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17 July 2023
By Chris &ldquo;<a style="color: #ba372a;" href="https://www.youtube.com/@TheDroneGeek" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Drone Geek</a>&rdquo; Fravel
Here we are at roughly the mid-way point of 2023 and the number of drones being sold globally continues to climb at a rapid pace. People the world-over are taking more interest in remote aircraft and flying them for a variety of reasons, ranging from photography and video to mapping and thermography.
No matter what your&nbsp;why&nbsp;is though, we all start in one of two categories of drone pilots. We either start by flying GPS drones like those made famous by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dji.com/">DJI</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://shop.autelrobotics.com/?ref=TodAxbE3FiMGn">Autel</a>&nbsp;or we start by flying FPV drones. Whether or not those two worlds cross over in the future is entirely up to the journey of the individual pilot, but it is fair to say you either start as one or the other more often than not.
Today I am going to talk to those looking to start in the GPS category of drone pilots. We will cover great beginner options for FPV drones in an article to come in the near future.
By the end of this article though, I will have introduced you to a few GPS drone platforms on which a novice pilot may easily cut their teeth in 2023.
<h5>What Is a GPS Drone and What Does It Do?</h5>
A GPS drone is broadly defined as a drone that uses GPS positioning to hold its spot in its airspace in all three dimensions. Many of these drones also have the ability to return to its launch point when signal is lost between the operator and the drone or when the battery level becomes critically low.
While I do not like to over-generalize, GPS drones are more often better for beginners to learn on when it comes to minimizing crashes and out-of-pocket expense compared to FPV drones because of these positioning capabilities.
In theory (best not in practice) an operator can put their drone&rsquo;s controller down and walk away from it and the drone will hold its position in the air until it is time to land due to low battery.
All of this said, here are my top-5 choices for GPS drones for beginners in 2023:
<h5>#5 </h5>
<h5>DJI Mini 2 SE</h5>
<img src="https://media.thedroningcompany.com/images/tincy/oB2n7GNllxTsoFs5e0Gj6y8bGQ7AIVbt41gQ6cnn.png" alt="" width="456" height="184" />
<table style="height: 282px; width: 67.7148%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 50.0078%;" width="312">
Camera Sensor: 1/2.3&Prime; CMOS | 12MP
&nbsp;
Max Video Resolution: 2.7K at 30fps
&nbsp;
Photo Formats: JPEG &amp; DNG (RAW)
</td>
<td style="width: 50.0078%;" width="312">
Video Bitrate: 40 Mbps
&nbsp;
Operating Range: 10 KM (6.2 Miles)
&nbsp;
Maximum Flight Time: 31 Minutes
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
When you are eyeing up options for your entry-level GPS drone, the&nbsp;<a style="color: #ba372a;" href="https://store.dji.com/product/dji-mini-2-se?site=brandsite&amp;from=landing_page&amp;vid=132621" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DJI MIni 2 SE</a>&nbsp;is a great compromise of capability and cost. While not the most advanced or high-performing drone on this list, it certainly is economical coming in at just $339 for the drone, the controller, one battery, and a handful of helpful basic accessories.
As the saying goes though, &ldquo;you get what you pay for,&rdquo; and it rings true in the case of the Mini 2 SE. It has the lowest video resolution of all the options on our list at 2.7K and also lacks an obstacle avoidance system outside of its downward landing sensors.
Aside from those two major drawbacks, the DJI Mini 2 SE has all of the same capabilities of its predecessor the DJI Mini 2. The Mini 2 SE was designed to cannibalize parts DJI had in-stock from the production of the Mini 2, but at a lower price-point for consumers.
Do not let the &ldquo;Frankendrone&rdquo; nature of the Mini 2 SE deter you from purchasing it! It&rsquo;s an impressive and capable little machine that will make for a great entry-level drone for any beginner of at any range of skill.
<h5>#4 </h5>
<h5>DJI Mini 2</h5>
<img src="https://media.thedroningcompany.com/images/tincy/b86fWNQAicyxGj5gHCOToS8OTWihvVukqLVezd41.png" alt="" width="457" height="179" />
<table style="height: 239px; width: 71.3532%;">
<tbody>
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<td style="width: 50.006%;" width="312">
Camera Sensor: 1/2.3&Prime; CMOS | 12MP
&nbsp;
Max Video Resolution: 4K at 30fps
&nbsp;
Photo Formats: JPEG &amp; DNG (RAW)
</td>
<td style="width: 50.006%;" width="312">
Video Bitrate: 100 Mbps
&nbsp;
Operating Range: 10 KM (6.2 Miles)
&nbsp;
Maximum Flight Time: 31 Minutes
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<a style="color: #ba372a;" href="https://www.dji.com/mini-2?site=brandsite&amp;from=landing_page" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The DJI Mini 2</a>&nbsp;is one of the best mini drone platforms on the market today and it has been out for years. When it first hit shelves, it was the drone everyone wanted the original Mavic Mini to be, touting a maximum video resolution of 4K and with the ability to shoot RAW photos.
The only place the Mini 2 falls short is in its less than spectacular sensor size (for today&rsquo;s market anyway), its lack of obstacle avoidance sensors, and its inability to shoot in D-Cinelike. It is rather rigid and inflexible in its camera capabilities as a whole, but hey, it still shoots 4K which will leave a lot of content creators and entry-level drone enthusiasts totally satisfied.
The DJI Mini 2 drone is no longer available on the DJI website, but if you dig enough you can still find them for sale on third-party sites for around $400. If you are comfortable purchasing drones second-hand, you could possibly find it for even less.
<h5>#3</h5>
<h5>Autel EVO Nano+</h5>
<img src="https://media.thedroningcompany.com/images/tincy/1yGzLfzVam85jSmn46IJFxuvamFUjPxJV70CNpV9.png" alt="" width="457" height="168" />
<table style="height: 255px; width: 68.9276%;">
<tbody>
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<td style="width: 50.006%;" width="312">
Camera Sensor: 1/1.8&Prime; CMOS | 50MP
&nbsp;
Max Video Resolution: 4K at 30fps
&nbsp;
Photo Formats: JPG &amp; DNG (RAW)
</td>
<td style="width: 50.006%;" width="312">
Video Bitrate: 100 Mbps
&nbsp;
Operating Range: 10 KM (6.2 Miles)
&nbsp;
Maximum Flight Time: 28 Minutes
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
The only drone&nbsp;NOT&nbsp;made by DJI on our list, the&nbsp;<a style="color: #ba372a;" href="https://www.autelpilot.com/products/autel-robotics-evo-nano-plus-drone-premium-bundle?ref=TodAxbE3FiMGn&amp;variant=39550210703406" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Autel EVO Nano+</a>&nbsp;is a hearty little mini drone that packs a ton of punch. I actually had the privilege of conducting a full-scale review on this drone on my YouTube channel, you can check it out by clicking here.
The only place the Nano+ falls short compared to the number 4 and 5 drones on our list is in flight time. The marketed flight time is just 28 minutes, which really translates to 20 to 24 minutes in real world conditions.
Overall the Nano+ is an extremely capable drone with a larger sensor than the first two entries on our list, which allows for more detailed and sharp images off the camera as well as fantastic performance in low-light conditions for a drone of this size.
Not to mention it is the first drone on this list that offers tri-directional obstacle avoidance sensors (front, back, and bottom). This obstacle avoidance system will help to prevent crashes in some of the tightest airspaces you can imagine.
<h5>#2</h5>
<h5>DJI Mini 3 Pro</h5>
<img src="https://media.thedroningcompany.com/images/tincy/WOPmoVCZhqNyGjNCNAK8kE9H83OFEztFMj2gYc9y.png" alt="" width="463" height="304" />
<table style="height: 237px; width: 68.2201%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 50.006%;" width="312">
Camera Sensor: 1/1.3&Prime; CMOS | 48MP
&nbsp;
Max Video Resolution: 4K at 60fps
&nbsp;
Photo Formats: JPG &amp; DNG (RAW)
</td>
<td style="width: 50.006%;" width="312">
Video Bitrate: 150 Mbps
&nbsp;
Operating Range: 12 KM (7.4 Miles)
&nbsp;
Maximum Flight Time: 34 or 47 Minutes
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Talk about a&nbsp;game changer&nbsp;for the mini drone market.&nbsp;<a style="color: #ba372a;" href="https://store.dji.com/product/dji-mini-3-pro?vid=113961" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The DJI Mini 3 Pro</a>&nbsp;packs a TON into a very small package. Capable of 4K video at 60fps, RAW photos, and an increased sensor size of 1/1.3&Prime;, this thing absolutely&nbsp;BANGS. Plus the added feature of true portrait mode shooting makes it the perfect aerial imaging solution for content creators that focus mainly in the realms of TikTok and Instagram Reels.
It also comes with a tri-directional obstacle avoidance system that makes everything else in this category pale in comparison. Throw in a flight time of 34 minutes with the base batteries or up to 47 minutes with the Intelligent Flight Battery Plus and you have a mini drone that can keep you creating for longer than ever.
The best part about this drone is its performance-versus-price-point. You can purchase the DJI Mini 3 Pro with the DJI RC (smart controller) for just $909. If you can live without the smart controller, you can also purchase this powerful little package with the DJI RC-N1 (basic controller) for $759 &mdash; an incredible amount of power for a pretty low price.
<h5>#1</h5>
<h5>DJI Mini 4 (Pro)</h5>
<img src="https://media.thedroningcompany.com/images/tincy/TES9dMfA4xpKDma3X3K11RHXsxIHKq7EF5qlNBko.png" alt="" width="463" height="304" />
&nbsp;Note: Speculated Specifications
<table style="height: 243px; width: 68.6244%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 50.006%;" width="312">
Camera Sensor: 1/1.2&Prime; CMOS | 48MP
&nbsp;
Max Video Resolution: 5.1K at 30fps
&nbsp;
Photo Formats: JPG &amp; DNG (RAW)
</td>
<td style="width: 50.006%;" width="312">
Video Bitrate: 200 Mbps
&nbsp;
Operating Range: 12 KM (7.4 Miles)
&nbsp;
Maximum Flight Time: 45 or 57 Minutes
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
The relative unknown of the list also happens to come out at the top of the list. Recently images of what appears to be the&nbsp;<a style="color: #ba372a;" href="https://youtu.be/NYvRgxtKfMs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DJI Mini 4 leaked</a>&nbsp;and it all but ensures we are going to see a new version of the DJI Mini drone again this year. While we do not have any concrete information regarding a potential Mini 4&rsquo;s specifications, I did my best to reasonably predict what we might see from it.
I believe we will see a slight increase in quality and performance across the board on this drone. It will maintain its ability to shoot true portrait mode with its 90-degree gimbal rotation function, will include a slightly larger sensor for even crisper and more-detailed images and videos, a max video resolution of 5.3K at 30fps, a maximum range of 12 KM, and an improved flight time from 34 minutes with the standard battery and 47 minutes with the Battery Plus to 45 minutes with the standard battery and 57 minutes with the Battery Plus.
The DJI Mini drone series has had very little to criticize since the release of the DJI Mini 2 and I believe that will continue to be true moving forward. The only place DJI could improve on the Mini series of drones is by continuing to work to build up wind resistance for the drones, which are prone to getting pushed around in high winds.
<h5>Closing Thoughts</h5>
Getting your very first drone is always exciting. The idea that these machines are capable of opening up a whole new perspective for us is magical. It can be as wonderous as giving you views of a mountain range or ocean from a bird&rsquo;s-eye-view to as simple as eliminating the need to ask somebody to take a photo of you or your family on vacation.
No matter how you intend to use them, drones are powerful tools for anyone looking for a new way to look at the world.
If you choose to purchase a drone from this list, it is my professional opinion that you will not be disappointed in any of the options. They all have their own strengths and weaknesses at the end of the day, but they are all extremely capable UAV platforms that will leave you wanting to fly more and more.
<h5>Learn More: Best Beginner Drones for 2023</h5>
<iframe style="width: 668px; height: 376px;" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NDDi_Vxodlk" width="668" height="376" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

