3DR Solo Unboxing & Review
3Today I received my 3DR Solo and Solo 3D gimbal. Purchased directly from 3D Robotics on discount for $799.95 plus about $12 shipping (see that thread here). No sales tax in my state.
In this thread I'll be documenting the unboxing, plus my review of Solo, the most advanced drone I've owned to date. I did purchase a DJI Phantom 3 Standard edition, but was unable to fly it because of compatibility issues with the DJI Android app and my phone.
So here we go again...
I always like it when a manufacturer packages the retail box inside a shipping box:
The gimbal in it's retail box was loose inside the shipping box, but the Solo was inside yet another shipping box, then the retail box. Here's what I received:
Inside the retail box is a... I'm not sure what it's made of... fiberfoam or something, but it's sort of a reusable clamshell carrying case for the Solo and transmitter. I wouldn't want to travel with it, but for carting the Solo in the car I think it'll be useful:
Here's what's inside the carrying case:
Solo and transmitter out of the case:
And all the bits in the carrying case:
Solo with battery
Transmitter with battery
3 each rotors (CW and CCW)
Solo battery charger
Transmitter battery charger
3DR and Solo decals and info
Solo Setup Guide
I've got the Solo and transmitter batteries charging right now. Once they're charged I've got to install updates for each one. This is done OTA via the app on whatever mobile device you're going to use with Solo.
Yes, same nonsense as DJI... can't fly it without a mobile device connected. EDIT-I found out you CAN actually fly without any mobile device... once the updates are installed. You won't have access to the advanced features, or FPV, but you CAN in fact takeoff and fly. But in this case, the Solo app is compatible with my phone, so I wasn't looking at another $200 to $300 for a phone upgrade or new tablet. But... if I decide to keep this one, I will definitely consider grabbing a used iPad Air with data. The iPad can be activated under T-Mobile's 200MB/mo free data plan. I'm pretty sure 200MB is plenty to accomplish the job, but additional data can be added on the fly for $10 per 2GB.
Ok, so that's it for now. I'll be updating this thread as things proceed.
- 12 comments, 84 replies
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I was going to use my tax refund for a 3D printer, but now I'm tempted...
@fultonmartin After a weekend with this thing, I have to admit... it's about as close to awesome as I've flown. Now I really want to try a P4 Pro for comparison.
Nice, you got it! Did you take her for a spin yet?!
Took the Solo out for it's maiden flight today. I spent the afternoon yesterday installing updates and playing with the Solo flight sim, making sure I'm comfortable with the basic controls before crashing the real deal.
I did NOT install the gimbal before this flight. I'm using the "Frame" GoPro mount and experimenting with the Smart Shots "Selfie" feature. Tonight I installed the gimbal, and tomorrow I'll duplicate the same shot and post the comparison.
3DR Solo, GoPro H3+ Black, no gimbal, Smart Shots Selfie test, take 1:
Initiating the maneuver required three button presses in the Solo pilot app:
Everything after that is completely automatic. Solo flies up and away, theoretically keeping the point of origin in frame. Once it reaches your predetermined distance and altitude, Solo pauses, then returns to it's point of origin. You have the ability to manually pilot Solo to wherever you want the point of origin, then press play and it executes the maneuver. Solo's speed, how far it travels away from you, and to what altitude are all adjustable in the Selfie settings in the app.
@ruouttaurmind the footage is very stable considering no gimbal. I had so much jello from the get-go with the p1. With all the automation, does it... take the fun out of it? Or is it just another type of fun via commander of screen? BTW love the video thumbnail on this one.
@sportykev I guess I'm spoiled having flown exclusively with gimbals for the last year or so. I saw the Solo footage and was... a little horrified. LOL!
You can still do everything manually if you want, but you have access to all these Skynet features which allow you to focus on imaging if that's your thing. You can still set Solo to full manual mode, or assisted sport mode and dig ditches with it if you want. Then with the push of an app button, you're back in fully assisted mode.
