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Right out Of the box

All this stuff? Every GPS drone needs to be calibrated. Once done properly, it can be done periodically and always if flying more than 100 miles from where it was last calibrated.

It's the pilots responsibility to ensure that all of the safety checks have been done on the craft before each flight, the environment (including kp index below 4) is suitable, and all settings & calibrations are correct. If you aren't doing this with your Mavic, you should return it as well.

Oh boy, another one of these guys. Why get personal? What's with all this "pilot" stuff? Why do some of you apparently think that you get to dictate to the rest of us what we should and shouldn't do before every flight? I'm flying a 1 1/2 lb toy around as a leisure activity. Some of you guys act as if you're launching an Apollo mission. What's the point in buying a drone that's ready to fly in less than a minute if you're going to re-calibrate it every time you fly? If you want to talk "irresponsible" perhaps you shouldn't fly your Karma period, considering all of the problems that it's had with fly aways and randomly falling out of the sky!

You probably get into a vehicle every day that weighs thousands of pounds. Do you check the brakes? The steering? The tires? All the lights? The fluids? Etc? Or do you trust that the systems on board will warn you if there's a problem? Actually, I can imagine one of you guys leaving for work an hour early, breaking out a creeper and inspecting your brake lines, exhaust, etc with your wife standing by with a clipboard. "Front passenger brake line check!". "Front passenger brake line heard!" Hahaha!

In 20 hours of flight so fsr, my Mavic has never requested a calibration, although I'm confident that it will when/if it's necessary. I've owned or have owned several 3DR drones, several Parrot drones, a Yuneec, 2 Karmas, a couple Syma drones and now the Mavic. The Karma needed a re-calibration constantly because of it's poor design. So did my 3DR but once I replaced the GPS module in my Solo, it no longer required frequent GPS re-calibrations. My Bebop also needs to be re-calibrated frequently. Heck, when I installed the GPS mod in my AR Drone, I had to fuss with it all the time. You shouldn"t have to do that with a modern drone and with the Mavic I don't. Pure and simple.

We all got suckered into buying a first gen, rushed to market product with a lot of problems. There's no doubt in my mind that Go Pro is well aware of this and if they had any integrity, they would recall them again and go back to the drawing board. At least offer an inexpensive upgrade to ditch the single system GPS for a dual one and address the signal loss problem. All the dancing in the park in the world won't solve that issue buddy! Mine would lose signal within 500'. I go to the same exact locations with my Mavic (and also with my Solo) with no such signal losses. Do you have a calibration for that? Some of you seem to be mistaking kit drones and rc for ready to go flying toys. If I walk into Toys R Us and buy a RC truck, I don't expect to have to mess with it. However, if I buy a RC truck kit at the hobby shop, that's a different story. These drones are marketed as ready to fly. The Karma is especially touted as a beginner drone. Now it's incumbent on the consumer to deal with it's shortcomings? Please. Maybe all the people with faulty air bags should just wrap duct tape around their steering wheels, right?
 
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We all got suckered into buying a first gen, rushed to market product with a lot of problems. There's no doubt in my mind that Go Pro is well aware of this and if they had any integrity, they would recall them again and go back to the drawing board. At least offer an inexpensive upgrade to ditch the single system GPS for a dual one and address the signal loss problem.
I am expecting them to be like (no integrity) Sony with the Playstation TV - now, unsupported, and with its final update: bricked the unit and/or removed apps and gameplay support so it's useless.

Now it's incumbent on the consumer to deal with its shortcomings?
As far as the Company has behaved, yes.

As a side note, modding can be done full-force once a company no longer supports the item. We do however, need to be aware of spoilsport updates nearing the end of life.

Now for users wanting to use an item under the company's rules/guidelines/TOS...whatever- Yes, play by their rules of the game. Even if it means, in this case, going through pre-flight checks and all that.

GoPro itself said the Karma drone is *not* a toy.

Just, remember the little boy who lost an eye from an errant drone. Toddler loses eye after drone propeller sliced through it






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I am expecting them to be like (no integrity) Sony with the Playstation TV - now, unsupported, and with its final update: bricked the unit and/or removed apps and gameplay support so it's useless.


As far as the Company has behaved, yes.

As a side note, modding can be done full-force once a company no longer supports the item. We do however, need to be aware of spoilsport updates nearing the end of life.

Now for users wanting to use an item under the company's rules/guidelines/TOS...whatever- Yes, play by their rules of the game. Even if it means, in this case, going through pre-flight checks and all that.

GoPro itself said the Karma drone is *not* a toy.

Just, remember the little boy who lost an eye from an errant drone. Toddler loses eye after drone propeller sliced through it






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Awesome reply! Now I'm going to sound mean but I read that article and all I thought about was how this "experienced pilot" ran his drone into a tree! I don't see how a re-calibration would have saved this kid's eye. Maybe this family friend should have been more careful.

