kn or top end of a force 4 is about the limit I would fly it in .... I've had some strong wind warnings on mine as the wind is stronger the higher you fly, recovery is to lose altitude as the wind is slower at lower altitude - I generally try and always fly upwind of my position if the wind is strong. The drone has 3 flying modes - cinematic where it is very slow and controlled, and easily overcome by wind - position mode, where it acts like a flying tripod and stays put, manoevres are faster than cine mode. Sport mode is the fastest and it will fly at around 30mph, so good for getting back in windy conditions.

Here's an example .... quite surprising how stable the footage is considering how much the 249g drone is being blown about.

 
Baggywrinkle said:
20 mph, 32 kmh, 17 kn or top end of a force 4 is about the limit I would fly it in .... I've had some strong wind warnings on mine as the wind is stronger the higher you fly, recovery is to lose altitude as the wind is slower at lower altitude - I generally try and always fly upwind of my position if the wind is strong. The drone has 3 flying modes - cinematic where it is very slow and controlled, and easily overcome by wind - position mode, where it acts like a flying tripod and stays put, manoevres are faster than cine mode. Sport mode is the fastest and it will fly at around 30mph, so good for getting back in windy conditions.

Here's an example .... quite surprising how stable the footage is considering how much the 249g drone is being blown about.

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That's more than I was expecting, thank you.

I may treat myself to one once we are allowed out to play again!
 
dunedin said:
Brilliant Baggywrinkle, very helpful. Great photos, and great tip about the Care Refresh and strong wind handling.

Off to count piggy bank :)
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One thing to add is beware that DJI has a new phone app DJI Fly which is required to fly their Mavic Mini and Mavic Air 2 drones. This app needs a 64bit Android OS which rules out many old phones and tablets. Not sure about Apple devices so check their compatibility list and the DJI forums to avoid buying a drone and then needing a phone upgrade. .... or just download DJI Fly from the app store and install it to see if it works. I didn't know this and got lucky as it worked on my phone, but neither of my older tablets.
 
Baggywrinkle said:
One thing to add is beware that DJI has a new phone app DJI Fly which is required to fly their Mavic Mini and Mavic Air 2 drones. This app needs a 64bit Android OS which rules out many old phones and tablets. Not sure about Apple devices so check their compatibility list and the DJI forums to avoid buying a drone and then needing a phone upgrade. .... or just download DJI Fly from the app store and install it to see if it works. I didn't know this and got lucky as it worked on my phone, but neither of my older tablets.
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Even on my one device that accepts that Android app, it is 256Mb in size which is ridiculous!
 
Baggywrinkle said:
One other point .... buy a DJI Drone and their "DJI Care Refresh" package (£35 for the Mini) and you can drop your drone in the sea twice in one year and get it replaced for a very small fee.

Question 18 of their FAQ.



DJI Care Refresh - supported aircraft, scenarios, service process, FAQ and terms of service

.... for the Mavic Mini first replacement £39 ... second £45

This was a deciding factor for me as I want to use it during my sailing holidays so water is unavoidable.
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I assume that you have to produce the body of the old to get new .... a bit problematic if you have crashed her in mid Atlantic... :(

Re landing on board and and obstacle sensing.

Bring her in astern or backwards has another benefit..... pull joystick towards you and drone comes towards you..... put joystick to left and drone moves left... less risk of confusion...
 
Frank Holden said:
I assume that you have to produce the body of the old to get new .... a bit problematic if you have crashed her in mid Atlantic... :(

Re landing on board and and obstacle sensing.

Bring her in astern or backwards has another benefit..... pull joystick towards you and drone comes towards you..... put joystick to left and drone moves left... less risk of confusion...
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No, you don't need the body. The flight logs tells them all they need to know, that and the video cache - both stored on the phone (if you haven't switched caching off).

Explanation of flight logs here ....


Obstacle sensing can be a problem when trying to land on board, the Mavic Mini only has downward sensors, so with a bit of care it is pretty easy to land if you're not flying in a gale. Landing with the drone facing away from you is a good tip (y)
 
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