Old phantoms

[Torched_ESC]

Hi all, I made the wonderful mistake of getting my Uncle hooked on multirotors by letting him fly my 3DR solo. He got a few "toys" to learn on and has been taking pointers from online videos and myself. He loves the simplicity of GPS enabled quads and would like to get one. But he's on a budget so I thought I would reach out and ask if anyone has upgraded and wants to sell on old phantom 2 or 3 for a decent price.

Thanks. I'm in southern California if it helps.

 

[CrashRecovery]

Word of advise on this topic..... don't be one of the "it's another phantom" topics. If you get one, please follow the directions. Let the GPS gain the satellite lock before flying. Be smart about your flying and where you fly. You might get a few eye rolls on here about phantoms but most will be helpful. Phantoms have given this sport a bad name. It is not that they are a bad product, it is because everyone bought one and then went out and flew them without learning how to be a respectful pilot. So DJI and Phantom are like a 4 letter word with the hobby side of R/C.

 

[Snarls]

B&H has the 3DR Solo with gimbal for $599. There is also the new Xioami Mi Drone coming out with 4K for less than $500. Not sure how it performs though.

 

[Torched_ESC]

Thanks for the concern CrashRecovery. I completely agree with you and teach the same mind set. He also understands this but still likes to "GPS fly". Despite owning a Solo I prefer to fly scratch built and in acro, I like control over my craft. Honestly I'd give him my Solo if I didnt use it for work and spend WAAAY to much on a crap product to just give it away...

He's still learning but he knows and follows the rules of the hobby he wants to fly not simply "phantom"...

He's on a tight budget and I was hoping to find something used for him for cheap.

thanks

 

[mikeporterinmd]

A Phantom 3 Standard can be had direct from DJI for $500, including shipping. I bought one recently and have really been enjoying it. But, it is for photography primarily, not high speed flying. It needs to be carefully flown and you have the master a fairly complex ap on the smart phone (oh, yeah, you will need a modern iPhone or Android to fly it.) I've only just begun to explore what it can do. I've heard you can do flips with one... but if that is what you want to do, build a ZMR250. I have a ZMR250 too.

And you really need to read the directions to fly a Phantom. It is not going to survive crashes very well.

Mike

P.S.

Google for open box specials at DJI. I missed getting a Phantom 3 Standard for $410 on open box special, I believe.

 

[JimCR120]

I saw a Phantom 3 in Walmart last week.

 

[mikeporterinmd]

I saw a Phantom 3 in Walmart last week.

I was wondering if DJI was dumping old stock or selling the Standard to get people into their line. If in Walmart, I suspect the later. As for the price - it's $499 at Walmart, too. So, if your local Walmart does not have one, ordering direct from DJI will cost you the same.

Mike

 

[Torched_ESC]

Again this is NOT for me. I have a nice videography quad. My uncle likes the flight characteristics of a GPS stabilized quadcopter (dont ask me why, IDK). His budget is quite low.. 500$ for a Phantom 3 is great, but still way above his budget. Even a Used phantom 2 would be cool if anyone has one laying around. I've looked around on Ebay but thought I would reach out to the community first.

Thanks

 

[Snarls]

Maybe something like a Quanum Nova. The PRO is $330 on Hobbyking with free shipping. Can't speak for how it performs though, and there is no camera included.

Looking around for a used machine is probably a better deal though. Good luck on the search.

 

[PsyBorg]

Build him a Versacopter or an electrohub with a skyline advanced FC with osd and put a gps set up on it for him for half the price of a phantom.

 

[Torched_ESC]

Build him a Versacopter or an electrohub with a skyline advanced FC with osd and put a gps set up on it for him for half the price of a phantom.

My first build was an electrohub. It was a love hate relationship..... First off wood is the worst thing to use for an arm ever. I ended up making unbreakable arms from some insane fiberglass composit stuff a friend had. Then still bent them. Lol I was never able to get my GPS working right but I never got the usb programmer either.. Such a pain... Such a flippen pain... So no. Lol sounds good and I considered the option but its not going to happen. Even a 550 frame with a naza would be cool. But no. LOL

I do with the versa was out when I started though...

He's liking that qaunum. We shall see.