Walkera TALI H500. What you think?

[varmint]

Cheers Dave, not sure I would ever trust buying something like that from ebay, just not that much of a risk taker, and I want a warranty support on anything I buy !

Yeah the black looks sexy but I am not one of these flyers who needs to go off into the distance or above the stratosphere, as I have a particular role I want it for which is well within visual range, so visibility will probably not be so important. Reading some of the issues around settings on RC groups has made me hold off a while until a fix has been implemented lol.

That's never a bad strategy, and I think you'll eventually be very satisfied in the end. I have one and have been flying it all weekend. It flies amazingly well in stabilize. Very predictable and very stable. The only issues thus far seem to be in switching from loiter to stabilize; because of the way the throttle is set in APM, there's a tendency to drop upon switching modes. Mattjk on RCGROUPS is the resident APM guru and is working on the FAQ for reconfiguring that as well as suggested switch mapping changes (eg. ditching one-key takeoff in favor of an additional flight mode or two.

 

[Mori55]

That's why I like dji naza. I don't have worry about switches , messing with tuning and all that crap. Yes its nice but , not as easy to transport as the phantom. You can see the props a lot in the video.

 

[gunslinger]

Cheers Dave, not sure I would ever trust buying something like that from ebay, just not that much of a risk taker, and I want a warranty support on anything I buy !

Yeah the black looks sexy but I am not one of these flyers who needs to go off into the distance or above the stratosphere, as I have a particular role I want it for which is well within visual range, so visibility will probably not be so important. Reading some of the issues around settings on RC groups has made me hold off a while until a fix has been implemented lol.

That's never a bad strategy, and I think you'll eventually be very satisfied in the end. I have one and have been flying it all weekend. It flies amazingly well in stabilize. Very predictable and very stable. The only issues thus far seem to be in switching from loiter to stabilize; because of the way the throttle is set in APM, there's a tendency to drop upon switching modes. Mattjk on RCGROUPS is the resident APM guru and is working on the FAQ for reconfiguring that as well as suggested switch mapping changes (eg. ditching one-key takeoff in favor of an additional flight mode or two.

I'm very interested in this hex and I'm so happy that it's been released and the early adopters are already hammering away at it. I want one!!! Do a good job guys and as soon as things look like they're sorted out... I'll swoop in and glom one. (which is the exact opposite of how it went with the DJI P2V... I was one of the early guinea pigs... ) :shock:

-slinger

 

[varmint]

That's why I like dji naza. I don't have worry about switches , messing with tuning and all that crap. Yes its nice but , not as easy to transport as the phantom. You can see the props a lot in the video.

You don't have to "worry about switches" with either one. But then of course you lose most of the functionality, just as you do by ignoring Naza mode on a Phantom. There's no practical difference, and as far as I can tell, no merit to your statement in that regard.

Portability? Depends on what becomes available for cases I would assume. I mean the entire LG assembly snaps in and out instantly; it's modular and nothing is wired to it, so I suppose if there's enough interest, a foam insert for the gear struts would be trivial. The overall body length is actually a couple of inches less in radius than a Phantom with prop guards. One might even simply retract the gear, as it does not increase the aforementioned radius if left in.

 

[macheung]

This thing is very interesting, though it looks like will need some config adjustment that Matt JK is working on before full potential is realized. Walkera should really send him a token of thanks when he is done. Tap hat and unlock the fc so we can tweak settings ourselves.

 

[FASTFJR]

You don't have to "worry about switches" with either one. But then of course you lose most of the functionality, just as you do by ignoring Naza mode on a Phantom. There's no practical difference, and as far as I can tell, no merit to your statement in that regard.

?
From what I understand you take off in Manual mode and then switch over to GPS? Maybe I'm missing something but why? My Phantom is always in GPS mode..... I take off, fly and land

 

[varmint]

?
From what I understand you take off in Manual mode and then switch over to GPS? Maybe I'm missing something but why? My Phantom is always in GPS mode..... I take off, fly and land

I think you may be assuming there's a direct translation between what DJI calls "Manual" mode and what Walkera calls "Manual" mode. The Walkera "Manual" mode is actually APM Stabilize mode, which is more akin to DJI's ATTI mode. Walkera "GPS" mode is actually called "Loiter" in APM, which is similar to (but not as refined as) DJI's GPS mode. APM versions less than 2.6 don't recommend taking off and landing in GPS mode. You take off and land in stabilize ("Man") mode and switch the GPS mode in flight. Don't get me wrong, I'm no APM fanboi. I prefer NAZA, but if Walkera updates to APM 2.6 I'll be very happy.