Best GPS Drones for Beginners in 2023 

30 June 2023
By Chris &ldquo;<a style="color: #ba372a;" href="https://www.youtube.com/@TheDroneGeek/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Drone Geek</a>&rdquo; Fravel
I had the opportunity to travel to the Boston, Massachusetts area to visit our friends at <a style="color: #ba372a;" href="https://ascentaerosystems.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ascent Aerosystems</a>. During that time, I was given a complete tour of their headquarters and manufacturing facility and to meet some integral members of their team.
Ascent Aerosystems Marketing Manager, Katie Glennon, was my liaison throughout the duration of my time and did a great job ensuring I had what I needed to fully grasp who they were as a company and what they were setting out to accomplish in the industry.
<a style="color: #ba372a;" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-donofrio/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matt Donofrio, Ascent&rsquo;s Technical Operations Lead</a>, was my encyclopedia when it came to all things Spirit. This guy is the heart-and-soul of Ascent&rsquo;s production line and is personally responsible for the quality of each drone they manufacture. Needless to say anything more, this guy was the best resource I could have asked for when exploring the capabilities of this drone.
Before we dive into my time working with Matt, Katie, and the entire Ascent Aerosystems team, let&rsquo;s take a look at what the Spirit UAV has to offer on paper:
<ul>
<li>Utilizes a Coaxial Design, nothing else like it in the drone industry.</li>
<li>Supports dual payloads and a wide variety of payload types.</li>
<li>Utilizes 2x Brushless Motors</li>
<li>Capable of flight times up to 53 minutes without payload and 32 minutes with payload.</li>
<li>Maximum Operable Altitude of 14,600 feet (5,000 meters).</li>
<li>Maximum Speed is 60mph (100kph) in Manual Mode and 40mph (65kph) in Auto Mode.</li>
<li>It is IP56 Rated, completely resistant to rain, sleet, snow, and any other precipitation.</li>
<li>Capable operating temperature range of -40 to 130F (-40 to 54C)</li>
<li>Carries a Class 8 Wind Resistance, capable of withstanding winds up to 40mph (65kph)</li>
</ul>
After getting that breakdown from Ascent, it&rsquo;s safe to say I was more than excited about getting to look at this beast first-hand. When I arrived at the Ascent Aerosystems Facility in Wilmington, Massachusetts, the first thing we did was tour the production facility and let me tell you, it&rsquo;s impressive. All the manufacturing done by Ascent takes place in Massachusetts. These drones are built from bottom-up in the USA, which is extremely important as Blue UAS initiatives continue to take hold of the country&rsquo;s commercial and enterprise drone sector.
What I really liked about the Spirit and the components within it is just how compact and portable they were. While your standard set-up comes with a Pelican case and custom-cut foam insert for the Spirit package of your choosing, it was also demonstrated off-camera to be able to fit in a backpack. This is one of the few commercial UAV platforms that is not only versatile, but also extremely compact and easy to tote around.
Seriously, this thing is excellent when it comes to transport, setup, and breakdown. You are going to be hard-pressed to find a drone this capable in terms of application as well as this easy to setup. An important part of the setup process is understanding the payloads and how the Spirit can be utilized in the field. Ascent has ensured versatility with the Spirit by making a wide range of payload attachments compatible with the drone as well as an attachment that creates even more flexibility for your pre-existing payloads.
The Ascent Aerosystems Payload Development Kit (PDK) takes the guesswork out of the equation for you when considering a commercial-grade UAV for your projects. Another element I fell in love with regarding the Spirit was just how rangy it is when it comes to use cases. In one conversation I had with Matt, he had mentioned that Ascent had assisted the Boston Police Department with several operations using a variety of attachments on the Spirit including the <a style="color: #ba372a;" href="https://electronics.sony.com/imaging/interchangeable-lens-cameras/c/all-interchangeable-lens-cameras" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RGB Sony Camera</a> on <a style="color: #ba372a;" href="https://gremsy.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a Gremsy gimbal</a>, thermal attachments, and more. This drone can be used for just about anything you can think. And with innovation at the forefront of Ascent&rsquo;s business model, there quite literally is nothing they cannot design or develop.
Regarding the company, one of my favorite parts of the visit to Ascent was seeing their waterjet cutter in action. When I say Ascent&rsquo;s operation is completely based in the USA, I mean it. Everything you see included on the Spirit and any UAV platform that Ascent Manufacturers is designed, cut, printed, and produced in-house. Combine that with their Blue UAS ground stations and payload attachments and this drone makes total sense for use commercially in the USA as we continue to see states blacklisting foreign-made drones.
But the question is&hellip;how does it fly? Well, as per usual, there is only one way to find out and I was fortunate enough to get behind the sticks of the Spirit by Ascent Aerosystems.
Let me tell you&hellip;getting this thing in the air was incredibly rewarding because just about everything about this drone was a joy to experience while flying. The coaxial design might seem intimidating to those of us that have only ever flown quadcopters and fixed-wing systems before but take it from me&hellip;it&rsquo;s a seamless transition.
The only thing I did not care for in the design of the Spirit was the way the camera system operated through the ground station. When using my camera feed to pilot the drone, I noticed that the landing gear or &ldquo;legs&rdquo; were constantly in the camera&rsquo;s view and that stabilization was lacking.
However, as annoying as this might have been for me in my first few flights with the Spirit, operationally neither factor poses a problem &ndash; the data collection conducted by the Spirit is largely unaffected by the presence of the landing gear in frame and some of the payload attachments can&rsquo;t even see it in the first place. Stabilization is also largely not an issue relating to the actual data collected as mapping is conducted with a Gremsy gimbal and <a style="color: #ba372a;" href="https://electronics.sony.com/imaging/interchangeable-lens-cameras/full-frame/p/ilce7rm5-b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sony a7 camera</a> and the other payloads being used don&rsquo;t necessarily require stabilization at a high level to be effective. This is more just a personal pilot gripe than anything.
But enough about the negative&hellip;let&rsquo;s talk about the positives! The Spirit drone is fast, maneuverable, and a fun fly &ndash; even during the dullest of missions. Part of the speed and maneuverability is thanks to the coaxial design. When you consider this design vs. that of a traditional quadcopter, think about the way the propulsion systems work to gain momentum and speed.
When flying a quadcopter, pitching forward or backward, and rolling left or right are the methods for gaining momentum in any given direction. As you pitch or roll in any of those directions, you are taking your drone and increasing the amount of drag created by increasing the amount of resisting surface area from the device. Heck, think about throttling up to gain altitude, in that case you have 100% drag from the body of the aircraft as it moves in its desired direction.
When using a coaxial design like that of the Spirit, you are doing the opposite. Pitching and rolling in any direction decreases drag by eliminating resisting surface area from the device and streamlining the aerodynamics. Also, in our throttle up scenario, the smallest amount of surface area possible is creating drag during the movement upward to gain altitude. That means the Spirit is more efficient when attempting to gain momentum during flight than that of a traditional quadcopter design.
That&rsquo;s ingenuity at its finest. Rather than going with the status-quo and designing another quadcopter, Ascent Aerosystems went out on a limb and blazed their own trail with this unique layout for their UAV. Not only was this bold, but it was also innovative and more efficient when it comes to battery life, operation, and overall flight.
A-freaking-plus from me on this one.
And as far as ease-of-use goes, this drone has everything you could ever want. It has altitude hold, GPS-positioning, multiple flight modes, an intuitive ground station with RTH functionality when signal is lost or battery is low, and a variety of ways to collect and transfer data. It is a true commercial UAV tool as it is perfectly safe for pilots of any experience or skill level to operate.
Now, as far as pricing is concerned, Ascent Aerosystems does not have a list price on this drone &ndash; but for an understandable reason. Ascent develops Spirit packages to fit the needs of the clients they serve. Therefore, they do not have a flat consistent price they can advertise. Instead, I&rsquo;d recommend you contact Ascent Aerosystems with any questions you have about the platform and for pricing on a configuration that would suit you and your operation. Just visit ascentaerosystems.com to get started.
Overall, I loved the Spirit by Ascent Aerosystems. It embodies innovation, efficiency, and versatility in a way that nobody else in the industry has duplicated. The coaxial design of the Spirit drone is unique and more aerodynamic when in flight than any other enterprise and commercial UAV solution. Bravo to Ascent Aerosystems for not only putting together a wonderful drone platform, but for having a company that is clearly on the right path when it comes to growing and succeeding.
<h5>Learn More</h5>
<iframe style="width: 667px; height: 375px;" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VuxNFQn_2pI" width="667" height="375" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