Ok, now the same Selfie sequence, this time with the 3DR gimbal installed:
This is a continuation of the same video above. This time I'm exploring the Follow Me feature. Like Selfie, Follow Me can be configured with variables. In this case I explore Look at me, and Chase me modes, each of which have a number of configurable options.
Like the Selfie feature noted in the previous message, accessing Follow Me is as simple as three button presses in the app.
The video is fairly well annotated, so I'll leave it at that for now...
3DR Solo, GoPro H3+ Black, no gimbal, Smart Shots Follow Me test, take 1:
@ruouttaurmind so flippin' cool. The footage is going to be amazing with the gimbal. With follow me, how does it stay on target when you take control of the stick? mostly gimbal pinning on you or more drone yawing? I don't know what I'm really asking. It seems like it relies heavily on yaw, trying to understand how it works with the gimbal. Seems IOC would be helpful here.
@sportykev Follow me has a few different modes and optional variables. For example in (what I'm referring to as) "Chase me" mode, Solo goes into a sort of IOC orientation. You can see in the video (and the new one I took this morning; posting later on) if you watch once I switch to Chase me mode, Solo moves left, right, forward, back... and tries to keep it's point of focus on me as I walk around. But it doesn't rotate to watch me... until I switch to "Look at me" mode. Then Solo pins it's location and just yaws to watch me. I discovered today with the gimbal installed, Solo will also pitch the gimbal trying to keep the subject in frame as it's yawing to keep an eye on the subject.
Ok, now the same Follow Me sequence, this time with the 3DR gimbal installed:
@ruouttaurmind while hovering, the image is incredibly smooth, horizon completely leveled.
The follow-me does seem a bit jittery on the yaw, way better in chase. It seems like it could do better to keep you in frame, mostly pulling back out a bit but I'm sure this is all configurable.
How does it keep you centered anyhow? Does it get a bead on your body or the transmitter?
@sportykev As you can see in the video, Follow Me did much better in Chase mode once I increased elevation to about 12 feet. It didn't seem to have any trouble keeping up.
The Look mode is a disappointment. Very twitchy as it yaws to watch my location. Surely 3DR can do better than that. If I can manually yaw smoothly, the app surely can do some algorithmic averaging of degree and speed to smooth out the motion.
I haven't looked fully into the tech yet, but it focuses on the mobile device you're using to run the app. In this case, my phone. I'm guessing it's passing along the GPS values gathered by my phone and sending to Solo as waypoints.
@sportykev I just talked to 3DR support. To a person who knew what I was talking about and discussed my concern. In English!
I asked about the twitchy "clock ticking" yaw movements when Solo is in Follow me Look mode. This is an known issue with the current version of the app. They have a fix in testing and expect it to be resolved in the next revision of the software.
Here's a quick sample of the Smart Shots "Orbit" mode, plus a bonus manual mode landing (soft and sweet, Baby!).
Sorry @garyhgaryh, no crash reports this weekend. Solo performed like a dream. Took off when I told it to, went where I told it, stopped when I told it, landed when and where I told it. Maybe next weekend I'll have some gnarly tale for ya. LOL!
Ok, Smart Shots Orbit mode, with gimbal:
@ruouttaurmind Wow, I'm truly amazed. How does the solo track you? Is it tracking the remote?
Can the P3 orbit?
Thanks for the videos. I enjoyed it and spent the last 15 minutes on this forum reading your review/unboxing.
@ruouttaurmind inspirational music required for the orbit shot.
@garyhgaryh Solo is tracking my phone, which is running the Solo Android app. I haven't looked too deeply into the tech yes, but I'm guessing it's grabbing GPS location from my phone and sending it as waypoints to Solo (via the transmitter).
@sportykev Agreed! Some kind of epic Enya diddy or something.
