5 ms·

100%. I was thinking about getting an Avata, and I was just about to pull the trigger, then they released a recent update that includes Remote ID which means th

100%. I was thinking about getting an Avata, and I was just about to pull the trigger, then they released a recent update that includes Remote ID which means that now you have to connect your phone to the goggles to take off (something you never had to do before) so it can get a GPS location to broadcast the operator location. I'm not even sure why it would need to do that because the drone itself has a GPS so wouldn't it know where it took off from anyway? I'm in Australia so we don't even use Remote ID, so I don't know what will happen if I bought one. Do I have to connect my phone to use the drone? Will I have to in the future? How can I find out? What if I'm in an area with no phone signal? I am quite interested in trying out FPV drones, and I would like to have the (unique?) feature of the Avata where if I get in a bad spot I can just hit the switch to enable GPS auto-hover, but all of the uncertainty with DJI stuff has made me not buy one, and I probably won't. I didn't even know you had to sideload the app until this thread. Spidey senses going off 2000%. I don't need to spend $2k on another hacking project on my list of devices that I've paid for but still don't really own. Probably better to just buy a more DIY setup that I have full control over, and real ownership of.

saidinesh5 3y ago
GPS return to home/fail safe modes has been a feature of most fpv drone firmware for quite a while. Betaflight, iNav etc .. All support that as long as you have a GPS (+ compass) module installed. The only thing avata brings is some beginner friendly flight modes for a premium. Kind of like Apple products. You also have a lot of ready to fly/bind and fly options (buy a radio separately and bind it to your quad and fly) out there these days..
- brokenmachine 3y ago
  Hmm, I'll have to check them out a bit. Are there DIY digital FPV goggles with as good quality video as the Avata ones? Do you need a separate camera for the footage (gopro), as well as the FPV camera? Also the gimbal on the Avata seems very well integrated, even having fancy head tracking, which I wouldn't mind giving up, but do the DIY drones have a gimbal at all, or is it a manual job to stabilize the footage later? I agree, DJI seems like the Apple of drones. And I'm against Apple for computers and phones, because I can DIY better and more features. But for drones, I suspect that DJI actually has features that you can't (reasonably) DIY. What are the good brands for the ready to fly/bind and fly drones, so I can have a google?
  - saidinesh5 3y ago
    You can just get DJI Goggles 2 ( https://www.getfpv.com/fpv/hd-fpv/dji-digital-hd-fpv/dji-goggles-2.html https://www.getfpv.com/fpv/hd-fpv/dji-digital-hd-fpv/dji-gog... ) and buy a quad with the O3 Air unit (The same video system that is in Avata) and bind them. What quad you want to buy depends on what kind of flying you want to do. There are all kinds of them for freestyle, long range etc.. If you want something with prop guards, here is a decent one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFBBTtNZUPc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFBBTtNZUPc . See if you like it? Geprc, iFlight are usually decent brands. When buying, go for ELRS 2.4 Ghz version with GPS. ELRS is just an open source rc link system that has really good range. Gimbals and headtrackers are possible with DIY quads. But that is mostly used by fixed wing people. For just racing/freestyle kind of flying you don't want those kind of things. It is just one more thing that breaks. Here is an example of a DIY headtracker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVC5HyJGU4Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVC5HyJGU4Y . I think DJI just has some beginner friendly features with additional sensors for collision detection, automatic takeoff/landing etc... Once you are used to flying, those are mostly useless. If you want an alternative to DJI video system, there's Walksnail Avatar, which is quite decent too (Comparison video: https://youtu.be/d0VoBp9-sn4?t=550 https://youtu.be/d0VoBp9-sn4?t=550 ). Both DJI O3 Air Unit and Walksnail Avatar have onboard recording system which eliminates the need for a GoPro. At least for non/semi professional footage. For stabilizing the footage, people just use Gyroflow: https://gyroflow.xyz/ https://gyroflow.xyz/ later on. As always, before investing in Goggles/Quads, do get yourself a good transmitter and practise flying on a simulator. Maybe Radiomaster Zorro or Radiomaster Boxer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0b1tQ-hyCQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0b1tQ-hyCQ . ELRS version.
    - brokenmachine 3y ago
      Awesome reply, thanks so much for the help! I have a lot of googling to do now... Really not a fan of getting trapped in closed stuff with forced firmware updates that take away features.
      - saidinesh5 3y ago
        You're welcome. > Really not a fan of getting trapped in closed stuff with forced firmware updates that take away features. Ahh in that case avoid DJI Goggles 2 and go for Walksnail/Dominator HD ( https://pyrodrone.com/products/pre-order-fat-shark-dominator-hd-fpv-goggles https://pyrodrone.com/products/pre-order-fat-shark-dominator... ) Goggles and their video transmission system. DJI requires you to register and update your system before use iirc. If you are interested in a more open source system, there is also HDZero. Goggles software, CAD Files are all out in the open. Image quality is so so, because it prioritizes fixed latency. You get 3ms glass to glass latency (Compared to 28-30ms in DJI/Walksnail). Comparison between Goggles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMOeIQ4VRX4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMOeIQ4VRX4

