Jump to content

Video - Drones For Gold Prospecting


Recommended Posts


I love the idea, been seriouly thinking about one myself. Anyone have any suggestions as which one to buy, there seems to be so many out there to choose from.

 

Thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pretty cool, I've had one on the wish list for some time. I read quite a few horror stories about folks buying a $1200 unit and having it get a mind of its own and disappear never to be seen again. I believe they have limits built into the gps systems to keep them in range and prevent that from happening now? Need to learn more about them for sure.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The under $200 ones I see only have a range of 150 feet which seems about useless to me? I'd want at least 500 feet range altho you would only see a speck in the distance and have no idea whether it is coming or going? I'd also want to be able to view the drones camera picture from the transmitter or large cell phone or tablet, vs an SD card after the fact. I like the idea of a pilots eye view while flying it plus a return home failsafe in case of loss of radio control.

If you wanted to scope out a spot on private land, this might be the ticket, and no trespassing issues, unless it crashes on said property.

 

Having one follow me up a desert wash would be pretty nerve rattling tho.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would like to hear from those using the stiching software to map an area. Any particular standout software? We are off the grid and have no internet access when out there so it would have to be a stand alone software. Any info appreciated

Cheers

BB

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I used Agisoft Photoscan to stitch with, it's standalone, there might be better options now though. It worked better for me than Photoshop's stitcher which stumbled a lot in places like praries where there isn't much but gray ground and bushes and the photos look similar.

It was a bit tough to learn though, in fact if I do another aerial survey I'd have to go back and read the tutorials myself again since its been a year or so.

Also, if you use a GoPro or another camera with fisheye then you need to do a fisheye correction in Photoshop or similar before stitching if you want to geolocate the overlay and have it match up at all, or shoot in Narrow FOV which requires a lot more flight passes. The fisheye correction isn't perfect either and you generally lose your corners and parts of the edges due to distortion.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dji phantom 2 or 3 series I would recommended the 3 advanced ($900ish) with a android or apple phone/tablet you can easily set gps flights and it will takeoff and land itself. It also has the option of using mapping software that far surpasses google earth https://pix4d.com/mines-quarries/. You get around a 25 min flight time and in an open area around 1.2 miles of distance as the crow flies for live video. Though I flew one gps flight of over 4 miles in happy camp ca!!

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

American Made drone with gimbal mounted camera included ,25 minute flight time, GPS, Fly Home functions, controller shows you remaining battery life, and altitude,price is a measly $699 for the premium version with hard case to carry it in, 1.2 mile range, company located in Virginia,USA, their Customer Support is supposed to be top notch, Best Buy sells these drones but their price is 899 vs straight from the mfgr of 699 AND, the company has optional CRASH Damage insurance policies available

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...