Drones on the Road: Ascent Aerosystems Spirit

15 June 2023
By Chris &ldquo;The Drone Geek&rdquo; Fravel
For this edition of Gear Check, we&rsquo;re turning our attention away from UAVs, and taking a look at a piece of equipment that could be beneficial to any drone operator or mission. The folks over at <a href="https://4patriots.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">4Patriots</a> sent us the <a href="https://4patriots.com/products/patriot-power-generator-1800" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Patriot Power Generator 1800</a> to put to the test and use in the field to see just how capable this machine really is. Before we get into my experience with the Patriot Power Generator 1800, let&rsquo;s look at the specs it boasts:
2x 120-volt AC Outlets
4x USB Outlets
1x 12-Volt Solar Extension Cable Outlet
1x 12-Volt DC Outlet
At face value, the Patriot Power Generator 1800 has a true plug-and-play design. It truly is as simple as setting up the panels, plugging the cord into the generator, and watching the magic happen. On top of that, you can get a full charge to this generator&rsquo;s battery in a hurry. Charging from 0% to 100% takes about 3.5 hours via the included AC cord or 10 hours when using the solar panels.
It&rsquo;s got an incredible lifespan for an electric generator with a battery that is rated to last 2,500+ lifecycles. That&rsquo;s 6.8 years of daily use. The Patriot Power Generator holds a full charge for up to 1 year, but it is recommended to charge the unit every 3-6 months.
When you pair the generator with its solar panel it becomes an energy source that is as green as it gets. No carbon footprint, no greenhouse gases or other emissions&mdash;this thing is totally safe for the environment while in use.
Within its power class, it&rsquo;s lightweight and portable. This generator weighs only 40lbs, making it half the weight and delivering more power than competing products. And the cost is economically sound as well. For the power you get from this unit, the total overall cost is reasonable at just $2,500 USD. That&rsquo;s just a dollar per battery cycle! What I found interesting though were the potential use cases for the generator and how long the battery would power some commonly-used equipment and devices &ndash; here are just a few examples:
USB Lamp - 193 Hours
Phone Charger - 153.6 Hours
Mini Fridge - 106 Hours
Fridge/Freezer - 19.2 Hours
Aquarium Heater - 5.1 Hours
CPAP Machine - 15.4 Hours
Portable Stove - 38 Minutes
Microwave - 51 Minutes
Now, while the general specs on the Patriot Power Generator 1800 are impressive, how does this powerful little machine rate when it comes to use by drone pilots? Let&rsquo;s take a look at the pros and cons I found with it when using it for drone ops:
<h5>Learn More</h5>
<iframe style="width: 667px; height: 375px;" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4OffCs4dW6c" width="667" height="375" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
&nbsp;
<h5>Pros</h5>
+ Extreme Power for equipment, batteries, and accessories of any size or demand.
+ Powered all my charging and chargeable equipment and accessories.
+ Powered Colorado Drone Chargers case.
+ Super easy plug-n-play setup. Takes less than 5 minutes to get charging with solar panels. Even less than that when using AC cord.
+ Solar Powered when out in the field &ndash; pipeline inspections, remote settings, etc.
+ Fully Portable while in-use. Internal battery continues to operate even on-the-go.
+ Easy to use and quick-learn instructions make it perfect for anyone to use.
+ Perfect power solution to larger commercial and enterprise drone operations that need a lot of power no matter where they are located.
<h5>Cons</h5>
- Despite being sleek for its class, it&rsquo;s heavy overall. It&rsquo;s lighter than most other generators in its class, but it&rsquo;s still a whopping 40lbs. While it is technically portable, it&rsquo;s not necessarily easy to move around. Not ideal for projects that require air-travel or for smaller set-ups and vehicles.
- Set-up is easy overall, but the solar panels in-particular are kind of hard to handle solo and some of the outlet placement is mildly confusing at first glance.
- No sun and no access to a power outlet means no charging.
- Expensive. Yes, it may only be $1 per charging cycle, but it&rsquo;s still $2,500. Unless you&rsquo;re a larger operation or are dealing with projects that pay you thousands of dollars per day, this may not be the best investment for you for a mobile power solution.
<h5>Ratings&nbsp;</h5>
General: 8.6 out of 10
Drone Operation: 6.9 out of 10
In conclusion, I was really pleased with the power this generator provided. It is reliable and easy to use overall. I could see this being a lifesaver for a production team out in the field if they needed a power source that could handle a heavy lift type of demand. This thing can, quite literally, power the basic operations of a house (fridge, microwave, stovetop, space heater, fans, etc.), so handling a handful of charging stations and devices for a drone pilot is nothing.
All that said, I&rsquo;m going to go ahead and say that it&rsquo;s not the right solution for solo-operator missions and companies like my own. While I cannot discount the utility of this device, I also cannot name any instances out in the field where something like this would have saved a job for me or made my life easier. I have smaller devices that allow me to turn my Jeep&rsquo;s battery into a power source for most of my equipment and I don&rsquo;t often find myself in such a remote location that I would need to lean on this to recharge my equipment. Between the size and price plus the solar panels used to power the generator, I just don&rsquo;t see this as something that makes sense for smaller operations and solo operators.
Don&rsquo;t get me wrong, I love the product and I want to sincerely thank 4Patriots for sending this out to me to review. It&rsquo;s a GREAT product and if you&rsquo;re a drone pilot who also likes to have options (aka you&rsquo;re a &ldquo;prepper&rdquo;) when the brown stuff hits the fan, I&rsquo;d highly recommend the Patriot Power Generator 1800 to you.
As this is not a drone, we cannot accurately determine categories for scoring, I&rsquo;m going to give it two overall scores &ndash; one for general use of the product and the other for drone operations.

