Still waiting on flytrex!!!

dirtybum · Sep 10, 2015

O.k i know everyones waited and some have even received! I just dont like how flytrex is so quick and responsive about silly account questions/ issues , but seem to have closed shop when i e-mail them a "whats up "? About shipping! I've paid for my unit with 3-5 day extra$ shipping option they gladly cashed the check but its been too long for a simple response. "Talk amongst yerselves"

bbfpv · Sep 11, 2015

pretty common knowledge that Flytrex takes forever to ship their product. They're in a constant state of catch-up. Regardless, it's a wonderful product, and worth the wait.

Shammyh · Sep 11, 2015

Correct. Their fulfillment leaves quite a lot to be desired. To the point where I'd now seriously consider not ordering any new product of theirs just after launch.

That said, the product itself is pretty excellent, and at least for now, they're the only game in town doing what they do.

nhoover · Sep 17, 2015

Ordered 5/21
Shipped 9/3
Received 9/17 in California

Can't wait to fire it up.

paulsluxmd · Sep 18, 2015

I got my new Flytrex for the Phantom 3 Professional yesterday. It shipped on September 8 and I paid the $25 expedited fee.
The Flytrex unit and connection cable came, BUT THE EXTERNAL PLASTIC MOUNTING BRACKET WAS MISSING!!
I went ahead and connected the external cables and inserted the SIM card I already had and it work fine.
I had an mounting bracket for the Phantom 2 plus I never used and was able to zip tie the unit between the legs. I works for now. I emailed the company last night and haven't heard anything back about getting the mounting bracket.

guest1231 · Sep 25, 2015

So I received my Flytrex the other day, and for the life of me I can't get the new 6 pin cable plugged back into the ultrasonic sensor thing. Can anyone who's done it give me some advice? I have a few different long tweezers that I'm using and I'm just not able to get it. Is it possible to remove the gimbal or maybe that ultrasonic sensor pod to make it easier? Should I just go ahead and unscrew it? Any help is apreciated.

Shammyh · Sep 25, 2015

az116 said:
So I received my Flytrex the other day, and for the life of me I can't get the new 6 pin cable plugged back into the ultrasonic sensor thing. Can anyone who's done it give me some advice? I have a few different long tweezers that I'm using and I'm just not able to get it. Is it possible to remove the gimbal or maybe that ultrasonic sensor pod to make it easier? Should I just go ahead and unscrew it? Any help is apreciated.

I found that to be the trickiest part as well. Some patience and steady hands did the trick, but I was just a few minutes of frustration away from removing the gimbal.

You can certainly remove the gimbal, you just need to snip the "safety pins" that go through two of the rubber dampener connectors.
Should be spares from your original parts kit.

DO NOT remove the communications pod (aka, the "ultrasonic module", which is really for communication and only contains a tiny piece which is for the VPS system).

nickyb · Sep 25, 2015

What is flytrex?

phantomlova · Sep 25, 2015

@nickyb let me google it for ya.....

batch1978 · Sep 25, 2015

Please don't bite but it seems like a waste of $ please explain why it is not

guest1231 · Sep 25, 2015

batch1978 said:
Please don't bite but it seems like a waste of $ please explain why it is not

If you somehow have a fly away and your phantom loses connection to your remote before it crashes, it would be almost impossible to find. This product continuously tracks the Phantom's location using GPS and sends it over a cellular connection. You'll where your aircraft is at all times. It can also allow others to track your flight in realtime, and provides another level of data logging.

Shammyh · Sep 25, 2015

batch1978 said:
Please don't bite but it seems like a waste of $ please explain why it is not

As others have stated, the advantage of the Flytrex is the ability to track in real-time from any distance (within cell coverage).

I for one, use it to monitor fully-autonomous (aka, Ground Station or Waypoint) flights that might be going out of controller range.

In addition, if the bird does go down, I have a pretty accurate picture of where it went. Also liability, if someone argues you're flying somewhere you shouldn't be, or says you did something you didn't.

And finally, if you fly with a spotter, friend, or just want to show off, you can have any iOS or Android user install the Flytrex app, and let them "watch" your flight in real-time.

nhoover · Sep 25, 2015

I finally received mine the other day and installed. The installation was pretty simple although I was glad to have a couple of nice pairs of tweezers and you need a Torx T8 if you're using the Flytrex mount. Did a couple of test flights and it worked fine. I was "watching" on one tablet while flying with the other.

In the US I am using an h2Owireless SIM I ordered for free on Amazon. With auto-recharge enabled it costs $3/mo ($9 for 100MB which expires in 90 days).

batch1978 · Sep 26, 2015

Cool ok

Brent10 · Nov 14, 2015

My attempt to design and 3D print a mount for the Flytrex Plus.

Flytrex Plus Phantom 3 Mount by EatMorePossum

Shammyh · Nov 14, 2015

Brent10 said:
My attempt to design and 3D print a mount for the Flytrex Plus.

Flytrex Plus Phantom 3 Mount by EatMorePossum

View attachment 35849
View attachment 35850

Honestly.... I almost wouldn't bother.

The Flytrex 3G plus is still not fully compatible with the P3. And even though it's been out for months, support indicates it may be many more months before the issues are resolved.

While Flytrex used to be my "go to" recommendation for a flight tracker, given the track record thus far, I'd look at different solutions.

Brent10 · Nov 14, 2015

Shammyh said:
Honestly.... I almost wouldn't bother.

The Flytrex 3G plus is still not fully compatible with the P3. And even though it's been out for months, support indicates it may be many more months before the issues are resolved.

While Flytrex used to be my "go to" recommendation for a flight tracker, given the track record thus far, I'd look at different solutions.

In what way is it not fully compatible with the P3?
I haven't heard anyone else complain about compatibility issues.

Shammyh · Nov 14, 2015

Brent10 said:
In what way is it not fully compatible with the P3?
I haven't heard anyone else complain about compatibility issues.

It doesn't track/log battery voltage or flight mode status.

The lack of battery tracking in particular is very frustrating.

Since all it does really track is location, it makes it no better than any of the other (and much cheaper) 2G/3G connected GPS trackers.

Brent10 · Nov 14, 2015

That's the same issue they had with the original Live 3G model. Took them a month or two to fix it.
Mine is mounted and ready to go and has passed a static test. I plan to perform a test flight next week. Hopefully, the issues have been ironed out or will be ironed out soon.

Brent10 · Nov 14, 2015

Shammyh said:
Since all it does really track is location, it makes it no better than any of the other (and much cheaper) 2G/3G connected GPS trackers.

It records a lot more data than just location and includes a social element (if you're into that kind of thing).

Do any of the 2G/3G GPS trackers allow you to watch the flight in real-time on a map via a webpage or on an app? If so, which one(s)? (Asking for a friend who might go that route instead of Flytrex.)