Well, I'm I need of (3DR) group therapy!

[Lon Denard]

This was well covered over a year ago on another forum with DJI guys as well. All trying to duplicate Solo's smart shots with 3rd parthy software available for the DJI. Robbi, having all 3 tried his best (like others have) to duplicate the Solo MPCC in particular. They never did. It is the difference that Solo has 2 computers that the others don't; 1 ea in the controller an on board the Solo. @Vegasrobbi can probably explain the DJI and Yuneec approach as he has all 3. But here is one of his tests (I think he did several)..

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This is the kind of positive reinforcement I was looking for! Thank you. I shouldn't admit this because I'm opening myself up to ridicule but I did a shot like this totally by accident! I was playing with the smart shots and got it to do something similar. Hahaha!

 

[Lon Denard]

This is Solo today, my P4 and H simply can't do these shots.

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Awesome shots!

 

[Lon Denard]

I was trying to get another battery , so far I love my new hobby.

Ok why can the P4 and H not get those shots. Is it because of smart shots and solex? One view had what appeared to be orbit around a moving target straight into a selfie or cable of some sort.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I was wondering that too. Wait, I AM a complete n00b. Can you combine an orbit shot with follow me or cable cam? Or is that just stringing the different shots together using "Mission Planner"?

 

[Whirlygig]

... I honestly want to thank everyone that posted positively and honestly! I mean that.

Lon, you are not trying to say goodbye and walk out on group therapy are you? I was hoping we were going to get around to my issues since I had to listen to everybody else's....

 

[JimB13]

I have TWO solos, both purchased with the fantastic BestBuy price. I have had NO problems with either Solo or the two controllers. I have 2 gimbals, one with a Solo and one from an 'open box' from BestBuy. BOTH work perfectly as long as I make sure my GoPro Hero4 Silver is powered on.

I am in the middle of a neighborhood with MANY wifi networks. I make sure I watch my connection with the Solo and do not push it beyond two bars. Sometimes it is not as far as I would like, but I DO NOT push the distance to see how it works.

When I do push any parameters (distance, GPS, etc.), I assume personal responsibility for the results. That has primarily been replace all 4 props.

I do not attempt to blame Solo for my mistakes, or claim that it is a terrible product as a result of MY MISTAKES.

That, sadly, is the reason which Solo has gotten a bad reputation.

I love BOTH Solos purchased from BestBuy with their insane sale price. Ther are BOTH perfect with the only issues which arise being USER ERROR.

 

[kneel23]

I love my Solo, and have never had problems with it. But i have heard of folks having the controller no longer pair, for no reason. Most had to have it replaced by 3DR. Only other issue I have with my Solo is the long ass GPS lock time.


Anyway I am a big fan of the Solo, and am sad about what happened to the company. But I will say that the DJI Mavic is really the best I've found so far, for quickly getting up and flying to get quick shots, then go home. GPS lock is within seconds, so you can unfold it and fly very quickly.

Fellas, I'm about to give up.
Here's my entire story.

I originally purchased a Solo back when it went on sale for $400 with the gimbal, spare blades and battery. I figured it was the best deal since I owned a Hero 3. After the first flight, I wasn't happy with the footage so I dropped $500 on a Hero 4 Black. Second flight with the new camera, it flew away. Luckily, I was low on battery and it didn't go too far before landing and I recovered it a few hours later. I went ahead and returned it and the Hero 4 Black to Best Buy and preordered a Mavic Pro.

As you all know, the Mavic was greatly delayed and the Solo went on sale for $300 with a gimbal and a bag. The Hero 4 also went down to $350 so I jumped back in. Then I had a flip over a few flights later... Luckily for me, Best Buy replaced my unit under warranty.

Winter came on in Michigan and like an idiot I tried to fly Solo indoors...crash. Wrecked the blades and damaged the gimbal. Oh well, they were on sale so I bought another entire kit with a spare battery and blades. Then since the batteries and blades were also on sale, I bought some of those too.

Lastly, since the gimbal was $40 I bought another one of those too. So now I have two complete systems. Yay.

Well today, Michigan decided to bless us with a nice day in February. 55 degrees and sunny. I flew my bird Monday so I thought it was ready to go. I made sure everything was charged last night. I took care of some work stuff this morning and by 2 pm I was ready to go. So I grabbed my Solo back pack, threw it in the car and away I went.

My plan was to drive about an hour to the coast of Lake Michigan and catch some shots of the dunes and maybe some boats. So I got there and after about a half hour hike, I'd reached the perfect spot. I broke out my gear, powered everything up and my controller said "waiting for solo". I turned everything off and on several times but the same phrase greeted me each time. What to do?

