Why Accelerated Heights Sold his Autel Evo.

[Ansia]

I understand about helicopters but believe me when I say that the terrain that surrounds my house pretty much precludes all manned aircraft at 400 AGL and lower unless they are crashing, LOL. On top of that, apps such as Kittyhawk, DroneUp and Airmap show no restrictions.

If we are being honest, much of the regulations now are quite arbitrary and, in case of the 2018 FAA authorization act, modeled thanks to commercial/corporate interests.

Perhaps, but to the FAA, those are semantics. The 5 mile radius still stands. I won't tell you how to fly. I just hope that I can help you know the rules, so you can fly safe.

 

[DivePanama]

Perhaps, but to the FAA, those are semantics. The 5 mile radius still stands. I won't tell you how to fly. I just hope that I can help you know the rules, so you can fly safe.

I follow the rules every time I fly. Apps like Airmap, DroneUp and Kittyhawk get a lot of use on my phone-LMAO.

In the meantime I will gladly point out when things make no sense or the obvious role corporations took helping to craft regulations that are clearly there to promote corporate interests.

Have a nice evening.

 

[G_G]

Well I figured I would try NFZ on my mavic Air I downloaded it and installed it on the air and went outside to try it but nothing happened.
After a little investigation and e mailing NFZ support they informed me they could not figure out how to get the NFZ firmware to work.and the air is a tough egg to crack.
I just hope I can get my money back.

The Mavic Air is locked down pretty tightly. Curious as to how NLD handles it. They do clearly disclose upfront exactly which features work on each DJI aircraft, and the choice of which aircraft upon which to install the license purchased after the sale is the customer's. I haven't decided yet upon which aircraft to install mine. I haven't found anywhere yet that I can't fly without it! However, I have not installed any NFZ database updates, either!

 

[G_G]

Eh.... not exactly.

If you must know, I bought a batch of 3 used batteries from a guy here. SOLD_ 4 EVO batteries 4 Sale

One of them gave me the warning when I tried to use it... so I contacted Autel and they sent me a new one under warranty... and the guy refunded me the cost of the 1 battery, so I won both ways.

The other 2 used batteries (less than 15 cycles on all) in addition to the 3 new ones I got when I bought the Evo have all been flawless... in addition to the Evo itself.

So in short, I bought a used battery from someone else... and still got a warranty replacement from Autel by simply submitting screenshots of the warning screen and battery serial number.

Definitely seen a lot worse CS out there... and no I didn't make the point of the video.

Thanks for clarifying. However, it is still another EVO battery originally sold by Autel that failed. It's the need for frequent customer service because of poor design and poor quality control that is the problem. Autel CS has to randomly inspect their factory shipments because so many defective units make it through their poor QA at the factory in China. If your box has a black seal on it, Autel CS opened it up and bench tested it. Without the black seal, there is a much higher failure rate. With the exception of a battery or bag replacement, any other EVO issue requires that the aircraft be sent in for 3 weeks at a time. Wait until your antennas crack. One month of EVO ownership is hardly comparable to a year's ownership. The YT video's main takeaway is that 6 weeks of his EVO ownership was spent at Autel, repairing warranty items. For someone flying professionally, that is unacceptable, unless the repair needed is due to pilot error.

 

[TravisPNW]

Thanks for clarifying. However, it is still another EVO battery originally sold by Autel that failed. It's the need for frequent customer service because of poor design and poor quality control that is the problem. Autel CS has to randomly inspect their factory shipments because so many defective units make it through their poor QA at the factory in China. If your box has a black seal on it, Autel CS opened it up and bench tested it. Without the black seal, there is a much higher failure rate. With the exception of a battery or bag replacement, any other EVO issue requires that the aircraft be sent in for 3 weeks at a time. Wait until your antennas crack. One month of EVO ownership is hardly comparable to a year's ownership. The YT video's main takeaway is that 6 weeks of his EVO ownership was spent at Autel, repairing warranty items. For someone flying professionally, that is unacceptable, unless the repair needed is due to pilot error.

That is true and I don't dispute that. At the same time I never said that one month is comparable to a year... I just said I haven't had a problem. Yeah I bought someone else's problem battery but it was quickly resolved. Big deal.

I'm enjoying the hell out of my Evo... and yes I will be back to this thread in a year so I can update my ownership status. Believe you me if a company sells me garbage equipment I will be the first one to throw them under the bus... done it a few times before LOL... doesn't apply in this case though.

Back in 2020.

 

[G_G]

That is true and I don't dispute that. At the same time I never said that one month is comparable to a year... I just said I haven't had a problem. Yeah I bought someone else's problem battery but it was quickly resolved. Big deal.

I'm enjoying the hell out of my Evo... and yes I will be back to this thread in a year so I can update my ownership status. Believe you me if a company sells me garbage equipment I will be the first one to throw them under the bus... done it a few times before LOL... doesn't apply in this case though.

Back in 2020.

Sounds good. Happy flying!

 

[TravisPNW]

Sounds good. Happy flying!

Haha! Sooner than I thought. Got back from a flight today and noticed both my antennas are cracked at the base. Oddly enough I'm not mad about it... I've already read dozens of threads where people call the Evo antennas garbage so I kind of expected it.

Anyway... gonna post a separate thread about it... and no, I'm not returning the Evo. I was half considering an antenna mod before this happened. I will say though that they are as cheap and flimsy as people described... something I didn't know prior to purchase.

Oh well.

 

[macoman]

Haha! Sooner than I thought. Got back from a flight today and noticed both my antennas are cracked at the base. Oddly enough I'm not mad about it... I've already read dozens of threads where people call the Evo antennas garbage so I kind of expected it.

Anyway... gonna post a separate thread about it... and no, I'm not returning the Evo. I was half considering an antenna mod before this happened. I will say though that they are as cheap and flimsy as people described... something I didn't know prior to purchase.

Oh well.

It's still functional and minimalist... You can apply over the crack a little bit of crazy glue to stop the crack getting bigger.

 

[G_G]

Haha! Sooner than I thought. Got back from a flight today and noticed both my antennas are cracked at the base. Oddly enough I'm not mad about it... I've already read dozens of threads where people call the Evo antennas garbage so I kind of expected it.

Anyway... gonna post a separate thread about it... and no, I'm not returning the Evo. I was half considering an antenna mod before this happened. I will say though that they are as cheap and flimsy as people described... something I didn't know prior to purchase.

Oh well.

The EVO antennas are extremely fragile. The three week turnaround every time they crack or break is a major bummer, even if covered by Autel. Part of the problem is never knowing which direction they can be rotated in, to flip them down or back to folded or unfolded, and mounting any phone in the holder guarantees the remote with mounted cell phone falling backwards onto the antennas, which will also break them, if they are already flipped down, which seems to be the optimal flying configuration. Major design flaw, not shared by Mavic or Mavic 2. As posted above, the cracks are probably inconsequential, but the fragile wiring inside is also always still at risk. The $85 LifThor tablet mount improves the balance, but sacrifices the easy transportability of the RC, and is not designed for a phone. The antenna mod is another good solution, which unfortunately also sacrifices the small stock RC form factor, requiring new third party carrying cases. Let us know how it works out. Good luck!