Drone Purchase Assistance - DJI Banned

[EhmayWuntee]

I need some help looking into some reputable brands of drones, but of course the desire is also to try and be cost effective.

I work in Texas and a lot of project photos will be of state DOT projects (TXDOT).
Unfortunately they need to follow state DIR rules which includes a list of prohibited software and hardware companies and of course DJI is on that list.

Covered Applications and Prohibited Technologies | Texas Department of Information Resources

Overview On December 7, 2022, Governor Greg Abbott required all state agencies to ban the video sharing application TikTok and other prohibited technologies from all state-owned devices and networks over the Chinese Communist Party’s ability to use the application for surveilling Texans...

dir.texas.gov

(Slight side note, it sounds like nationally we may be getting more bans or maybe it's just the sale of new products and DJI specific? I haven't looked into it much, but heard a few days ago something passed regarding DJI at a minimum.)

The other minor concern would be if we happened to find a company not currently banned/prohibited, but in 6-18 months maybe they get added to that list. I think the only fairly realistic case of that would be if it is another Chinese company or has ties to China. Autel for example may not be on that list now, but I believe they are based out of China and may be a risk getting their product?

I am aware of some of the bigger players such as Skydio X10 and Parrot ANAFI, but those are like $15,000+ and such a big jump from the existing Mavic 3 we have currently.
I am not sure if those include more autonomy, FLIR cameras, or what puts their price so high, but $5000 is probably more of a realistic max we are looking for.

I don't believe we need to go as far as green or blue list approved, but a USA company or I guess just not Chinese would be one way to be on the safer side of things with this new purchase.

I just need to get construction photos during the day, probably nothing overly fancy in terms of special hardware needs, the Mavic 3 for example would have been all we needed.
What brands/models are people aware of that would be worth considering?

 

[Personal Drone Repair]

I need some help looking into some reputable brands of drones, but of course the desire is also to try and be cost effective.

I work in Texas and a lot of project photos will be of state DOT projects (TXDOT).
Unfortunately they need to follow state DIR rules which includes a list of prohibited software and hardware companies and of course DJI is on that list.

Covered Applications and Prohibited Technologies | Texas Department of Information Resources

Overview On December 7, 2022, Governor Greg Abbott required all state agencies to ban the video sharing application TikTok and other prohibited technologies from all state-owned devices and networks over the Chinese Communist Party’s ability to use the application for surveilling Texans...

dir.texas.gov

(Slight side note, it sounds like nationally we may be getting more bans or maybe it's just the sale of new products and DJI specific? I haven't looked into it much, but heard a few days ago something passed regarding DJI at a minimum.)

The other minor concern would be if we happened to find a company not currently banned/prohibited, but in 6-18 months maybe they get added to that list. I think the only fairly realistic case of that would be if it is another Chinese company or has ties to China. Autel for example may not be on that list now, but I believe they are based out of China and may be a risk getting their product?

I am aware of some of the bigger players such as Skydio X10 and Parrot ANAFI, but those are like $15,000+ and such a big jump from the existing Mavic 3 we have currently.
I am not sure if those include more autonomy, FLIR cameras, or what puts their price so high, but $5000 is probably more of a realistic max we are looking for.

I don't believe we need to go as far as green or blue list approved, but a USA company or I guess just not Chinese would be one way to be on the safer side of things with this new purchase.

I just need to get construction photos during the day, probably nothing overly fancy in terms of special hardware needs, the Mavic 3 for example would have been all we needed.
What brands/models are people aware of that would be worth considering?

If you have not done so already, take a look at Anzu Robotics.

ANZU ROBOTICS

www.anzurobotics.com

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[Wanderlost]

I need some help looking into some reputable brands of drones, but of course the desire is also to try and be cost effective.

I work in Texas and a lot of project photos will be of state DOT projects (TXDOT).
Unfortunately they need to follow state DIR rules which includes a list of prohibited software and hardware companies and of course DJI is on that list.

Covered Applications and Prohibited Technologies | Texas Department of Information Resources

Overview On December 7, 2022, Governor Greg Abbott required all state agencies to ban the video sharing application TikTok and other prohibited technologies from all state-owned devices and networks over the Chinese Communist Party’s ability to use the application for surveilling Texans...

dir.texas.gov

(Slight side note, it sounds like nationally we may be getting more bans or maybe it's just the sale of new products and DJI specific? I haven't looked into it much, but heard a few days ago something passed regarding DJI at a minimum.)

