New 3DR Solo owner...looking for advice on upgrades

[ikerex88]

Hey All, I just picked up a 3DR solo with gimbal and extra battery at Best Buy for $349. I've been looking to get a drone that would work with my Hero 3+ Black for awhile now, and at that price I couldn't pass it up. I've read about how 3DR is stopping production on drones, but they still seem like a great platform for a beginner (as I am), and even for more advanced users.

I was however, worried about the GPS issues these seem to have out of the box. Because I got mine so cheap, I went ahead and ordered the mRobotics M8N GPS chip (plug and play - mRo GPS u-Blox Neo-M8N / 3DR SOLO Upgrade). Hopefully this will improve GPS reception and prevent fly-away situations. I didn't order the v2 GPS shield yet, but should I? Any other upgrades I should consider for better antenna connection or anything? I plan on using my Nexus 7 2013 tablet with this drone.

It's great to see that there is such a community for these drones. Happy to be part of it.

 

[Dogman1973]

My personal experience with GPS... the shield made little to no difference when using the mRo GPS module (which I highly recommend).
I've recently tried out these props and quite like them APC Propellers. They're quieter, and more responsive.
The MicroTik R11e-2HnD wifi cards are good too if you're flying in higher 2.4GHz noise environments, although require a bit more disassembly to replace.

If you're taking the bird apart for the above, also worth looking at some of the vibration reduction mods too. (personally I'm not finding vibration a big problem)

Those are the top 3 on my list that I'll also be doing to my second Solo

 

[Chuck]

Welcome to the forum, ikerex88. You will find a wealth of information here, and by using the search function, you can search past posts and usually get any info you may want. If you can't find it on the search section, the folks here are great at helping you out. To answer your GPS shield question, the maker of the Neo-M8N GPS you bought says the shield is not necessary, but is recommended. The Solo Shield ver. 2 made a world of difference on my stock GPS. I am going to get the Neo-M8N for both my Solo's, and I will use the 3DR improved shield on both. The best investment you can make as a beginner, is to download and print the owner's manual, and study it well. Then, while you are learning the flying characteristics, do it in an open area with no obstacles, so you can not worry about hitting anything. I wish you luck, and a lot of safe flying.

 

[Acroduster]

What Chuck said, plus please, please, please learn to fly in Manual mode and set your A button to automatically switch to that mode. Just to keep your thumbs up to speed, I also recommend always taking off and landing in Manual mode as well.

Happy flying, and welcome to the Solo!

 

[Jarrettc24]

Why do you recommend to take off and land in manual mode?

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

[Marich]

Why do you recommend to take off and land in manual mode?

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

Not sure he meant it quite that way... the best way to take off and land isn't to simply punch a button to launch but to work the controls the old-fashioned way and actually, well, take off and land yourself without assistance.
After getting proper GPS lock. At least that's what I do.

 

[Jarrettc24]

I'm new to this drone so how do I get a GPS lock, take off manually, then return to GPS position hold mode

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

[Marich]

Just get ready for flight as usual, waiting for the prompt to press fly. Press it to start motors, then instead of pushing it again for auto takeoff, just raise throttle. You aren't really using true "manual" mode - that doesn't involve GPS at all and needs quite a bit of practice and resulting skill.
Landing is basically the same - just bring her in, set down gently, then pull the throttle stick all the way down and to the left. This shuts of the motors.

 

[Jarrettc24]

So when landing hold throttle down on touch down and to the left?

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

[Marich]

So when landing hold throttle down on touch down and to the left?

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

Yep!

 

[ikerex88]

Thank you all for your advice! I'm definitely going to learn to take off and land manually. I was playing with the simulator app last night and my controller, pretty cool way to learn how to fly! Hopefully will be taking it out for it's first flight today.

 

[Acroduster]

To be very clear - I advocate taking off and landing in true manual mode, i.e., no GPS assistance whatsoever. The reason is simple: if (when) GPS is lost, or worse, becomes unstable, you can hit your A button (that has been set to manual mode) and quickly and confidently regain control. I say confidently, because you have been practicing taking off and landing in manual mode all this time. Here's the normal takeoff procedure:

1. Fire up everything as you usually would and wait for GPS lock. Make sure the front of Solo is facing away from you. This helps novices because when you are correcting for drift, right is right, forward is forward, etc.
2. Hit your A button to turn on manual mode (note that you must set this up in the menus first) This disengages GPS.
3. Pull the throttle to minimum, then slowly raise it to lift off.
4. Guide it straight up, fighting the wind and drift as necessary, until you are 10-15' high.
5. Press the FLY button on the remote once. This will reengage GPS and Solo will stop drifting and hold position.
6. Go fly your mission/Smart Shots and have fun.

On return, do the following:

1. Bring the Solo (either by the sticks or using the RTH button) near you, and descend.
2. When it is about 15' up, rotate it to face away from you and hit your A button to engage manual mode.
3. Now you must fight the wind or drift using the sticks as well as bring it down slowly.
4. As you get near the ground, only use small inputs to keep it in the spot you want to land.
5. Continue descending until touchdown.
6. Pull the throttle all the way down and to the left for a few seconds and the motors will shut down.

