New purchaser of Phantom 4 Pro

[Ewave]

I just ordered the new P4P from DJI, there reps were at the Imaging USA Convention in San Antonio (Professional Photographers of America's annual convention) and they had a multi day multi presentation on Drones and their use by Pro Photographers and what they offer. FAA had a speaker, two DJI people were there answering questions and several other photographers from across the US gave lectures. The DJI folks handed out discount codes for the P4P but not the Plus model which I took advantage of.

Now I need to order a tablet to go with the controller. I am actually glad that I did not get the Pro+ since it looks like that the viewing unit may be brighter than most tablets but it is attached and non remove able by the user so if it fails you have to send it back to DJI for repair.

So it looks like an 8 inch tablet is the best size and the faster the processors in it the better. I see many do not have GPS just wifi. Does the base control unit have GPS in it or does that have to be in the viewing tablet/phone? I am in the Dallas area so easy to find places that carry all sorts of units but since I have probably a week before shipment comes in from DJI I was thinking of trying to find a reasonable deal on a unit.

This is my first drone. I know that I need to register it with the FAA and that I need to set for my 107 since I will be using the unit for my business and of course getting insurance policies.Crazy around here are all the heliports along with the 5 mile airport overlays and I do have large planes on occasion fly within a 1,000 feet above me on flight paths to Love Field which is over 5 miles away. (well it seams that they are that low).

So thanks for any help on figuring out what viewing unit to get.

Ewave

 

[Techcop50]

Welcome to the forum!
You seem pretty well informed. A fast 8-inch is probably what you need. And try not to clutter it up with other apps, best to dedicate it to flying, if possible. There is no GPS in the controller itself, so it relies on the tablet for that. You will also need internet access to view maps while flying, unless you cache them ahead of time. You can tether to your phone for access, if needed.
Another big consideration is screen brightness. Hard to see most tablets/phones in bright sun.
Most of the folks here seem to prefer apple tablets, I'm an Android fan myself. And I have the P4P+, which is great, IMHO.
You'll find this site to be your greatest resource as you take the journey into the UAV world. @msinger s website, Phantomhelp.com, has a wealth of information. Check it out!

 

[Ewave]

Oh it would be dedicated to just the drone, only apps added would be tied into FAA and weather activities. The photographers at the convention listed about 10 excellent apps specific to operating drones in the USA.

 

[Dirby]

I use the NVidia shield k1 on my p4 and p4p.
both work great

 

[Meta4]

I see many do not have GPS just wifi. Does the base control unit have GPS in it or does that have to be in the viewing tablet/phone?

Apple have caused a lot of confusion about this because they only have GPS in their cell capable ipads.
But most Android tablets have GPS as standard equipment.
The Phantom has a very good GPS receiver that it uses for all flight functions.
The only times you need a GPS in your tablet is if you want to do follow-me flight or to reset the home point to where you are now (used if you are on a moving boat/car etc while flying).

 

[KingDad1985]

I'm currently using the Samsung tab s2 8 inch which has worked perfectly. Bright beautiful amoled screen

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using PhantomPilots mobile app

 

[jeffscra]

Oh it would be dedicated to just the drone, only apps added would be tied into FAA and weather activities. The photographers at the convention listed about 10 excellent apps specific to operating drones in the USA.

Curious what the 10 apps were?

 

[MTH]

Just bought an IPad Air 2. As in this evening. Tried using a LG, but it would keep crashing. Tried the Air wifi only but decided I wanted to replace the LG so I sprung for the 32 GB through Verizon.