GEAR CHECK: 4Patriots Patriot Power Generator 1800

Trending News

Prosumer Drones

By Chris &ldquo;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@TheDroneGeek">The Drone Geek</a>&rdquo; Fravel
DJI is arguably the most popular consumer/prosumer drone manufacturer in the world. It doesn&rsquo;t matter who one might ask, most people will either cite DJI specifically or describe one of DJI&rsquo;s UAV platforms when asked to talk about drones and drone technology. And rightfully so. DJI has been setting the bar for everyone else in the consumer and prosumer spaces for a long time, constantly innovating and making their drones better and better.
Recently the drone-tech giant has been setting the market on fire with releases of the DJI Integra FPV Goggles, the Inspire 3, and now the Mavic 3 Pro. In this article though we will be honing in on the Mavic 3 series of drones and, more specifically, the tone they are setting for DJI and future manufacturing expectations as it relates to the consumer.
I&rsquo;ll say it: I have mixed feelings about how the Mavic 3 was &ldquo;handled&rdquo; by DJI. On November 5, 2021, the Mavic 3 was officially released touting a brand-new look, an impressive 4/3 sensor, and an interesting addition of a &frac12;&rdquo; digital zoom camera atop the front of the gimbal payload. All-in-all, most everyone was excited about the potential of this new drone &ndash; myself included. I immediately rushed to find a buyer for my Mavic 2 Pro (she served me well) and as soon as it was &ldquo;rehomed&rdquo; I rushed to the internet to place an order for the Mavic 3 Fly More Combo.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://media.thedroningcompany.com/images/tincy/p8aYgj183Obi6ycCBFn4e5s2A6skCpzGJPASGrQe.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="288" />
Do I regret the drone itself? No. The Mavic 3 is best-in-class for photo and video drones. Period. It is my main workhorse and performs at every level I need it to and thensome.
Do I regret not waiting to buy the drone? Yes. Here&rsquo;s why&hellip;
While I love the &ldquo;OG&rdquo; Mavic 3 and its performance capabilities, I was less than pleased with the quality of the &frac12;&rdquo; zoom camera it featured and its application for professional level imaging. Beyond 7x zoom, the photo and video resolution from the zoom lens was absolute flaming-hot garbage. It&rsquo;s grainy, pixelated, and has no flexibility in post. It just can&rsquo;t be used in most professional photo and video projects beyond a certain point &ndash; some of the most interesting points at that. Why DJI didn&rsquo;t take the time to just configure that &frac12;&rdquo; sensor to function the same as the camera on the Mavic 2 Zoom was beyond me (gosh I loved the Mavic 2 Zoom&hellip;I mourn the decision to do away with it sometimes). The only reason I could think of would be because engineering an optical zoom lens into a gimbal payload that already had a 4/3 sensor in it would be a logistical nightmare.
That is&hellip;I thought that until October of 2022.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://media.thedroningcompany.com/images/tincy/Y1PyRMTRkogdEXCm5sX6uy66Y3TBAgwbwY8ASdKF.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="500" />
At that time, DJI had announced that a new version of the Mavic 3 would be released. This version would be called the &ldquo;Mavic 3 Classic&rdquo; and would retail for approximately $800 less than the original Mavic 3. What was the main difference between the two drones? An absence of the &frac12;&rdquo; zoom camera.
I remember being absolutely irate over the announcement. I was so disappointed with the &frac12;&rdquo; zoom camera and its quality and now they are releasing a version of the drone that did not have it and was significantly less expensive? Wild. On top of that, because the new release was technically a &ldquo;downgrade&rdquo; from the original Mavic 3, I was upside-down in the whole deal and there was no way to recoup the money I unwisely put into the original Mavic 3. After some time and self-soothing, I got over the whole thing and just appreciated that my Mavic 3 was a fine piece of equipment that did everything I needed it to do.
And I maintained that contentment&hellip;until April 25, 2023.
DJI broke open the emotional scab that I had formed from the whole &ldquo;OM3&rdquo; vs. &ldquo;M3C&rdquo; debacle by announcing the release of the new Mavic 3 Pro. This new model featured 3 different lenses, all capable of different types of shots &ndash; a perfect tool in the toolbelt of any cinematographer with an eye for drones. On top of its already existing 20MP wide-angle 4/3 CMOS sensor, the drone also has a 70mm 48MP 3x zoom medium telephoto lens and a 166mm 12MP 7x zoom telephoto lens.
The kicker? Its retail is less, comparatively speaking, than the original Mavic 3. While the Mavic 3 Pro is slightly more expensive at face-value, the standard package includes the <a href="https://www.dji.com/rc">DJI RC Remote</a> (as opposed to the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/RotorLogic-Controller-Control-Sticks-Exclude/dp/B09MJQ29Z8/ref=asc_df_B09MJQ29Z8/?tag=hyprod-20&amp;linkCode=df0&amp;hvadid=618089590519&amp;hvpos=&amp;hvnetw=g&amp;hvrand=6952623587217671569&amp;hvpone=&amp;hvptwo=&amp;hvqmt=&amp;hvdev=c&amp;hvdvcmdl=&amp;hvlocint=&amp;hvlocphy=9006822&amp;hvtargid=pla-1732557629675&amp;psc=1">DJI RC-N1</a>, which is what the original Mavic 3 comes with by default) &ndash; a $309 value added to the Mavic 3 Pro packages for almost nothing. And if somebody WERE still interested in the original Mavic 3? Well, it is no longer listed on DJI&rsquo;s main website for purchase. It can still be purchased on third-party sites <a href="https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1665138-REG/dji_cp_ma_00000439_01_mavic_3.html">such as B&amp;H Photo</a>, but otherwise the drone giant has installed the Classic and Pro as the new &ldquo;flagship&rdquo; models.
If I could do the whole &ldquo;Mavic 3&rdquo; debacle over again, I would have waited until the Mavic 3 Pro was released and purchased it with the DJI RC Remote/Fly More combo instead. But, the saying goes, &ldquo;hindsight is 20-20.&rdquo;
Needless to say, I&rsquo;m still licking my wounds with this one and find myself wrestling with the frustration I feel about the whole ordeal. However, when I separate my own personal strife from the subject at-large, I can see what is happening with DJI and how they intend on manufacturing their drones in the future. Gone are the days of having a variety of different models, all capable of a variety of different types of missions and operations. DJI is beginning to follow the lead of Autel by providing multi-faceted drones with different &ldquo;versions&rdquo; to choose from for consumers.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://media.thedroningcompany.com/images/tincy/EswXY16dmaKd7IKhZUQeh2ICgJYectAR5qwfLZWg.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="500" />
And the reason I say DJI is following Autel&rsquo;s lead on this one is because they were doing it first. Just take a look at this line-up of Autel EVO drone versions:
&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.autelrobotics.com/productdetail/evo-ii-drones.html">Autel EVO II 8K</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.autelrobotics.com/productdetail/evo-2-pro-v2-drones.html">Autel EVO II 6K</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.autelpilot.com/collections/autel-evo-ii-v3/products/autel-robotics-evo-ii-pro-6k-v3">Autel EVO II Pro 6K</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.autelpilot.com/collections/autel-evo-ii-v3/products/evo-ii-enterprise-v3">Autel EVO II Pro 6K Enterprise</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.autelpilot.com/collections/autel-evo-ii-v3/products/autel-robotics-evo-ii-dual-640t-rtk-v3-enterprise-bundle">Autel EVO II Dual 640T RTK</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.autelpilot.com/collections/autel-evo-ii-v3/products/evo-ii-dual-640t-rugged-bundle-v3">Autel EVO II 640T</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.autelpilot.com/collections/autel-evo-ii-v3/products/autel-evo-ii-pro-rtk-v3">Autel EVO II Pro RTK</a>
</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Now, take a look at the latest line of Mavic drone versions:
&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.dji.com/mavic-3?site=brandsite&amp;from=landing_page">DJI Mavic 3</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.dji.com/mavic-3?site=brandsite&amp;from=landing_page">DJI Mavic 3 Cine</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://store.dji.com/product/dji-mavic-3-classic?site=brandsite&amp;from=landing_page&amp;vid=125091">DJI Mavic 3 Classic</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://store.dji.com/product/dji-mavic-3-pro?site=brandsite&amp;from=landing_page&amp;vid=137691">DJI Mavic 3 Pro</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://store.dji.com/product/dji-mavic-3-pro?site=brandsite&amp;from=landing_page&amp;vid=137781">DJI Mavic 3 Pro Cine</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://store.dji.com/product/dji-mavic-3e-and-dji-care-enterprise-basic?vid=120111">DJI Mavic 3(E) Enterprise</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://ag.dji.com/mavic-3-m?site=enterprise&amp;from=nav">DJI Mavic 3 (M) Multispectral</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://store.dji.com/product/dji-mavic-3e-and-dji-care-enterprise-basic?vid=120171">DJI Mavic 3(T) Thermal</a>
</li>
</ul>
It was becoming clear that DJI was moving away from the Phantom model after the Phantom 4 V2 Pro was released. This is evidenced by the way they handled the Mini and Air models &ndash; removing the &ldquo;Mavic&rdquo; moniker and instead letting the &ldquo;Mini&rdquo; and &ldquo;Air&rdquo; names stand on their own as independent platforms. That combined with the fact that the Phantom build is largely obsolete when it comes to storage and transportation as well as overall aerodynamics. In fact, the Phantom series is also no longer listed on DJI&rsquo;s main website, so it&rsquo;s safe to assume that line is officially dead.
All this said, the drone world should prepare to see more of this type of development and manufacturing of drone technology in the future. As we move forward we will see fewer and fewer unique design concepts with regard to the body of the drones and a collective streamlining geared towards what is most efficient and practical. We&rsquo;re even seeing it in our enterprise drones with DJI&rsquo;s Matrice lineup beginning to take after the design concepts of the Mavic series.
As for the way things rolled out with DJI and the Mavic 3 lineup, with DJI seemingly releasing their middle-of-the-road drone first, followed by their entry-level drone, and finally their top-tier drone? I&rsquo;ll chalk it up to a potential lack of direction in terms of development and planning. Most ideas need to be fleshed out over time and according to feedback from a focus or test group. In this case, real-life consumers were the group providing the feedback after they had already invested between $2,000 and $3,000 in the original Mavic 3. I hope beginning with the Air 3 or the Mavic 4 that DJI releases all of the versions at once or in order from least-expensive to most expensive at the bare minimum. Until that process is seen carried out by DJI, may the buyer beware&hellip;hold onto your money a while longer after the next release. It may save you a lot of heartache and get you the &ldquo;best bang for your buck,&rdquo; when it comes to price-versus-performance.

