New DJI Mavic Mini

[MartG]

untakenname said:

what actually classifies it as a toy?

The fact it has a camera fitted means it isn't classed as a toy, so you need to be registered with the CAA to fly it

[MartG]

untakenname said:

I think the FCC boost mod is a must if going over water like above, I had mine drop out within 400 meters whilst in standard CE mode in rural areas with little interference.

Both the Mini 1 and SE use enhanced wifi which has a max range ( in perfect conditions ) of around 500m, though there are range extenders which can boost this a bit ( see GavinHR's Youtube channel for examples ).

I can confirm that the Ocusync system fitted to the Mini 2 and Air 2 has a much greater range - 4 - 5km is achievable even in CE mode

[peter tdci]

MartG said:

untakenname said:

what actually classifies it as a toy?

The fact it has a camera fitted means it isn't classed as a toy, so you need to be registered with the CAA to fly it

Because the Mini 2 doesn't have a class mark, then the requirements are based on the weight of the drone/aircraft.

As per the link below, if the drone is below 250g and has a camera, you need to have an Operator ID, but a Flyer ID in not required - and you need to label the drone with your Flyer ID. I've got a Mini 2 and I went for the Flyer ID as well - it can't hurt! There's a test of 40 multiple choice questions after going through all this - https://register-drones.caa.co.uk/drone-code . It's mainly just common sense with some range and separation distances to remember - I got 40/40, so it can't be too difficult!

https://register-drones.caa.co.uk/drone-code/getti...

[untakenname]

Thanks, I had a look at the regulations in the link but they don't actually define what a toy is, I purposefully sold my Spark and bought a Mini to be compliant with the 249g rule without realising that just a few months later they would change the regulations without publicising widely.

I've been flying it this year ignorantly and have even been spoken to by a PCSO whilst in the park and they didn't mention anything about the regulations but were impressed with the runtime as they assumed drones couldn't stay up more than a few minutes at a time.

I've also got a Visuo quad which weighs under 200g and has a basic camera but no GPS which cost a tenth of the Mavic Mini so that could also be classified as not a toy due to the 720p camera?

I'm loath to pay to be on the register after what happened to the couple in the Gatwick incident (the police went on a witch-hunt and simply found the nearest person registered with a drone)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gatwick_Airport_dron...

I've had a similar campaign against myself with a Section 59 whilst my car was parked and off the road which I couldn't contest even though I could prove it wasn't being used on that day or even month, I was living near to a carpark where stolen cars are ragged at night-time so after complaints the Police went down the neighbouring streets and put Section 59's on every modified car.

[indigochim]

untakenname said:

I think the FCC boost mod is a must if going over water like above, I had mine drop out within 400 meters whilst in standard CE mode in rural areas with little interference.

I might have to have a look at that. Mine has thrown up the week signal/disconnect in way under that in less than ideal conditions. I've since started using aeroplane mode which does appear to help.

MartG said:

Both the Mini 1 and SE use enhanced wifi which has a max range ( in perfect conditions ) of around 500m, though there are range extenders which can boost this a bit ( see GavinHR's Youtube channel for examples ).

I've bought some of the "Yagi" extenders and they do really work. I've tried them in the middle of nowhere (so not a lot of interference) and managed to get >1km away easily before loosing my bottle rather than signal.

[renmure]

Argh!! I've managed to fly my Mavic Mini backwards into a tree.

In the list of warnings that pop up that say I can't now fly it is one saying "Gimble Unable to Connect. Repairs required (Code 40012) along with another that mentions IMU Calibration.

Has anyone else flown into a tree? Any pointers or estimates for the costs of a repair and who to contact?

Argh!!

[MartG]

Contact DJI customer care

[Danny4494]

Just bought a mini 2 look forward to it arriving will be my first drone

[MartG]

Danny4494 said:

Just bought a mini 2 look forward to it arriving will be my first drone

:Thumbup:

Have a look over at https://greyarro.ws/ if you need any advice or tips

[ArsE82]

Thanks everyone for contributing to this thread. I've just ordered a Mini 2 and it should be here tomorrow (from Heliguy).

I've wanted a drone for years but couldn't really justify the cost. We're moving in to a new home soon which needs lots of work externally, so it'll be great to get some progress footage as we move through the work!

[Tycho]

I picked up a Mini 1 just before Christmas and have taken it out a few times. I'm really surprised by the ease of use and I would recommend the app Maven as it allows the use of waypoints and adds a cable cam facility which allows you to set the flightpath and control the yaw, altitude and speed of the Mini. This allows some really smooth video. You can also add POIs and have the drone focus on them when flying.


