I've got a loft conversion with a flat roof that's coming up to ten
years old. I'm guessing it's got a fair bit of life left in it, but
I'll probably want to have a look at it every few years so I can renew
it before it fails.

I've been thinking about a remote control quadcopter with a video
camera, as it'll probably cost less that scaffolding (there's no way
I'm using a ladder). But they seem to fall into two categories:
something serious costing over 500, which is too expensive; and
something costing less than 100 which looks like a toy. There doesn't
seem to be much middle ground.

There's no hurry, so I've got the option of waiting for a year or two
for the market to mature. But I wonder if anyone had used this
technology for looking at flat roofs, facias etc, and whether it's
worth considering.

On Tue, 03 Mar 2015 17:52:49 +0000, Caecilius
wrote:

I've got a loft conversion with a flat roof that's coming up to ten
years old. I'm guessing it's got a fair bit of life left in it, but
I'll probably want to have a look at it every few years so I can renew
it before it fails.

I've been thinking about a remote control quadcopter with a video
camera, as it'll probably cost less that scaffolding (there's no way
I'm using a ladder). But they seem to fall into two categories:
something serious costing over 500, which is too expensive; and
something costing less than 100 which looks like a toy. There doesn't
seem to be much middle ground.

There's no hurry, so I've got the option of waiting for a year or two
for the market to mature. But I wonder if anyone had used this
technology for looking at flat roofs, facias etc, and whether it's
worth considering.

Unnecessarily complex.
Long home made "selfie stick" is all you need.
Can you see me holding it at the bottom left?

https://flic.kr/p/raRLxV



--

Graham.

%Profound_observation%

On Tue, 03 Mar 2015 18:06:16 +0000, Graham. wrote:

On Tue, 03 Mar 2015 17:52:49 +0000, Caecilius
wrote:

I've got a loft conversion with a flat roof that's coming up to ten
years old. I'm guessing it's got a fair bit of life left in it, but
I'll probably want to have a look at it every few years so I can renew
it before it fails.

I've been thinking about a remote control quadcopter with a video
camera, as it'll probably cost less that scaffolding (there's no way
I'm using a ladder). But they seem to fall into two categories:
something serious costing over 500, which is too expensive; and
something costing less than 100 which looks like a toy. There doesn't
seem to be much middle ground.

There's no hurry, so I've got the option of waiting for a year or two
for the market to mature. But I wonder if anyone had used this
technology for looking at flat roofs, facias etc, and whether it's
worth considering.

Unnecessarily complex.
Long home made "selfie stick" is all you need.
Can you see me holding it at the bottom left?

https://flic.kr/p/raRLxV

Good point. I only need twenty feet or so. Maybe I'm overthinking
things, or looking for toys.

On Tue, 03 Mar 2015 18:36:52 +0000, Caecilius
wrote:

On Tue, 03 Mar 2015 18:06:16 +0000, Graham. wrote:

On Tue, 03 Mar 2015 17:52:49 +0000, Caecilius
wrote:

I've got a loft conversion with a flat roof that's coming up to ten
years old. I'm guessing it's got a fair bit of life left in it, but
I'll probably want to have a look at it every few years so I can renew
it before it fails.

I've been thinking about a remote control quadcopter with a video
camera, as it'll probably cost less that scaffolding (there's no way
I'm using a ladder). But they seem to fall into two categories:
something serious costing over 500, which is too expensive; and
something costing less than 100 which looks like a toy. There doesn't
seem to be much middle ground.

There's no hurry, so I've got the option of waiting for a year or two
for the market to mature. But I wonder if anyone had used this
technology for looking at flat roofs, facias etc, and whether it's
worth considering.

Unnecessarily complex.
Long home made "selfie stick" is all you need.
Can you see me holding it at the bottom left?

https://flic.kr/p/raRLxV

Good point. I only need twenty feet or so. Maybe I'm overthinking
things, or looking for toys.

The image was a still from this video
http://youtu.be/SjYdOn5aN9s
The camera was a £10 dashcam off Ebay, and the stick a cheap fishing
pole with a length of plastic waste pipe at the bottom end.



--

Graham.

%Profound_observation%

On 03/03/2015 19:17, Graham. wrote:

The image was a still from this video
http://youtu.be/SjYdOn5aN9s
The camera was a £10 dashcam off Ebay, and the stick a cheap fishing
pole with a length of plastic waste pipe at the bottom end.