I pulled out my trusty pocket computer, aka smart phone, googled how to pair the controller. Oh well that looks easy...um I don't have a paper clip. Crap! I hiked back to the car, found a small Allen wrench and tried to pair it several times, no luck. Disappointed, I packed it in and drove home.

Once home, I tried several more times to get it to work without success and finally paired my newer bird with my old controller, no problem. Obviously, the new controller went to crap for no apparent reason. Just poof! Junk.

Now I know a lot of you are DIY guys and what not. I work 60-70 hours a week. My free time is at a premium and I don't want to spend it goofing around trying to make this thing work. Heck, I still have an AR Drone 1.0 laying around that I powered on today and it still worked.

Here's where the support group really comes in. I know a lot of you hate DJI but honestly, am I going to have these kinds of problems with the P4 or Mavic? How about Yuneec? I honestly just want to grab a bag, run out and fly my drone without worrying about it flying away, dropping on someone's head, suddenly not working, etc. I really don't want to have to carry two or even three compete units with me every time I want to get a shot. Even at the lower prices, I still have around $1200 invested.

Seriously, considering that I'm more of a casual user, without a lot of time for tinkering. Should I cut my loses, sell what I have and go to another, more reliable platform?

Thank you for your time.

 

[wja]

Fellas, I'm about to give up.
Here's my entire story.

I originally purchased a Solo back when it went on sale for $400 with the gimbal, spare blades and battery. I figured it was the best deal since I owned a Hero 3. After the first flight, I wasn't happy with the footage so I dropped $500 on a Hero 4 Black. Second flight with the new camera, it flew away. Luckily, I was low on battery and it didn't go too far before landing and I recovered it a few hours later. I went ahead and returned it and the Hero 4 Black to Best Buy and preordered a Mavic Pro.

As you all know, the Mavic was greatly delayed and the Solo went on sale for $300 with a gimbal and a bag. The Hero 4 also went down to $350 so I jumped back in. Then I had a flip over a few flights later... Luckily for me, Best Buy replaced my unit under warranty.

Winter came on in Michigan and like an idiot I tried to fly Solo indoors...crash. Wrecked the blades and damaged the gimbal. Oh well, they were on sale so I bought another entire kit with a spare battery and blades. Then since the batteries and blades were also on sale, I bought some of those too.

Lastly, since the gimbal was $40 I bought another one of those too. So now I have two complete systems. Yay.

Well today, Michigan decided to bless us with a nice day in February. 55 degrees and sunny. I flew my bird Monday so I thought it was ready to go. I made sure everything was charged last night. I took care of some work stuff this morning and by 2 pm I was ready to go. So I grabbed my Solo back pack, threw it in the car and away I went.

My plan was to drive about an hour to the coast of Lake Michigan and catch some shots of the dunes and maybe some boats. So I got there and after about a half hour hike, I'd reached the perfect spot. I broke out my gear, powered everything up and my controller said "waiting for solo". I turned everything off and on several times but the same phrase greeted me each time. What to do?

I pulled out my trusty pocket computer, aka smart phone, googled how to pair the controller. Oh well that looks easy...um I don't have a paper clip. Crap! I hiked back to the car, found a small Allen wrench and tried to pair it several times, no luck. Disappointed, I packed it in and drove home.

Once home, I tried several more times to get it to work without success and finally paired my newer bird with my old controller, no problem. Obviously, the new controller went to crap for no apparent reason. Just poof! Junk.

Now I know a lot of you are DIY guys and what not. I work 60-70 hours a week. My free time is at a premium and I don't want to spend it goofing around trying to make this thing work. Heck, I still have an AR Drone 1.0 laying around that I powered on today and it still worked.

Here's where the support group really comes in. I know a lot of you hate DJI but honestly, am I going to have these kinds of problems with the P4 or Mavic? How about Yuneec? I honestly just want to grab a bag, run out and fly my drone without worrying about it flying away, dropping on someone's head, suddenly not working, etc. I really don't want to have to carry two or even three compete units with me every time I want to get a shot. Even at the lower prices, I still have around $1200 invested.

Seriously, considering that I'm more of a casual user, without a lot of time for tinkering. Should I cut my loses, sell what I have and go to another, more reliable platform?

Thank you for your time.

