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Old 03-13-2023, 08:24 PM   #1
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drones.....

Does anyone here have experience flying and retrieving a drone from the deck of a moving vessel? If so, what were the wave conditions?

Also, I'm open to advice on features to look for in a drone.
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Old 03-14-2023, 12:57 AM   #2
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There are quite a few Youtube videos on this, and every one of them makes it look challenging, with possible loss of the drone. Many of the videos end with, "wow, glad we got that back, not going to do it again!". Their firmware is all set up to land straight down, GPS and AHRS stabilized. One tip was to turn off any of the collision sensing stuff, as that made it harder with it trying to avoid you and the boat. Another was to put a handle on the bottom well clear of the props that you can grab if it gets close enough.

I've flown the drone off the deck a lot, but never tried it moving. Even taking off is a bit challenging, it goes up and immediately off the back - it is staying still and you are driving out from under it. Might be worth practicing from the bed of a pickup first? Just try grabbing it while walking forward and you can get an idea of the problems.
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Old 03-14-2023, 04:13 AM   #3
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When flying a drone from a moving vessel, it's crucial to consider the wind and wave conditions. High winds and rough seas can make it difficult to control the drone and increase the risk of crashes or damage to the drone. It's best to wait for calm conditions before attempting to fly and retrieve the drone from a moving vessel.
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Old 03-14-2023, 09:10 AM   #4
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I have done it quite a few times. Even in calm conditions it can be challenging. Best method I have done is with an old DJI Phantom (the one that looks like a flying white milk crate) and someone to grab a hold of the landing gear while it's hovering. I fly My Mavic 2 off my foredeck, but landing can be a pain because the sensors get all upset by the side rails. Switching to sport mode shuts the sensors down and that helps a lot. The upside to flying off the boat is the shots can be incredible.
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Old 03-14-2023, 09:18 AM   #5
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You might direct message "Retriever" on this site..he has extensive drone experience.
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Old 03-14-2023, 09:32 AM   #6
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A friend gave me the controls on dry land. It was a riot. Found it easy to operate.
I cannot imagine good outcomes landing on a moving deck. However, if I can bring it to me on first flight and have it hover arms length, grab it then that is how I would do it. BTW, if it has a return to the take off spot, you cannot use that function once you moved. His has a follow me setting we plan to try out.
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Old 03-14-2023, 11:30 AM   #7
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The "have it hover at arms length" is the problem. The drone is stabilized by GPS and AHRS. Hovering to them means staying in one place. The boat is moving constantly away from that place. You have to actively fly it at boat speed, following the heaving motion if there is any, and keeping your hands away from the four rotating knives.

I can easily hand catch my drone standing on land (or the not in motion deck). MUCH more difficult even walking at a slow pace. For one thing, the way they are typically configured, tracking motion requires the right hand stick, while the throttle to land and shut down are the right stick, and it has to be grabbed with - the third hand?

Another issue is that the precision altitude holding is done with sonar return from the ground on many drones. That doesn't work well, or at all, over water.

I am going to try the follow me function at very close range and see if that would aid in any way. One more trick is if you can get your hands on it, most drones will shut down if you flip them over.
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Old 03-14-2023, 12:45 PM   #8
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DDW, why would you be in motion when trying to land it. Sounds more difficult and perhaps a two person job, one to fly, other to catch.
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Old 03-14-2023, 01:23 PM   #9
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The subject was launching and retrieving from a moving boat. In all the videos, a two or more man job. From stationary boat, not much harder than on land.

On a trawler, I don't see much problem in just stopping momentarily to recover (though roll and heave might still be a problem). On the sailboat stopping can be a fair amount of work, and also a lot more obstacles to miss during the landing.
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Old 03-14-2023, 01:56 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DDW View Post
The subject was launching and retrieving from a moving boat. In all the videos, a two or more man job. From stationary boat, not much harder than on land.

On a trawler, I don't see much problem in just stopping momentarily to recover (though roll and heave might still be a problem). On the sailboat stopping can be a fair amount of work, and also a lot more obstacles to miss during the landing.
got it, then kamikaze landing without pilot error.
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Old 03-14-2023, 07:06 PM   #11
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Depending on the drone you might have to turn the collision avoidance off. My Phantom 4 gets upset with anything within about 10 feet with the collision stuff on.

You also need to set the RTH to the xmitter, not the launch point. If there is a failure you don't want the drone to head back to where it started if you are operating it from a moving boat. There is a YouTube video of this happening and the boat did not get back to the home point before the drone did.

The Phantom series is lots easier to launch and retrieve than some of the other ones. It comes with convenient handles. The Phantom series is also more powerful and heavier which helps in windy conditions.