DJI is Evolving the Way it Makes Drones

18 April 2023
By Chris &ldquo;<a style="color: #ba372a;" href="https://www.youtube.com/@TheDroneGeek/featured" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Drone Geek</a>&rdquo; Fravel
When you think of a commercial drone, what comes to mind? Do you envision a giant drone capable of carrying large shipments and packages? Or do you picture something out of an action-movie that is spec&rsquo;d out with thermal attachments and LiDAR sensors perfect for surveying large swaths of land?
There are many kinds of drones for many different types of work, but what if I told you there might be one drone that was capable of it all?
The <a href="https://draganfly.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Draganfly</a> <a href="https://draganfly.com/commander-3-xl/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Commander 3 XL</a>&nbsp;is marketed as &ldquo;the Swiss Army knife&rdquo; of drones. The question is, does it live up to its billing?
The only way to find out was to fly out to Draganfly's facility in Blanco, Texas, to see the Commander 3 XL in action and learn a little bit more about what the drone has to offer its potential users.
I flew into San Antonio and split my time between there and Austin, making the hour-ish long trek to Blanco each day. My liaison and point of contact for the trip was Draganfly&rsquo;s Program Manager for UAS Programs Aviation, <a style="color: #ba372a;" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/zach--rolfe/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Zach Rolfe</a>. Rolfe wasn&rsquo;t just the guy who made sure I had what I needed to get around central Texas, he was also my expert reference regarding all things Commander 3 XL.
The Commander 3 XL is 64&rdquo; x 36&rdquo; x 12&rdquo; when fully assembled with propellers attached. It weighs 33 lbs. when not sporting a payload, and it can carry up to 22 lbs. for a maximum take-off weight of 55 lbs. In short, the Commander 3 XL is an absolute tank capable of a variety of different flight operations. And while that is all impressive, it&rsquo;s just scraping the surface of the impressive specifications on this drone.
Let&rsquo;s talk about what this drone can carry&mdash;and I don&rsquo;t just mean weight. As of right now there are five attachments that can be equipped to the Draganfly Commander 3 XL to conduct a variety of UAV missions:
&bull; <a style="color: #ba372a;" href="https://www.flir.com/support/products/duo-pro-r/#Overview" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FLIR DuoPro-R</a> Camera
&bull; 24MP RGB Photography Camera
&bull; 10x Zoom RGB Camera
&bull; 24MP RGB Mapping Camera
&bull; <a style="color: #ba372a;" href="https://support.micasense.com/hc/en-us/articles/360011389334-RedEdge-MX-Integration-Guide" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RedEdge MX</a> Mapping Camera
Perhaps one of the most interesting things about the Commander 3 XL is its modularity. In a conversation with Rolfe, he mentioned how intentional the modular components are on the drone. The idea being, with a variety of operations that will be conducted with the Commander 3 XL, it&rsquo;s crucial that pilots and asset managers can swap out and repair damaged or worn-out parts in the field. This saves time and money, and makes it extremely easy to recover the drone from an accident, and get it back up in the air&mdash;potentially within minutes (depending upon how many parts need to be replaced).
Rolfe took me through the initial set-up of the drone to give me a visual example of how easy parts are to assemble and disassemble. We will have a &ldquo;how-to&rdquo; video for set-up of the Commander 3 XL coming to our YouTube channel and website soon.&nbsp;
And if all of that wasn&rsquo;t enough, the Commander 3 XL has a variety of features that make it easy to learn for pilots of all skill and experience levels. It has an altitude hold and GPS-positioning feature that makes it an extremely reliable and sturdy piece of UAV equipment. Its folding landing gear allows for an unobstructed 360-degree view of your surroundings through camera payloads. It even has color-coded &ldquo;highlight points&rdquo; where pilots and asset managers should pay attention when assembling and disassembling the drone.
Draganfly, Inc. has outdone itself with the Commander 3 XL. Whether you&rsquo;re a data collector, or need to move goods and products via drone delivery, the Commander 3 XL will certainly meet your needs. If it doesn&rsquo;t, Draganfly&rsquo;s development and customer success teams will help you customize a solution until it does.
<h5>Watch Chris on the Road at Draganfly</h5>
<iframe style="width: 674px; height: 379px;" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XlqoAG_ZiDc" width="674" height="379" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
&nbsp;

Overview: Draganfly Commander 3 XL

14 April 2023
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/TheDroneGeek/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">By Chris "The Drone Geek" Fravel</a>
Cameron Chell is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of <a href="https://draganfly.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Draganfly, Inc.</a>, a premier enterprise drone manufacturer based in North America. Chell is an entrepreneur from the school of hard knocks, priding himself in learning from his mistakes and embracing the wisdom that comes from them.
With a firm belief in company culture and forward-thinking, Chell and his entire team at Draganfly are leading innovators in the world of commercial drones and UAVs. That's why they are primed and ready to fulfill the needs of the commercial and enterprise drone sector for years to come.
<h5>Watch the Interview!</h5>
<iframe style="width: 670px; height: 377px;" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/L-5WNOo5EsU" width="670" height="377" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

