Solo Antenna vs DJI Mavick

[Saijin_Naib]

When I was flying my Solo, I got nervous over 500' or so, similarly with my Karma. With the Mavic, I find myself 1500' away without realizing it all the time. The other problem I have with extending the range is that you're not extending the flight time and as far as I know, the Solo initiates low battery RTH based on a percentage and not by how much battery you need to get back.

Addressed in the SiteScan firmware for the Solo (v1.52 or v1.53). Works wonderfully.

 

[brianuc4]

I have been filming work on a pipeline that has posed some serious challenges due to environmental situations. The primary issue is trees. A lot of this pipeline work is basically done in a tunnel of trees with a 10 ft wide channel at the top. Getting GPS connection (even with mRo upgrade and cardboard) and maintaining connectivity to the remote has been a constant struggle.

There are a lot of posts on this forum about obstructions that cause connection loss. Although I assumed the omni directional antennas that come with the solo may be a best fit for these situations, others have remarked that the FPVLRs with signal boosters may provide the punch to maintain connectivity. Would love to hear anyones experience with that.

On a related note, I was on the job site with a guy that had a Mavick Pro. To say that I was impressed with the abilities of this drone vs my 3dr would be an understatement.

He set his drone on the hood of his truck and took off without bothering to get GPS. As soon as he was close to the tree canopy he got GPS signal....this was within 30 seconds of setting the drone on his hood. However, his drone was stable prior to this, I suppose due to the optical stabilization that DJI has built into their drones that we will likely never see on a DJI, at least a consumer model.

Where the Mavick really shines was in maintaining connection though. He had was not pointing the controller anywhere near the drone, and was not even under the slit in the canopy that would provide a direct line to the drone....he was basically in the woods. He flew this thing a mile away, over the trees, over a huge concrete bridge....I mean things I would never dream of doing. During all this he had full connectivity...full bars. His drone is completely stock. What gives?

Is there anything that would make this kind of performance possible in a 3DR?

What is DJI doing that makes connectivity to the drone so much better?

I have to say, after many struggles with GoPros, the gimbals incompatibility with a 4k GoPro, no controllable gimbal for any better camera, 3DR shifting away from consumer features, and the aftermarket seaming to lose interest in any new meaningful upgrades, I am kind of having buyers remorse.

Sounds to me like you prefer the Mavic for obvious reasons so I say sell the Solo and buy the Mavic. Heck if I could afford the Mavic I'd get it instead of the Solo! Well actually I'd get the P4 Pro instead haha

 

[Greg Parker]

The answer I've gotten over and over is smart shots. 3DR has better smart shots. I really don't see it since the Mavic has a ton of smart shots. An awesome follow me

View attachment 6982

What Solo has that none of the DJI birds and any of their 3rd party software can match is MPCC.

If ultra smooth cinematic transitions in pitch and yaw are desired I have yet to see a video from a DJI that can match MPCC. Some get close, the question is are they close enough for you.

Here is a fine example of MPCC multi-axis transitions that I don't think the DJI birds can match.

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[Lon Denard]

Addressed in the SiteScan firmware for the Solo (v1.52 or v1.53). Works wonderfully.

See there's something I didn't know! I had no idea you could download Site Scan to the consumer Solo.

 

[carpy]

See there's something I didn't know! I had no idea you could download Site Scan to the consumer Solo.

https://3drpilots.com/threads/autopilot-firmware-upgrade-from-1-3-1-to-1-5-2.8819/

 

[Lon Denard]

What Solo has that none of the DJI birds and any of their 3rd party software can match is MPCC.

If ultra smooth cinematic transitions in pitch and yaw are desired I have yet to see a video from a DJI that can match MPCC. Some get close, the question is are they close enough for you.

Here is a fine example of MPCC multi-axis transitions that I don't think the DJI birds can match.

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Aha! Thank you! I'm being serious. I honestly couldn't remember which smart shot gets brought out that makes the Solo better than the Mavic or P4P. That is a cool feature. I've actually used that one a couple times. I'm not sure that MPCC makes up for all of the other areas that the Mavic and P4P outperform the Solo though. I've always agreed that we all have different needs and if that is the one thing that you want from a drone then the Solo is your only choice, I think.

 

[tracer]

Great thread guys! I will definitely look into the firmware update because I now two batteries that have suddenly become unreliable resulting in emergency landings.

I like all the honest opinions, pros and cons for each platform. Right now, I shoot videos and photos and I prefer to have the drone in sight, so range is not an issue. The solo was the right price to get me into the market and I have no regrets thus far.