You've taken the term 'home movie' to a new height of literalness.

On Tue, 03 Mar 2015 19:26:40 +0000, GB
wrote:

On 03/03/2015 19:17, Graham. wrote:

The image was a still from this video
http://youtu.be/SjYdOn5aN9s
The camera was a £10 dashcam off Ebay, and the stick a cheap fishing
pole with a length of plastic waste pipe at the bottom end.

You've taken the term 'home movie' to a new height of literalness.



I am afraid of heights, so can't use a ladder.

Once I could see precisely where the debris was in the gutter, I
realised that by removing the bathroom DG transom and reaching up, I
could remove the blockage myself.

--

Graham.

%Profound_observation%

Caecilius wrote:

Good point. I only need twenty feet or so. Maybe I'm overthinking
things, or looking for toys.

If you're scared of ladders why not ring someone local and send them up
with a camera? In my aerial rigging days I often took roof pictures at
the customer's request.

Bill

On Tue, 03 Mar 2015 18:06:16 +0000, Graham. wrote:

Unnecessarily complex.

Whilst I'm inclined to agree ...

Long home made "selfie stick" is all you need.

.... the OP wishes to inspect a flat roof. How do you get a camera on
a selfie stick across the flat roof from 20' below? Gallows arm,
maybe but I have a feeling that might be getting a bit tricky to
control.

As for using a quadcopter it might be wise to look at the regulations
regarding their use. Maybe a gallows arm is the better solution...

--
Cheers
Dave.

On Tue, 03 Mar 2015 19:00:13 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Liquorice"
wrote:

On Tue, 03 Mar 2015 18:06:16 +0000, Graham. wrote:

Unnecessarily complex.

Whilst I'm inclined to agree ...

Long home made "selfie stick" is all you need.

... the OP wishes to inspect a flat roof. How do you get a camera on
a selfie stick across the flat roof from 20' below? Gallows arm,
maybe but I have a feeling that might be getting a bit tricky to
control.

Oblique view, coupled with the extra reach caused by the droop at the
end of the fishing pole due to the camara's weight.
Ideally the lens would be more wide-angle, and the camara would have
more resolution than mine.
http://youtu.be/SjYdOn5aN9s



--

Graham.

%Profound_observation%

On 03/03/15 19:00, Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Tue, 03 Mar 2015 18:06:16 +0000, Graham. wrote:

Unnecessarily complex.

Whilst I'm inclined to agree ...

Long home made "selfie stick" is all you need.

... the OP wishes to inspect a flat roof. How do you get a camera on
a selfie stick across the flat roof from 20' below? Gallows arm,
maybe but I have a feeling that might be getting a bit tricky to
control.

As for using a quadcopter it might be wise to look at the regulations
regarding their use.

The CAA has published regulations and basically it is:

1) Over land you control (own or have owner's permission)

2) Line of sight - you must be able to see the aircraft

3) There are some special provision if near airports.


2 I guess is bendable, or you could just stand back over the road so you
can see it.

It's all surprisingly reasonable common sense.

On 03/03/2015 17:52, Caecilius wrote:
I've got a loft conversion with a flat roof that's coming up to ten
years old. I'm guessing it's got a fair bit of life left in it, but
I'll probably want to have a look at it every few years so I can renew
it before it fails.

I've been thinking about a remote control quadcopter with a video
camera, as it'll probably cost less that scaffolding (there's no way
I'm using a ladder). But they seem to fall into two categories:
something serious costing over 500, which is too expensive; and
something costing less than 100 which looks like a toy. There doesn't
seem to be much middle ground.

There's no hurry, so I've got the option of waiting for a year or two
for the market to mature. But I wonder if anyone had used this
technology for looking at flat roofs, facias etc, and whether it's
worth considering.

Great excuse to buy one :-)



--
Dave - The Medway Handyman www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

On 03/03/2015 18:18, The Medway Handyman wrote:
On 03/03/2015 17:52, Caecilius wrote:
I've got a loft conversion with a flat roof that's coming up to ten
years old. I'm guessing it's got a fair bit of life left in it, but
I'll probably want to have a look at it every few years so I can renew
it before it fails.

