Welcome, Autel Pilots!
Join our free Autel drone community today!
Join Us

Venting!!

Donda

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 24, 2017
Messages
56
Reaction score
10
Age
63
Location
Houston, TX
First of all let me say that this thing is one of the most interesting things I have ever owned. Talk about addicting!!!

Before the first week of June this year, the only thing I knew about a hobby Drone is that they looked pretty cool, and I wouldn't mind having one to mess around with. My rig (XSP with latest FW) was given to me as a surprise B-Day present by my family, without any research by me on the different makes and models. I love my Autel Drone, but am finding bits of information that are making me think my family should have alerted me before making this type of purchase? After a few months exposure to it, and a little reading, my concerns are adding up.

I would rather worry about parts getting lost in shipment than my entire investment. Why in the world would Autel not make parts available so folks that are out of the warranty period can get up and going faster? Or people that are confident in what they are doing simply do their own repairs, even if it does void the warranty? I don't like that I can't get OEM parts, except for what are called "accessories". Is this common across different Drone makers, to have no parts availability for customers that want to learn the guts of their equipment and not be dependent on others to keep them in the air?

Is it common across makes and models, to have such a variance as far as advertised range and real world results? From what I have been able to dig up, folks are getting ranges (out of the box) that vary from next to nothing to beyond the advertised distance. If I get .5 mile without inturruption of any sort, video or communication, I'm lucky! Personally, I think the average customer for Autel is going to be a first time pilot. Therefore, a person that most likely lives in a subdivision with network clutter etc., and is no way going to smell the advertised two miles without extenders, Faraday paper, or whatever one comes up with to squeeze a few more feet out of their bird. A half mile is something I would expect from Play-school, not something that cost as much as this did.


As I said I'm new to this and have no idea what a reasonable expectation is as far as Drone's performance, out of the box?
 
  • Like
Reactions: wernerjb
I Iike your question about parts not being available. I fly Yuneec Drones and if something happens buy the parts on Amazon or Ebay and all is fine. Indeed - today I searched for parts for my XP - I could not find any replacement parts except for blades etc. Good point Donda.

Sent from my Vivo 5R using Tapatalk
 
  • Like
Reactions: Delta Blue
I totally agree with the non-availability of parts, but I am an electronics engineer by trade and have no fear working on things. As for Autel vs the others, we would be hard pressed to get the features in the Autel at the same pricetag...pretty difficult to do. The DJI that will match or beat features are $300-500 more retail, or 35-60% more...my whole Ruggedized kit with 3 batteries, two controllers, and the heavy duty case was $850...look for a phantom 3 advanced or pro, or a mavic for that price...even used on Craigslist.

Distance and connectivity...most in open areas have no issues with distance...i myself am doing things at worst case scenario (notice you mentioned my Farraday stuff)...104 houses in my development alone, 0 lot line, and everyone has their WiFi blasting all over let alone power, phone and utility lines, etc. When I start my drone in my backyard it warns me of video signal interference before I take off then it goes away...lol. There are many great reviews of the XSP as the drone that gives you the best bang for the $$$...but it won't win in head to head against newer DJI on most functionality... you will pay for that though. I don't know Yuneec other than it's colossal size compared to the XSP and Phantoms when I saw it at best buy...its a tank but I hear good reviews.

We all vent, look at me, 2.5 months and a bad motor already...I'm pretty mad about that. I am happy with what I got for the money I spent though.
 
I'm going to guess most of us that are members of this board could replace parts on these things. An exploded view of the assemble, the part numbers, and a few common tools is all it would take.

Side note. Sure wish this dang rain would stop so I can get some shots of my neighborhood in NW Houston.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Squirrel!
I'm going to guess most of us that are members of this board could replace parts on these things. An exploded view of the assemble, the part numbers, and a few common tools is all it would take.

Side note. Sure wish this dang rain would stop so I can get some shots of my neighborhood in NW Houston.


Friend of mine is a Stormer. He's packing his equipment getting ready to head that way. Two of my Grandsons also work on Storming Crews, they'll end up down there too.

Be safe!!!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Squirrel!
Stay safe @Donda and hope you get a break soon...I saw some of the online video posts, it was bad. My buddies property here in Florida is under 4 feet of water as it is on a creek and all the water from the storms passing through Florida go down just a few waterways to the Gulf near Sarasota.
 
Many thanks to your Grandsons and friend, ovrszd!! Many are far worse off than me, and appreciate unselfish folks like them lending a hand.

