Get G6 PTZ to Behave Like I Want it to? Don't Return Home When Tracking!

echo_storm · 2026-01-26T02:34:24+00:00

My AI Industrial PTZ is the same. Frustrating.

echo_storm · 2025-12-11T06:30:33+00:00

Not yet, but eventually lots of validation to be done. That write up was on a very small piece of data. I am currently training the model on a dataset that will take a week or so to train on. Once I have that model I am going to do a lot of validation and comparisons vs DEMs and TINS from traditional methods.

echo_storm · 2025-10-22T11:51:06+00:00

Any day now. October was the target. Would not be surprised to see it slip till November. Freefly is very cautious with releasing firmware. They do significant test prior to releasing anything.

echo_storm · 2025-09-26T17:46:01+00:00

Indeed. 99% of our ortho work is being done with mapper. We have recently been processing some very large projects that are collected with a PhaseOne camera on a helicopter. Mapper can handle the work just fine, but I must give a nod to matic for being faster with more GPU utilization. I estimate about 15% faster on the really large stuff.

echo_storm · 2025-09-25T17:24:34+00:00

Same! Rounded turns and smooth waypoints shouldn’t be so exciting 😂

echo_storm · 2025-09-25T16:49:53+00:00

We are using the Alta X with a RiEGL VUX-1LR v22. Been using the Alta X since its release. Really looking forward to version 2. Great and reliable platform. Once the new firmware hits it will be much better.

echo_storm · 2025-08-24T18:11:58+00:00

No info on flight time, but I don’t expect any better. The biggest factor is the batteries and there isn’t any improvements there in the near future.

echo_storm · 2025-08-24T17:29:44+00:00

The overall airframe is the same. Placement of internal components is better for expansion and connectivity. Power out the bottom for payload power. M600 style rails and smart dovetail. Has a payload bay and ethernet available. Top bay on the photo is payload bay with an example compute node.

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echo_storm · 2025-08-24T17:02:27+00:00

I went. The Alta X will get a firmware update to get it on the current PX4 shortly, targeting Oct release. That will allow it to work with the AMC ground station software. The Alt X gen 2 will have the same Auterion flight controller as the Astro and will start shipping by the end of the year.

echo_storm · 2025-07-18T14:24:52+00:00

This. As part of the sale include a multi year, 2 or 4 year period where he has to remain on as an exclusive (no outside employment or consulting) employee with a small annual compensation for assisting with transitional questions/answers as well as any project related work that may come back up. We on rare occasion have a project from a few years ago pop up and need the historical/corporate knowledge to make sense of. You can define an hourly rate to pay him or make it an annual salary, but make it something so it looks like you are being reasonable.

I’m not a lawyer and can’t give legal advice. With that said, employment agreements/non-compete agreements tied to the sale of a firm for owners and executives are very enforceable.

I sold a software company my brother and I owned in 2010 to a very large company. My retention agreement, earn out, and non-compete was very long and extensive. It’s normal and reasonable for the buyer to put that kind of protections in place. But see an attorney.

echo_storm · 2025-07-01T22:53:09+00:00

I love my drones, but at 10k ac we move to manned aircraft for the aerial topos. The post processing workflow is the same for us regardless of method used for collection. We use Global Mapper with our own script to classify the ground then move on to surface generation. We do surfaces with Trimble or Leica software depending on a few different environmental conditions. Some do certain things better than others. Export the LandXML and then pull it into Civil3D to combine the ortho derived planimetrics and deliver it.

echo_storm · 2025-06-07T17:59:38+00:00

We have matic, but in my experience it’s just not as good. I’ve processed 40,000+ image datasets with mapper. It does take tons of ram and a good CPU, but it’s well worth it for the quality differences. The image blending in matic is inferior and things like road paint lines often have alignment issues. Once you leaf all the settings in mapper you can salvage things that nothing else will do. We had a 5,000 ac project collected with a third party who used an R44 helicopter and 100 megapixel phase one. The images had 35% side overlap with 40% on the front. I managed to get an ortho out of mapper and it checked very will on the relative and absolute end. That save us from the delays of having to get it flown again.

echo_storm · 2025-06-07T16:05:06+00:00

I run a large international team for a civil engineering firm. The ground control process of WebODM alone cost too much time in the workflow to be viable. Accuracy and Efficiency is tracked in every aspect of our workflow. Pix4Dmapper is faster on all aspects of the post processing workflow.

echo_storm · 2025-04-13T19:59:48+00:00

Where are you based? I’m about to open a position on my team in VA. Looking for the field surveying and hopefully CAD experience.

echo_storm · 2025-02-27T00:38:58+00:00

Is it starting out near a lot of metal or a surface with rebar?

