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Post by Ben Freedman on Mar 18, 2009 20:57:03 GMT -5
Howdy... I'm starting this group for owners of the Draganfly X6 Helicopter. If you own one, please feel free to join up and post. I imagine this forum will only contain a few members at first, but as X6 sales continue, hopefully more people will join to share their experience with the X6. I can be reached via my website at www.vmlh.com. Best, Ben ---------------------------------------------------- Benjamin Freedman VisitMyLuxuryHome.com 480.240.9262
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Post by sRagnar on Mar 19, 2009 8:19:31 GMT -5
Thanks for setting up the board! Great venue for flow of information. I will be posting and looking often!
A little bit about me, I am Siggi Ragnar, San Antonio Texas. I got my X6 mid March. Primary use photography and video.
sample photos on my web site and more to come.
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Post by sRagnar on Mar 23, 2009 20:41:49 GMT -5
Here is a copy of an email that I sent out as an answer to some X6 questions. In the last weeks i have been flying and getting a handle on my new X6. on my website you can see some samples of the photos that I have done so far. As to your questions, my first impression of the X6 is very positive with some issues that can be fixed and a couple that can not. It is very touchy to wind. Any wind and your control is reduced. It is not as easy to fly as I hoped for. In no wind it is not bad but any wind makes it harder. The GPS lock works great in still weather but a bit more unpredictable in windy conditions. When the wind is steady or none it is great to fantastic for aerial shooting. The quality of the LX3 camera is great! The video portion is good but could be improved and will. Dragan Co. is good to work with but slow on delivery. It too a few extra weeks to get it out. Since then support has been great and very accurate and fast. The battery time is around 10-12min with camera and about 20min without. Recharging takes about 35min per battery so for me with 3 batteries I am ok and have not yet found it to be cumbersome. I will add one or two batteries to make sure that it is well set up. changing the battery is very fast and it can be back in the air in minutes. I hope that this answers some of your questions. And again, please except my apologizes for such a slow response! My website has a few sample aerial shots that you might look at. www.sragnar.com/sragnar/aerialsamples/index.html
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xsix
New Member
Posts: 2
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Post by xsix on Mar 27, 2009 5:37:55 GMT -5
Goeie More (Good Mornig) from sunny South Africa'n sky's.
I don't have a X6 but did and still busy with heavy research to purchase one. Funny enough I communicated via email to both Siggi and Ben and found you two hiding here? ;D ;D ;D
Seriously, I value you two's input for you honest experience with the X6. I grew up that if something looks to good to be true, then it is, thus all the questions.
If I had the money, I would have had one on my desk at the moment and still wish I had.
My bads. 1. It seems like there is massive competition between the microdrone and Draganfly. Even the pricelist column structure is the same. Still do not know which one is better although the X6 stole my heart and lime light from day one. Microdrone is much more expensive but their MD 1000 unit look good with fight time of roughly 45min 2. With the launch in August last year, Draganfly advertised that the flight time is 35m - full load. Through the months it was playd down on the site and the load wording also changed to no load. It is now on 20min no load and see that Siggi gets 10-12 min out of his - Thanks for the honesty Sig. 3. The wind / breez is a massive problem for me. If it cant handle that well, it is a big concern - specially if you need to honor bookings and or close to water areas. 4. Every body bitch about the price of the unit. I dont think that is a bad thing and it will create a nich market, but my concern is that it lives up to the price and if the backup service is as good and will they bring down the price later which wil make my investment obsolete.
I look forward to your inputs and experience with the unit. Lucky fishes 8-)
Regards,
Awie
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Post by skyshark on Mar 27, 2009 20:00:57 GMT -5
I must admit that the X6 looks pretty impressive on video. I am saving money AND researching the unit for purchase. Both the Microdrones and Draganflyer X6 look promising. The only concern is the battery life for flights. Both have approximately the same flight times under camera load. Microdrones MD-1000 really looks promising with it's flight time of 45mins!
My question is should I purchase the Draganflyer X6 or is it too early in it's production (meaning are the kinks worked out) to buy?
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Post by sRagnar on Mar 29, 2009 0:19:36 GMT -5
Welcome to the board !! very valid points all around. i don't think that the price of thing will come down much but it might. I dont see that being a problem. having it and being able to put it to use early makes up the difference and positions you on the front of the curb and a pioneer with long time use. battery life if an issue only if you have only one have a few and change them out. you dont fly this thing that high and far from you that changing batteries becomes an issue. you need to land it and take your eyes of it anyway. it takes a lot of concentration to fly it and I could not see me flying this thing for 45 min straight anyway. great stretch for 10-15 min and take a break for a new battery and plan next flight. as far as being a craft that you are coming in to in the early stages and worries about kinks needed to be worked out. There is no real structural design that could be fixed so it is software and programing thing only. As i can see so far there is no lack in support from Draganfly. I am sure that they will keep up software support for the unit while they work on what ever it is that they see fit. so far there is nothing other than small things there and there. full use of the unit is there already and kinks are very minimal and easily fixable without a degree in avionics or structural engineering
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Post by skyshark on Apr 5, 2009 23:14:04 GMT -5
Questions for the X6 owners: What was your first flight like? Did you have prior RC/helicopter experience?
I contacted Draganfly and was informed that their four rotor Draganflyer will be discontinued and replaced by a new, smaller version that's capable of carrying 200 gram payload. It utilizes four brushless motors. I imagine the cost will be lower than the X6. But the X6 looks sooo fantastic to fly.