 

[Ralph E. Johnson]

Really appreciate everyones feedback. I think my mind is made up...I am going to do the card upgrades and probably get some FPVLR antennas. Maybe a hero 4 black and antenna boosters at some point, but ultimately, I think a Mavic or Phantom is in my not too distant future. I'll have a backup. Two very good drones; one I know I can rely on for hairy situations / obstructions and another that is equally as capable for typical situations.

That said, I would be very interested in hearing areas where you all feel the 3DR excels in terms of features and performance beyond a Mavic, price and open source flexibility aside.

I have 3 Solos and all the extras to keep them flying for years and I have a DJI Mavic. I love them both. I love to tinker with my Solo and I love being able to fly it anywhere. The GoPro Hero 4 silver takes awesome pictures which is another big plus. I think superior to the Mavic camera. Now the Mavic shines where you want To fly a long distance away. Also for portability it’s the best.
When I just want
To fly for fun I fly the Solo. I have the fpvlr antennas and have been able to fly out over 10,500 feet. About two miles. I tried the WiFi upgrade once and wasn’t successful. So long story short they both have their places. Solo for fun and great pictures and Mavic for distance and portability.

 

[Solo_Maverick]

Since this thread is discussing range and connection quality, did anyone watch that video where the guy flies FPV around a moving train?

He flies over, under and behind a bridge also.

Then, not happy, he also flies behind, under and inside the moving train.

His video signal was fine all the time also. I saw in the material list that he wad using a Futaba remote and receiver in the drone.

Can we get that kind of signal with a Solo if we upgrade the radio boards and to Green Cube and new firmware? I was impressed.

 

[Ralph E. Johnson]

I got my cards from ISPSupplies, MikroTik RouterBOARD R11e-2HnD

To be honest, most of what I have seen in the feedback is user error. Solo thinks the new wifi cards are v4 of the stock cards which report as v3. More power (800mw) is really most of the magic.

You need to buy two of these right? One for the Solo and one for the controller?

 

[carpy]

You need to buy two of these right? One for the Solo and one for the controller?

Yes. However, although I haven't tried it yet, I'm pretty sure replacing the wifi card in the Solo only will be a big enough improvement. If you are like me and you don't want to lug around other antennas then replacing both will make you very happy.

 

[EyeWingsuit]

Hmm that's fair about the cameras, as long as you don't want a gimbal. I tried the Solo with the Hero 5 and it wasn't cutting it for me. Too shaky. I also missed being able to raise and lower the camera. Oh and as long as you don't want to control your camera with the remote.

I really liked the concept of the accessory bay as well... So where are you getting all of those accessories? I've never seen even one. Have you made grippers or a radar for your Solo? Polar Pro made lights at least. Of course, I'm not sure why you'd want to shorten your flight time even more since no one ever came up with the extended batteries we were promised at launch.

It depends what it hits and where....one of my Solos was taken out by a wire. Only a Hex can survive that one. Any contact that results in a lost blade and it's game over. One thing I'll say for folding props, my Karma caught a tree branch with the props and managed to right itself because the prop folded and unfolded. The stock Solo blades are super brittle. I've destroyed plenty of them! Hahaha!

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Believe it or not, I'm not trying to hammer you or anything but when I was having doubts about the Solo after a failure, I let you guys brow beat me into throwing more money at it. The Solo is that classic car you tinker with on weekends, fast, cool, heavily modded, but not completely reliable and the Mavic is the Honda Civic you drive to work everyday, dependable, all the amenities, turn the key and go.

If quality of image isn't important to you, then sure...the Mavic is great.
If flying in high wind isn't important to you, the Mavic is also a great choice.
If precision isn't important, then again, the Mavic is a terrific choice, especially if you're looking for a pocket UAV.

I don't really fly much recreationally; all my flights are enterprise-oriented. The Solo looks like a tool, not a toy. The same can be said for the Yuneec 520, which I now fly regularly as well. The Mavic (of which I have two) look like a toy and no matter what one does with it, the images aren't useful for enterprise work, nor does it inspire confidence in the FSP.

Solo is by far the most-used aircraft in the enterprise space; I am hoping to change that with the Yuneec H520, but at the same time, the Solo is an incredibly respectable tool. The Mavic is an incredibly respectable toy.

 

[Dobie Ardmore]

If quality of image isn't important to you, then sure...the Mavic is great.
If flying in high wind isn't important to you, the Mavic is also a great choice.
If precision isn't important, then again, the Mavic is a terrific choice, especially if you're looking for a pocket UAV.