I feel for you ... I've had that happen to me before so now days i always have a back up especially on important assignments... I've used both Dji and 3DR and have built and repaired both platforms and to me 3DR is more reliable and trusting . The fact that knowing what makes it tick helps in understanding whats going on so you can make changes accordingly through software or even hardware .... Dji your limited and i've had problems in the past with software and hardware with no support , last year i reported a problem to them about the Phantom4 gimbal horizon not staying level even after resetting and making adjustments...still haven't heard from them yet. I called 3DR last week about losing video feed and they helped me on the spot .Think they have certain hours open for support but i told them i'm so glad they kept the tech guys on.They actually replaced my gimbal for free since it was a problem in the ribbon. I've had my Solo since they 1st came out and haven't had any major problems that i couldn't fix or the tech guys couldn't handle... I've got a 3DR y6 , Steady Drone Dash and a bunch of long distance Fpv planes i've built for the 3DR pixhawk and so far has held up for 5+ years now ( beware of cheap pixhawk imitations some are not compatible with software).My 3DR y6 has been my to go platform since it can carry almost anything and is a beast in high winds 45+ gust . I think it all depends on what your needs are and how you spend your valuable time or should i say what valuable time you have.Aloha!

 

[Lon Denard]

Lon, you are not trying to say goodbye and walk out on group therapy are you? I was hoping we were going to get around to my issues since I had to listen to everybody else's....

No of course not! I think all of us need some positive reinforcement on occasion.

 

[Lon Denard]

I have TWO solos, both purchased with the fantastic BestBuy price. I have had NO problems with either Solo or the two controllers. I have 2 gimbals, one with a Solo and one from an 'open box' from BestBuy. BOTH work perfectly as long as I make sure my GoPro Hero4 Silver is powered on.

I am in the middle of a neighborhood with MANY wifi networks. I make sure I watch my connection with the Solo and do not push it beyond two bars. Sometimes it is not as far as I would like, but I DO NOT push the distance to see how it works.

When I do push any parameters (distance, GPS, etc.), I assume personal responsibility for the results. That has primarily been replace all 4 props.

I do not attempt to blame Solo for my mistakes, or claim that it is a terrible product as a result of MY MISTAKES.

That, sadly, is the reason which Solo has gotten a bad reputation.

I love BOTH Solos purchased from BestBuy with their insane sale price. Ther are BOTH perfect with the only issues which arise being USER ERROR.

That's cool... However, you are ASSuming a lot. I honestly didn't do anything to the controller to make it quit and if you've read the thread, other people have had the same issue. My fly away doesn't seem to be my fault but in any case, that is also not all that rare with this platform. I have many times conceded that some of the blame could be mine if for no other reason than I was ill prepared for what happened. A more experienced pilot probably could have handled it better. My flip over, for example, an experienced pilot would have cut the motors by pressing A,B and Pause before it tore itself up. I completely understand that this is a great deal for $300! I'm still tempted to buy another one! Especially since I now have INSURANCE! So now I don't need to worry about losing my Go Pro or the drone! Best $60 I've ever spent.

 

[Lon Denard]

I love my Solo, and have never had problems with it. But i have heard of folks having the controller no longer pair, for no reason. Most had to have it replaced by 3DR. Only other issue I have with my Solo is the long ass GPS lock time.


Anyway I am a big fan of the Solo, and am sad about what happened to the company. But I will say that the DJI Mavic is really the best I've found so far, for quickly getting up and flying to get quick shots, then go home. GPS lock is within seconds, so you can unfold it and fly very quickly.

Yea I know a guy with one and I was amazed at how fast he was ready to go. He even flew it with his phone to show that aspect off. Very handy for a quick shot! I drive around for my job and I don't know how many times I've had my Solo with me, saw something cool but didn't have the time to mess with it. I'm waiting to see if there's a new version coming out or for a price drop before I buy one. Besides, I'm in Michigan and the weather isn't the best right now so there's no hurry.

 

[Lon Denard]

I feel for you ... I've had that happen to me before so now days i always have a back up especially on important assignments... I've used both Dji and 3DR and have built and repaired both platforms and to me 3DR is more reliable and trusting . The fact that knowing what makes it tick helps in understanding whats going on so you can make changes accordingly through software or even hardware .... Dji your limited and i've had problems in the past with software and hardware with no support , last year i reported a problem to them about the Phantom4 gimbal horizon not staying level even after resetting and making adjustments...still haven't heard from them yet. I called 3DR last week about losing video feed and they helped me on the spot .Think they have certain hours open for support but i told them i'm so glad they kept the tech guys on.They actually replaced my gimbal for free since it was a problem in the ribbon. I've had my Solo since they 1st came out and haven't had any major problems that i couldn't fix or the tech guys couldn't handle... I've got a 3DR y6 , Steady Drone Dash and a bunch of long distance Fpv planes i've built for the 3DR pixhawk and so far has held up for 5+ years now ( beware of cheap pixhawk imitations some are not compatible with software).My 3DR y6 has been my to go platform since it can carry almost anything and is a beast in high winds 45+ gust . I think it all depends on what your needs are and how you spend your valuable time or should i say what valuable time you have.Aloha!

