Tag Archives: reviews
Volantex Ranger 757-4 Review
TODAY I took a look at the Volantax Ranger 757-4 that we purchased online for just over a $100. The 757-4 is a scale down version of the popular 2m Ranger Ex 757-3 FPV Drone plane. It is resized to 1.4m 1380mm, just small enough to fit into a standard size car trunk/boot without taking it apart.
One of the more interesting feature of the plane is that it is designed for GoPro or FPV cameras.. it comes tail heavy, so you can install multiple fpv cameras and large batteries. A weight is even included in the event you are not ready to fly with a camera. We had to fly it with a 3S 5000 mAh LiPo battery without a GoPro weight on the front, to get the correct center of gravity (CG). It is quick, easy to assemble, no glue is required.
Eachine LCD5802D FPV Monitor DVR
When you are out flying, recording your flights is a way to recover an aircraft, in an event of an engine failure. The Eachine LCD5802D 5802 is the next generation of budget first person view (FPV) monitors that gets better each time, putting it’s competitors (Lumenier, Skyzone) in a tough spot. It is light and easy to carry. I am really excited about this monitor, as it has every function we need to monitor our flights at dronemission.com. The Eachine 5802D LCD monitor comes with diversity antennas, DVR and 40 channels auto search, all three functions I would look for on a new FPV monitor.
First impression, every FPV pilot needs a DVR, with a DVR function, you can record your flight footage along with your On Screen Display information. This will allow you to playback, analyze your flight footage or to recover a lost model. The Eachine LCD5802D comes built-in dual receiver for best reception, allows you to place two types of antenna to provide the clearest picture in a variety of flying conditions. With dual buffered Audio Video (AV) outputs, you can connect a pair of google directly or an external monitor. It is capable of receiving 5 Bands and a total 40 Channels to cover all the transmitter known today and to stay compatible with new or old video transmitters. You can easily switch between channels with a one key signal search and the auto scan is fast!.
JJRC H28C Camera Drone
JJRC unique quadcopter design with a detachable arms is welcome by many park flyers. The JJRC H28C comes ready to fly (RTF), propellers all assembled, with a 2.0MP camera, made to reduce transportation size. All you need is to reattach the arms and add the optional camera and landing skid to begin flying.
First impression, the concept of detachable arms is great, but some hasty changes to accomplished the design, may require a second look and refinement. The arms are attached with classic t-plugs aka Deans connectors and hook on with side clips. The material used is light-weight Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), a common thermoplastic polymer (also used by Lego). It is impact resistance, tough and heat resistance, but the interlocking joints weaken the structure and makes it vulnerable to break along the arms. The JJRC H28C quadcopter flies at moderate speed with a 2 cell 30c battery. Not really recommended for beginners, but if you are keen to learn this is a nice size quadcopter with protective guards. It is stable, you can do some nice turns with both sticks on a turn at the same time. It can handle moderate amount of wind outdoors…
GTeng T909 FPV Watch for Drones
GTeng T909 is 2.6 inch LCD Screen FPV Watch, with a wearable receiver 5.8G for real-time video reception. Now if you want to form a shot or take a peek at your OSD altitude, you can peek at it on your watch. The 5.8G antenna is built-in with a 3dBi copper tube. You can turn on and off with the power button and best of all, the channel change button allows you to easily select the correct 32 channels.
Powered by a built-in 350mAh Li-Po battery and charged up via USB. You get about 60 minutes of runtime per charge, unfortunately the range is 60 meters, but may just be perfect to use for finding a lost quadcopter drone when you are within 60 meters.
Walkera F210 3D racing drone
Walkera does it again, taking the guesswork out of putting together a 3D racing quadcopter drone. F210 3D is a quadcopter with an optimized F3 flight controller paired with reversible electronic speed controller (ESC), allowing you to reverse the motor at mid point to fly upside down in a 3D manner. At flight mode 0 (FMOD=0 factory default) normal flight takes it toll 2D, flip the switch to FMOD=1, take-off in 3D mode, motor brakes and reverses at mid-point.