saidinesh5 3y ago

GPS return to home/fail safe modes has been a feature of most fpv drone firmware for quite a while. Betaflight, iNav etc .. All support that as long as you have a GPS (+ compass) module installed. The only thing avata brings is some beginner friendly flight modes for a premium. Kind of like Apple products. You also have a lot of ready to fly/bind and fly options (buy a radio separately and bind it to your quad and fly) out there these days..

brokenmachine 3y ago
Hmm, I'll have to check them out a bit. Are there DIY digital FPV goggles with as good quality video as the Avata ones? Do you need a separate camera for the footage (gopro), as well as the FPV camera? Also the gimbal on the Avata seems very well integrated, even having fancy head tracking, which I wouldn't mind giving up, but do the DIY drones have a gimbal at all, or is it a manual job to stabilize the footage later? I agree, DJI seems like the Apple of drones. And I'm against Apple for computers and phones, because I can DIY better and more features. But for drones, I suspect that DJI actually has features that you can't (reasonably) DIY. What are the good brands for the ready to fly/bind and fly drones, so I can have a google?
- saidinesh5 3y ago
  You can just get DJI Goggles 2 ( https://www.getfpv.com/fpv/hd-fpv/dji-digital-hd-fpv/dji-goggles-2.html https://www.getfpv.com/fpv/hd-fpv/dji-digital-hd-fpv/dji-gog... ) and buy a quad with the O3 Air unit (The same video system that is in Avata) and bind them. What quad you want to buy depends on what kind of flying you want to do. There are all kinds of them for freestyle, long range etc.. If you want something with prop guards, here is a decent one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFBBTtNZUPc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFBBTtNZUPc . See if you like it? Geprc, iFlight are usually decent brands. When buying, go for ELRS 2.4 Ghz version with GPS. ELRS is just an open source rc link system that has really good range. Gimbals and headtrackers are possible with DIY quads. But that is mostly used by fixed wing people. For just racing/freestyle kind of flying you don't want those kind of things. It is just one more thing that breaks. Here is an example of a DIY headtracker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVC5HyJGU4Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVC5HyJGU4Y . I think DJI just has some beginner friendly features with additional sensors for collision detection, automatic takeoff/landing etc... Once you are used to flying, those are mostly useless. If you want an alternative to DJI video system, there's Walksnail Avatar, which is quite decent too (Comparison video: https://youtu.be/d0VoBp9-sn4?t=550 https://youtu.be/d0VoBp9-sn4?t=550 ). Both DJI O3 Air Unit and Walksnail Avatar have onboard recording system which eliminates the need for a GoPro. At least for non/semi professional footage. For stabilizing the footage, people just use Gyroflow: https://gyroflow.xyz/ https://gyroflow.xyz/ later on. As always, before investing in Goggles/Quads, do get yourself a good transmitter and practise flying on a simulator. Maybe Radiomaster Zorro or Radiomaster Boxer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0b1tQ-hyCQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0b1tQ-hyCQ . ELRS version.
  - brokenmachine 3y ago
    Awesome reply, thanks so much for the help! I have a lot of googling to do now... Really not a fan of getting trapped in closed stuff with forced firmware updates that take away features.
    - saidinesh5 3y ago
      You're welcome. > Really not a fan of getting trapped in closed stuff with forced firmware updates that take away features. Ahh in that case avoid DJI Goggles 2 and go for Walksnail/Dominator HD ( https://pyrodrone.com/products/pre-order-fat-shark-dominator-hd-fpv-goggles https://pyrodrone.com/products/pre-order-fat-shark-dominator... ) Goggles and their video transmission system. DJI requires you to register and update your system before use iirc. If you are interested in a more open source system, there is also HDZero. Goggles software, CAD Files are all out in the open. Image quality is so so, because it prioritizes fixed latency. You get 3ms glass to glass latency (Compared to 28-30ms in DJI/Walksnail). Comparison between Goggles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMOeIQ4VRX4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMOeIQ4VRX4