Thank you so much for your reply! I appreciate your honesty. This is what I'm looking for, honest address of the problems, possible solutions and a sense that it can be fixed with some patience and effort. I'm on my way home now and I think that I'll re-read the manual, find the salient points and make up a "flash card" style carry manual for myself. I honestly bought this thing based on price, availability and the box hype. I had never even heard of Solo before then, I was going to buy a Bebop! I think it's lucky that I went this way and I'm hoping to garner enough experience and knowledge that I can be of help to others here in the near future. Thanks again.

 

[Jameson]

Well, all are made in China, all are rushed to market, all are optimized for cost - so what else to expect. The Solo do great work and actually fly pretty good. I have also a Phantom 2 and 3 Pro and an DJI Inspire. The only main differences for me are related to their cameras and range of operation. When we talk about shooting videos there are some tweaks here and there which would be nice to be standard on all platforms, though.

Again Solo does a great job. Its pity that they have left the consumer market, but who knows, they might go back!?!?

DJI - loyal customers brought them good profits, and because they are already in China, it is not easy to have other competitors ruin they market.

Probably the only think that Solo has, which no one else have, is the flexibility and the open platform. On the DJI you cannot do any real upgrades beside changing the props with the one from Master Airscrew

You want to add feature or run your own software on the DJI - forget it!

 

[dpkonofa]

This is Solo today, my P4 and H simply can't do these shots.

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What's up with the stutters in those shots? Is this the Camera Roll footage or is this actual GoPro footage? I've flown over 100 hours with the Solo and have never seen stutters like that...

 

[Lon Denard]

Well, all are made in China, all are rushed to market, all are optimized for cost - so what else to expect. The Solo do great work and actually fly pretty good. I have also a Phantom 2 and 3 Pro and an DJI Inspire. The only main differences for me are related to their cameras and range of operation. When we talk about shooting videos there are some tweaks here and there which would be nice to be standard on all platforms, though.

Again Solo does a great job. Its pity that they have left the consumer market, but who knows, they might go back!?!?

DJI - loyal customers brought them good profits, and because they are already in China, it is not easy to have other competitors ruin they market.

Probably the only think that Solo has, which no one else have, is the flexibility and the open platform. On the DJI you cannot do any real upgrades beside changing the props with the one from Master Airscrew

You want to add feature or run your own software on the DJI - forget it!

Now this reminds me of the old Apple/Android debate. Do you want something polished and ready to go or a little rough but customizable?

 

[Lon Denard]

What's up with the stutters in those shots? Is this the Camera Roll footage or is this actual GoPro footage? I've flown over 100 hours with the Solo and have never seen stutters like that...

I wonder if it's in the settings? I've gotten them on my motorcycle at times when I'm filming in 4k.

 

[Lon Denard]

So guess what after only one flight, changed battery and...

 

[kneel23]

View attachment 5477
So guess what after only one flight, changed battery and...

I get this occasionally and it just needs a restart.

 

[Lon Denard]

I get this occasionally and it just needs a restart.

I've tried that a bunch of times. Any other advice? I'm dying over here.

 

[Russ Knight]

I've had multiple issues with Solo as well. First one, completely stock, kept disconnecting from controller. Exchanged it at Best Buy, that problem went away. Currently having video feed issues on my second one. I have done the GPS mod, foam block mod, WIFI mod, and have a ITELITE antenna. My next drone will be the Mavic.

 

[Lon Denard]

I've had multiple issues with Solo as well. First one, completely stock, kept disconnecting from controller. Exchanged it at Best Buy, that problem went away. Currently having video feed issues on my second one. I have done the GPS mod, foam block mod, WIFI mod, and have a ITELITE antenna. My next drone will be the Mavic.

Yea I don't know. A lot of these guys have come down on me, blamed the problems on me and have even accused me of lying about my problems with the platform.

Here's an example;

"When I do push any parameters (distance, GPS, etc.), I assume personal responsibility for the results. That has primarily been replace all 4 props.

I do not attempt to blame Solo for my mistakes, or claim that it is a terrible product as a result of MY MISTAKES.

That, sadly, is the reason which Solo has gotten a bad reputation.

I love BOTH Solos purchased from BestBuy with their insane sale price. Ther are BOTH perfect with the only issues which arise being USER ERROR."


I honestly did NOTHING! It flew like a champ for 15 minutes and then dead-calibration error. I've reset it and the controller- no good. Took the battery out of the controller-no good. Tried to re-calibrate it-no good. I just don't get it. How can all these guys be so happy and have had zero problems and I've gone through 4 of these things and have had problems with every one. A different problem each time! Ugh!