F210 3D is upgraded with faster receiver response time, stronger frame, and superior low lux Sony HD camera. Pre-installed with a 5.8 gHz video transmitter and On Screen Display (OSD) to assist pilot in flying and replaying every favorite scene of a flight…
Hubsan X4 PRO H109S Parachute
Finally the Hubsan H109S X4 PRO quadcopter to be officially released, maybe? We originally filmed the micro Hubsan x4 H107D that reached 350,000 views youtube very quickly back in 2013, so today I am back to take the X4 Pro for a DroneMission flight, at the same time provide some feedback on the new and improved X4 Pro. Since 2014 Hubsan has been talking about the x4 Pro H109S; along the way there were pre-releases, testing, and more testing. Two drone years in the making, will it live up to the reputation? The challenge is in 2 years, a lot can and have changed and Hubsan found themselves in the midst of an evolving technology, outdating applications and a price war in this industry.
To differentiate this pro quadcopter from it’s competitors, Hubsan included a Parachute System; when bumped in a collision, the parachute will automatically deploy to prevent the X4 Pro from crashing. Unlike other systems, the Hubsan parachute can be removed or assembled freely and be reused many times. When the canister tilt past 80 degrees, the sensor unlock the lid, and the spring pops the parachute out…
Eachine Goggles One HD 1080p
Eachine Goggle One is a 5 inches 5.8G 40 channel Raceband HD 1080p HDMI FPV goggle and home theater video glass. An upgrade to the VR-007 goggle released recently. With a HDMI port, this will allow you to view HD FPV real-time video, complementing supported WIFI multirotors, such as the Solo by 3DR, DJI Inspire and other compatible HD quadcopters. We will put it to a test and report back next month.
The video gave a us pretty good sense of what is most comfortable and sharpness, however they are matter of preference.
GTeng T901F Quadcopter
GTeng T901F is an unusual symmetrically spider-looking 16.5 cm outdoor quadcopter with a camera broadcasting at 5.8G frequency images transmission to your radio transmitter receiving monitor to view your flying. At 5.8gHz that would mean you can use your personal FPV goggle or any compatible external video receiver. The radio transmitter itself uses 2.4GHz to extend the range for outdoor flying and is powered by a 3.7V 500mA LiPo battery. Yes, you read it right, you get two chargers and two 3.7V 500mA LiPo battery out of the box, the second battery is to power the flying spider. The T901F carries a 6 axis gyro to ensure the stability and performance, allowing you to toss the quadcopter in the air and regain instant leveling.
I can picture the GTeng T901F in a Sharper Image, nicely package, a mini quadcopter with copper trims around the body, ready to fly, out of the box. Everything is pre-assembled, weighing just 67 grams, legally within the limits before registration is required in the USA.
The 2 mega pixel camera captures and records video upto 300 meters (our tests under 70 meters) in real-time transmission while you view it from the radio. T901F comes with the popular headless mode, basic one key automatic return function without GPS and 360 degree flip functions…
Navgator X6 Xinlin X181
The Navgator X6 Xinlin X181 quadcopter was released recently and is hard not to get excited about this model aircraft. The Navgator X6 can fly, in fact very swift and aerobatic! Xinlin Shiye is not new in the radio control scene, Best Buy and Sears were among their major buyers, during the explosive 2015 drone sales.
To differentiate from other quadcopters, Xinlin Shiye included a radio transmitter with LCD. The highlights to this model, are the 5.8G FPV 2MP 720P camera and a 5 inch LCD video/DVR receiver screen that provides real-time video viewing and photo capturing.
I absolutely love how this Navgator x6 flies, compared to my other 20-25cm quadcopters. The motors and battery gets hot during a 7 minutes flights, but not a concern, powerful enough to flip and take some nice turns…
Syma X5HW WIFI Quadcopter
X5HW made by Syma introduces the next generation of budget mini quadcopters with barometer sensors for Altitude Hold. Pressure sensors are not new to the quadcopter drones scene but not many mini copters carry them.
First impression, this quadcopter is a great beginner’s budget quadcopter. Number 1, dual arming protocol prevents a newbie from accidentally bumping the throttle and spinning up the blades. Number 2, two gear speed, Low (L) rates from indoors flights and High (H) rates for outdoors and windy conditions. Number 3, when the quadcopter encounters a direct impact or is struck on the propellers, the motors will shut off. Number 4, and best of all, it holds the altitude while the pilot focuses on forward flying.