 

[locoworks]

That's why I like dji naza. I don't have worry about switches , messing with tuning and all that crap. Yes its nice but , not as easy to transport as the phantom. You can see the props a lot in the video.

Portability? Depends on what becomes available for cases I would assume. I mean the entire LG assembly snaps in and out instantly; it's modular and nothing is wired to it, so I suppose if there's enough interest, a foam insert for the gear struts would be trivial. The overall body length is actually a couple of inches less in radius than a Phantom with prop guards. One might even simply retract the gear, as it does not increase the aforementioned radius if left in.

have you found a hard case for a phantom with prop guards fitted then? if so can we have a link please? then perhaps start looking for a hard case to take a tali 500 with prop guards ( you know they'll come along soon ) , there maybe something suitable down at the docks?? :mrgreen:

seriously though, the tali 500 is a big bird compared to a phantom and i doubt it will ever fall into the backpack portabillity bracket. it is a different animal .

 

[Airmotive]

I'll let you know as soon as I get back from my business trip. My new H500 (Carbon black ) arrived yesterday.
(Another reason to keep up good relations with your neighbors. You never know when you'll need them to safeguard your new toy while you're away!)

 

[FASTFJR]

?
From what I understand you take off in Manual mode and then switch over to GPS? Maybe I'm missing something but why? My Phantom is always in GPS mode..... I take off, fly and land

I think you may be assuming there's a direct translation between what DJI calls "Manual" mode and what Walkera calls "Manual" mode. The Walkera "Manual" mode is actually APM Stabilize mode, which is more akin to DJI's ATTI mode. Walkera "GPS" mode is actually called "Loiter" in APM, which is similar to (but not as refined as) DJI's GPS mode. APM versions less than 2.6 don't recommend taking off and landing in GPS mode. You take off and land in stabilize ("Man") mode and switch the GPS mode in flight. Don't get me wrong, I'm no APM fanboi. I prefer NAZA, but if Walkera updates to APM 2.6 I'll be very happy.

Thanks for the information. I guess I just don't understanding the thinking behind remembering to flip and switch when you take off and land. Been flying a Phantom for 2 years now (3rd one) and fly in GPS 100% of the time.....no flipping switches. We that said its not going to stop me from buying the H500 as soon as the gimbal comes out for the Sony RX100 in September.

 

[varmint]

have you found a hard case for a phantom with prop guards fitted then?

My phantom doesn't fit in a case with or without prop guards :shock:

 

[locoworks]

have you found a hard case for a phantom with prop guards fitted then?

My phantom doesn't fit in a case with or without prop guards :shock:

that looks a bit sexy. :mrgreen:

 

[pyrophantom]

Slick looking plus you got there varmy !.....like the landing legs mod too, looks nice !

Glad you getting on with the Tali as I am in a slight conundrum what to do with my GoPro3+

Do I get the Tali and just use it for the GoPro, and then use the Align M480 for the RX100 or just use the 480 for both platforms ?......hmmmm. Nice to see you think its pretty stable. is the gimbal performing well ??

 

[varmint]

Nice to see you think its pretty stable. is the gimbal performing well ??

I'm not sure what to think about the gimbal really. I'm not a pro photographer, so all I'm really interested in is decent video and high quality FPV. It seems to serve its purpose for that just fine so far considering it's half the price of a Zen.

 

[Highcloud]

I got so fed up with dji especially after fpv resolution was downgraded on p2v that I ordered carbon fibre h500. Ordered direct from walkera in China. TNT will deliver on 27th august to me in the uk

Interested in fpv and getting past my 4.8 km record with p2v. Will be interesting to see what the standard range is for fpv out of the box. I think a lot easier to get range with this set up than pv2 . As I understand it the screen will go sparklie but not drop signal completely so far easier to manage.

