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Thinking of Buying a 920

Just how old am I?[emoji42]

After just buying a couple more batteries, two more prop spares, and too much stuff from Yuneec, I’m not inclined to buy the no wire adapters to try them. I’ll leave that testing to Chris. I do plan on going out to the shop to see how they might have been assembled as I have a concern or two about how secure the connections were made.

I agree with the other old fart that since you have stock batteries to work with for awhile there’s no hurry to obtain something else. Generate a system comfort zone first. Once you have that out of the way it will be easier for you to explore other options.
 
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Complety agree with both of you old flatulators. I like to try and get ahead of the pitfalls. I've got a pretty good grasp of the 480 and it's nuances. Trying to do the same with the 920. Yuneec did a pretty good job of working out the kinks on the 480. To bad they didn't put the effort into the 920 or the 520. We'll see on the H+ which is the 520-!
 
:rolleyes: My family younger ones associate me with the term... Older than Dirt... and I'm certain yer on the + side of me. ;)

And... the one labeling us Dino's is only a few behind us. :cool:
The truth hurts. That's why I go with the socialist viewpoint and put my head in the sand, deny my history and state emphatically that what you say can't be true!
 
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From my perspective I think Yuneec put a lot more effort into the 920, especially the original, than they did with either the 520 or 480. Although not as fast the 920 pretty much exceeds both of them combined in capability. Seabee has related that Tuna’s UAV Toolbox is also compatible with the 920 Plus and waypoint flights are easier to set up and faster to load a flight plan for one of his that had been until now a little slow to generate them using the earlier 920+ firmware. Other features, like ability to utilize different cameras and very stable firmware put the 920 ahead of either the 520 or 480. Once you become accustomed to it the 920 serves as a great video platform. The CGO-4 is a better video than still camera though, but that can be compensated for by obtaining screen grabs from video. Had the 920+ been provided a histogram the issue with stills would have been completely eliminated.

I believe a couple things came together that caused Yuneec some serious setbacks with 920 sales, and a later event caused even further pain. U.S. regulatory delays may well have curtailed sales which in turn would have significantly impacted sales projections developed prior to our FAA’s prohibiting commercial ops without first obtaining a 333, and the next two years waiting out the 107 process drove even more nails in that coffin. All of that would have hammered anticipated sales volume and generated financial issues hard to overcome. Toss the Chapter 11 filing of a U.S. wholesale distributor that owed Yuneec somewhere between $7 mil and $10 million, which will require a year or more for some U.S. bankruptcy court to work out a payment schedule, we might factor all that into the Chinese news reports of Yuneec failing to pay suppliers and it becomes conceivable Yuneec ended the 920 not because they wanted to, but because they had to after being cut off from the supply chain that provided all the 920 components. It could also explain why they came up with the "Plus" concept, one that degraded the 920 to be a platform better than the 480 but less than what it had been. The only way they could continue to service it would be to use components from suppliers that would still provide credit. I’m only guessing but those providing stuff for the 480 might have been the only providers that would deal with them. Yuneec appears to have lied to their customers by insisting the 920's out there had to be sent back and converted to the Plus for system "improvements".

The 520 release ended up a disaster as they released a product significantly different from what their “independent” field test people were flying. Post release reports from individual buyers reported so many firmware differences from what was advertised by pre-production unit fliers that sales slumped quickly, which could have impacted cash flow even further. The CES announcements have yet to deliver tangible evidence of improvements for either the 520 or 480. It's possible they no longer have the personnel or the cash necessary to get what they need to do done. Yuneec may well be wondering where their next bowl of rice may be coming from.

All that is why I just bought a bunch of spare parts. The 920 is a very good platform that does not deserve to be shelved because the maker may not be there to sell us parts. Over reacting on my part and heading down the wrong rabbit hole is a distinct possibility but having learned that one is none and two is one, having spares is like an insurance policy. You hope to never use it but it’s there if you do. Yuneec has still done nothing to adequately reassure their customer base, something a series of progress press releases would help to achieve.
 