Safe travels to them!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Squirrel!
Parts can be had, but limited: landing skids, shell, props, batteries and accessories. Short of a camera replacement, really, there isn't anything else you'd really need. The thing is built like a tank so you'd have to really crash it good to bust it, it seems.

Distance, always varies, even when you make 2 flights following the same flight path, you can easily get 2 different outcomes for distance. That goes with any radio controlled thing.

Glad you are OK, would love to see some of the footage you are in the position to take. Stay dry, stay safe.
 
I Iike your question about parts not being available. I fly Yuneec Drones and if something happens buy the parts on Amazon or Ebay and all is fine. Indeed - today I searched for parts for my XP - I could not find any replacement parts except for blades etc. Good point Donda.

Sent from my Vivo 5R using Tapatalk
I got really good at my soldering skills again when I first bought a small Hubsan first to learn some drone flying skills. It was constantly being damaged, mostly due to my bad flying practices, so the ability to buy replacement parts was a necessity. The X-Star especially since its firmware update, is a great drone, and if one uses it for basic high quality video and photography capture as it is intended, then there is no need to spend a lot more on DJI products. I am a certified pilot and it serves me perfectly well. For flying within the FAA's requirements envelope it provides everything necessary and more. I get nothing but awe from people who see the aircraft's camera shots. For the money the X-Star is a great platform for that camera. One could tinker with the system by messing with parts replacements and experiments but since I am not one of those people who cares about that I don't need a DJI.
 
I'm going to guess most of us that are members of this board could replace parts on these things. An exploded view of the assemble, the part numbers, and a few common tools is all it would take.

Side note. Sure wish this dang rain would stop so I can get some shots of my neighborhood in NW Houston.





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
As soon as it stops raining I'll be up and shooting.

Just FYI...Beware.....The whole area is under a FAA Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR). Nothing is allowed in the air unless you have an eCoA from the FAA as part of an operation. This applies to ALL aircraft. Ramifications would not be worth the chance. All of my birds are currently grounded, unless I get authorization to assist with a specific mission.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Thanks for that Clint H! I had heard of the TFR in Fort Bend County but not the entire area.
 
Thanks for that Clint H! I had heard of the TFR in Fort Bend County but not the entire area.

You're very welcome.
It appears that the TFRs may have been modified. You can check using the Airmap app or Verifly.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
FYI the wind was still up after the rain stopped. After the wind was gone, so was any high water in my immediate area. I mentioned posting some footage, but this will be a time I don't mind fibbing a little! lol
 
Have you ever tr
Just FYI...Beware.....The whole area is under a FAA Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR). Nothing is allowed in the air unless you have an eCoA from the FAA as part of an operation. This applies to ALL aircraft. Ramifications would not be worth the chance. All of my birds are currently grounded, unless I get authorization to assist with a specific mission.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
So James Bondish! LOL
 
I totally agree with the non-availability of parts, but I am an electronics engineer by trade and have no fear working on things. As for Autel vs the others, we would be hard pressed to get the features in the Autel at the same pricetag...pretty difficult to do. The DJI that will match or beat features are $300-500 more retail, or 35-60% more...my whole Ruggedized kit with 3 batteries, two controllers, and the heavy duty case was $850...look for a phantom 3 advanced or pro, or a mavic for that price...even used on Craigslist.

Distance and connectivity...most in open areas have no issues with distance...i myself am doing things at worst case scenario (notice you mentioned my Farraday stuff)...104 houses in my development alone, 0 lot line, and everyone has their WiFi blasting all over let alone power, phone and utility lines, etc. When I start my drone in my backyard it warns me of video signal interference before I take off then it goes away...lol. There are many great reviews of the XSP as the drone that gives you the best bang for the $$$...but it won't win in head to head against newer DJI on most functionality... you will pay for that though. I don't know Yuneec other than it's colossal size compared to the XSP and Phantoms when I saw it at best buy...its a tank but I hear good reviews.

We all vent, look at me, 2.5 months and a bad motor already...I'm pretty mad about that. I am happy with what I got for the money I spent though.


Autel really has steepuped up to the plate in my case. I owned it 9 months and it spun out of control while mapping the lake...


i tried to catch it the bow of my boat to no avail...

Long story shirt i had a new drone in a week and a half and they replaced my accessories


I've got a thread on here for the deets its from may I believe
 

Latest threads

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
11,280
Messages
102,953
Members
9,878
Latest member
Elio-Italy