I don't really fly much recreationally; all my flights are enterprise-oriented. The Solo looks like a tool, not a toy. The same can be said for the Yuneec 520, which I now fly regularly as well. The Mavic (of which I have two) look like a toy and no matter what one does with it, the images aren't useful for enterprise work, nor does it inspire confidence in the FSP.

Solo is by far the most-used aircraft in the enterprise space; I am hoping to change that with the Yuneec H520, but at the same time, the Solo is an incredibly respectable tool. The Mavic is an incredibly respectable toy.

"Enterprise-oriented" That sounds interesting. What are you using Solo for in this regard?

 

[Dobie Ardmore]

You need to buy two of these right? One for the Solo and one for the controller?

I replaced both boards and added ALFA -7db antennas (another $20) The performance is vastly increased; well worth the expense and hassle of install (Controller easy; Solo is a bit difficult)
Look at Youtube videos; they will make the mod much more understandable (be sure to hot glue antenna leads in place on new board.)

 

[Lon Denard]

If quality of image isn't important to you, then sure...the Mavic is great.
If flying in high wind isn't important to you, the Mavic is also a great choice.
If precision isn't important, then again, the Mavic is a terrific choice, especially if you're looking for a pocket UAV.

I don't really fly much recreationally; all my flights are enterprise-oriented. The Solo looks like a tool, not a toy. The same can be said for the Yuneec 520, which I now fly regularly as well. The Mavic (of which I have two) look like a toy and no matter what one does with it, the images aren't useful for enterprise work, nor does it inspire confidence in the FSP.

Solo is by far the most-used aircraft in the enterprise space; I am hoping to change that with the Yuneec H520, but at the same time, the Solo is an incredibly respectable tool. The Mavic is an incredibly respectable toy.

Hey I'm not one of these clowns that gets mad when someone calls my toy, a toy. However, I consider my Solo, Karma, Bebop, etc toys as well. The thing is, the camera isn't part of the Solo nor is it made by 3DR. Solo enthusiasts like to take credit for it all the time. I can post video from all three platforms and I would challenge anyone to pick which is which. Other than the fish eye... to me that is the deal breaker! Now that I don't have it, I'm not sure how I ever lived with it. To me the video from the Solo looks like video from every other dude with a Go Pro mounted to whatever. Then you have to film in 2.7k...at least I get to film in 4k. If you care about video quality get a Karma because the Hero 5 craps on the Hero 3, 4 Silver and 4 Black. Just for the record, the Mavic crushes the Hero 3 and possibly the 4 Silver, I'd give you the Hero 4 Black if it wasn't for fish eye.

Besides, the focus on the Mavic by some of you is funny by itself, when you know that the Phantom 4 Pro is more comparable as a platform. That's like saying that the Solo is superior to the Breeze and thus superior to Yuneec drones in general. They aren't even part of the same category in my opinion.

Since you made a list,

If you want to lose GPS, get a Solo.

If you like having some "me time" while you wait for your drone to acquire sats, get a Solo.

If you like having to partially assemble your drone every time you fly, get a Solo.

If you want to keep your drone as close as possible, get a Solo.

If you want to lose signal often, get a Solo.

If you like your drone to be as loud as possible, get a Solo.

If you don't want to fly over 15 minutes, get a Solo.

If you want to fly an obsolete drone with an obsolete camera, get a Solo.

If you want to spend a bunch of time with your drone torn apart on a table, get a Solo.

If you want to replace major components with aftermarket parts immediately after purchasing it just to make it decent to fly, get a Solo.

If you want to carry a major piece of luggage with you, get a Solo.

If you want to feel the need to buy multiple units of the same drone to carry around with you so you can feel confident that you can get something in the sky AND so you can have parts readily available, get a Solo.

If you enjoy the tense anticipation while you wait to see IF your drone is going to fire up this time, the amazing anxiety of every flight while you wait for something to go wrong and the overwhelming sense of relief when you do manage to compete a flight without any issues...get a Solo.



You have to know I'm mostly messing with you!

 

[Dobie Ardmore]

Hey I'm not one of these clowns that gets mad when someone calls my toy, a toy. However, I consider my Solo, Karma, Bebop, etc toys as well. The thing is, the camera isn't part of the Solo nor is it made by 3DR. Solo enthusiasts like to take credit for it all the time. Apparently, if I mount a Hero 5 to my Mavic, I'll own all Solos! I can post video from all three platforms and I would challenge anyone to pick which is which. Other than the fish eye... to me that is a deal breaker! Now that I don't have it, I'm not sure how I ever lived with it. To me the video looks like every other dude with a Go Pro mounted to whatever.