Let's Talk Drones Podcast Talks Draganfly

31 March 2023
By Chris &ldquo;<a style="color: #ba372a;" href="https://www.youtube.com/@TheDroneGeek/featured" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Drone Geek</a>&rdquo; Fravel
There is one thing that drone pilots nationwide and the characters from the hit HBO series Game of Thrones have in common&mdash;something inevitably controversial is coming.
In our case, it&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.faa.gov/uas/getting_started/remote_id" target="_blank" rel="noopener">remote identification.</a> Yes, in 2023 remote identification will become required for all pilots conducting drone operations to broadcast while their unmanned aircraft is airborne.
Like it or not, we are all going to need to figure out how to stay compliant with this new regulation or face potential consequences for neglecting to do so. That&rsquo;s where the company <a href="https://dronetag.cz/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dronetag comes into play.</a>
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lukas-brchl/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dronetag CEO Luk&aacute;&scaron; Brchl</a> sent us one of his company&rsquo;s remote identification modules to put through our paces. The model we received was the <a href="https://dronetag.cz/products/mini/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dronetag Mini</a>. A compact device that is the first FAA-approved broadcast module for remote identification. After unboxing the Mini, I found that while it is small in relation to most things, it was actually a bit larger than I had anticipated. It also came with a dongle for updates on its firmware as well as a 3&rdquo; micro-USB cable for charging purposes. Outside of that and a few pieces of literature about the Mini and a sticker, that was all that came with the product.
<img src="https://media.thedroningcompany.com/images/tincy/V2OeEc1icd6ZNwna3nxEt7grKTWZvixQ3wqLbWLE.jpg" alt="" width="706" height="392" />
The initial setup was a bit confusing as the dongle that comes with the Dronetag Mini was not a very detailed and fleshed-out part of the process. After updating the firmware, installing the Dronetag application on my iPhone, creating a Dronetag user account, and charging the Mini to a full-battery, I was ready to get going.
It&rsquo;s the transitional period between winter and spring in north central Pennsylvania, so my opportunities to fly have been few and far between. However, I was able to get two test flights in for this initial review of the Dronetag Mini. One flight was conducted on the back of my <a style="color: #ba372a;" href="https://www.dji.com/mavic-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DJI Mavic 3</a> (literally, that&rsquo;s where I mounted the Mini) and the other was conducted with my <a style="color: #ba372a;" href="https://geprc.com/product/geprc-cinelog35-analog-cinewhoop-fpv-drone-4s-6s/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GEPRC Cinelog 35.</a>
While not abundantly necessary to test with the Mavic 3, as DJI is taking steps to incorporate remote identification broadcasting in an on-board unit of its UAV platforms, I felt it was important to see just how far the Dronetag Mini could broadcast data and my DJI workhorse drone was the only unit I had that could adequately do that. The Dronetag Mini utilizes GPS satellites to triangulate its position, so it should have been no surprise that it can transmit data pretty much anywhere.
The small-ish stature of the remote identification device paired with the power of the Mavic 3 meant almost no affect on total flight time and an experience that was smooth and satisfying. Where I began to see some variation in my flight experience was pairing it with the drone that actually needed a remote identification module &ndash; the GEPRC Cinelog 35.
The primary challenge I encountered right out of the gate was where in the world I was going to mount the device to the FPV drone. I finally settled on mounting it to the top-plate of the drone&rsquo;s body, right beneath the battery. This brought to mind a few issues that could arise while flying, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. My maiden flight did not yield any issues relating to the Dronetag Mini sitting under the drone&rsquo;s battery, but testing throughout the rest of this summer should tell me if there would be any issues with doing this long-term. While the loss of flight time due to the added weight on the drone was marginal at best, there was a slight decrease in flight time efficiency that I noticed after adding the module to the body of the drone. Other than that, the overall flight went well with little-to-no noticeable difference in performance and the data transmitted from the Dronetag Mini was just as accurate as it was on the Mavic 3.
My only true critique of the Dronetag Mini was its battery life. It seemed that I only got about an hour worth of flight time with it before it needed a recharge and when left in storage for a day, the battery discharged completely and required a recharge from 0-percent.
All-in-all, I really enjoyed the interface with the Dronetag Mini. While there is definitely some &ldquo;fat&rdquo; that could be trimmed in the registration and set-up process as well as improvements to be made to the physical footprint and the total battery-life and long-term charge retention, this product feels like it will be a success long-term.
My initial review score for the Dronetag Mini is a 7-out-of-10.
This review video and article are meant to convey my initial thoughts and reaction to the Dronetag Mini on a very high-level summarized level. I&rsquo;ll be testing this unit throughout the summer of 2023 and will follow-up with a more comprehensive review of the product as well as its &ldquo;little brother&rdquo; product around Q3 of this year. Please check-back again in September for more information about my experience with the Dronetag Mini.
<h5>Watch! Fravel on the Dronetag Mini</h5>
<iframe style="width: 670px; height: 377px;" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/k5Ns02JYWKs" width="670" height="377" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

A Sneak Peek into the Dronetag Mini

1 March 2023
By Chris &ldquo;<a style="color: #ba372a;" href="https://www.youtube.com/@TheDroneGeek/">The Drone Geek</a>&rdquo; Fravel
Blake Resnick is the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of <a style="color: #ba372a;" href="https://brincdrones.com">BRINC Drones</a>, a USA-based drone manufacturer designing UAV solutions to protect first responders in real-world situations.
BRINC Drones was started in response to the tragic events that unfolded on October 1, 2017, in Las Vegas, Nevada when a shooter opened fire into a crowd of concertgoers attending the Route 91 Harvest Festival. Resnick was committed to providing first-responders such as police, fire, and medical a tool that would allow them to safely survey an area or structure to gather as much data as possible about a developing situation before sending human beings in for further response and investigation efforts.
Since Resnick established the company, BRINC has grown exponentially, becoming one of the leading UAV manufacturers in the United States for emergency response and tactical operation.
In this episode of the <a style="color: #ba372a;" href="https://open.spotify.com/show/2z2NJgerLIlkGUfQAuWdbg?si=9b261a8ed9224436">LTD Podcast</a>, we talk with Resnick about his start in the world of UAVs and get familiar with BRINC as a company and what solutions they offer their clients.
<a style="color: #ba372a;" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwURoay_5tc">Check out Part II of this podcast</a> on Thursday, March 2nd at 12:00 PM EST for an exciting announcement from Resnick and BRINC.
<h5>Watch Let's Talk Drones</h5>
<iframe style="width: 667px; height: 375px;" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5nG84P_-Pcg" width="667" height="375" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