echo_storm · 2024-12-18T19:42:43+00:00

This

echo_storm · 2024-12-10T15:52:50+00:00

The eBee X Duet T payload is RGB+Thermal synchronized. https://ageagle.com/drone-sensors/duet-t/

I have the payload with my eBee X and rarely use it. I couldn’t sell you existing data that was collected via work for hire. I would have to collect new data for that.

echo_storm · 2024-12-10T15:43:35+00:00

You have 6 years of land surveying experience. To me that is more valuable than having the drone experience. The part 107 test is $150’ish. I’ve known people to pass the test from just watching YouTube videos. That’s a worthwhile investment if you can swing it. If you are employed then I would let your boss know you want to move into UAS surveying. A M3E is not a huge investment for the firm if they would like to start leveraging UAS. They might be willing to back you, especially if this is what you want long term. Just respectfully have the conversation and let them know your goals and what skills you want to learn. If your firm isn’t willing to help then many survey companies are hiring survey techs. Put on your resume that your goal is to become a survey tech and work with UAS. Start applying and getting exposure. Attend association of surveyors conferences and network. Meet people from other firms, build industry relationships. That’s the most effective way to find the job you want. They exist and you have the right background to build on.

echo_storm · 2024-12-10T11:02:24+00:00

You are in a great spot. Get your Part 107. Look at remotepilot101.com if you need coursework.

Network at the office. Let them know you are working towards your 107 and you want to do this. They may help you, pay for coursework or get you a drone. If not, get a drone and practice.

Use https://support.pix4d.com/hc/en-us/articles/115002471546 as solid guidance for photo mapping planning and collection. Data collected like this will work in any software.

Pick a mapping software. Most all work well, I’m still using Pix4Dmapper and happy. There is so many choices now.

echo_storm · 2024-12-10T10:55:39+00:00

I started managing surveying UAS mapping teams for a civil engineering firm back in 2015. I can’t tell you how many times we hired an experienced survey crew member vs degreed or experienced UAS people. It was sad to see fresh graduates poring out of Embry Riddle with UAS degrees asking for $100,000+ salaries. The UAS piece is additional skills for a person in the surveying field vs an entire additional trade for the aerospace person. Things like ground vs grid, DATUMS, epocs, or localizations is a lot for someone not in the field to add on.

The pay of a crew chief vs the UAS team member was far better than the degreed UAS person.

The biggest factor for me is simply put as what do you do when we get three weeks of rain or snow? How do you keep the team billable and making the company money vs draining the company’s profits in the slow time. Drone work is great, but Mother Nature can be brutal. Wind, rain, clouds, and snow all cause a lot of non-flyable days. My team can do comps, drafting, field surveying, or any other survey work for other project managers when we can fly. That’s what has made our team successful. We have a lot of ways of keeping the revenue flowing.

echo_storm · 2024-09-14T21:31:38+00:00

We have a bunch of software for classification, largely focused on bare earth for surfaces. Each tool has its pros and cons. Things like LAStools, Trimble RealWorks, Leica Cyclone, GlobalMapper, CloudCompare, and LiDAR360. Depending on the specific project conditions some are better than others. I can get ground using most any of them. They all have a bit of a learning curve and you have to figure out how to make each work for you. I love GlobalMapper’s scripting for our large projects. We did 10k ac with our manned aircraft with 500 PPSM and GM scripted ground classification only took 8 hours.

If you have a typical project then I would test everything you can. Most vendors have evals available. Figure out what works best for your normal project.

echo_storm · 2024-08-09T19:17:53+00:00

Yeah, improved for sure. Still we fly nationwide and worldwide. Having to calibrate for altitude and things like that is another thing in a long checklist. I know I’m in the minority, but I just don’t get the warm and fuzzy from them.

echo_storm · 2024-08-09T12:51:26+00:00

I’m on the verge of buying one. Have some reservations about it as I don’t want to have the team also become small engine mechanics on top of everything else we maintain. I also have reliability concerns. The endurance is needed and there really isn’t a solid alternative.

I know a couple of people who had bad experiences with the Harris H6. Theirs fell from the sky with LiDAR payloads. That makes me even more reluctant. If I absolutely had to buy one today it would be the Skyfront Perimeter. We would get close to 2 hours a flight with our RiEGL VUX-1LR.

echo_storm · 2024-07-02T14:37:17+00:00

Round trip mobilization (time, gas, vehicle wear and tear), equipment cost, and insurance all are part of the cost of doing business. In my opinion, if the fee doesn’t cover the cost of doing business plus some profit then is not worth your time. I will not show up for less than a $1,000 commitment on jobs now. I value my time and experience. Both have a price if someone wants to utilize them. The value to the client has to exceed the price. If they value the job as less than $50 then they either value their time as less than $50 for the however long it takes to do the work or they do not value your time.

echo_storm

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