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Your logic of backups is why I have 2 480's, 3 cgo3+'s, 3 st16's and a few other extras. The 520 is plagued with oversights. Uneven horizons, not being able to change modes, soft images etc. It's a long list. I can't speak on the 920 except from what I'm hearing hear and the FB groups. Even then it gets tough figuring out what is true and what is hearsay.
 
From where I sit, the greatest complaint about either version of the 920 is that it won't do all that some want it to do. For those that had the original 920 and had it converted it will no longer do all that it used to do. The original 920 owners that suffered the conversion certainly have total justification for those complaints. I would be irate if I had a 920 converted and found out all that it had lost. Later 920 Plus buyers really don't as the truth of what the conversion did to the system became evident as systems trickled back to the original owners. later Plus buyers performing their "due diligence" had plenty of opportunity to educate themselves and make informed decisions. It's why I made it a point to publish all of my experiences with the 920 Plus thus far, good and bad, and conceal nothing. There was a need for further expansion as those making references in all the other forums either skipped over a few things, deliberately left them out, or made their observations so long ago that it was difficult to ferret them out. But they could be found with a little effort.

Thus far my only "complaints" are firmware and documentation related, with a battery issue on the side. The battery issue has been resolved at least well enough I no longer have any concerns with it. Others might still be chasing a multi flight hour rainbow but they'll eventually figure out there is only so much that can be had. Once they figure out that only so much battery weight can be added before the system consumes more energy lifting the added weight of the increased energy supply or exceeds the system's maximum safe lift capacity they tend to become silent in flight time/battery threads. With the Plus firmware it boils down to not having a histogram, where that feature is shown in the system menu. With documentation we have to remember we're dealing with Yuneec, who has a long history of screwing the documentation pooch. However, the 920 has a lot more documentation better than anything before it. The 520's is only good because someone other than Yuneec developed it. Either version of the 920 makes a great platform for those that recognize what they can do and structure their activities around the system capabilities as they are today.

When people buy something they need to be more concerned with what that product will do for them now, not what they might wish and hope for it to do later. Those that buy something "non industrial", thinking they were going to later get something for nothing, where a long history of continuous product upgrades had not already been established, or lack written money back guarantees of future upgrades, are extremely naive'. It's unfortunate, but a lot of consumers are extremely superficial and will believe or want to believe almost anything, later to find out their original perceptions were way off base. The first thing they'll do is blame the maker of the product. There may be a reason to believe they were misled, and there may not be such a reason. Companies selling to a mass consumer market often bank on misinterpretation when such perception is properly manipulated. Advertising is all about manipulation. We can see how that works in posts where people complain about not achieving manufacturer estimated flight times. More often than not the manufacturer did not lie to them and used flight time estimates with the words "up to" included in the time descriptions. It's not their fault some buyers don't read every word in a sentence, or lack the life or product experience necessary to recognize that advertising is always designed to present every possible positive related to a product while avoiding any potential negatives.
 
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From where I sit, the greatest complaint about either version of the 920 is that it won't do all that some want it to do. For those that had the original 920 and had it converted it will no longer do all that it used to do. The original 920 owners that suffered the conversion certainly have total justification for those complaints. I would be irate if I had a 920 converted and found out all that it had lost. Later 920 Plus buyers really don't as the truth of what the conversion did to the system became evident as systems trickled back to the original owners. later Plus buyers performing their "due diligence" had plenty of opportunity to educate themselves and make informed decisions. It's why I made it a point to publish all of my experiences with the 920 Plus thus far, good and bad, and conceal nothing. There was a need for further expansion as those making references in all the other forums either skipped over a few things, deliberately left them out, or made their observations so long ago that it was difficult to ferret them out. But they could be found with a little effort.