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Post by sRagnar on Apr 6, 2009 18:32:07 GMT -5
hey, I had little or no experience with rc flying. I have Real Flight G4.5 www.realflight.com/ and with out it I would have been in trouble the X6 is very easy to fly in good stable weather. I have not seen the new thing that dragan is coming out with. I think that they should dial this one in before going on to develop a new one
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Post by helicrazi on Apr 6, 2009 19:44:51 GMT -5
Hello this is great we needed a place to discuss the X6, I talked with sRanger today and we had a great discussion about the X6. I would like to know how everyone's X6 handle in the wind in GPS hold mode. My back ground is electric heli's I own 16 and now an X6 has been added to the fleet, do a lot of data collecting for a lipo company to see if they have pack's for new heli's when they come out. I do low level aerial photography mostly with a mast setup. tried a NRI AutoCopter E had a bad crash soon after I recieved it in Feb. of 07, still havn't been able to get them to repair it, court is the next step. anyway this is great, I'd like to discuss the X6 mainly what kind of wind's your able to use it in in GPS hold mode. Thanks helicrazi
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Post by sRagnar on Apr 6, 2009 21:18:49 GMT -5
Hey Helicrazy and welcome to the board. I took mine out and tested it out today after we spoke. I had a good 10mph wind on the ground and not sure how much up there. I took it and flew 3 batteries. I had the LX3 camera mounted. the wind made it hard to control taking off and getting it in position. after taking it up and maintaining stable hover for a few seconds then locking in the GPS it was not too bad. it stayed there fairly well and I was able to yaw 360° and still maintaining position. flying it up to desired location was hard and I had to keep the nose in the wind. I had the forward control stick some times all the way forwards and it would hardly move. this is the most wind that I have taken it out in. I went to a large open field to try to minimize gusts and trees. one thing that I am having a hard time with as well is when i descend there is a lot of bouncing around and the descent is a bit unpredictable as far a altitude goes. kind of drops and elevates on its own. when i go very slow down not as hard but fast down in very erratic.
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Post by helicrazi on Apr 7, 2009 9:01:00 GMT -5
Hi sRanger, When you say not to bad in GPS hold mode, could you discribe what it dose. my will go around in an oval circle and change evelation. I have locked it in before at 30' and have had it allmost touch the ground, this seems to happen when there is any wind at all. I'm going to start testing it with the camera and see if it helps, I thought it would but when I talked to Cory at Draganfly he stated to do fly it without it untill we get it figured out. Siggi dose the led on controler flicker ? I'm just wondering if this is normal. mine dose.
Monte
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Post by skyshark on Apr 7, 2009 13:01:53 GMT -5
Hi sRagnar, I've read from Draganflyer users (the older 4 motor version) that their craft would become slightly unstable while descending within the craft's own rotor wash. The forum stated to have use gradual forward motion during descent to avoid the effect. I'm not sure if that's what you are experiencing. Also a question about the X6: The web site states the climb, descent, and speed rates of the craft. I was curious about the descent rate. Do you think that the X6 sensors detect a descent rate outside of it's tolerance and takes over by applying power? Don't try this, but do you think that if you decrease the throttle too much at altitude that the craft will protect itself and apply power to maintain a good descent rate? Sorry for being so wordy? Your post have me very interested in the X6.
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Post by sRagnar on Apr 7, 2009 13:41:39 GMT -5
Hey Helicrazi, It sounds like you have a bit more instability than i do. yesterday there was a good amount of wind and as soon as i had a hover for a few seconds it would hold fairly well. today there was a breeze and it was no problem. I have not noticed any problems with the screen, sometimes it renders slow in the top few lines. No big deal and not a problem. one thing that I did find today was that when it was only about 400 feet away I lost connection to it. no controls and it started to descent. I had to walk a few steps forwards before it picked up connection again. the display was showing rc connection at 100% the whole time?
Skyshark thanks I will try that it is well possible that that is the answer. I just kind of like dropping it straight down when there are wires and trees to fly around. next time out I will try that and post the feedback.
Ben, are you experiencing any of these things??
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Post by helicrazi on Apr 7, 2009 13:58:11 GMT -5
Yes it dose sound like mine has problems and I'm having a hard time getting it resolved. they want me to send a video of it flying. wow only 400' thats not much range, you might try moving the antenna the signal is like a funnel you don't want it aiming at the X6, I called Draganfly today left a message, seems like they don't like returning call's, and my emails seem that they don't awnser all my question's. Siggi the led I was asking about is the one that lights up with power on next to the button you use to ture it on, mine most of the time flicker's. Thanks, Monte
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Post by skyshark on Apr 7, 2009 20:19:06 GMT -5
Hi, Helicrazi GPS hold: I think the X6's software may be over compensating during windy conditions while trying to fly to a GPS position. Can you lock the craft to a GPS position while it's in motion or do you have to have it at a hover before turning on the switch. I think the wind pushes the craft off of the GPS point and the craft tries to fly back to that point. When it's too windy the craft may get blown off of the GPS point and cause the craft to circle around, drop and gain altitude to reach that point again. It's kinda like standing on curb and having someone push you off. You get back on it and someone else pushes you off. You quickly try to jump back on the curb but outside forces keep pushing you off and make you miss your mark. Your craft dropping from position hold and almost touching the ground sounds scary. Was it really windy??
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