 

[varmint]

I got so fed up with dji especially after fpv resolution was downgraded on p2v that I ordered carbon fibre h500. Ordered direct from walkera in China. TNT will deliver on 27th august to me in the uk

Interested in fpv and getting past my 4.8 km record with p2v. Will be interesting to see what the standard range is for fpv out of the box. I think a lot easier to get range with this set up than pv2 . As I understand it the screen will go sparklie but not drop signal completely so far easier to manage.

You're going to be dealing with 5.8 ghz analog video as opposed to 2.4 ghz digital, so yes, there's a lot more warning before you completely lose signal, and it's going to be 30 FPS at all times. However that being said, if you want serious range (well in excess of a mile), you will want to check out third party VTX like the ImmersionRC 600mw and possibly UHF for control. The stock setup is 200mw which isn't bad, but not exactly high-end.

 

[Highcloud]

I purchased Walker Tali H500 direct form Walkera in China. I was probably one of the first to get one in the UK. On the third flight RTL was initiated as the screen was too unclear to see exact orientation. On the way back the Tali started to rise and dip. I had the presence of mind to start recording the video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydcUmio ... e=youtu.be As you can see after a few lurches it dives into the ground from around 40 Metres. The Tali was completely destroyed. I contacted Walkera who were apologetic and offered to sort this out for me. They further admitted liability (due to firmware) but then tried to get the UK distributor to do the repair at his cost even though he did not sell me the craft ! He has been very helpful, but effectively Walkera are refusing to repair or replace the Tali, even though initially they said they would. They were also profoundly thankful for me not publishing this on any of the forums. After 2 weeks of getting no where I have decided to let everyone know just how bad this machine is with the original firmware and how bad they customer service is. I have now requested a full refund from Paypal .

Just for the record I have been flying helis for around 20 years and quads for around a year including Hubsan, DJI. My latest rig is Phantom 2 with Light bridge set up. So I do have some experience of flying.

 

[locoworks]

oh dear.

 

[KwadKopter]

Stable, rugged drones appear difficult to make....but, quite easy to publish marketing materials for.

Swedish video website Travelbydrone said that 75% of its videos are made using drones from DJI.

https://www.evernote.com/Home.actio...p&x=75&n=e628685f-de46-4212-bad8-b014b1f01f25

 

[slicknet]

I broke down and ordered a Tali H500. Walkera has made improvements to their bird since the beginning of this post.

The bird is a true RTF out of the box. Includes monitor (on transmitter), a port to plug in FVP goggles, a transmitter that is far superior to DJI's. There are gimbals available for GoPro and other cameras. It will land in RTH with a motor out.

My friend bought one and he's an electrical egghead. He stated the wiring was not shoddy as had been posted in the past. The solder connections were good and they had the wires neatly wire tied. Both he and I have had our share of Phantom experience.

There is a little more of a learning curve with the H500 though. You can get into trouble if you switch from RTH to manual mode. The bird may become unstable. Switch it back to RTH and it takes off. But wait for it and it calms down and returns. If you're use to Mode 2 flying (throttle on the left) you have to open up the transmitter and switch the control spring and reset the transmitter mode elctronically. It is easy to do.

I'm hoping the H500 turns out to be a good copter. DJI needs the competition. They have gotten a little lapse overthe past year. No need to get into customer service here.

I have a Vison 2 and Vision 2+. The Vision 2 was great. Put a DronExpert gimbal on it. it was stable, held GPS perfectly, picked up satellites easily and was pretty rugged. While learning to fly ran into a couple of buildings and trees, dropped it out of the sky at about 50 feet. The only thing that ever happen was a damaged prop here or there. Until... one of the motors stopped over the water (salt water) and it dropped like a rock. Flushed it out but need to replace a motor and have the gimbal fixed.

So I decided to purchase a Vision 2+. Needed access to a drone right away. The Vision 2+ took a long time to pick up satellites. The copter would not hold steady in GPS like the Vision 2. The flying characterists were not as good as the Vision 2. I clipped a small bush about 3 feet above the ground and it crashed to the ground (heavy grass). I didn't think twice walking over to it. We're talking a minor crash. The motor seperated and the wonderful ribbon cable broke. Need I say more. Contacted DJI to see if I can get a cable as the camera popped back together. They told me to email them a photo of the cable.

I looking forward to getting the Tali H500, (be here in 3 days), but plan to get the Phantoms fixed because I did enjoy flying them. And like I said eariler, hopefully with some competition, DJI will do a little better with its customer service.