I've been thinking about a remote control quadcopter with a video
camera, as it'll probably cost less that scaffolding (there's no way
I'm using a ladder). But they seem to fall into two categories:
something serious costing over 500, which is too expensive; and
something costing less than 100 which looks like a toy. There doesn't
seem to be much middle ground.

There's no hurry, so I've got the option of waiting for a year or two
for the market to mature. But I wonder if anyone had used this
technology for looking at flat roofs, facias etc, and whether it's
worth considering.

Great excuse to buy one :-)

Just don't try flying it in Paris

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-31717604

--
Colin Bignell

On Tue, 03 Mar 2015 22:57:33 -0000, Nightjar insert my surname here.me.uk cpb wrote:

On 03/03/2015 18:18, The Medway Handyman wrote:
On 03/03/2015 17:52, Caecilius wrote:
I've got a loft conversion with a flat roof that's coming up to ten
years old. I'm guessing it's got a fair bit of life left in it, but
I'll probably want to have a look at it every few years so I can renew
it before it fails.

I've been thinking about a remote control quadcopter with a video
camera, as it'll probably cost less that scaffolding (there's no way
I'm using a ladder). But they seem to fall into two categories:
something serious costing over 500, which is too expensive; and
something costing less than 100 which looks like a toy. There doesn't
seem to be much middle ground.

There's no hurry, so I've got the option of waiting for a year or two
for the market to mature. But I wonder if anyone had used this
technology for looking at flat roofs, facias etc, and whether it's
worth considering.

Great excuse to buy one :-)

Just don't try flying it in Paris

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-31717604

"Al Jazeera said the team had been filming a report on the "recent mystery drones"."

What?!? They used a drone to film unauthorized drones? How stupid can you get?

--
Are you into casual sex, or should I dress up?

On 03/03/15 17:52, Caecilius wrote:
I've got a loft conversion with a flat roof that's coming up to ten
years old. I'm guessing it's got a fair bit of life left in it, but
I'll probably want to have a look at it every few years so I can renew
it before it fails.

I've been thinking about a remote control quadcopter with a video
camera, as it'll probably cost less that scaffolding (there's no way
I'm using a ladder). But they seem to fall into two categories:
something serious costing over 500, which is too expensive; and
something costing less than 100 which looks like a toy. There doesn't
seem to be much middle ground.

There's no hurry, so I've got the option of waiting for a year or two
for the market to mature. But I wonder if anyone had used this
technology for looking at flat roofs, facias etc, and whether it's
worth considering.


I've seen a quad in operation and I would say it could be a very useful
tool.

Depending on the height and access, a webcam on a very long pole might
also work.

On Tuesday, 3 March 2015 17:52:53 UTC, Caecilius wrote:
I've got a loft conversion with a flat roof that's coming up to ten
years old. I'm guessing it's got a fair bit of life left in it, but
I'll probably want to have a look at it every few years so I can renew
it before it fails.

Send a camera (or phone) up on a tethered helium balloon?

Owain

On Tue, 03 Mar 2015 17:52:49 +0000, Caecilius wrote:

I've got a loft conversion with a flat roof that's coming up to ten
years old. I'm guessing it's got a fair bit of life left in it, but
I'll probably want to have a look at it every few years so I can renew
it before it fails.

I've been thinking about a remote control quadcopter with a video
camera, as it'll probably cost less that scaffolding (there's no way I'm
using a ladder). But they seem to fall into two categories: something
serious costing over 500, which is too expensive; and something costing
less than 100 which looks like a toy. There doesn't seem to be much
middle ground.

There's no hurry, so I've got the option of waiting for a year or two
for the market to mature. But I wonder if anyone had used this
technology for looking at flat roofs, facias etc, and whether it's worth
considering.

Possibly worth while checking the regulations.

Although they are ideal for checking your own property (and taking high
level selfies of you in your own garden) they could well be violating
privacy legislation if you drift over next door.

From
http://www.quadcopters.co.uk/aerial-...guide-30-w.asp

"What are the limitations?

In order to make sure UAVs and manned aircraft are working in separate
airspace, there are a number of limitations placed on UAV use.

These are the main ones to keep in mind:
€¢ The maximum altitude is 400 feet (120 metres)
€¢ The maximum distance from the operator is 500 metres
€¢ The minimum visibility needs to be 5 km
€¢ UAV must be flown in line of sight of the operator
€¢ UAVs cannot be flown at night without special permission
€¢ Permission must be obtained from the owner of the take-off point
€¢ UAVs cannot be flown within 50 metres of structures, vehicles or
people that are not under the control of the person in charge of the
aircraft."