Interview: Blake Resnick of BRINC Drones

11 February 2023
By Chris &ldquo;<a style="color: #ba372a;" href="https://www.youtube.com/@TheDroneGeek/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Drone Geek</a>&rdquo; Fravel
It&rsquo;s no mystery that <a style="color: #ba372a;" href="https://shop.autelrobotics.com/?ref=TodAxbE3FiMGn" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Autel Robotics</a> is one of the leading drone manufacturers the world over. The technology giant has consistently produced reliable UAV solutions ranging from small form-factor platforms all the way up to commercial and enterprise. However, one of the shining examples of excellence produced by Autel is the <a style="color: #ba372a;" href="https://shop.autelrobotics.com/collections/drones-evo-ii-series" target="_blank" rel="noopener">EVO II V3</a>. The latest and greatest version of the EVO II is Autel&rsquo;s flagship drone platform and falls squarely into the prosumer category of unmanned aerial vehicles.
<img src="https://media.thedroningcompany.com/images/tincy/BUFk8y6XanNTM1qlkbZHwRckRPQ3NOCKz7QJG5bZ.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="500" />
<h5>Build Quality</h5>
<h5 style="text-align: left; line-height: 1.4;">Rating: 9 out of 10</h5>
Pulling the Autel EVO II V3 out of its carrying case was a pretty memorable moment for me in all of this. The heft this drone has for having a compact physical footprint was impressive and instilled confidence in me that this drone was ready to take on some intense environments and testing.
I never really had the opportunity to put it up against anything too harsh, but I know that given the rock-solid fuselage and premium-grade parts on the camera, gimbal, and motors, the EVO II V3 was ready for anything. I&rsquo;m still having trouble putting into words my thoughts when first picking up this version of the EVO II for the first time. I suppose summarizing it in one word will do a good enough job&hellip;&rdquo;wow.&rdquo;
<h5><img src="https://media.thedroningcompany.com/images/tincy/BzADi9CLmTeG2UJI105GMlsiEEqVYHQUPXHoMUwf.jpg" alt="" width="317" height="317" /></h5>
<h5>Controller</h5>
<h5 style="text-align: left; line-height: 1.4;">Rating: 10 out of 10</h5>
Autel sent me the Rugged Bundle for the EVO II V3 and rugged it was. However, while the ruggedness of the bundle was impressive &ndash; it was the least rugged piece of equipment in the bundle that impressed me the most.
For the first time in Drone Geek review history, somebody has managed to pull off a perfect score in a category and it was Autel with their Smart Controller SE, which scored a perfect 10/10.
The controller body itself was ergonomic as all get-out and they captured my heart by putting the video screen in the middle of the controller &ndash; a long-time gripe I&rsquo;ve had with other companies with similar smart controllers that feature screens on the bottom which forces me to crane my neck down for as long as the flight takes me.
On top of that, Autel incorporated its SkyLink 2.0 Video transmission system, which provides up to 15-KM (9.32 miles) signal reliability.
My only complaint about this controller, and it wasn&rsquo;t enough for me to dock it points, was that the battery life left me wanting a little more. You can easily extend the battery life by mitigating how often you change the settings on the camera and by reducing screen brightness when able.
This is a fantastic smart controller and should be considered the &ldquo;industry standard&rdquo; for every other drone manufacturer worth its weight in salt.
<h5><img src="https://media.thedroningcompany.com/images/tincy/y3Tlw69qWGSDknqccfbtVyjs3YiqkMePaYcY4ZB8.png" alt="" width="470" height="317" /></h5>
<h5>User Interface</h5>
<h5 style="text-align: left; line-height: 1.4;">Rating: 8 out of 10</h5>
The Autel ecosystem is extremely friendly to pilots of all experience levels. However, that&rsquo;s not to say it is without its flaws. Let&rsquo;s start with the shortcomings and finish strong with what I liked about the UI.
Having to swipe off-screen to find certain menus and tools such as the camera settings and the flight map is not ideal. I&rsquo;m also not a huge fan of the layout for the general app settings and how you must navigate them to access certain parts of the user configuration.
The positives for user interface are numerous. Setup of the controller and opening of the application is seamless and done in just a few seconds. Connection to the drone itself is just as fast. While navigating to the camera settings menu is somewhat a con with it being hidden until you tap the arrow to open it up, once the menu is hope it&rsquo;s very easy to use and has a variety of settings and options to help you get the perfect exposure. Switching between intelligent flight modes is easy with the menu in the upper left corner of the screen and the large display allows you to preview the media you&rsquo;re capturing with great quality.
<h5>Flight Characteristics</h5>
<h5 style="text-align: left; line-height: 1.4;">Rating: 9 out of 10</h5>
The flight on the Nano+ is smooth and enjoyable. It&rsquo;s surprisingly powerful for its size and handles adverse wind with relative ease. I did get some fight when wind speeds exceeded 20mph, but overall, I&rsquo;d feel confident flying the Nano in almost any conditions other than rain or extreme winds. The handling is also well-tuned, and I feel as nimble and agile as ever flying the Nano+.
The big concern for the flight characteristics is the Nano+&rsquo;s inability to control a consistent spot in the airspace. While it can hold GPS position and flight some pretty strong winds, I will say that it gets blown around a lot in a 5&ndash;10-foot space. This is not ideal when trying to thread it through tight spaces and crowded airspace. It&rsquo;s not a major mark against the Nano, but something to note before buying.
In general, the flight experience I had with the EVO Nano+ was positive and chock-full of fun.&nbsp;
<h5><img src="https://media.thedroningcompany.com/images/tincy/BF49NiDti4cQSJ6mJjMXx3X4CJq3rZpE5CLG6tGy.jpg" alt="" width="454" height="255" /></h5>
<h5>Flight Time</h5>
<h5 style="text-align: left; line-height: 1.4;">Rating: 9 out of 10</h5>
The EVO II V3 brings forth a great flight-experience in terms of handling, speed, and maneuverability. I was really impressed at just how easy it was to get acclimated with the drone right out of the case and how fun it was to fly. Everything about the flight experience with this version of the EVO II met and exceeded my expectations. You can change your maximum allowable speed as well as bounce between Standard and Ludicrous modes through the settings menu, which gives you a nice variety in pacing and looseness in the controls.
The only thing I&rsquo;ll say that was a somewhat negative experience was with the yaw stick. I found that right out of the box the yaw on this drone was a little too touchy when roll was not incorporated into the movement first. This is fine for folks just toying around or using the drone for something other than photo and video, but for those of us who do most of the multimedia work it&rsquo;s a minor setback that we need to either adjust to or manually adjust in the app configuration menus.&nbsp;
<h5><img src="https://media.thedroningcompany.com/images/tincy/aPDfu98ZE2jNytAFAYocrOFwzk6Dh6sD1K6zW5n4.jpg" alt="" width="466" height="262" /></h5>
<h5>Camera Performance</h5>
<h5 style="text-align: left; line-height: 1.4;">Rating: 9 out of 10</h5>
The camera on the EVO II V3 is superb. For those of you that might not be familiar, the EVO II V3 boasts a 1-inch, 20MP CMOS sensor with a maximum video resolution of 6K at 30fps. It&rsquo;s also capable of 4K at 60fps and shoots photos at a maximum size of 5472x3648.
The video bitrate is 120Mbps which means videos captured are smooth and chock-full of detail. It has an adjustable aperture which ranges from f/2.8 to f/11 and its 35mm focal length is equivalent to 29mm, a little cropped in, but still ideal for landscape photography and video.
The stock color profile with the Autel EVO II V3 was super vibrant and full of a wonderful range of colors. It wasn&rsquo;t the most flattering look for the landscape of NCPA in the dead of winter, as the camera tried to bring out color in the landscape that wasn&rsquo;t actually there, but I imagine in the middle of the summer or in a more tropical climate this would be extremely complimentary.
Where I was slightly disappointed in the camera was in its sharpness right out of the box. This was the same complaint I had about the Nano+ earlier this week and the Lite+ last year. Autel&rsquo;s cameras shoot very sharp images, which isn&rsquo;t always a good thing. I found that there would be a lot of sharpness-related noise created in my video clips and would take an otherwise stellar image and just taint it.
However, I didn&rsquo;t hold it against the smaller EVO drones and I won&rsquo;t hold it against the big-daddy EVO either. Sharpness is something that can be easily adjusted in the camera settings or in post, so no major points taken from the EVO II V3 on this one.
<h5>Intangibles</h5>
<h5 style="text-align: left; line-height: 1.4;">Rating: 9 out of 10</h5>
Some intangibles I was really impressed by with this drone were the panoramic shooting modes, its obstacle avoidance system, the rugged bundle carrying case, and its set-up and breakdown times. Meanwhile, I wasn&rsquo;t entirely impressed by the battery recharging times nor was I impressed by the gimbal cover and how frustrating it was to take it on and off of the drone.
<h5>Watch the Video Review!</h5>
<iframe style="width: 679px; height: 382px;" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LH_YMcaAbF8" width="679" height="382" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
<h5>Closing Thoughts</h5>
<h5 style="text-align: left; line-height: 1.4;">Total Score: 9 out of 10</h5>
This drone was a mind-bender for me. I really enjoyed the experience I had flying it and while there were some short-lived growing pains when it came to familiarizing myself with the drone and the smart controller, overall, it has been an extremely impressive piece of equipment. So impressive that it has earned itself not only the first perfect categorical score in Drone Geek review history, but also the highest overall score in review history with a rock-solid 9-out-of-10.
And that, my friends, is exactly why it also won the 2022 Droning Company award for &ldquo;Best Prosumer Drone.&rdquo; It delivers a complete experience from beginning-to-end. It&rsquo;s intuitive enough to be beginner-friendly, but also offer advanced professional settings to make it the perfect tool for professional photographers and videographers. What is really blowing my mind is that this is still just the second iteration of Autel&rsquo;s flagship drone.
If these are the features and performance markers that are being brought by the EVO II V3, then I&rsquo;ll need to wear a seatbelt and helmet when the time comes to review the EVO III. Autel, bravo and a job well done. This drone is exemplary and should be the marker other drone manufacturers should be shooting for in the future.
&nbsp;