Besides, the focus on the Mavic by some of you is funny by itself, when you know that the Phantom 4 Pro is more comparable as a platform. That's like saying that the Solo is superior to the Breeze and thus superior to Yuneec drones in general. They aren't even part of the same category in my opinion.

Geez. Settle down Lon. His post made perfect sense to me, and he was quite balanced in his assessment. Additionally, if one is using a Solo in a commercial endeavor then it has crossed over from a toy to a tool.

 

[rcflyingaddict]

If quality of image isn't important to you, then sure...the Mavic is great.
If flying in high wind isn't important to you, the Mavic is also a great choice.
If precision isn't important, then again, the Mavic is a terrific choice, especially if you're looking for a pocket UAV.

I don't really fly much recreationally; all my flights are enterprise-oriented. The Solo looks like a tool, not a toy. The same can be said for the Yuneec 520, which I now fly regularly as well. The Mavic (of which I have two) look like a toy and no matter what one does with it, the images aren't useful for enterprise work, nor does it inspire confidence in the FSP.

Solo is by far the most-used aircraft in the enterprise space; I am hoping to change that with the Yuneec H520, but at the same time, the Solo is an incredibly respectable tool. The Mavic is an incredibly respectable toy.

Well this thread is interesting to say the least. Image quality? I'll put my MP's dlog footage up against my P4P's and with proper post (not much mind you) the results can be fantastic. I have only flown my Solo a few times and my Hero Black footage (mind you I only have a bit of footage to compare) is nothing to write home about but I'm not sure if it's Hero related or inability of the gimbal to fully stabilize. Wind? My MP is more stable in most heavy wind than my P4P and both are in a different league than my Solo. Yesterday - 15 to 20 with 30 gusts I had my Solo out and while it did fine it was not even in the same ball park as my MP in terms of position hold - just not anywhere close. Is that a bad thing? Not for me as I plan to fly the Solo in manual modes the majority of the time. I have never flown the Y 520 but I like actually kind of like my Typhoon H and is it stable , can you say 6 rotor's are better than 4 - YES . In my opinion you can never have just one drone, each has it's use/purpose and all are fun to figure out. I think it's great you are using your Solo for paid work - would be interested to know what kind of job's you use the Solo for and what your workflow is.

 

[Redhouse]

The Hero4 Black films in 4k ... just an fyi responding to your quote: "Then you have to film in 2.7k...at least I get to film in 4k." Also, GoPro Studio or Premiere CC both take out fisheye very nicely.

 

[Lon Denard]

The Hero4 Black films in 4k ... just an fyi responding to your quote: "Then you have to film in 2.7k...at least I get to film in 4k." Also, GoPro Studio or Premiere CC both take out fisheye very nicely.

I'll rephrase, 3DR suggests that you film in 2.7, so does Go Pro with the Karma.



As far as editing out fish eye... Yay one more thing I have to do to get decent footage! Nah, I'll stick to my Hero 5 linear mode. See, this really isn't a knock on 3DR, it's a knock on Go Pro. I'll happily accept Mavic 4k footage without fish eye over my Hero 4's 2.7k footage with fish eye. No brainer.

 

[Lon Denard]

Well this thread is interesting to say the least. Image quality? I'll put my MP's dlog footage up against my P4P's and with proper post (not much mind you) the results can be fantastic. I have only flown my Solo a few times and my Hero Black footage (mind you I only have a bit of footage to compare) is nothing to write home about but I'm not sure if it's Hero related or inability of the gimbal to fully stabilize. Wind? My MP is more stable in most heavy wind than my P4P and both are in a different league than my Solo. Yesterday - 15 to 20 with 30 gusts I had my Solo out and while it did fine it was not even in the same ball park as my MP in terms of position hold - just not anywhere close. Is that a bad thing? Not for me as I plan to fly the Solo in manual modes the majority of the time. I have never flown the Y 520 but I like actually kind of like my Typhoon H and is it stable , can you say 6 rotor's are better than 4 - YES . In my opinion you can never have just one drone, each has it's use/purpose and all are fun to figure out. I think it's great you are using your Solo for paid work - would be interested to know what kind of job's you use the Solo for and what your workflow is.

I've flown the Typhoon H Pro, I even had one in the "cart" but ended up buying the Mavic. I just thought it would be cumbersome to set up. I'm into those quick stop shots I do while driving around for work. I'm out of the truck, got my shot and back in the truck in 15 minutes or less with 8 minutes of video. You just can't beat that in my opinion.