I agree that companies should step up more often than they do. That why I stuck with Samsung after the Note 7 debacle. At least they bit the bullet and stepped up! I've been a Go Pro guy since the very first camera that took AAA batteries and a full sized SD card, I still have it. I thought they were going to do right by us but instead the put a little piece of plastic on the battery and ignored all of the other problems with the platform. Just pathetic.

I know I come off as some Maverick style guy or whatever but I give my drone a once over, wait until it's completely ready to go gps and then launch. The Mavic would let you launch before it gets gps lock if you want but I'd rather wait. I don't fly around people. I definitely won't take off or land around people. When I've owned inferior products, if they didn't work perfectly right out of the bag, I wouldn't fly. I learned my lesson with that one. In my experience, messing around with it out in the field to force it to fly ends badly. I played that game with my Karma, calibrated it several times to get it to fly and it lost gps almost immediately causing me to almost lose it in a river. With no other sensors, that thing is a handful to fly in the wind!

I ride motorcycles and I don't try and force other guys to wear a helmet. I snow board and I don't try and force other guys to wear wrist guards. I fly drones and I don't try and force other guys to do a 15 minute pre flight check every time they fly. I frankly don't care what you do with your personal property.
 
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Awesome reply! Now I'm going to sound mean but I read that article and all I thought about was how this "experienced pilot" ran his drone into a tree! I don't see how a re-calibration would have saved this kid's eye. Maybe this family friend should have been more careful.

I agree that companies should step up more often than they do. That why I stuck with Samsung after the Note 7 debacle. At least they bit the bullet and stepped up! I've been a Go Pro guy since the very first camera that took AAA batteries and a full sized SD card, I still have it. I thought they were going to do right by us but instead the put a little piece of plastic on the battery and ignored all of the other problems with the platform. Just pathetic.

I know I come off as some Maverick style guy or whatever but I give my drone a once over, wait until it's completely ready to go gps and then launch. The Mavic would let you launch before it gets gps lock if you want but I'd rather wait. I don't fly around people. I definitely won't take off or land around people. When I've owned inferior products, if they didn't work perfectly right out of the bag, I wouldn't fly. I learned my lesson with that one. In my experience, messing around with it out in the field to force it to fly ends badly. I played that game with my Karma, calibrated it several times to get it to fly and it lost gps almost immediately causing me to almost lose it in a river. With no other sensors, that thing is a handful to fly in the wind!

I ride motorcycles and I don't try and force other guys to wear a helmet. I snow board and I don't try and force other guys to wear wrist guards. I fly drones and I don't try and force other guys to do a 15 minute pre flight check every time they fly. I frankly don't care what you do with your personal property.
The article to me says $#!+ happens, even to experienced people. Look at Racecar Drivers, they can drive for decades and crash.
As for being extra checky safe. If you plan to call on The Company to remedy your issue, be prepared for the Q&A interrogation. Did you do this, do that? What about that? Were you wearing the approved floral bonnet at the time of the incident?
LOL
In so many words, careful isn't bad. If you are overly careful and crash, then call GP to save the day --you may win the lotto with them. If you're not, and crash, then call, -- expect to get shot down, but try anyway. Squeaky wheel gets the grease.

I don't think the poster was really trying to say we *have* to do the checks. But if you want to get GoPro to help, then they expect those checks.

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The article to me says $#!+ happens, even to experienced people. Look at Racecar Drivers, they can drive for decades and crash.
As for being extra checky safe. If you plan to call on The Company to remedy your issue, be prepared for the Q&A interrogation. Did you do this, do that? What about that? Were you wearing the approved floral bonnet at the time of the incident?
LOL
In so many words, careful isn't bad. If you are overly careful and crash, then call GP to save the day --you may win the lotto with them. If you're not, and crash, then call, -- expect to get shot down, but try anyway. Squeaky wheel gets the grease.

I don't think the poster was really trying to say we *have* to do the checks. But if you want to get GoPro to help, then they expect those checks.

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Well he told me that if I didn't did the responsible thing and run through a gamut of calibrations before I fly, I should return my drone as I'm not worthy to "pilot" it... hahaha! Three locations, three batteries and not a single calibration... oh woe to the children! Oh the thousands that must have been injured or died because of my reckless irresponsibility! Hahaha!
 
Well he told me that if I didn't did the responsible thing and run through a gamut of calibrations before I fly, I should return my drone as I'm not worthy to "pilot" it... hahaha! Three locations, three batteries and not a single calibration... oh woe to the children! Oh the thousands that must have been injured or died because of my reckless irresponsibility! Hahaha!
Actually hunter264 was the user wanting to return his. I think JudoSurfer mixed you guys up from this wording:

If you aren't doing this with your Mavic, you should return it as well.
You never mentioned returning anything, so the "as well" makes me think wires got crossed.



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Actually hunter264 was the user wanting to return his. I think JudoSurfer mixed you guys up from this wording:


You never mentioned returning anything, so the "as well" makes me think wires got crossed.