If you want to play around, used Phantom drones are pretty cheap these days.
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Old 03-14-2023, 08:06 PM   #12
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Be aware that any high-end modern drone has a feature called "return to home"

This feature allows the drone to come back to its launch point and land all by itself if you lose radio link or get disoriented when it goes beyond 100'. The problem with this feature is it memorizes the "home" GPS point at the time the drone is powered on. If your boat is moving when you take off, and say you go even 100 yards from the launch point, the drone will "return home" back where you started and land in the water (at which it will sink...bye bye...)
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Old 03-14-2023, 09:05 PM   #13
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Most modern drones will allow you to set the home point to the control location. Don't expect it to automatically land in front of you on a moving deck though. It will just keep it from heading the opposite direction if it can't phone home.

If you are considering a drone and also want to stay within the law, Phantom and most older drones require a certain amount of licensing and paperwork. As of mid year, anything over 250g will need a beacon, the operator will need to be licensed (and that isn't just filling out a form). Chance of getting caught is probably slim, but the penalties are substantial. There are newer very capable drones in the < 250g category.

You can thank the idiots flying them around commercial airliners for that.
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Old 03-14-2023, 09:18 PM   #14
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Might be smart to get a waterproof drone.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BB73CM3...rigin1-20&th=1
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Old 03-14-2023, 09:34 PM   #15
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I've never retrieved it from a moving boat, just stationary in calm conditions.

I bring it in close reach up and grab the bottom and then flip it over to turn it off. It will sound like a swam of angry bees when you flip it over.

There are lots of videos of folks hand launching/retrieving drones. Mine is easy as it is under 250.

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..... One more trick is if you can get your hands on it, most drones will shut down if you flip them over.
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Old 03-15-2023, 11:04 AM   #16
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Might be smart to get a waterproof drone.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BB73CM3...rigin1-20&th=1
I had one of those (a prior version of it). It was very unsophisticated and unintegrated compared to the Mavic Pro that eventually replaced it. Also the term "waterproof" has been used with some license: the motors for example are not sealed, just conformally coated windings.

It is possible to put floats on a smaller drone like a DJI Mini. If you google it you will find lots of mounts. This will reduce the flight time a small amount but they work well to keep the drone from sinking. You can even operate off of water with them, though I don't recommend it. I used them on the Mavic Pro flying from the deck. DJI sells flight insurance that covers water damage, so in the event you have a splash landing, you can get it replaced (for a deductible charge). I had paid for that, but it required returning the carcass to get the new one - hence the floats. The DJI policy now includes the possibility that you may not have the carcass, either due to a "fly-away" or sinking. So the floats are less necessary.

I never needed the floats, although at least once I though I might. Deep in Fjordland, drone lost GPS signals (canyon walls too high) and got very difficult to control for awhile.

Example drone photo:

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Old 03-15-2023, 11:10 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DDW View Post
I had one of those (a prior version of it). It was very unsophisticated and unintegrated compared to the Mavic Pro that eventually replaced it. Also the term "waterproof" has been used with some license: the motors for example are not sealed, just conformally coated windings.

It is possible to put floats on a smaller drone like a DJI Mini. If you google it you will find lots of mounts. This will reduce the flight time a small amount but they work well to keep the drone from sinking. You can even operate off of water with them, though I don't recommend it. I used them on the Mavic Pro flying from the deck. DJI sells flight insurance that covers water damage, so in the event you have a splash landing, you can get it replaced (for a deductible charge). I had paid for that, but it required returning the carcass to get the new one - hence the floats. The DJI policy now includes the possibility that you may not have the carcass, either due to a "fly-away" or sinking. So the floats are less necessary.

I never needed the floats, although at least once I though I might. Deep in Fjordland, drone lost GPS signals (canyon walls too high) and got very difficult to control for awhile.
I think that landing your drone in salt water (even with floats) is going to be fatal for the drone.
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Old 03-15-2023, 11:24 AM   #18
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I think that landing your drone in salt water (even with floats) is going to be fatal for the drone.
Hence, the insurance.
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Old 03-15-2023, 03:09 PM   #19
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I have been flying a Mavic Pro for about 7 years and over the water including to and from the boat on multiple occasions. It can be dicey and the little guy has used 7 of his 9 lives in close calls. I had another drone that I lost on its second go out and it's now at the bottom of the ocean. Things happen. If you are new to these, practice on dry land a lot before you try to do the boat thing.
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Old 03-15-2023, 08:50 PM   #20
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If your drone is insured, but doesn't float, they won't cover it, as they usually require you to sent it to them. If it's in the water, it's probably non-recoverable . . . . .
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