Background:
I am a land surveyor, and I am implementing a sUAS and photogrammetry program with the goal of providing a sUAS for each crew as another tool in their toolbox. We are 100% Autodesk (ACAD) Civil 3D, so 3dr's Sitescan seemed like the perfect fit. We were about to pull the trigger when they imploded, and it became apparent that while they had warehouses with Solo's in them, they were no longer a robotics company, but a software and service company, or at least that was where they were headed. For the price point, we determined that being a guinea pig for a startup was not where we wanted to go. (If that seems harsh, I apologize. The guys we talked to were professional, helpful, and we liked them. We liked the sensor. The Sony sensor was the BIG deal.)
We decided to let a company called Aerotas help us implement a program. It has been successful. It is built around Pix4D, and utilizes a DJI Phantom 4. About a month later, the P4 Pro became available, and I really wish we had that system, but you have to pull the trigger at some point, and I was not aware of the DJI product cycle at the time. Lesson learned. The Pro's sensor compares well with the Sitescan Sensor. (Not 100% equivalent, of course.)
When Best Buy got rid of their Solo Stock, I purchased one. I got a screaming deal. The store I went to could not sell them for $299, so I ended up with a Solo, 2 batteries, a gimbal, and a used Hero4 with an extra battery for $379 before tax. (GoPro was private party.)
Opinions:
After using the P4 and the Solo, I am glad that we purchased the P4. The GPS issues with the Solo make it a toy, in my opinion. A powerful, fun, tinkering type of toy. Yes, people have used Solo to map and make money, I am not putting you down, or your system, but our expertise is NOT tinkering with UASs, we need it to just work. Yes, it is a Rev A. But, from what I read here Rev B is a bit of a gamble as well. Out of the box the performance is unacceptable. Perhaps the Sitescan systems have a different board? I would like to know if anyone has information on that. I know I will get flamed for this paragraph, but it is what I observe. I would have been horrified to have recommended the Solo, and then had the performance that I have observed. We would have never have actually used this system. Too risky.
The Phantom 4 works flawlessly. The imagery is better than a GoPro, of course, but no where near what Sitescan and the Sony system can offer. I WANT the Sony system...and of course the sony sensor (not the lens system) was implemented on the P4 as the P4 Pro soon after our purchase. The Phantom 4 sensor combined with Pix4D is meeting expectations. (Thank you to Aerotas for getting us up and running.)
My experience with Solo has left me very grateful that we did not purchase one. The tech of the UAS is about 2 generations old, combined with the best Sony sensor available. The sensor is key, but my experience with GPS lock failures and such have convinced me that the Solo would have been a mistake. Unless there is an upgrade to the GPS board and software for the Solos used in the Sitescan program, I cannot imagine using it in a suburban environment.
I think the P4 Pro has made the Solo Sitescan system obsolete. Sitescan is proprietary. That is true vertically, horizontally, in every way. The Solo seems to essentially be a toy at this point. Yes, guys on the cutting edge have been making money mapping with Solo for a long time, but when it crashes into something, our corporate environment does not want to be explaining how we modified the GPS board to make it work.
Wish list:
A GPS upgrade from 3dr.
Maybe even an approved 3rd party upgrade that snaps onto the existing GPS cover?
Sell the Sony gimbal and sensor standalone. (If they even sold it at cost or at a loss, there are so many cheap Solo's out there that their new bread and butter Sitescan would greatly increase in subscriptions, if the GPS could be worked out.)
Continue to offer updates to Solo firmware, apps, etc.
Having a useful Solo and supporting it is an important marketing aspect. When I discovered in Decemeber that they system they were attempting to sell me had zero support and development ongoing, I had no option to move forward.
I WANTED to work with an American company that was fully integrated into ACAD. I could not push my company into the Solo platform. I wanted to, but I couldn't. My experience with my Best Buy toy has confirmed my decision.
I know I will get flamed, but I am interested in the conversation...