My test video, I only controlled the speed and altitude. The flightpath and POI were controlled by the app.

[UVB-76]

I still use my Mini and its still a great little drone.
I was going to to buy an air 2s but it wasn't available in Siem Reap.
If you're interested in some of the drone videos I managed to make with the mini they're here: https://youtube.com/c/OneManandhisDrone

[Kev_Mk3]

I'm still tempted but cant bring myself to take the plung yet

[paulrockliffe]

Quick question, if I wanted to buy a drone and have it fly up from my garden, do a lap of the village and come back. What would I need to do legally and what sort of cost-range would I be looking at for something that can do that without crapping out and dropping into someone's garden?

[UVB-76]

paulrockliffe said:

Quick question, if I wanted to buy a drone and have it fly up from my garden, do a lap of the village and come back. What would I need to do legally and what sort of cost-range would I be looking at for something that can do that without crapping out and dropping into someone's garden?

Unless you have a hill next to the village, its incredibly small and deserted you're going to run into issues.
Check out the site for licencing and see what the criteria for flying is.

[MartG]

paulrockliffe said:

Quick question, if I wanted to buy a drone and have it fly up from my garden, do a lap of the village and come back. What would I need to do legally and what sort of cost-range would I be looking at for something that can do that without crapping out and dropping into someone's garden?

You need something under 250g weight to fly around the village, and with more range than a wifi controlled drone would give, and decent battery duration - I'd recommend the DJI Mini 2

[ArsE82]

Tycho said:

I picked up a Mini 1 just before Christmas and have taken it out a few times. I'm really surprised by the ease of use and I would recommend the app Maven as it allows the use of waypoints and adds a cable cam facility which allows you to set the flightpath and control the yaw, altitude and speed of the Mini. This allows some really smooth video. You can also add POIs and have the drone focus on them when flying.


My test video, I only controlled the speed and altitude. The flightpath and POI were controlled by the app.

Really good that - I'll have a look at Maven, thanks.

I was expecting the lad in the red coat to take a massive run-up and whack the ball

[Pistom]

MartG said:

paulrockliffe said:

Quick question, if I wanted to buy a drone and have it fly up from my garden, do a lap of the village and come back. What would I need to do legally and what sort of cost-range would I be looking at for something that can do that without crapping out and dropping into someone's garden?

You need something under 250g weight to fly around the village, and with more range than a wifi controlled drone would give, and decent battery duration - I'd recommend the DJI Mini 2

+1 for the Mini2. I've had lots of bigger more powerful drones before but this does everything I need and I can't see me changing it until I crash it/lose it.

[Tycho]

ArsE82 said:

Tycho said:

I picked up a Mini 1 just before Christmas and have taken it out a few times. I'm really surprised by the ease of use and I would recommend the app Maven as it allows the use of waypoints and adds a cable cam facility which allows you to set the flightpath and control the yaw, altitude and speed of the Mini. This allows some really smooth video. You can also add POIs and have the drone focus on them when flying.


My test video, I only controlled the speed and altitude. The flightpath and POI were controlled by the app.

Really good that - I'll have a look at Maven, thanks.

I was expecting the lad in the red coat to take a massive run-up and whack the ball

Cheers, I was really happy with the outcome and it is straight from the drone with no edits. I only spotted the lad in the red coat after I downloaded the video. The Maven app is £15 but it does add some good features that were missing in the official DJI app. It doesn't support all their drones as DJI haven't opened the SDK for all models yet.

[paulrockliffe]

UVB-76 said:

paulrockliffe said:

Quick question, if I wanted to buy a drone and have it fly up from my garden, do a lap of the village and come back. What would I need to do legally and what sort of cost-range would I be looking at for something that can do that without crapping out and dropping into someone's garden?

Unless you have a hill next to the village, its incredibly small and deserted you're going to run into issues.
Check out the site for licencing and see what the criteria for flying is.

Have you got a link? I had a quick look and it looked like under 250 grams I can fly over unconnected people, but not crowds.

I was just thinking I should have a drone and what would I use it for and I'd probably want to be able to launch it from the garden to inspect the house or see what's going on around. Then my mind wandered and I wondered if I could make it follow my kids to the park, or go and see if the traffic is bad, or check on my friend's building project, or bother them when they're mowing the grass. Perhaps I could program it to track the people that let their dogs st everywhere, detect the turd and follow them home. When it snows I could send it over to the hill to see if the cool kids are around for sledging without having to venture out in the cold perhaps.

It is a pretty small village surrounded by hills.