The Syma X5HW is easy to fly, stable, it does some nice bank turns. It can handle moderate amount of wind outdoors. It is small enough to fly indoors and comes with protective guards. The Android FPV WiFi app for Syma FPV connects instantly, photos and videos are viewable within the app.
The range is limited to 50 meters and do suffers from some intermittent lost of control
Target Audience
Beginners, Off the shelves, Ready To Fly, Safety First, Park Flyer, Budget $60 (2016)
What To Expect If This Your First
You can easily spend 11 minutes on each flight, setting up and flying. The actual flight may last 5-7 minutes. On a Mode 2 radio transmitter, throttle stick is on the left.
Connect your battery to your quadcopter, close battery door and power on, lay the quadcopter flat on a hard surface immediately. This will allow the quadcopter to self-level the gyroscope. Power on your radio and move your left thottle stick up and down once to bind the receiver. When you are ready to fly, hold both sticks inwards to arm the motors, the propellers will begin to rotate slowly. The quadcopter is now live and has entered into flight preparation mode. To stop the motors, hold the left stick to the lowest point for 3 seconds.
The quadcopter LiPo battery may get a little warm after each flight. When the voltage is low, the quadcopter four lights will begin to blink and will begin to descent to prevent the battery from over-discharging. Over-discharging a LiPo battery below 3 volts per cell, can permanently damage the battery. It is best to let the LiPo cool down before the next charge.
You must set the speed to High (H) rates for outdoors.
With a 6-axis gyro flight controller, you can toss your quadcopter in the air and throttle up in full to self-level. Lower your throttle stick to about half once you regain control to hold the altitude. You will than need to yaw around to identify the front or back, to regain your orientation. If it helps, mark the back with red tape to make it more visible.
To complete an auto flip, fly to about 10 feet and press the top right button, and move the stick in the direction you want it to flip. It will auto flip!
If you lose radio signal, the quadcopter will drop, it would have been better if it descend slowly. Not by design, but as a last option, just power off, in an emergency if nothing else stops.
Don’t expect to be able to fly with the camera in first person view, as the camera lens view is rather narrow. The video also freezes when there is poor WIFI reception.
You may not be able to view the video recorded within your tablet if your equipment does not support 3GP playbacks. Video files are saved in 3GP format. 3GP is a video format specially developed for third generation mobile devices. You can view the video within the Syma App if your Gallery does not support 3GP or upload to goggle drive and view it there or use some other software.
Factory Specifications:
Color: White, Blue
Frequency : 2.4G
Channel : 4CH
Gyro:6 Axis
HD Camera:Photos(2MEGA), Video(1MEGA)
Battery for Quadcopter: 3.7V 600mAh Li-poly
Transmitter Battery: 4 x AA battery
Charging Time : About 90 mins (USB charging)
Flying time : About 5~7 minutes
Charging time:About 130 minutes
Controlling distance:About 30-50 meters
Product size:33*33*11cm
Box Size:41.5*34*9.5cm
The propellers tend to break around the screw into half, as on impact the stress is placed on the screw on the shaft. Replacing the propellers are easy, but a handy screw driver is needed.
Features:
WIFI FPV with 2.0MP HD camera.
With Altitude Hold mode, setting height.
Headless mode, 360 roll.
6-Axis gyro flight, for stability, stronger wind resistance and easier control.
The quadcopter can fly both indoor and outdoor using 4 channels digital proportional RC system, 2.4 gHz
Functions: up/down,left/right sideward fight,forward/backward,turn left/right,with gyro/flash lights,A 360-degree 3D and special functions (continuous rolling)
Conclusion, this quad flies without doubt. If you are a beginner who wants to learn to fly, we will recommend the Syma X5HW over any other quadcopters for the four reasons stated above. It is a nice looking quadcopter, however if you looking to video or to fly FPV (first person view), this quadcopter will not give you the full experience or capability to do so well. Unfortunately glitches on the signal and range limitation puts this quadcopter prone to fly away, but for $60 you can weigh in if those limitation matters to you.
In terms of ranking, I would say it is in the mid half of what’s new in the market April 2016 ($61), but not on the top 3 because of the tablet app and the signal glitches. (Current Picks dronemission.com/top5).