As I've said before (and need to clarify better in the FAQ) the WORST situation is when the GPS data is spotty and the bird thinks it should be somewhere it isn't. It will then quickly try and get there, resulting in the infamous "fly-away." Guess where you are most likely to get shaky GPS data? You got it - close to the ground, right near all of the trees and stuff you have so diligently tried to stay away from. Quickly becoming proficient at flying in true manual mode (i.e., no GPS) is the very best way to keep your Solo in one piece.

There are literally hundreds of "I got near the ground and it just shot off into my house/car/brother" stories on this and other forums. THIS WILL NEVER HAPPEN to you if you follow the above directions. Mine has started to fly away on a number of occasions while performing a Smart Shot. A quick press of the A button and it was back under control

 

[Chuck]

Acroduster is right on point. A lot of GPS loss is under 20 feet altitude due to the trees, buildings, etc. that may be around. Besides learning to take off and land in manual, as an added safety factor, you always want to warn any onlookers to be clear of the take off/landing area . I try to clear any onlookers (and you will have onlookers) back at least 25 feet from your take off or touch down point. That is why he so highly recommends learning to be comfortable in manual and assigning it to your"A" or "B" button. Good luck, and be safe.

 

[Marich]

Acroduster is right on point. A lot of GPS loss is under 20 feet altitude due to the trees, buildings, etc. that may be around. Besides learning to take off and land in manual, as an added safety factor, you always want to warn any onlookers to be clear of the take off/landing area . I try to clear any onlookers (and you will have onlookers) back at least 25 feet from your take off or touch down point. That is why he so highly recommends learning to be comfortable in manual and assigning it to your"A" or "B" button. Good luck, and be safe.

The performance of the new Jordi GPS (that's what I'm gonna call it from now on) is a real game changer for flights around and amongst trees. Since installing it I've never - not once - lost lock when flying under any sort of cover.
Not really surprising though, since I get full lock within a minute inside my apartment building now!

 

[Acroduster]

Good to hear, Marich, however I would still strongly advise doing the procedure outlined above. When things go haywire with aircraft, they do so very quickly. A constant state of hands-on training is your best defense.

 

[Marich]

Oh yes, I agree. It's typical for some of us who've been flying literally for decades in RC to forget what our first helicopter was like. Talk about a handful!
I'm not suggesting there's anything wrong with today's automation that takes virtually all the work out of flying - but I'm pretty darned sure something very valuable had been lost.

 

[Danielsolo]

Great tip Arcoduster. I had my first flight today with my new solo and and didn't like all the automation. Will programme the A button for manual mode next time out.

 

[Mick]

Hey All, I just picked up a 3DR solo with gimbal and extra battery at Best Buy for $349. I've been looking to get a drone that would work with my Hero 3+ Black for awhile now, and at that price I couldn't pass it up. I've read about how 3DR is stopping production on drones, but they still seem like a great platform for a beginner (as I am), and even for more advanced users.

I was however, worried about the GPS issues these seem to have out of the box. Because I got mine so cheap, I went ahead and ordered the mRobotics M8N GPS chip (plug and play - mRo GPS u-Blox Neo-M8N / 3DR SOLO Upgrade). Hopefully this will improve GPS reception and prevent fly-away situations. I didn't order the v2 GPS shield yet, but should I? Any other upgrades I should consider for better antenna connection or anything? I plan on using my Nexus 7 2013 tablet with this drone.

It's great to see that there is such a community for these drones. Happy to be part of it.

Hi there. I also took advantage of the same great offer by BB. As you can see there is a lot of help for new users like you and I on this site. One thing to note:- The SOLO gimble will carry and point your Hero 3+Black but it will not give you live feed - at least not on an iPhone 6 like mine. Also the new Hero5 does not seam to be supported so you are limited to what camera you can choose. The app will also not work with an older IPad mini - it just won't load the app at all. So my first suggestion would be to purchase a Hero 4. I now have a Hero4+ Silver and it works really well. I get live feed and all of the features I need for great looking footage at a very good price.
If you are in USA you will need to register your drones with the FAA but this is a very easy online process and it's free for a limited time. Please read and follow the rules and laws governing drones (so that we can all continue to enjoy owning and operating these awesome products) and have a ton of fun with your new 3DR SOLO .

 

[Mick]

One more thing - even tho you may not get live feed from your Hero3 you will still get a GPS view of where your camera is pointing so that you can see an actual presentation of where you are in relation to where you are pointing your camera. This works well for the "selfie" and other smart apps. You will still be able to enjoy learning to fly and use the "follow me" functions while getting some great footage, but a HERO4 will add to the experience and give you much more control over your camera.

 

[Chuck]

Hi, Mick. I can't speak for the iphones or ipads, but I get live feed just fine from my Hero 3+ Black. I use an Android Nexus 7 (2013), and other than having to power up my camera before taking off, everything else works fine. Maybe some other ios users can give you some advice on your live feed problem. Good luck, and welcome to the forum.