@garyhgaryh Gary, I looked into the DJI "Intelligent flight modes" available in their app. Looks like the P3 Pro can do much of what Solo Smart Shots can do, just not with the same level of control or options.
This guy does a pretty in-depth tutorial on Follow Me with a DJI P3:
@ruouttaurmind this guy has some great videos. I didn't really understand home lock and course lock until I watched his clips. I envy his access to open spaces. You too! that giant park!
@sportykev Funny you mention the park... it's not really what I'd consider "huge", but at least there are 3 fields available to fly, so when the footballers come in I can just switch to a different field. What's most surprising... it hardly ever gets used. Sunday mornings the footballers come out, and occasionally I'll see some dog walkers... but for the most part I'll be the only person there.
@ruouttaurmind I've yet to take it to the park, the p1 hasn't really worked well until recently. But when I do I'll get to play with home lock and the poor man's orbit shot, LOL
Don't know how I'd feel in wide open spaces, I'm used to flying around trees and power lines.
@sportykev In wide open spaces you can really stretch the legs and get some speed up without fearing the drone eating tree that lives across the street. ;-)
@ruouttaurmind Thanks for the video! I will watch this later today.
Well, today I bit the bullet and bought the P3 PRO for $799 with 8% ebay bucks. I should have bought it when I got the 10% but I told my friend I'll buy his. I then decided I'll pay more to get a brand new one in the box because his is already 6 months old and is not a fresh battery. He tends to crash alot on his p2 so I'm sure that has happened to his P3.
I'll get it in about two weeks. Excited.
@sportykev Where do you live? Curious.
@garyhgaryh New York City, well, on the Island, Long Island. You? Congrats on the P3 Pro purchase. It's such a smart machine compared to the p1. I envy the battery alone.
@garyhgaryh Congrats! It's a good value at that price. Look how much we paid for our Meh.com P1's, plus gimbal, plus camera plus FPV and it's still a "dumb" drone... $800 on a P3P is a fair buy considering all that.
@garyhgaryh a travel case for p3 for $31 shipped?! http://m.gearbest.com/rc-quadcopter-parts/pp_238185.html
@sportykev Great price for a hard pack! I wonder if the P1 stuff will fit? I ordered one of the soft packs for P1/P2 for about $20 a couple months ago. It fits the Phantoms and the Walkera QR-X350 Pro just fine, but it's a little snug for the Cheerson CX-20/Quanum Nova. Maybe this would be a better fit. Plus... it's got to have more gimbal clearance since the P3 camera setup is taller and wider, and permanently attached.
@sportykev Don't know if you noticed... the black one is a buck cheaper. And the "golden" one is $50 more.
@sportykev Nice find! Have you ordered from this vendor before? I'm tempted!!
@sportykev I tried ordering and shipping is $20 :(.
@garyhgaryh ah sorry. I'm seeing 19 bux now for shipping. I saw differently yesterday but perhaps I was a click behind. Still a decent price me thinks?
@sportykev Still a decent price. Yes, when I added it to the cart the shipping was 0. But after the process of checking out you realize it's 0 because you did not pick a shipping method. I was going to buy two: one for the P1.1.1 and the other for my upcoming P3.
@sportykev forgot to answer your quest. I live in the Bay Area in Northern CA.
Did I mention the camera controls available in the Solo app? 3DR makes mention of this in their marketing material, but to be honest, after trying it, they don't make a BIG enough deal about it.
In the 3DR Solo app (running on my phone) in the live FPV view you have the ability to touch a camera settings icon. It's right under the start/stop recording icon on the main FPV screen.
When you touch the settings icon, a menu pops up that's reminiscent of the GoPro mobile app settings menu. Not ALL the settings options are there, but the important ones are. FOV, resolution, frame rate, photo/video mode... and several more. And best of all, you can tell your GoPro to start and stop recording or trigger photos in real time right from the app. No more "did I remember to push the shutter button before I took off?" (I've lost a few good sequences that way myself).