Thus far my only "complaints" are firmware and documentation related, with a battery issue on the side. The battery issue has been resolved at least well enough I no longer have any concerns with it. Others might still be chasing a multi flight hour rainbow but they'll eventually figure out there is only so much that can be had. Once they figure out that only so much battery weight can be added before the system consumes more energy lifting the added weight of the increased energy supply or exceeds the system's maximum safe lift capacity they tend to become silent in flight time/battery threads. With the Plus firmware it boils down to not having a histogram, where that feature is shown in the system menu. With documentation we have to remember we're dealing with Yuneec, who has a long history of screwing the documentation pooch. However, the 920 has a lot more documentation better than anything before it. The 520's is only good because someone other than Yuneec developed it. Either version of the 920 makes a great platform for those that recognize what they can do and structure their activities around the system capabilities as they are today.

When people buy something they need to be more concerned with what that product will do for them now, not what they might wish and hope for it to do later. Those that buy something "non industrial", thinking they were going to later get something for nothing, where a long history of continuous product upgrades had not already been established, or lack written money back guarantees of future upgrades, are extremely naive'. It's unfortunate, but a lot of consumers are extremely superficial and will believe or want to believe almost anything, later to find out their original perceptions were way off base. The first thing they'll do is blame the maker of the product. There may be a reason to believe they were misled, and there may not be such a reason. Companies selling to a mass consumer market often bank on misinterpretation when such perception is properly manipulated. Advertising is all about manipulation. We can see how that works in posts where people complain about not achieving manufacturer estimated flight times. More often than not the manufacturer did not lie to them and used flight time estimates with the words "up to" included in the time descriptions. It's not their fault some buyers don't read every word in a sentence, or lack the life or product experience necessary to recognize that advertising is always designed to present every possible positive related to a product while avoiding any potential negatives.
Couldn't agree more. Yuneec has mislead the 520 market a lot. I get that marketing isn't going to be truly honest with everything but saying the H+ is a 480 with 520 blades that has smart modes is beyond deception.

So does the st24 have rate change options?
 
Sure just like a old fart to dodge the ?
 
Absolutely:)
Pat, great read, enjoy the history and detail.
On side issue... I commend you & several on forum; just got done reading the thread on the GPS 3rd party product and the member VP ! Holy Pete ;), that was intense & frustrating just reading... a 2 month old thread. I was waiting... for ya to pull out the big guns but you restrained. I hadn’t seen a thread so agitating... then as normal one reflects on self. :oops: Hopefully my debating, challenging, sharing or elder raw humor has textually passed in a receptive tone. :)

The thread was closed,,, as of Dec, has there been any progress on the 3rd party GPS?
 
On your 920 overview above, I’ve meant to inquire a few times... the H920+ has the waypoint and the ST16 can utilize UAV Toolbox. That’s lacking of the 920, is there a method to implement UAV Toolbox on ST24 since both Android OS or was there an earlier product that provided waypoints?

My assumption all along has been no, but wanted to check if you recalled a previous app or method.
 
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First, in regards to the GPS thread, I recognized your restraint in your rebuttal;) No problems at all, and I enjoyed reading it. FYI, one of the mods here had perpetual landing issues that were also blamed on the H. After chastising me severely it was later discovered the settings he was using were the cause of his problems;)

As for UAV Toolbox, are you certain it can't be done? I've not heard of anyone that's tried. It would be worth a private message to Tuna to obtain his thoughts about it. Doesn't the 920 provide waypoint capability?

As for the history lesson, our FAA clamped down on commercial drone operations well before they had the legal authority to do so. I think I mentioned this before but just in case... They sent out cease and desist orders to major companies that were employing independent drone contractors for real estate, cinema, and power generation operations. The fines mentioned in those letters were high enough that companies terminated their contracts which in turn put a lot of people out of business. The 333 process came about roughly a year after that. Just for casual conversation, the attorney that later became DJI's U.S. mouthpiece was smack dab in the middle of all that defending a guy named Trappy Pirker, as was a person writing drone articles for Forbes that later founded AirMap. Dig deep and you'll find circles within circles that are still being expanded to manipulate our airspace and regulatory system.

