This will be my 5th Quad, with a Gauii 330, 2 flamewheel 450's with Naza M V1 boards, and another 450 size quad with a Quadrino Multiwii board. Actually the Gauii 330 morphed into the first flamewheel 450 when I moved it's motors and esc's over to the Naza M board. I also have the GPS module on the 450 with the Scorpion (Gauii) motors. I have a 5.8Ghz fpv Tx I use on whichever I'm flying at the time, sometimes using an 8" Haier screen, 19" Insignia screen or Fat Shark goggles on the recieving end.

I was initially skeptical of the Phantoms when they came out, while I liked the general idea the thought of not using my own transmitter (Futaba 9CHP) and using Wifi for FPV didn't really appeal to me. However, watching the rock solid videos that relative newcomers have taken and the very impressive distance some are reporting helped make the decision to pick up a P4.


I've got an iPhone 6 and my wife has a 10" iPad air I can use for now, but I want to get a tablet I can more or less dedicate to the P4.   I almost pulled the trigger on a iPad mini 2 last week at BB on sale, but am tempted to go with the Samsung 8" with the Super AMOLED display as well, just for the extra brightness the screen delivers.


Are there any real drawbacks to using the Android app instead of the IOS? I have heard that the IOS app is usually a little more feature rich.


I'm also getting a little concerned over the threads I'm reading about the P4 not being able to fly close to water because of the VPS not being able to be turned off. Mine is still in the shrink wrap so I'm wondering if trading it for an P3 might be prudent.  

Hello, wow you've got a very long history with quads! I reckon the p4 will be a piece of cake for ya!

About the devices, I can't say much as it is usually very personal. There hasn't been a single post here saying that one is better than the other. Just remember that you'll need good processing power in your gadget with dji.

Your idea of getting the Mini2 wasn't bad at all especially if you intend to use it solely for flying. It has enough display brightness and enough horsepower. And it's bulletproof. And they're on sale too these days I reckon.

Yup the new samsung ones are really tempting, and if you have the budget might as well go for it. By the way a sunshade will help you to reduce some glare but I think you know more about quads better than I do.
In regards to VPS there's actually an active thread about it.

Happy shopping and don't forget to fly!

Hans

vandruten Posted at 2016-6-13 12:03
Hello, wow you've got a very long history with quads! I reckon the p4 will be a piece of cake for ya ...

I'm seeing the 8" samsung on sale for about $100 more than the mini 2 where I live, and considering it has GPS (I don't know why non cellular iPads don't include GPS) I may go that route. I've always got my wifes iPad air to try out and see how I like it too.

I suppose if I got a mini 2 I could hotspot my iPhone 6 and use it's GPS too (or just use the iPhone)

I am an android fan through and through.  BUT.  I have not had good success with the android tablets that i have tried with the DJI app.  I always end up with lag issues on the video feed.  I purchased an ipad mini purely for flying and have never had issues.

For best in best I followed the lead of many others here, bought the genious iPad Air 2 64gb Cellular...
Never had a single issue, and no complaints here. I started with an iPad Mini 2 and it got way overheated with use of just one flight battery.
The Air2 remains cool even after flying 4 consecutive intelligent flight battery packs.
Fits the device holder just perfect, and I don't find it heavy, so rarely will I even use a neck strap.

RedHotPoker

You can cache map  before you fly. And yes you can use your iphone 6 as a hotspot.

Also been considering the Nvidia Shield - with it's HDMI output would one not be able to hook up a 2nd monitor (or goggles) without having to buy the HDMI accessory?  I use a 19" BB brand TV powered by a 3cell lipo for my regular FPV, having a 19" screen is pretty nice.

Now that's interesting!

"Are there any real drawbacks to using the Android app instead of the IOS? I have heard that the IOS app is usually a little more feature rich."

That's like asking what's better .. blonde or brunette?
The app is very demanding particularly for graphics processing.
There are several good tablets in either flavour, just like there are others without enough power to run the app properly.
The app for both operating systems is the same.

I run both Android and iOS and have no complaints about either.

