Worth $150 to retrieve stuck drone?

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So I got my phantom 3 standard stuck in a tree. It's too high to retrieve with conventional methods...If you can think of a way I've probably tried it :( I was gonna ask, do you think it's worth $150 on a tree surgeon to come climb the tree to retrieve it? It's been up in the tree for 8 days now...It's rained maybe once, and not a lot. The drone is stuck upside down (I don't know if that helps?). Should I just cut my losses and buy a new one? Or is it worth getting this guy to come only to find it fried? I"ve already spent about $50 on supplies to try and get it down, so I'd be in the hole by $200

Many thanks,

J
 
You don't say how high it is, but If feasable could try with pvc pipe sections fitted together. Once you pass the $$ amount nearing the cost of a new one its prbly better to look forward.
 
50/50. If it is damaged, you'll be spending a fair amount of money. What speed was it going when it crashed into tree?
 
Most likely if anything, it would be the camera broken. Camera: $200/$300.
 
N I C E. In retrospect, a users manual is cheaper still. Just saying.....

You would think somebody somewhere out there would have rigged up a retrieval drone. Maybe a larger one capable of more lift. Some of these commercial drones for (I believe) photography, are rated in Kg carrying ability and should be able to lift a little Phantom with the right line and hook. I've seen FAR more effort expended to retrieve a $75 anchor even when there was a good sharp knife around.
 
I think you should retrieve it. I am of the mind set that if you make a mess you clean it up.

And it might be salvageable.. who knows...
 
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fire departments rescue cats out of trees....
upside down and it rained? not looking very promising
 
Fishing pole with large heavy fishing grapple hook.....
 
fire departments rescue cats out of trees....
upside down and it rained? not looking very promising
Maybe the fire dept would assist if you made a charitable contribution? Worth a shot.
 
Well, I judged it worth $250 to get mine down after snagging it about 60' up three days after I got it.

EDIT: Just reread OP and realized we're talking P3. I have a P4, which made it a bit more viable to spend a few hundred getting it back.
 
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you can buy a water balloon slingshot at walmart for about 10 bucks, made of surgical tubing. Then buy a set of bocce balls, nice and heavy. They'll rock the hell out of branches at 90 feet and you can get right under them. It will take you about 3 shots to perfect your aim. Never done w/ phantom but saved my U818A about 3 times this way. Used only when spinning billy club couldn't reach.
 
I am far from an expert on getting things down. That said, common sense would have you think that any ground based solution is fraught with dilemas. IE: Accuracy, flex, strength required, If you could glue 20 pieces of PVC together, that would suffice for a lot of the things we use drones for. If you have ever put in sprinklers in a large yard, you know how (thankfully) flexible "rigid" pipe can be laying down, much less up in the air. Or try your hand on a simple little 25 foot palm tree and a long pole saw. Just saying.....
 

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