Parrot AR Drone

[crazy about cars]

I am having so much fun with my Syma "Bumblebee" quadrocopter at the moment that I am considering upgrading to the AR Parrot Drone as I am tempted by the prospect of also recording/streaming video.

However one thing I am not so sure of is the controller as it seems that you use the iPhone or iPad as the controller. Can any owner comment more on this? I myself really like the 2.4GHz controller of the Syma even though it has some fake buttons it does the job.

If the AR is not a good choice can anyone recommend anything as the next upgrade from the Syma? Would prefer something slightly bigger, more fun to fly and have better better life but yet novice friendly...

Thanks!

[gazchap]

You can modify the AR Drone 2.0 to use the 2.4GHz radio control rather than WiFi.

I've got the original AR Drone, and controlling it over WiFi is easy enough, but range is very limited so you can't have too much fun.

I've also got a DJI Phantom, which is significantly better when it comes to manoeuvrability and range, but I lost control of it on one of my first flights and it ended up crashing into a quarry three quarters of a mile away. Fortunately I got it back, and it was relatively undamaged (still worked after having the grit shaken out of it) - and the video footage was quite interesting to watch!

[crazy about cars]

gazchap said:

You can modify the AR Drone 2.0 to use the 2.4GHz radio control rather than WiFi.

I've got the original AR Drone, and controlling it over WiFi is easy enough, but range is very limited so you can't have too much fun.

I've also got a DJI Phantom, which is significantly better when it comes to manoeuvrability and range, but I lost control of it on one of my first flights and it ended up crashing into a quarry three quarters of a mile away. Fortunately I got it back, and it was relatively undamaged (still worked after having the grit shaken out of it) - and the video footage was quite interesting to watch!

1/3 miles! Blimey that's what I call range Not looking for something too fancy just an upgrade to my current Syma really. Video not 100% necessary but would be a nice to have. Not really clued up about quadrocopters but AR Drones seems to be the popular one.

Any info on modding the AR Drone controller by the way?

[gazchap]

Not done it myself, but this claims to be a decent tutorial:

http://dronehacks.com/2011/08/24/ar-drone-2-4ghz-r...

[Stig]

I have an AR Drone 2.0 which I use with a wifi repeater and some 9db antennas to increase range (this makes a big difference). I also have the mirumod 2.4GHz mod so that I can use it with my 2.4GHz Tx (Spektum) - though I haven't tried it in anger yet.

The drone is the cheapest way into FPV but a longer range setup obviously costs proportionately more.

[crazy about cars]

I have a WiFi antennae at home as well but range is not that good due to amount of houses here - reckon I get 25metres as crow flies on a good day.

Not looking for massive range though -just something more fun to fly to which fpv is added bonus. The Syma is a bit unpredictable at times as feels more like a toy to which I totally understand due to price.

I did some research on other quadrocopter and the all cost upwards of £500!

My biggest concern at the moment about purchasing the AR drone is about the controller - I prefer tactile feel of proper controller compared to a touchscreen ... is there a way to receive video on iPad while using a 2.4ghz controller to control the drone ?

Edited by crazy about cars on Sunday 2nd June 10:33

[Stig]

crazy about cars said:

I have a WiFi antennae at home as well but range is not that good due to amount of houses here - reckon I get 25metres as crow flies on a good day.

Not looking for massive range though -just something more fun to fly to which fpv is added bonus. The Syma is a bit unpredictable at times as feels more like a toy to which I totally understand due to price.

I did some research on other quadrocopter and the all cost upwards of £500!

My biggest concern at the moment about purchasing the AR drone is about the controller - I prefer tactile feel of proper controller compared to a touchscreen ... is there a way to receive video on iPad while using a 2.4ghz controller to control the drone ?

Edited by crazy about cars on Sunday 2nd June 10:33

Simply put, yes. The mirumod can work alongside the wifi - you just lose video relay if you fly beyond the wifi range. I would't worry about using the phone/ipad as the controller as quads don't really fly like helis/planes in the conventional sense. You can fly in several modes too, so either a more conventional 'sticks' setup or by tilting the device. Either way, its very forgiving to fly.

[crazy about cars]

Stig said:

Simply put, yes. The mirumod can work alongside the wifi - you just lose video relay if you fly beyond the wifi range. I would't worry about using the phone/ipad as the controller as quads don't really fly like helis/planes in the conventional sense. You can fly in several modes too, so either a more conventional 'sticks' setup or by tilting the device. Either way, its very forgiving to fly.

Sold lol! Missus going to kill me as this is definitely considered a frivolous purchase :P Think I will try using the iPad until I find a need to upgrade...

Sorry to be a pain but is Amazon the best place to buy? Some places seem to advertise the older version so need to thread carefully here...

[crazy about cars]

Bought one for £256 @ Amazon. Can't wait! Looks like there's no official app for Windows but I've downloaded some SDKs and hope to develop something for my Surface RT - would also be cool if I can use an Xbox controller to control while streaming to a PC monitor.

[crazy about cars]

Hmm bit of buyers regret now that I did more research into the apps and SDK development potential. Limited apps for V2 and apparently tilt doesn't work

Windows SDK sort of died of a year ago or so... So much potential for the drone just need a healthier developer market!