I like Android phones, I've been using one for the last 5 years. (I currently have a Samsung Galaxy Note 4).  But, I think Apple makes the best tablets, so I'm an iPad fan.   I also like a big display when I fly, so I use my iPad Pro 9.7 exclusively despite the fact that DJI Go works OK on my Note 4 phone.   The larger display is easier to see and the onscreen buttons are larger and easier to poke.

labroides@yahoo Posted at 2016-6-13 17:55
"Are there any real drawbacks to using the Android app instead of the IOS? I have heard that the IOS ...

I thought I read somewhere that the IOS app shows a few things like how many satellites are being used etc.

If that's not the case then all the better for choices..

guestddf02a3b5b Posted at 2016-6-14 09:32
I thought I read somewhere that the IOS app shows a few things like how many satellites are being  ...

Originally the iOS had the simulator and that took a while to come across to Android but otherwise they are just about identical.
Sat display is basic info and definitely on bath.
No additional features for either version.

labroides@yahoo Posted at 2016-6-13 19:27
Originally the iOS had the simulator and that took a while to come across to Android but otherwise ...

Perfect - thanks to all for the answers & suggestions.

Going to the city in two days, I think I have it narrowed down to the Samsung AMOLED display or the NVIDIA Shield with HDMI output port (which would allow me to piggy back my 19" TV or my Fat Shark goggles to it)

To the main question:
I fly a p4 too. I use a Samsung galaxy tab2 9.7. No problems at all. Besides.. the remote like to full over because the tablet a has some weight.
And maybe an extension for the cradle is good.
Fly over water:
Check my video. You can do it without problems. But off course you can switch off the collision avoid system so on low altitudes above water the drone us only how to get the heigh.

I`ve in use the NEXUS 2013 great and excelent price.

I know it is a bit pricey but I find the Apple Mini 4 to be a perfect fit. Not to small and not to big. Plenty of speed and very reliable.

I have been using The iPad mini4 cellular solely for my PH4 and it hasn't missed a beat, I some times fly 5 batteries and after that I still have heaps of power left in the iPad I also have used my Samsung S7 and it also works without a problem. Hope this helps.

After a lot of research, I decided on a Samsung Tab 2 with sim card. The over riding issue was screen brightness and on the basis of NITS, it has the highest 3 months ago. I had no issues with the DJI app, and never noticed lag.
For the best results, I work from shade. A tree, a doorway of a building... I did make up a cardboard shield, but it failed to work and unless I buried my head in it like VR headset, it was more trouble than worth. I like to see the drone and check the screen, rather than fly by screen.

Look into getting some www.ghost-armor.com on your device screen.
Check for an outlet or kiosk right On the website, it's got a location directory, online.

RedHotPoker

guestddf02a3b5b Posted at 2016-6-13 18:08
Perfect - thanks to all for the answers & suggestions.

Going to the city in two days, I think I  ...

Aloha guest,

     Below is a reprint from the earlier thread you were just addressing.

"Aloha guest,

     My friend has the nVidia Shield with his P3A and we have been looking at the HDMI output on my GeChic 15.6 1080p display.  So far we are getting distortion but there may be a way around it.  The DJI GO HDMI output works real nice with the GeChic.  The goggles are also being difficult with the nVidia.  The Dominator HD V2 4:3 display gets double compressed horizontally in our initial efforts.  Both problems may be fixable though.  So, just know it is not plug & play.  There is going to be some tweaking.  

     But, no two ways about it, the nVidia Shield is the way to go.  If I get a second display for my Phantoms, it will be the nVidia.  And the nVidia Shield has a WiFi version for $100 more ($300).

Aloha and Drone On!"

Aloha and Drone On!

jwt873@gmail.co Posted at 2016-6-14 06:28
I run both Android and iOS and have no complaints about either.

I like Android phones, I've been us ...

As an IT specialist I basically agree with this statement. But, as always there is a but, I prefer Apple because I've always had trouble with the backups on Android devices. In fact there exists no real chance to be sure that a backup works just in case you need it. With the Apple devices there's virtually no limit. If you regularly connect it to iTunes or make an automatic backup to the iCloud you can be sure that it just works if you need it, indecent whether it's because something went wrong or you are switching to another device.