Hi from Seattle area

[Calvin]

Short story but maybe a long one,,,,
I've been thinking of a camera ship but rather than drop a bunch on a newer one I decided to start with a reliable older model that has a good reputation so I found on Craigslist a Typhoon q500 4k that might fly.
I haven't been able to test anything yet as that the ground station had been left on while it was in storage so the battery is toast.
I do have other sport flyer drones so most of my drone knowledge about batteries and such is up to date.

My plans are to get this thing airborne again, I have a pair of Tx batteries ordered, I'm going to do an upgrade to the drone for generic batteries.,,,,,,,

Anyway I have a few questions so I'll be around in the forums asking,
Thanks all and glad to be here.
Mike

 

[DoomMeister]

Welcome to YuneecPilots Mike!

I think you will find information here invaluable. The Q500 section of this compendium of knowledge will be a great resource to you Way To Fix Drones project

 

[Calvin]

Morning, thanks for the welcome, I've been reading in that forum and yes there's wealth of info, I just hope I didn't buy a total wreck, but I didn't pay that much either,
In this day & age $200 for a used camera ship isn't that much, I do have a line on an "H Pro" for $800 NIB but decided to step into this slowly, plus from what I've read in reviews the "H" suffers from the same short flight times as the "q500" does but it's airframe isn't as easy to modify for a larger battery as the "Q".

 

[DoomMeister]

For the H480 battery this is a great resource Battery Adapter, Typhoon H, DIY

 

[Calvin]

Thanks, but like I said I'm not going to get the "H" until I've satisfied my curiosity on the "Q"
But another question, what site do I use to register this thing for the FAA?

 

[Calvin]

I was just reading on another forum, there they were indicating that it's not longer a requirement to register with the FAA if it's recreational only, is that true?

 

[DoomMeister]

This is the site FAADroneZone

As a recreational pilot you register yourself not your aircraft. The ID number you get must be placed on the aircraft you fly (except those under 250 grams/0.55 lbs) and carry the ‘license’ you get when you are flying.

 

[Calvin]

Thanks, I thought something was a-mis when I tried on a couple of sites that wanted more than the $5.

 

[Rubik]

Hi Calvin. Welcome to the forum. It has been extremely valuable to me as I continue to learn how to deal with my TH and get good results. I'm also in the Seattle area. Stay healthy!

 

[Calvin]

Yeah,,,,
Roger that

 

[Airyal]

Short story but maybe a long one,,,,
I've been thinking of a camera ship but rather than drop a bunch on a newer one I decided to start with a reliable older model that has a good reputation so I found on Craigslist a Typhoon q500 4k that might fly.
I haven't been able to test anything yet as that the ground station had been left on while it was in storage so the battery is toast.
I do have other sport flyer drones so most of my drone knowledge about batteries and such is up to date.

My plans are to get this thing airborne again, I have a pair of Tx batteries ordered, I'm going to do an upgrade to the drone for generic batteries.,,,,,,,

Anyway I have a few questions so I'll be around in the forums asking,
Thanks all and glad to be here.
Mike

Calvin/Mike Where do you plan to fly your copter? I used to live there but wasn't into flying. Now I plan to return to visit family and would like to bring my Q500. Some places come to mind like Snohomish by the slough, Monroe or the Skagit flatlands. What areas to you recommend?
Airyal (Albert)

 

[Calvin]

I'm way south of that area, not sure if there are many no fly zones up there, I know you can't fly in Seattle proper.
Most city parks are closed to RC aircraft,

As that I only started flying this year with sport drones at the local school sports field, the Q500 is my first real camera ship and it's not flight worthy yet so I really can't suggest an area in that I think anywhere up here in the PNW you're going to find some wonderful flying area views.

I know all State parks are closed to RC aircraft, St. Helen's basically is closed to RC aircraft, all of Mt. Rainier same story.

I'd say the tulip fields up north would be outstanding when they go into bloom, may be a place to plan for, I hope by that time my skills will be good enough but the one thing I want to be sure of is the dependability of my quad.

I'm going to be a member of the Geyser Flyer's soon, that's an RC club with a field at Flaming Geyser State park, the geyser isn't much more than a Bic Lighter as far as flame goes but there's a lot of open field the club has access to.

But with the way folks are up here I don't think anybody is going to raise a fuss no matter where you decide to get airborne.
From what I understand about these birds is that they're pretty quite so they may not even know you're up there looking around or filming.

Sorry I can't be of more help.

The good news is that I just got the replacement battery for the Tx and have done some basic ground tests with the almost shot drone battery but I know most of the systems are good to go, just leery of the airframe, don't trust the repair the previous owner did so I'm waiting for a good airframe to pop up.

 

[Airyal]

Thanks for reply. I lived for several years in the U-district and moved to Port Townsend on the peninsula. If you're near Olympia I'm sure you can find a lot of open space for flying,
Good luck with Q500. It's a great photo platform as is the H.

 

[Rubik]

Hi Albert. The National Forests are open for drone flying, but not National Parks or National Monuments. The trick is finding locations that are not within 4-5 miles of an active airfield, aren't covered with trees and have something interesting to see. I've launched just outside National Parks with a great view inside. I've flown over local rivers and over Puget Sound with views of the coastline and city scape. Tulip fields sound good but you may have difficulty finding an acceptable place to launch. Let us know if you come up with some other good ideas.

 

[Airyal]

Thanks Rubic. Washington has plenty of flyable ares but some require traveling to get there. I enjoy the area bordered by Ellensburg, Vantage, Yakima and Kennewick . I've found some back roads where one could fly without unwarranted scrutiny. There are some pull-offs that give access to some farily remote riverfront sites. Also the hwy 101 on the west side of Hood Canal has several waterfront areas where flying may be permitted. If you can speak with local police or state troupers they often will recommend possible sites. Good flying.

 

[Calvin]

You guys are starting to put the "Hurry Up" bug in me to get mine up and flying, but my main batteries won't be here for another three weeks or so,,,,,,,
If the batteries prove out to be reliable and I can build some trust in the range of the bird it's going to be a fun summer.

I had one expensive flyaway when I was starting out with my smaller drones so I gotta get some fly time over open fields before heading off to the hills with this drone.

Just up the road away's from my place is Hwy. 410 that leads up the mountain, lots of turn outs and Mud Mountain on the way to Mt. Rainier has a good wide clear cut area over looking the valley.

Picked up a couple of SD cards yesterday, modified the sun shade so the side facing down is gone for easy touch screen adjustments,.

I put narrow velcro strips on each side of the screen and on the two side edges of the shade, with the one panel gone I can flex the lower section of the shade for even easier access, plus it will still fold flat for storage.

Those little suction cups they use are ok but I don'r like the rattle of the shade as it gets moved around, plus they will let go at inopportune times.

Still have to put a bit of a curve to the upper edge, right now it's a three side box.

When I finish it I'll post a pick.