GEAR CHECK: Autel EVO II V3

Consumer Drones

6 February 2023
By Chris &ldquo;<a style="color: #ba372a;" href="https://www.youtube.com/@TheDroneGeek/">The Drone Geek</a>&rdquo; Fravel
<a style="color: #ba372a;" href="https://www.autelrobotics.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Autel Robotics</a> is a world-leader in consumer, prosumer, and commercial drone technology. Their UAV platforms have been some of the most popular among hobbyist and professional remote pilots alike.
The <a style="color: #ba372a;" href="https://shop.autelrobotics.com/products/drones-evo-nano-plus" target="_blank" rel="noopener">EVO Nano+</a> is no exception. Boasting a variety of features including a 12MP, 1/1.28&rdquo; CMOS sensor, up to 4K at 30fps max video resolution, obstacle avoidance, intelligent flight modes, and more all in a compact package, the EVO Nano+ is one of the most powerful drones on the market for its size.
Let's take a closer look at all of the pros and cons this little powerhouse of a UAV packs and decide whether or not it is the drone for you.
<h5>Build Quality</h5>
<img src="https://media.thedroningcompany.com/images/tincy/JualiUXyEk73hA2Io2R4hveQ68FR2zSBFH6pB3Zm.png" alt="" width="509" height="339" />
The build quality on the EVO Nano+ is extremely high-quality overall. The plastic used for the body of the drone feels sturdy while allowing the drone itself to maintain a weight light enough to avoid mandatory registration with the FAA if flown recreationally (which requires all drones weighing 250g or more to register no matter their intended use). It&rsquo;s a high-quality and seamlessly portable solution for any weekend warrior or pilot on-the-go.
Where the Nano+ lost points in this category was in the plastic used in the arms. It feels noticeably cheaper than the rest of the drone and gives me concerns about impact resistance and wear and tear over time. To say the arms on this drone feel &ldquo;flimsy&rdquo; would not be unrealistic by any stretch of the imagination.
All that said, I was quite impressed with the build quality on a drone that is meant to be lightweight and compact.&nbsp;
Build Quality Rating: 8 out of 10
<h5>Controller</h5>
<img src="https://media.thedroningcompany.com/images/tincy/bV9AaTZLnm2nKJAty9wFsNMsCItNaENLowfhwc3k.png" alt="" width="434" height="394" />
The Autel controller is one of my favorites in the game. I enjoy how ergonomic it feels in my hands and the fact that it is akin to a gaming controller &ndash; with which I have a lot of experience. It&rsquo;s sturdy, well-constructed, and easy to figure out and use for drone pilots at any level of experience and knowledge.
What I am not crazy about is the USB-C port placement for the device interface and the joysticks.
The cable port is very awkward and if you forget to take your cable out before closing the device holder, it can damage the cable if done so with too much force. It also makes it difficult to use any other cable besides the OEM cable.
I dislike the joysticks because it seems like a battle to get them to catch the threading and screw in. While not a huge deal, it can mean the difference between getting a shot and not getting a shot if time is limited between set-up and use.
Again, despite the two downsides for the controller, this thing is pretty great and my favorite standard drone controller on the market today.&nbsp;
Controller Rating: 8 out of 10
<h5>User Interface</h5>
<img src="https://media.thedroningcompany.com/images/tincy/vhJTY7HyJtawusEAdWElrX6uwhsDVeOPVNoBhvYo.jpg" alt="" width="465" height="290" />
The Autel Sky app is easy to use and creates a link between your device, the controller, and the drone very quickly. I love how easy it is to access the photo and video album for the Nano+ and the menus for switching between photo, video, and intelligent flight modes are seamless. The ability to switch from Standard to Smooth to Ludicrous flight modes is also very easy to do through the app interface.
I&rsquo;m not a fan of the menus for changing camera settings and parameters. They&rsquo;re somewhat messy and they are sometimes difficult to use and keep set the way you want. Maybe with some practice I&rsquo;d get smoother at adjusting these settings, but for somebody who has limited experience flying an Autel drone, it could be frustrating for the first few flights.
User Interface Rating: 8 out of 10
<h5>Flight Characteristics</h5>
<img src="https://media.thedroningcompany.com/images/tincy/3M4D5tENKzthyMRn4GQY2cEETuNERlBXBgffOqRh.jpg" alt="" width="658" height="370" />
The flight on the Nano+ is smooth and enjoyable. It&rsquo;s surprisingly powerful for its size and handles adverse wind with relative ease. I did get some fight when wind speeds exceeded 20mph, but overall, I&rsquo;d feel confident flying the Nano in almost any conditions other than rain or extreme winds. The handling is also well-tuned, and I feel as nimble and agile as ever flying the Nano+.
The big concern for the flight characteristics is the Nano+&rsquo;s inability to control a consistent spot in the airspace. While it is able to hold GPS position and flight some pretty strong winds, I will say that it gets blown around a lot in a 5&ndash;10-foot space. This is not ideal when trying to thread it through tight spaces and crowded airspace. It&rsquo;s not a major mark against the Nano, but something to note before buying.
In general, the flight experience I had with the EVO Nano+ was positive and chock-full of fun.&nbsp;
Flight Characteristics Rating: 8 out of 10&nbsp;
<h5>Flight Time</h5>
<img src="https://media.thedroningcompany.com/images/tincy/GVwDeVfKCpoZfz90Mi57VJfA4EsoEtX4CKbDzMRT.jpg" alt="" width="644" height="362" />
Featuring a marketed flight time of 28 minutes, Autel was close to replicating my experience when flying. My average flight time over the 10-15 times I&rsquo;ve had it out is around 24 minutes. Not exactly 28, but certainly in the ballpark, proving that this is a great drone when it comes to its ability to stay in the air for long spans of time.
Conditions will always play a role in a drone&rsquo;s total flight time. The harder a drone must work to maintain position or navigate through airspace at the operator&rsquo;s desired pace, the more power it will use and the less flight time you will get. I do wish that the Nano+ had an option for an upgraded battery that gave it closer to 40-minutes of actual flight time (marketed at 45-minutes maybe?). At this point in the game, Autel has proven they can create a battery with a 40-minute-plus flight time, so this should be used to adapt a Nano battery that delivers at least 35-40 minutes.
While it isn&rsquo;t quite what I was hoping in terms of total time in the air, the approximately 24-minutes of consistent flight time I got out of the Nano+ was more than enough to get the shots I needed and have as much fun as I could.
Flight Time Rating: 8 out of 10&nbsp;
<h5>Camera Performance</h5>
<img src="https://media.thedroningcompany.com/images/tincy/JAPlZnRFL26bgcgNIO3cSX396cY5hDMTGtKZtix3.jpg" alt="" width="634" height="475" />
I am not sure if I was expecting too much, but I was let down by the camera slightly on this review. The image on the camera is true to its word in that it delivers a high-quality 4K image. However, out of the box the images and video are too sharp. There&rsquo;s a ton of sharpness-related noise in the video clips I captured that, to me, are off-putting and the pictures it captures suffer a similar, albeit muted, fate. The other glaring issue with the camera is a slight color-bleed problem. I had a few photos come through that had a magenta or green bleed that happened largely around the outer edges of the images. In one photo I took, the photo was completely balanced and well-colored aside from an obvious pixel issue in one of the windows where, in three different photos, it appeared as a magenta, green, and white splotch respectively.
Where I was pleasantly surprised with this camera was its lowlight performance. At a humble size of just 1/1.28-inches, the sensor would lead you to believe that this drone is not built for great low light performance. However, when the camera settings were balanced just right, I found that the low light shots I got both on the photo and video front were rock solid considering the sensor size. My ideal exposure settings for low light with the Nano were an iso of 1600 and a shutter speed of 1/10. This did lead to some streaking because of the longer exposure influenced by the slower shutter speed, but the lights of the city of Williamsport were phenomenally caught and noise was kept to a minimum. Is it my go-to for low light shooting? No. But does it have the stopping power to make for a solid back-up option? Absolutely.
Yes, I was slightly let down by the camera on the Nano+, but I also admit that my expectations may have been a little higher than they should. For the size of the drone and the sensor, this camera is a solid piece of aerial imaging technology.&nbsp;
Camera Performance Rating: 7 out of 10&nbsp;
<h5>Intangibles</h5>
The Autel EVO Nano+ has some intangible features to it that should be addressed, for better or worse. Starting on a positive note, I really enjoyed the intelligent flight modes, with my favorite of them all being &ldquo;Flick.&rdquo; It also has an impressive panorama shooting mode and solid front-obstacle-avoidance. On top of that the Nano+ premium bundle comes with a nifty carrying case, a 4-port battery charging hub, and an impressively quick set-up and breakdown time.
However, I wasn&rsquo;t thrilled with how difficult the gimbal cover was to take off and put back on and the arm/propeller protection strap gave me anxiety over the possibility of bending the propellers and ruining their integrity.
The one con I want to go into detail about as it relates to intangibles was a glitch I experienced in the return-to-home function on the drone. I was flying over a creek in my area and at one point a metal railroad bridge was between myself and the drone. It should be noted that I had visual line of sight on the drone with the drone at that moment. The railroad bridge caused enough of an interference between the controller and the drone that the signal dropped out altogether. Normally, this would not be an issue as the return-to-home function would send the drone back to the home point. This was not the case and unfortunately I went into a full panic without any indication that the return-to-home was working or where the drone might be other than over the water.
This story ended with a happy ending though, as I ran back and forth between the closest point on shore to the drone&rsquo;s last known location and the original home point, I found that the Nano+ had, indeed, returned-to-home as it was supposed to do. The lapse in responsiveness of this critical feature was disheartening though and caused more of a panic than was necessary.
Intangibles Rating: 7out of 10&nbsp;
<h5>Closing Thoughts</h5>
In closing, I didn&rsquo;t care for the sharpness of this drone&rsquo;s photos and videos right out of the box, but this is easily remedied in either the in-app settings for the camera or in post. Let&rsquo;s also not ignore the color bleed issues I experienced in the magenta and green areas, but this issue could be unique to this drone or a very small batch of drones that might be defective or in need of a firmware update to resolve the issue. Every other &ldquo;negative&rdquo; mark this drone got was admittedly somewhat nit-picky. The reason I was critical with this drone is because it will cater to the beginner and hobbyist sect of drone pilots. That being the case, I believe it is crucial for a drone like this to be as easy as possible to get in the air and produce high-quality footage and photos without a lot of creative thinking or input. To me, it&rsquo;s somewhere between a consumer level drone (for the right reasons) and a prosumer level drone (for the wrong reasons).
All that said, the EVO Nano+ was fun to fly and I had a great time with it out in the field. It&rsquo;s compact and lightweight, which makes it super portable; but it also delivers a stable experience that you&rsquo;d normally only get with heartier drones. Despite my earlier comments, I do think the images and videos that come out of this drone are great and certainly worthy of consideration in both social media projects as well as some commercial applications given the operator is well-versed on how cameras work and putting the camera in a position to do as well as it can. I also loved the intelligent flight modes with &ldquo;Flick&rdquo; continuing to be my favorite of any drone I&rsquo;ve ever flown. It has fast charging times for the batteries and controller, accurate obstacle avoidance sensors, and a nice carrying case to boot.
I&rsquo;d recommend this drone to any of my friends, no matter their skill or experience levels. It&rsquo;s high on my list of &ldquo;favorite drones I&rsquo;ve flown,&rdquo; and Autel&rsquo;s continued innovation comes through on the Nano+. I think if you&rsquo;re a beginner or just a hobbyist looking for a new drone, the Nano+ should be considered. It&rsquo;s easy to use and produces great results. For that and the reasons we talked about earlier in this video, positive and negative alike, the Autel EVO Nano+ comes out of this review with a final score of 7.7-out-of-10.
The Autel EVO Nano+ retails for $679 for the standard package and $719 for the premium bundle. It comes in four different colors including grey, white, red, and the classic Autel orange.
Total Score: 7.7 out of 10&nbsp;
<h5>Watch the Review Video!</h5>
<iframe style="width: 668px; height: 376px;" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jsb4zKoG5tg" width="668" height="376" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
&nbsp;

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