The last one is an interesting point - if correct it implies that you
can't fly over anyone else's property nor within 50 metres of anyone
else's property.

Unless your house is out in the sticks surrounded by public land then this
could be an issue.

Cheers

Dave R

--
Windows 8.1 on PCSpecialist box

Well, officially there are laws about where one can fly them, so it might be
worth checking hese out in case of dodgy neighbours getting the law
involved.

I think you tube has lots of videos taken by thesethings, so it might be
worth watching some to see what is possible.


Brian

--
From the Sofa of Brian Gaff Reply address is active
"Caecilius" wrote in message
...
I've got a loft conversion with a flat roof that's coming up to ten
years old. I'm guessing it's got a fair bit of life left in it, but
I'll probably want to have a look at it every few years so I can renew
it before it fails.

I've been thinking about a remote control quadcopter with a video
camera, as it'll probably cost less that scaffolding (there's no way
I'm using a ladder). But they seem to fall into two categories:
something serious costing over 500, which is too expensive; and
something costing less than 100 which looks like a toy. There doesn't
seem to be much middle ground.

There's no hurry, so I've got the option of waiting for a year or two
for the market to mature. But I wonder if anyone had used this
technology for looking at flat roofs, facias etc, and whether it's
worth considering.

On Tue, 03 Mar 2015 17:52:49 +0000, Caecilius wrote:

I've got a loft conversion with a flat roof that's coming up to ten
years old. I'm guessing it's got a fair bit of life left in it, but
I'll probably want to have a look at it every few years so I can renew
it before it fails.

I've been thinking about a remote control quadcopter with a video
camera, as it'll probably cost less that scaffolding (there's no way I'm
using a ladder). But they seem to fall into two categories: something
serious costing over 500, which is too expensive; and something costing
less than 100 which looks like a toy. There doesn't seem to be much
middle ground.

There's no hurry, so I've got the option of waiting for a year or two
for the market to mature. But I wonder if anyone had used this
technology for looking at flat roofs, facias etc, and whether it's worth
considering.

http://steadidrone.co.uk/hire-us/

and

http://www.helicopterhireprices.co.u...l_filming.html

if you want to do it now (and they agree that what you want is legal).

Of course, if you are also after bragging rights when DIYers start to
compare the range and size of their tools.....

Cheers


Dave R


--
Windows 8.1 on PCSpecialist box

CAA guidance is he

http://www.caa.co.uk/default.aspx?catid=1995
`for Valuable considertaion` is point where you really become of interest and require training and licencing.

Building inspection is likley to get revolutionised by drones. As long as not legislated out of existance by Phil Phlyaway`a Phantom foolery.

Otherwise the rules are there to protect peoples privacy and safety, compared to the US FAA`s attitude to quad/drones/uav`s our CAA is an absolute model of tolerance and sense.

As someone who is getting into quads after no previous interest in R/C anything or computer gamnes experience, they are easy to get started with but proper control is a practice thing, some of the problems are being caused by people with GPS locked DJI Phantoms that are great until GPS loses lock and then the `pilot` has no experience of manual control. Flying nose in takes a lot of practice, like driving a car in reverse at speed.

Cheapest quad with a camera Syma X5-C, find it on ebay/amazon/banggood for under 50 quid, camera isn`t great but almost useable at price. Limited lifting ability but it will lift an 808 #16 keychain cam for improved quality.

Cheapest quad at all, Cheerson CX-10 , under 15 quid. too small to lift anything , a lot of fun, X5 is easier to fly for a beginner.

On 04/03/2015 11:14, Adam Aglionby wrote:
CAA guidance is he

http://www.caa.co.uk/default.aspx?catid=1995
`for Valuable considertaion` is point where you really become of interest and require training and licencing.

Building inspection is likley to get revolutionised by drones. As long as not legislated out of existance by Phil Phlyaway`a Phantom foolery.

Otherwise the rules are there to protect peoples privacy and safety, compared to the US FAA`s attitude to quad/drones/uav`s our CAA is an absolute model of tolerance and sense.

