LATEST UPDATES AND NEWS ON ALL THINGS QUADCOPTERS
- WALKERA G-3S SONY GIMBAL - September 2014
Once again Walkera China has acted on our request for more variety in gimbal choices. Coming within the week we will be releasing the G-3S gimbal to suit the RX100 Sony Camera.
- TALI H500 CARBON ARRIVING SOON - August 2014
Finally Walkera Australia have negotiated exclusive rights to sell the USA model Carbon Tali H500. We are both proud and excited to offer this model to our customers and hope that everyone enjoys flying the new carbon Tali around the Australian skies.
- TALI H500 Released in Australia - July 2014
We've been waiting, and now it's here. The Tali H500 is not only the newest kid on the block, but it packs alot of features in this all-in-one package. The Tali H500 is initially available only in pearl white, and what a finish it is. We were very happy when we opened the box and seen the shine coming off the perfectly moulded shell. On testing the first thing we fell in love with was the plug and play battery. This is something Walkera was lacking behind and now they have it finally sorted out. After using the push-in battery connectors on the x350/x800 it was a pleasure to be able to push a button to start with the H500.
Upon testing all the features of flight we immediately noticed the improved performance of the F12E video feedback with less flicker and more range. The F12E transmitters design is perfect with the ability to use the gimble without having to move your hands of the natural position of the controller.
As expected the Tali H500 flies like a bird, with the auto take-off used for the second test flight we could tell this will be a machine that newbies are going to have alot of fun with.
We also noticed that the GPS telemetry was super accurate including altitude which was within 0.1meter accuracy.
We are please will our new product and their will be more reviews coming soon!
- VCT-01 Transciever for Smart Phone/Ipads - May 2014
One thing we have been struggling to come up with is the ability to use smart devices to view our 5.8ghz video live from the quads. Although DJI chose to go down the path of WIFI, Walkera really doesn't want to take the risk of using multiple frequecies, that potentially can interfere with each other. The device about to be released by Walkera International is a device called the VCT-01. This device recieves your video via the 5.8ghz frequency as before, but then converts that signal to WIFI so your smart devices can then pick it up. The WIFI range is only 5-10m so it will not interfere with the smarts onboard the quad. Once converted to WIFI, you can use an app called UCCAM to view your video live on your phone or ipad. We are waiting to here more of the release of this one.
- New Walkera QR X800 has arrived - May 2014
What a great machine. It looks professional, it looks smart, and it is stable. We all thought the 350pro was a tremendously stable machine when that arrived, but this new bird is as solid as a rock. Obviously being so large, we would expect this anyway, but with dual gps and smart looking retractable legs, it is a nice machine to watch flying around in the skies. It does fold down into a tripod looking package which is handy to lay on the back seat of the car, but.....to put it back in its included aluminium case can take at least 10 minutes as the props are not as simple to remove as the x350pro. Overall, it is an extremely nice package, and the best quality quad we have seen out of China yet!
- New Walkera QR X800 on it's way ETA 7th May - April 2014
Lets see what this new Quad will have to offer. We have confirmed RRP $1990 with transmitter, battery and charger. We are expecting no less than 50 minutes flight time our of this new bird. From all reports, it is a slow graceful machine. Not as fast as the X350s but it will certainly serve its purpose if it can outlast 50 minutes flight time. We will keep you posted.
- Walkera updates Gimble Package - April 2014
Yes, you may have read that we weren't completely happy with the set-up of the gimble. The Gimble itself works great, but for someone who just wants to get it and fly, it was time consuming getting little screws in tight places when initially fitting to the quad. Thanks to our moaning and groaning, all new gimble's come with a slide-on bracket. This has turned a tedious task into a 5 second job. We are yet to find out if customers with existing gimbles can upgrade to the new design, but at least those who are looking at buying from April will experience this much more pleasant fit-out.
- March Release of the Walkera QR X350PRO - Mar 2014
Finally.....it has arrived. What we have been waiting for since the release of the old x350, a better much more stable model. We are pleased to announce that this quadcopter will impress the every customer with its superb stability and longer range options on the DEVO10 package. The addition of the included Gimble makes this quadcopter a Ready-to-fly aerial photographic machine with the additional flight time of up to 25 minutes. There will no-doubt be updates as we go, but but we think you will like what you see.
- Summary of testing the new Walkera G2-D Gimble - Feb 2014
Wow, the new gimble is fantastic. Even with some erratic flight moves the gimble held out GoPro incredibly smooth. In normal GPS flight the picture was very stable with no evidence of vibrations coming through the video footage. Both the DEVO10 and DEVOF7 can control the pitch of the gimbal during flight, however the DEVO10 can also adjust the roll if required. The Gimble takes a little to set-up with 2 small variable pots able to be adjusted with a small screwdriver to give you control of span/range of movement and centre adjustments. The only downside we seen with this gimble, was the fact that it is very annoying to fit, especially when in a hurry :) There are very small screws which without a magentic screwdriver are very hard to get in. Let's hope our feedback warrants a reason to modify this. - John
- Summary of testing the new Walkera QR X350 PRO - Jan 2014
Such an improvement on the previous model, which we opted out of supplying. Obviously Walkera International has worked hard at trying to impress distributors and customers alike, which I am happy to admit, they have successfully done this time. During our initial testing we tested most of the major features. We noticed immediately that the stability was 10-fold on the previous model and the GPS hold was significantly more stable. The Return-to-home was withing 2 metres on average after every attempt, which we were quite happy with. There was no evidence of fly-away's but did notice that once return-to-home was activated, that the quadcopter mode could not be altered until it had landed as it would affect overall flight performance and cause the quadcopter to fly irradically. So don't activate Return-to-home if you don't want to come home :)
The battery life was amazing having no problems reaching the 25 minutes with no payload attached. The DEVO10 transmitter on the basic model was impressive with all switches and controls feeling solid and responsive. The DEVOF7 is also a great transmitter for the FPV version, and although it doesn't have the 2km range of the DEVO10, it will appease customers looking for an onboard display for their camera, which works well out to somewhere between 100-200m. When we tested the video range, it was evident that we got better range when in an open field, compared with built-up areas.
In summary, we were both happy with the outcome, and look forward to the final product release to see the end product.
- Matt & John