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Should I return my Karma Hero 6 and receive a 15% restocking fee penalty

1st drone

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I purchased a GoPro Hero6 Karma from Best Buy and took it out for a flight at a nearby park. It went very well and I did all the new features like orbit, watch mode and cable cam mode. Keep in mind this was my 1st time ever flying any kind of drone. ( I tried rc heli and crashed it numerous times and just gave up). The 2nd time around at another park and had issues with the calibration but it was fixed before the flight. I am now with the wife and kids and flying normal within 50-75 feet. It went well for a few minutes and then I heard “gps landing” something from my remote and veered off to the right with no control whatsoever and crashed it breaking all 4 propellers. Damn! Wtf! I could have have hit somebody, hit a car or lose the drone up on a tree or water or cliff or anything. What should I do? Should I return it and receive a 15% restocking fee or keep flying it?
 
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I think anyone getting any type of drone should first have read and understood the manual. You must know what the drone does when it looses GPS, Control Signal, or runs out of power. First several flights should be in a good sized open area away from any people, especially your wife and kids. You should take off with no GPS (can be done just go before unit locks In) and try flying it with no GPS in sport mode. Not easy, if you can’t fly a heli you will probably have issues flying Karma. I think that is major issue with most people. Karma looses GPS and instantly becomes a lot harder to fly and much more responsive to stick input.

Based on what you have done so far I would take the Karma back. Better for you and anyone around you if you keep flying it.


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I just got the Karma too and had the same thing happen! My first flight was over by the ocean, tress, golden gate bridge in the background, BEAUTIFUL, couldn't have asked for a better first flight! Today, I'm getting ready to take off for my 2nd time ever flying a drone, decided to keep it inland this time (from the sidewalk near the Whole Foods parking lot) and out of nowhere the Karma crashed itself into a tree without even getting two feet off the ground. WTF GoPro!!
 
I just got the Karma too and had the same thing happen! My first flight was over by the ocean, tress, golden gate bridge in the background, BEAUTIFUL, couldn't have asked for a better first flight! Today, I'm getting ready to take off for my 2nd time ever flying a drone, decided to keep it inland this time (from the sidewalk near the Whole Foods parking lot) and out of nowhere the Karma crashed itself into a tree without even getting two feet off the ground. WTF GoPro!!

Hmm, flying in town obviously with lots of interference. (Since no license required Karma uses 2.4 GHz frequencies along with WiFi and many other devices) Have you ever flown quads before wo GPS? The Karma is no harder to fly than anything else I have flown wo GPS in spite of what some have posted here. I am just trying to save some folks big bucks when diving in. I love my Karma for what it does. It is not like my QAV540G flying 1.3 GHz Vtx and UHF control! (yes I have ham radio license!) but it does just fine understanding realistic limits and I love it.
 
Only thing I can recommend is to make sure you have the latest firmware installed. Flying in high risk interference areas is dicey at best.
 
I returned my Karma about a week ago and did not have to pay the 15% penalty. I now have a Mavic Pro Platinum, but can honestly say the Karma's camera puts the Mavic's to shame. I kind of wish that I still had my Karma.
 
I returned my Karma about a week ago and did not have to pay the 15% penalty. I now have a Mavic Pro Platinum, but can honestly say the Karma's camera puts the Mavic's to shame. I kind of wish that I still had my Karma.
Is the Mavic camera really that bad? I was thinking of doing the same thing before I end up posting about how my drone flew away.
 
I think anyone getting any type of drone should first have read and understood the manual. You must know what the drone does when it looses GPS, Control Signal, or runs out of power. First several flights should be in a good sized open area away from any people, especially your wife and kids. You should take off with no GPS (can be done just go before unit locks In) and try flying it with no GPS in sport mode. Not easy, if you can’t fly a heli you will probably have issues flying Karma. I think that is major issue with most people. Karma looses GPS and instantly becomes a lot harder to fly and much more responsive to stick input.

Based on what you have done so far I would take the Karma back. Better for you and anyone around you if you keep flying it.


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Hi JCL
Please can you explain more about the merits of flying without GPS and in sports mode, and how it helps to become a better pilot. Thanks
 
I think the camera kept me in the Karma ecosystem (and the Karma gimbal). I have the Hero 5 Black and it's a pretty capable camera for it's sensor size. I wish there was a 1" sensor GoPro, though...I'd buy it in a heartbeat.
 
Hi JCL
Please can you explain more about the merits of flying without GPS and in sports mode, and how it helps to become a better pilot. Thanks

Sports mode does not turn GPS off! If it is unable to get GPS lock the Karma will warn you but you can fly it. That is not the way or time to learn to fly wo GPS. You risk serious damage to Karma components or loss of Karma.

As I said before, invest in a cheap quad with no GPS and learn to fly it. Is fun and inexpensive way to learn. Then if you ever loose GPS lock you will probably recover and fly the Karma home. Remember the Karma was built as a very steady aerial platform for the Hero camera. Anyone wanting to see how fast, far away, and or high they can go should invest in another platform.


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I have lost connectivity when at the lake, HOWEVER, the Karma is one of the easier drones to fly manually. I was able to land it on a boat without any GPS, took a little bit of patience.
 

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