As someone who is getting into quads after no previous interest in R/C anything or computer gamnes experience, they are easy to get started with but proper control is a practice thing, some of the problems are being caused by people with GPS locked DJI Phantoms that are great until GPS loses lock and then the `pilot` has no experience of manual control. Flying nose in takes a lot of practice, like driving a car in reverse at speed.

Cheapest quad with a camera Syma X5-C, find it on ebay/amazon/banggood for under 50 quid, camera isn`t great but almost useable at price. Limited lifting ability but it will lift an 808 #16 keychain cam for improved quality.

Cheapest quad at all, Cheerson CX-10 , under 15 quid. too small to lift anything , a lot of fun, X5 is easier to fly for a beginner.

How long is the flying time per full battery charge?

On Wednesday, March 4, 2015 at 11:48:14 AM UTC, Bod wrote:

Cheapest quad at all, Cheerson CX-10 , under 15 quid. too small to lift anything , a lot of fun, X5 is easier to fly for a beginner.

How long is the flying time per full battery charge?

CX10 about 5 mins fly , 20 mins charge.
X5 7-10 mins on standard battery ,battery is changeable and cheap, get a pocketful.

On 04/03/2015 12:17, Adam Aglionby wrote:
On Wednesday, March 4, 2015 at 11:48:14 AM UTC, Bod wrote:

Cheapest quad at all, Cheerson CX-10 , under 15 quid. too small to lift anything , a lot of fun, X5 is easier to fly for a beginner.

How long is the flying time per full battery charge?

CX10 about 5 mins fly , 20 mins charge.
X5 7-10 mins on standard battery ,battery is changeable and cheap, get a pocketful.

Cheers.

On 03/03/2015 17:52, Caecilius wrote:
I've got a loft conversion with a flat roof that's coming up to ten
years old. I'm guessing it's got a fair bit of life left in it, but
I'll probably want to have a look at it every few years so I can renew
it before it fails.

I've been thinking about a remote control quadcopter with a video
camera, as it'll probably cost less that scaffolding (there's no way
I'm using a ladder). But they seem to fall into two categories:
something serious costing over 500, which is too expensive; and
something costing less than 100 which looks like a toy. There doesn't
seem to be much middle ground.

The "toy" ones that take a memory card for the internal camera are quite
capable of getting to that height. You just need to pick a very still
day to fly. Keep in mind you have no real time video feedback on the
cheap ones - so you need to fly and look at the footage after.



--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On 04/03/2015 13:26, John Rumm wrote:
On 03/03/2015 17:52, Caecilius wrote:
I've got a loft conversion with a flat roof that's coming up to ten
years old. I'm guessing it's got a fair bit of life left in it, but
I'll probably want to have a look at it every few years so I can renew
it before it fails.

I've been thinking about a remote control quadcopter with a video
camera, as it'll probably cost less that scaffolding (there's no way
I'm using a ladder). But they seem to fall into two categories:
something serious costing over 500, which is too expensive; and
something costing less than 100 which looks like a toy. There doesn't
seem to be much middle ground.

The "toy" ones that take a memory card for the internal camera are quite
capable of getting to that height. You just need to pick a very still
day to fly. Keep in mind you have no real time video feedback on the
cheap ones - so you need to fly and look at the footage after.



I've been perusing Quadcopters for a while.
This one seems to fit your criteria. You can monitor the video during
flight and also replay it on the remote control monitor without having
to put the card in a computer to view it. Seems good value for 140 odd quid.

http://www.red5.co.uk/x4-quadcopter-fpv.aspx

On 04/03/2015 14:18, Bod wrote:
On 04/03/2015 13:26, John Rumm wrote:
On 03/03/2015 17:52, Caecilius wrote:
I've got a loft conversion with a flat roof that's coming up to ten
years old. I'm guessing it's got a fair bit of life left in it, but
I'll probably want to have a look at it every few years so I can renew
it before it fails.

I've been thinking about a remote control quadcopter with a video
camera, as it'll probably cost less that scaffolding (there's no way
I'm using a ladder). But they seem to fall into two categories:
something serious costing over 500, which is too expensive; and
something costing less than 100 which looks like a toy. There doesn't
seem to be much middle ground.

The "toy" ones that take a memory card for the internal camera are quite
capable of getting to that height. You just need to pick a very still
day to fly. Keep in mind you have no real time video feedback on the
cheap ones - so you need to fly and look at the footage after.