Today was "Take your Solo to work" day, so in observance, I brought Solo to the office, and grabbed a quick lunchtime flight. Here's a couple clips from the 8 minute video.
First, yet another Selfie test. There was a bit of a breeze (7mph) so I wanted to see the effect on Smart Shots. During Solo's return flight you can see some instability, but overall I'd say it was a reasonably good performance.
Another one. This is a pan and hover test with manual controls. With the exception of the initial takeoff, everything was done "live". This is part of the same flight above, so obviously the same 7mph wind was present.
@ruouttaurmind instability?! Looked pretty smooth to me. Pretty cool location. Don't tell anyone the shots are preprogrammed! All skill
@sportykev In the "Selfie" vid, at 00:29 you can see a little side-to-side wiggle.
The second vid was all manual except for the programmed takeoff (00:16 to 00:19). I was really surprised how easy it was to get a silky smooth horizon pan.
@ruouttaurmind Looks great. What type of flight times are you getting on a charge? How many solo batteries do you have?
@garyhgaryh I only have the one battery that came with it. I've been very conservative in my flights, making sure I land before depleting the battery too much. My longest flight has been a bit over 20 minutes, and landed with 18% battery remaining. Generally I've been keeping the flights to about 15 minutes or so.
Before buying additional batteries (they're $150MSRP; $120 on eBay) I want to make sure I'm not going to take advantage of 3DR's 30 day satisfaction guarantee and return it.
@ruouttaurmind I've heard that with the latest P3 firmware, you can no longer use aftermarket P3 batteries. The price on the aftermarket batteries are dropping like a rock. One went from $109 to $79. I ended up buying a 2nd battery from buydig at $119 with my 8% off. It sucks you cannot use aftermarket batteries on the P3.
Are you thinking of keeping the solo. It's slick.
@garyhgaryh The eBay batteries for Solo are OEM. 3DR isn't the market juggernaut that DJI is, so nobody is making repop batteries.
That sucks about the P3 batteries. We know how much batteries SHOULD cost... I can get a generic battery for the P1 for about $10, and a top shelf name brand for $15. There's no reason the P3 battery should cost $150. Sure, there's the "smart" circuitry, and it's a more powerful battery, but come on! I guess it's like Apple and their Lightning charging plugs.
I'm liking the solo, but I've had a couple issues with the software. Depending on what 3DR support tells me, I may be boxing it up and packing it back to them.
The one Smart Shot I didn't put up a video for is Cable Cam. By far the most useful feature. Multi-point cable cam allows you to set multiple waypoints, like a virtual "cable" in the air. Hit "play" and Solo applies an algorithm to smooth out the flight line, and flies your plan. You have the ability to control the speed and direction manually if you wish. With the transmitter, you move Solo, and it's stuck to the cable, but moves along the cable in the direction and at the speed you want.
Sweet feature. The one that I'm most excited about. Selfie is fun and all, but it's a novelty shot, added in for marketing purposes. Follow Me and Orbit are great, but have a pretty specific application. The Cable Cam though... you can use that for just about every sequence.
Well, you can use Cable Cam for every sequence... if you're not me. It won't work for me. I can select Cable Cam in the Solo app. The app prompts me to set my various waypoints. I fly around and set my waypoints. Solo has a screen prompt on the controller that says "Hit B when done". I can pound on the B button 'till the cows come, but it won't finish my cable and start my shot. There's a prompt in the mobile app that says "Exit shot" but it won't do anything either. I have to force quit the Solo app on my phone, then relaunch the app. It's not like the app is frozen... It continues to register my waypoint settings... it just won't let me finish or exit the sequence.
I know the Cable Cam shot works for others. There are several videos on YouTube demonstrating it. And lots of folks on 3DRPilots.com use it. So whether or not I keep this thing, or send it back has much to do with 3DR's answer. If they tell me there's some kind of anomaly specific to my phone and I have to get a new phone or tablet, Solo is going home. (I just got my mid-range LG phone 3 weeks ago, not looking to change already).