I am a land surveyor, and I am implementing a sUAS and photogrammetry program with the goal of providing a sUAS for each crew as another tool in their toolbox. We are 100% Autodesk (ACAD) Civil 3D, so 3dr's Sitescan seemed like the perfect fit. We were about to pull the trigger when they imploded, and it became apparent that while they had warehouses with Solo's in them, they were no longer a robotics company, but a software and service company, or at least that was where they were headed. For the price point, we determined that being a guinea pig for a startup was not where we wanted to go. (If that seems harsh, I apologize. The guys we talked to were professional, helpful, and we liked them. We liked the sensor. The Sony sensor was the BIG deal.)
We decided to let a company called Aerotas help us implement a program. It has been successful. It is built around Pix4D, and utilizes a DJI Phantom 4. About a month later, the P4 Pro became available, and I really wish we had that system, but you have to pull the trigger at some point, and I was not aware of the DJI product cycle at the time. Lesson learned. The Pro's sensor compares well with the Sitescan Sensor. (Not 100% equivalent, of course.)
When Best Buy got rid of their Solo Stock, I purchased one. I got a screaming deal. The store I went to could not sell them for $299, so I ended up with a Solo, 2 batteries, a gimbal, and a used Hero4 with an extra battery for $379 before tax. (GoPro was private party.)
Opinions:
After using the P4 and the Solo, I am glad that we purchased the P4. The GPS issues with the Solo make it a toy, in my opinion. A powerful, fun, tinkering type of toy. Yes, people have used Solo to map and make money, I am not putting you down, or your system, but our expertise is NOT tinkering with UASs, we need it to just work. Yes, it is a Rev A. But, from what I read here Rev B is a bit of a gamble as well. Out of the box the performance is unacceptable. Perhaps the Sitescan systems have a different board? I would like to know if anyone has information on that. I know I will get flamed for this paragraph, but it is what I observe. I would have been horrified to have recommended the Solo, and then had the performance that I have observed. We would have never have actually used this system. Too risky.
The Phantom 4 works flawlessly. The imagery is better than a GoPro, of course, but no where near what Sitescan and the Sony system can offer. I WANT the Sony system...and of course the sony sensor (not the lens system) was implemented on the P4 as the P4 Pro soon after our purchase. The Phantom 4 sensor combined with Pix4D is meeting expectations. (Thank you to Aerotas for getting us up and running.)
My experience with Solo has left me very grateful that we did not purchase one. The tech of the UAS is about 2 generations old, combined with the best Sony sensor available. The sensor is key, but my experience with GPS lock failures and such have convinced me that the Solo would have been a mistake. Unless there is an upgrade to the GPS board and software for the Solos used in the Sitescan program, I cannot imagine using it in a suburban environment.
I think the P4 Pro has made the Solo Sitescan system obsolete. Sitescan is proprietary. That is true vertically, horizontally, in every way. The Solo seems to essentially be a toy at this point. Yes, guys on the cutting edge have been making money mapping with Solo for a long time, but when it crashes into something, our corporate environment does not want to be explaining how we modified the GPS board to make it work.
Wish list:
A GPS upgrade from 3dr.
Maybe even an approved 3rd party upgrade that snaps onto the existing GPS cover?
Sell the Sony gimbal and sensor standalone. (If they even sold it at cost or at a loss, there are so many cheap Solo's out there that their new bread and butter Sitescan would greatly increase in subscriptions, if the GPS could be worked out.)
Continue to offer updates to Solo firmware, apps, etc.
Having a useful Solo and supporting it is an important marketing aspect. When I discovered in Decemeber that they system they were attempting to sell me had zero support and development ongoing, I had no option to move forward.
I WANTED to work with an American company that was fully integrated into ACAD. I could not push my company into the Solo platform. I wanted to, but I couldn't. My experience with my Best Buy toy has confirmed my decision.
I know I will get flamed, but I am interested in the conversation...