I've been perusing Quadcopters for a while.
This one seems to fit your criteria. You can monitor the video during
flight and also replay it on the remote control monitor without having
to put the card in a computer to view it. Seems good value for 140 odd
quid.

http://www.red5.co.uk/x4-quadcopter-fpv.aspx

Found some video footage for you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3IqFZrX0Y4

On Wed, 04 Mar 2015 14:26:15 +0000, Bod wrote:

On 04/03/2015 14:18, Bod wrote:
On 04/03/2015 13:26, John Rumm wrote:
On 03/03/2015 17:52, Caecilius wrote:
I've got a loft conversion with a flat roof that's coming up to ten
years old. I'm guessing it's got a fair bit of life left in it, but
I'll probably want to have a look at it every few years so I can renew
it before it fails.

I've been thinking about a remote control quadcopter with a video
camera, as it'll probably cost less that scaffolding (there's no way
I'm using a ladder). But they seem to fall into two categories:
something serious costing over 500, which is too expensive; and
something costing less than 100 which looks like a toy. There doesn't
seem to be much middle ground.

The "toy" ones that take a memory card for the internal camera are quite
capable of getting to that height. You just need to pick a very still
day to fly. Keep in mind you have no real time video feedback on the
cheap ones - so you need to fly and look at the footage after.



I've been perusing Quadcopters for a while.
This one seems to fit your criteria. You can monitor the video during
flight and also replay it on the remote control monitor without having
to put the card in a computer to view it. Seems good value for 140 odd
quid.

http://www.red5.co.uk/x4-quadcopter-fpv.aspx

Found some video footage for you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3IqFZrX0Y4

And here's another one to consider (if you can get hold of a
lightweight camera :-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DWqTEZLTyk

--
J B Good

On Wed, 04 Mar 2015 14:26:15 +0000, Bod wrote:

On 04/03/2015 14:18, Bod wrote:
On 04/03/2015 13:26, John Rumm wrote:
On 03/03/2015 17:52, Caecilius wrote:
I've got a loft conversion with a flat roof that's coming up to ten
years old. I'm guessing it's got a fair bit of life left in it, but
I'll probably want to have a look at it every few years so I can renew
it before it fails.

I've been thinking about a remote control quadcopter with a video
camera, as it'll probably cost less that scaffolding (there's no way
I'm using a ladder). But they seem to fall into two categories:
something serious costing over 500, which is too expensive; and
something costing less than 100 which looks like a toy. There doesn't
seem to be much middle ground.

The "toy" ones that take a memory card for the internal camera are quite
capable of getting to that height. You just need to pick a very still
day to fly. Keep in mind you have no real time video feedback on the
cheap ones - so you need to fly and look at the footage after.



I've been perusing Quadcopters for a while.
This one seems to fit your criteria. You can monitor the video during
flight and also replay it on the remote control monitor without having
to put the card in a computer to view it. Seems good value for 140 odd
quid.

http://www.red5.co.uk/x4-quadcopter-fpv.aspx

Found some video footage for you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3IqFZrX0Y4

Here's another one to consider if you can find a light enough camera
to fit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DWqTEZLTyk

A snip at just £34.99 :-)
--
J B Good

On Friday, March 6, 2015 at 4:29:46 AM UTC, Johny B Good wrote:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3IqFZrX0Y4

Here's another one to consider if you can find a light enough camera
to fit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DWqTEZLTyk

A snip at just £34.99 :-)
--
J B Good

They are a bit fragile , PCB is the legs, trying to get a cam at sub 7g is tricky.

This is tough, the props aren`t though spares advised, and about 20 quid cheaper, UK warehouse

http://eu.banggood.com/Wholesale-War...Uk-926614.html

For something that will lift a gopro or SJ4000 with GPS ,does waypoint flying etc, just over 200 quid

http://eu.banggood.com/Wholesale-War...Uk-932145.html

On Wednesday, March 4, 2015 at 2:18:51 PM UTC, Bod wrote:

I've been perusing Quadcopters for a while.
This one seems to fit your criteria. You can monitor the video during
flight and also replay it on the remote control monitor without having
to put the card in a computer to view it. Seems good value for 140 odd quid.