Regardless, those FAA letters were going out just before the 920 was released to the U.S. market. Nobody was going to buy an expensive commercial platform for sometime after that unless they were one of the first 6 to lobby the FAA into opening up the 333 process. However, Europe and the UK had yet to prohibit commercial drone ops, and that's where a few U.S. commercial operators went to land the big jobs. Next time you watch a recent James Bond or Expendables movie, check the aerial drone crew credits. They're all U.S. based, shot on location in Europe. It would be another two years before U.S. commercial operations once again became viable but the damage to Yuneec had been done. All that was left was the icing on the cake with the botched Typhoon H release and the wholesaler BK.
 
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You've hit on something that's near and dear to me. When I say near and dear, I really mean there isn't one thing the gov't does well except waste our tax payer $ and overextend their reach into every aspect of our lives. Believe it or not we didn't have taxes before 1913 and we still built airplanes, highways, skyscrapers, bridges, hospitals etc.

The FAA is the only agency that I can give any credit for doing something well and keeping it going fairly well. I wasn't aware of all the politics that crippled Yuneec and the 920. I guess we can learn new tricks from old dogs!:p

We've now got it so that most think that we can't exist without the gov'ts assistance. We're to dumb to raise and teach our kids, plan for our retirement(I want all of my SS $ back) etc.

So on a + note. Keep panning out the info on the 920. I really wish there was a way to get into the 920 firmware. My 920 just shipped so by next week I should be able to display my lack of knowledge in a way to embarrass myself royally!

On a serious note can you use the arm/kill switch on the st24 for landing like on the H/st16? I know Patr that you don't have a st24 but it's not all about you. "That’s enough about me, let’s talk about you… what do YOU think about me?"
 
First, in regards to the GPS thread, I recognized your restraint in your rebuttal;) No problems at all, and I enjoyed reading it. FYI, one of the mods here had perpetual landing issues that were also blamed on the H. After chastising me severely it was later discovered the settings he was using were the cause of his problems;)
.

Appreciate the leeway, I do enjoy your thought provoking viewpoints & logic!

On the other, I was meaning a thread I wasn’t in, back in December; the GPS Spec thread where you and several had the pleasure dealing with a new user Vincent Pete... VP.
Typhoon H GPS Specifications
That was a interesting discussion on the GPS, and agitating on the chatter with VP. Found it intesting how he basically challenged several insultingly... I thought I’d see a little stronger rebuttal but you restrained.

And have you heard any progress with that 3rd party GPS?
 
Politically I’m liking you more every minute[emoji4]

I don’t think you’ll ever need the kill switch to land the 920. The descent speed is very controllable and platform stability is excellent. Most of my t/o and landings so far have been from uneven ground and there hasn’t been any cause for anxiety. I’ll admit I’m quick to disarm after touch down most of the time but those times I have been late to do so didn’t demonstrate any reasons for concern. That doesn’t mean I intend to relax before the motors are stopped though. No landing is complete until the motors are stopped and the batteries are removed from the aircraft.

Sure, you’ll be nervous, and you should be. You’ll likely be out of your comfort zone but we don’t grow until we step outside of it and create a new one. Fear is good as it keeps us on our toes. Panic is always destructive though. Understand the basic controls and initially fly basic flights to gain competence. Save the camera stuff for after you become comfortable with flying it. Don’t fly without the camera unless you install a ballast weight roughly equal to the camera weight. Think about and develop a pre flight checklist. Use it every time. Plan your flight, fly the plan.
 
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As for UAV Toolbox, are you certain it can't be done? I've not heard of anyone that's tried. It would be worth a private message to Tuna to obtain his thoughts about it. Doesn't the 920 provide waypoint capability?

Well, I didn’t see a Waypoint feature in the ST24. But never 100% certainty... hadn’t seen waypoints in manual, I thought thst was the one new added feature in the 920+.

I’ll look again to verify...
 
I wish I had a 24 to ferret through but I have no doubts you’ll find all that’s present.
Can PM if interested... if you'd actually like a ST24, I have 2 ST24 & ST12... happy to send a ST24 to examine to ya if you wanted to compare H920 H920+ FC software... .
 

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