This was supposed to be a Solo vs. Tali comparison video. Stability, speed, control... but things went awry when Tali started TBE immediately after launch. Bigger and bigger circles, going faster and faster. So I had to land Solo, put Tali in manual mode and come in for a premature touch down.
After this flight I did a field compass calibration and sent Tali back up. She performed well in the second flight. Just wish I had remembered to start video recording before sending her back into the sky!
So what I wound up with instead of a comparison video, was a three camera test of my skills with my new production software, Adobe Premiere Pro. I can tell you now... this is non-linear editing thingy is going to be a STEEP learning curve...
@ruouttaurmind groovy jams! Brave to multidrone. You're already way ahead of me on premiere with the zooming effect. I only know how to fade in and out!
@sportykev I was originally looking to do some shots more like this, but when I realized Tali was grumpy, I had to pull the plug. Tali flew perfectly on the second flight, but I FORGOT TO START RECORDING before takeoff! :-(
next you need to do a follow me with the phone in the Tali :)
@DJMajickMan Now THAT is inspired! LOL!
Interesting thought though. The Tali broadcasts telem info, including GPS position, altitude, heading and speed. Technically well beyond my paygrade, but I suppose there's no reason that info couldn't be packaged and sent out to another drone as waypoints. I can't think of a good use for it, but it surely would make an interesting video. :-)
Did your Solo arrive yet?
@ruouttaurmind drone chase! It'll rival the 'getaway in stockholm' series! You will be Pilot X
@ruouttaurmind :( I was out hiking when they tried to deliver it yesterday
@DJMajickMan Ya, they send "Signature Required". I went online and changed delivery to "Hold at local FedEx Office location" and picked the store closest to me. They called me when it was in, and I stopped by at my convenience to grab it.
Monday then? I'm curious to hear about your experience with it. What mobile device will you be using to run the app?
@sportykev Maybe I'll develop my Premiere Pro production skills along the way, and it'll be ideal for the next NY Drone Film Festival.
Oh, wait, first I've got to design the electronics, program the apps for Solo and Tali, and make it all work. No problem! I'll have it ready by April 20never.
HEY! A great tech idea that I'll never deliver! Sounds like an ideal Kickstarter campaign!
@ruouttaurmind I went to the Bay Area drone film fest. Didn't win anything during the raffle. Thought about entering a drone movie for next year but that'll prob not happen.
@ruouttaurmind https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mVPFsXI5nJc
Reminds me of your video... Almost.
@garyhgaryh How does this guy spin it so quickly and not get the legs in the video? Yaw boundries?!
@garyhgaryh Dang, I hadn't thought about screen cap on my phone. I'll have to remember to do that in my full review. Sure seems to take smooth video. I wish he showed more sequences from the P4 perspective, not just cut scenes.
@sportykev, I guess that's part of what you get for $1,400, innit?
@ruouttaurmind I guess. And you'll need Google Glass to record your POV.
@garyhgaryh "Thought about entering a drone movie for next year but that'll prob not happen."
But you've got to put that P3P to good use, and what better use than contributing to the arts!
@sportykev I think it the yaw is limited (like you mentioned).
@ruouttaurmind The main reason I wanted the p2 vision+ was due to the smooth videos. I figured the P3 advance would be the same deal without buying the zenmuse gimbal. That's really the big selling point for me getting the p3 although I rather use my own gopro just in case I crash and kill the integrated DJI camera (I rather replace it with another 3rd party cam than go with the expensive proprietary camera from dji). The other reason of course is the deal I got with the p3 pro.
Yeah perhaps I should enter a clip for the bay area drone film festival for next year, but I am not too artistic (I am into photography so maybe that'll help a little).
@ruouttaurmind not available for pickup yet :( maybe tomorrow.
@DJMajickMan By now I'm sure you've received your Solo. I'm curious what your impression is?