http://www.red5.co.uk/x4-quadcopter-fpv.aspx

Cheapest First Person View yet seen has got to be this at just inder 60 quid, though it dosen`t get rave reviews anywhere :

http://www.banggood.com/SKY-Hawkeye-...-p-954671.html

The X4 H107D FPV has a long running thread he

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1842561

and the currently mere 280 page thread on the Syma X5

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...65465&page=280

On 04/03/2015 17:47, Adam Aglionby wrote:
On Wednesday, March 4, 2015 at 2:18:51 PM UTC, Bod wrote:

I've been perusing Quadcopters for a while.
This one seems to fit your criteria. You can monitor the video during
flight and also replay it on the remote control monitor without having
to put the card in a computer to view it. Seems good value for 140 odd quid.

http://www.red5.co.uk/x4-quadcopter-fpv.aspx

Cheapest First Person View yet seen has got to be this at just inder 60 quid, though it dosen`t get rave reviews anywhere :

http://www.banggood.com/SKY-Hawkeye-...-p-954671.html

The X4 H107D FPV has a long running thread he

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1842561

and the currently mere 280 page thread on the Syma X5

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...65465&page=280

Found the one I mentioned earlier for £107 and free postage he

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/new-Hubsan...em3ce88b 65b9

On 04/03/2015 14:18, Bod wrote:
On 04/03/2015 13:26, John Rumm wrote:
On 03/03/2015 17:52, Caecilius wrote:
I've got a loft conversion with a flat roof that's coming up to ten
years old. I'm guessing it's got a fair bit of life left in it, but
I'll probably want to have a look at it every few years so I can renew
it before it fails.

I've been thinking about a remote control quadcopter with a video
camera, as it'll probably cost less that scaffolding (there's no way
I'm using a ladder). But they seem to fall into two categories:
something serious costing over 500, which is too expensive; and
something costing less than 100 which looks like a toy. There doesn't
seem to be much middle ground.

The "toy" ones that take a memory card for the internal camera are quite
capable of getting to that height. You just need to pick a very still
day to fly. Keep in mind you have no real time video feedback on the
cheap ones - so you need to fly and look at the footage after.



I've been perusing Quadcopters for a while.
This one seems to fit your criteria. You can monitor the video during
flight and also replay it on the remote control monitor without having
to put the card in a computer to view it. Seems good value for 140 odd
quid.

http://www.red5.co.uk/x4-quadcopter-fpv.aspx

In contrast, you can get a memory card "view after the fact" one for £35

--
Cheers,

John.

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On Tue, 03 Mar 2015 17:52:49 +0000, Caecilius wrote:

snip

But I wonder if anyone had used this
technology for looking at flat roofs, facias etc, and whether it's
worth considering.

IMHO a mark 1 eyeball eighteen inches from the surface with a mark 1 hand to
prod and poke will always be better than a remote visual inspection even with
the very best HD cameras

Flying very close to a house in a drone without coming into contact with them
is, shall we say, challenging.
--

"Jethro_uk" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 03 Mar 2015 17:52:49 +0000, Caecilius wrote:

I've got a loft conversion with a flat roof that's coming up to ten
years old. I'm guessing it's got a fair bit of life left in it, but
I'll probably want to have a look at it every few years so I can renew
it before it fails.

I've been thinking about a remote control quadcopter with a video
camera, as it'll probably cost less that scaffolding (there's no way I'm
using a ladder). But they seem to fall into two categories: something
serious costing over 500, which is too expensive; and something costing
less than 100 which looks like a toy. There doesn't seem to be much
middle ground.

There's no hurry, so I've got the option of waiting for a year or two
for the market to mature. But I wonder if anyone had used this
technology for looking at flat roofs, facias etc, and whether it's worth
considering.

If you separate the camera from the craft you might be onto a thing. A
lot of people seem to use the drone to carry their mobile phone on video
record ...

I wonder how many people (and I raise my hand first here ) forget they
carry a full HD recorder (admittedly of questionable performance) in
their pocket.

And its not just a recorder either, its easy enough
to do a live video feed using skype etc.

On 03/03/2015 18:04, Jethro_uk wrote:

If you separate the camera from the craft you might be onto a thing. A
lot of people seem to use the drone to carry their mobile phone on video
record ...

Search Ebay for MD80 and you will find a miniature light weight video
recorder for around a fiver with around an hour of battery life and it
records onto a micro SD card. The disadvantage is that you can only
view the video after the flight.



--
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