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Maybe...you know what? You are a bunch of really decent guys! Seriously. You're all looking for the nicest way he could have been saying that but it's kinda obvious to the mean people here, ie me, that he meant that, if I weren't flying my drone in a manner that he considers responsible, I shouldn't own one. Hahaha!

Listen, it's a common argument on these forums. I'm on three of them because of the drones I own. Actually, I could join the Parrot and Yuneec forums as well. (small voice) yayyyy... It's the freedom verses regulation, the wanna be pilots verses the casual flyers, mostly it seems to be a lot of Europeans verses Americans. With the Europeans having a ton of laws and we Americans having vauge guidelines. Someone posts a video flying at 1,000 feet and the euros go nuts! Hahaha!
 
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Back on topic...sort of. Perhaps we should compile the best ways to buy a Karma or any drone.

My first choice is Wal-Mart. Now I know that it's not everyone's favorite store but here's the facts;

90 day no questions asked return policy.

I even managed to get them to take 15% off the price and they included an extra battery for free.

$69 3 year replacement warranty. It fails for any reason, you return the unit and they send you a gift card for what you spent.

Second choice is Best Buy. I'm an Elite Plus member so I get 45 day return and I have gotten them to take things back much later if it was under warranty and I was exchanging it or willing to take a gift card.Screenshot_20170903-224608.jpg
 
When I got mine from Best Buy (I'm also elite) they would *not* allow returns outside of 15 days and said there would also be a restocking fee. i would be stuck with GoProCare. My Walmart only has Karma online.

I haven't really flown mine. All of its flights have been under lab conditions (tied down or prop-less) so if I end up breaking it, it will be up on ebay as parts.


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When I got mine from Best Buy (I'm also elite) they would *not* allow returns outside of 15 days and said there would also be a restocking fee. i would be stuck with GoProCare. My Walmart only has Karma online.

I haven't really flown mine. All of its flights have been under lab conditions (tied down or prop-less) so if I end up breaking it, it will be up on ebay as parts.


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Um why not just order it online? You can return it to the Walmart store. I've never had any problem returning anything to Best Buy but I'm sure different stores can be different.
 
I was referring to the time when I bought mine:
I was just going in for the camera before my Keys trip. Never messing with a drone at all before (husband has a SwellPro and his brother, who is a real pilot, has it most of the time). The employee talked my husband into getting the Karma with camera for me since I was new to drones. Granted he even said it worked without the camera which is **wrong**. I went on my phone to check WalMart's price and availability to price match. Best Buy was in stock and WM was not.
After getting home and packing for the trip (we RV), I got all the FAA stuff and other stuff bro-in-law said to do. I started reading and joining forums, needless to say I decided not to fly and join the troubleshooters by testing, analyzing, and studying. I am one of those geeks who study the reviews and technicals of electronics I buy (and some mechanicals). I felt Karma has promise and, even after its end of life, I think people will find a way to home-brew the thing. I like how it looks and is set up (aside from the camera needing to be on it to work).
Currently, I have added prop guards, but have not test flown it. I will let you know what the results are once I get to my friend's field.
If I knew then what I know now, I probably would not have bought it.


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I was referring to the time when I bought mine:
I was just going in for the camera before my Keys trip. Never messing with a drone at all before (husband has a SwellPro and his brother, who is a real pilot, has it most of the time). The employee talked my husband into getting the Karma with camera for me since I was new to drones. Granted he even said it worked without the camera which is **wrong**. I went on my phone to check WalMart's price and availability to price match. Best Buy was in stock and WM was not.
After getting home and packing for the trip (we RV), I got all the FAA stuff and other stuff bro-in-law said to do. I started reading and joining forums, needless to say I decided not to fly and join the troubleshooters by testing, analyzing, and studying. I am one of those geeks who study the reviews and technicals of electronics I buy (and some mechanicals). I felt Karma has promise and, even after its end of life, I think people will find a way to home-brew the thing. I like how it looks and is set up (aside from the camera needing to be on it to work).
Currently, I have added prop guards, but have not test flown it. I will let you know what the results are once I get to my friend's field.
If I knew then what I know now, I probably would not have bought it.


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Fair enough! I did a ton of research and was even told by Go Pro that the Karma had GPS and Glonass which was a huge hot button for me. I had learned from the Bebop and Solo the standard GPS doesn't really cut it and was subject to frequent losses. As I intimated previously, once I replaced the GPS module in my Solo, it was a whole different drone.

In fact, if Go Pro wanted to make a huge immediate improvement of their drone, a dual system GPS/Radio module would go a long way to solving most of their problems. As much as I loved the no antenna design of the controller, I would also redesign it with flip out antenna similar to the Mavic's to increase range and improve reliability. Lastly, even if they continue to forgo crash avoidance, I would install downward sensors. I mean, my 2010 AR Drone had ultrasonic sensors and a downward facing camera for goodness sake! I agree that the Karma had a lot of potential and I'm sure people will modify them but I'll either just wait until they are on sale for a couple hundred or until they release a better unit before I step back in.
 
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