@ruouttaurmind still need to fly it. been busy on the weekends and lately to cold to fly in the afternoon's when I get home. What's up with this weather :( high of 40 with windchills in the teens?!?!
@DJMajickMan I know, right?
@ruouttaurmind Attaching my old cell phone to the solo and a handgun and sending it your way ;) If only I hadn't sold my only handgun.
Hmm could this work? Remote into a cell phone, via logmein rescue or something like that, that's connected wirelessly to the Solo and get further distances? Could be a costly test as logmeinrescue isn't free.
I've heard some areas around me might even see snow this weekend.
BTW I watched some P4 videos on youtube last night and I must admit, I really want one. But I'll wait until the P5 comes out and I get the P4 at close out. What I like is the ability to visually follow a subject without the remote. For example, I can go biking and have the p4 follow me and with the front sensors it will avoid trees. It does have it's limitations though. If there is a bright light source next to the subject you're following (sun for example), it may get confused.
@garyhgaryh I'm sure a $500 DJI custom Circular Polarized Lens will fix that for you ;)
@garyhgaryh I read all about the P4's follow me system. It's based on some technology used in industrial automation systems. If it works, it's far superior to Solo, which relies on GPS data from the mobile device used to run the app (which must maintain close proximity to the transmitter).
Walkera's system is hardware based, a bit like on the 3DR Solo, but can be tied to ANY mobile device via a "groundstation" device and Bluetooth. So the subject to be followed has to have a cell phone, and this device on their person, but the transmitter can remain with the pilot.
@ruouttaurmind I was browsing p3 vs p4 videos and saw this video included in my search:
A good review of both p3 and the solo.
@garyhgaryh I'm afraid to watch. It's going to tell me I chose poorly and you made the better choice, isn't it!
@ruouttaurmind lol, it actually gave a fair comparison and listed pros and cons of each. It wasn't one sided. I learned a little more about the solo when the compared and contrasted certain features. The solo remote looks remarkable. The P3 has good range with the new remote and light bridge helps with video transmission. Like you mentioned the gopro camera was more powerful. The solo is a beast when flying fast and the camera features are awesome (something I learned from watching your videos). This video wasn't a one sided bash fest.
@garyhgaryh now I just need to figure out where I can shave weight off of my Solo. Just picked it up but haven't fully opened it yet. Had to do more work this evening.
@garyhgaryh After watching the video it made me want to try P3 again. Now that I have a new phone running the latest Android OS, the DJI software might not be an issue.
There were a couple things misquoted about the each. For example, he neglected to mention the Light Bridge upgrade for P3 controller. For about a hundred bucks you can upgrade the DJI controller so it can do HDMI output just like Solo.
On Solo, the camera controls. I can adjust all aspects of the GoPro right from the Solo app. He also didn't mention anything about Cable Cam. He did mention Selfie, but I'm the first to admit that's totally a gee wiz gimmick with very limited usefulness. Also, 3DR's warranty and US based support (by a support staff that speaks fluent English!).
Still... that P3. If I didn't just dole out $800 on Solo, I'd surely be considering giving DJI another shot.
@DJMajickMan Sweet! I haven't really looked for weight savings opportunities, but I have tripped across a couple things. For example there are some cabling upgrades that replace the thick, heavy 3DR cables with ribbon cables.
@DJMajickMan The solo looks like a sweet quad. I don't have a gopro 4 so it would be an extra expense for me. Not sure where you can cut the extra weight but the solo looks much sturdier than the P3. I think perhaps the shell is thicker. I believe the battery is also heavier, but that's just a guess.
@ruouttaurmind I got the P3 mainly because of the deal and the fact I really wanted a p2v+. I was going to buy the P3 standard (I posted about it earlier) but the P3 Pro deal was just too hard to pass up for the extra 3 bills. I think I would have gone with the solo if there was no P3 deals as I've always thought it was a wicked looking craft.
I also like the fact the P3 features/components are integrated, but there lies the problem - the camera is proprietary.
I didn't know you can guy an upgraded controller with an HDMI output. The pro already comes with an upgraded controller, but there's an upgrade to the upgrade? It's not a big deal as I never knew there was an HDMI feature for either (p3/solo).
@DJMajickMan @ruouttaurmind Heavier cables? Sounds like quality stuff right there! :)
@garyhgaryh The HDMI Output Module. About a hundy, but I've seen a couple in the $80ish range.
If they really wanted to impress me, they would have added a microSD slot with DVR capabilities...
But as it is, it has HDMI out (with or without data overlay), USB, MicroUSB and CAN port.
@garyhgaryh RE: Solo cables... they use some sturdy components on this thing, let me tell you.
In this pic you can see the stock HDMI cable that connects to GoPro. This is the one that's used without a gimbal:
And this is the HDMI cable that's built into the gimbal (the huge square black chunky monkey on the right side):
@garyhgaryh I'm using a hero3 black. You should be able to get those pretty cheap I figure the Hero 5 is probably only a few months away at this point too.
@ruouttaurmind that mount w/o the gimbal reminds me of our meh phantom 1.1. :). That right angle on that connector is nice. Mine video cable extends and it makes my gimbal drop (it's not balanced).
DJMajickMan I'm looking at my Hero HD. It also has the same port so I guess it's common from Hero HD, Hero 2, 3, and 4. At least they look the same.
@garyhgaryh I think that back connector hasn't changed it was also used for doing 3D GoPro videos if I recall correctly. dual cameras attached via a cable that connected them on the back and synchronized the video timing.
@garyhgaryh The 3DR "frame" mount has a nifty clamp mechanism for quickly removing the camera.
@DJMajickMan I'd like to figure out mounting one of those GoPro 3D housings on a drone, but the idea of spending another $250 on a second GoPro isn't very compelling.
@ruouttaurmind Thought you might be interested:
http://www.amazon.com/FPVLR-Long-Range-Kit-SOLO/dp/B01AIBPAO6?ie=UTF8&redirect=true&ref_=pe_354270_188052040_em_1p_0_ti
So far I have to say it is rather hefty feeling. I also noticed it has a payload bay?!? gotta find out what can be added there.
As for distance adjustments both antenna on the controller are replaceable so you could easily add more distance with those being replaced.
Also liked the easy swap out gimbal/non gimbal camera system. And the sun shade they provided for the GoPro :)
Did run into a little worry after starting the update process via the application during the reboot the solo lost it's connection to the controller and eventually had to reset it to get it to reconnect.
Can't wait to get this out to a field and play with it.
@DJMajickMan This is awesome! It's like Christmas with all the new toys!
for going the distance ITE-DBS03_ver.2
@DJMajickMan How far does that extend? 1.2x? 1.5x? 2x? Looks interesting to me. I wonder if it'll work on other antennas that use the same connector.
@garyhgaryh 2.5 miles according to this guy
@DJMajickMan I've found a handful of various antenna upgrades for it. Lots of reports of easily mounting antennas designed for DJI transmitters as well.
@DJMajickMan Isn't that doubling the range at 2.5 miles?
@ruouttaurmind You think I'll need antenna upgrades with the lightbridge system? I probably won't be flying it that far so I think not.
@garyhgaryh I bet you'll be just fine. P3P has a rather impressive range right out of the box. But like I told @sportykev RE: his FPV... give it a try first, if you have problems, look for antenna solutions after. If you get bored with a paltry 1+ mile range, look at some flat panel or helical options. Maybe take it out to the beach and see what gives out first... range or battery?
@garyhgaryh According to that video linked earlier comparing the P3 to the Solo it only gets about .8km which is roughly .5 miles. So that's a pretty big increase in range if you can get 2.5 miles.
@DJMajickMan definitely!