The other minor concern would be if we happened to find a company not currently banned/prohibited, but in 6-18 months maybe they get added to that list. I think the only fairly realistic case of that would be if it is another Chinese company or has ties to China. Autel for example may not be on that list now, but I believe they are based out of China and may be a risk getting their product?

I am aware of some of the bigger players such as Skydio X10 and Parrot ANAFI, but those are like $15,000+ and such a big jump from the existing Mavic 3 we have currently.
I am not sure if those include more autonomy, FLIR cameras, or what puts their price so high, but $5000 is probably more of a realistic max we are looking for.

I don't believe we need to go as far as green or blue list approved, but a USA company or I guess just not Chinese would be one way to be on the safer side of things with this new purchase.

I just need to get construction photos during the day, probably nothing overly fancy in terms of special hardware needs, the Mavic 3 for example would have been all we needed.
What brands/models are people aware of that would be worth considering?

I might be looking at Anzu - here: Drones: American Option Emerges Amid DJI Ban Saga

 

[EhmayWuntee]

Thanks, I will be looking into them for sure.
Kind of leery at first to jump into a new unproven company, but I guess they got rights to build an existing proven platform?
Perhaps software will be the only thing in question then for known quality and how much they keep up with it.

Good thing is I personally like green and they went all in with that color lol.

Only initial drawback is it seems like we take a step back a bit to Mavic 3E which I'd have to see how dumbed down or different that is from a modern day 3 or 3 pro, but at least it's opening the door to a permitted drone.

I'm willing to also look into some other companies if others want to add anything or if anyone has direct experience with an Anzu drone already and can comment on that.

 

[Personal Drone Repair]

Thanks, I will be looking into them for sure.
Kind of leery at first to jump into a new unproven company, but I guess they got rights to build an existing proven platform?
Perhaps software will be the only thing in question then for known quality and how much they keep up with it.

Good thing is I personally like green and they went all in with that color lol.

Only initial drawback is it seems like we take a step back a bit to Mavic 3E which I'd have to see how dumbed down or different that is from a modern day 3 or 3 pro, but at least it's opening the door to a permitted drone.

I'm willing to also look into some other companies if others want to add anything or if anyone has direct experience with an Anzu drone already and can comment on that.

I completely understand your concern regarding software.
It is my understanding that the flight software is an exact match just different branding upon start up.
The link below is to a video regarding the new developments.
In this video, the Anzu Robotics, story is touched on.

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[EhmayWuntee]

Long story short, we are still finalizing our options and a few things have diverted our attention different ways including the semi-recent US investigations into Anzu and it's possible closer ties to DJI than they let on.

I come to just ask if anyone has experience with the Parrot ANAFI USA or USA GOV. My concern is that the camera seems lower spec and/or outdated to where it may still be decent for close up inspection photos, but be lower quality than desired for further away full scale project photos I would be after.

The price is higher and I still need to learn more about their annual fees for certain things that hopefully we don't need and can therefore avoid, but I think my other option is the Skydio X10. It sounds like they include fancy AI stuff that is their niche, but we likely don't have a use for. The camera however at least appears to be better specced.

 

[jaja6009]

The Anafi USA was outdated and overpriced when released and fares even worse now.

It has a 320 resolution thermal that is less than half the resolution of the current main stream 640 resolution.
It is NOT radiometric. It does not give temperature values.
The Zoom is all digital, but at least I can say that for being digital it does a decent job.

Parrot Customer Support is nonexistent with individual customers. If you are a large customer maybe it is different. Visit the sister forum Parrot Pilots and listen to some horror stories with the Anafi USA.

It does take a nice RGB Image, it does have a large amount of software support. Free Flight is actually a very good, easy to use flight software.
Since Parrot owns Pix4D I would bet that the generic camera calibration for the Anafi USA is spot on and it probably makes a great orthomap with ground control.

If you get the government edition at least you get a real controller and real range.
The $7,000 version is a joke with its $100 controller recylced from the original Anafi Thermal and its absurdly short range.

The Skydio X10 is a far superior drone. But Skydio themselves, no comment.

 

[EhmayWuntee]

Thanks for the detailed reply @jaja6009
That will help me at least continue to push the Skydio over the Parrot.

Yes, I am not a fan from what I see from Skydio and it's a pain to even get someone to discuss a few things.
I think part of that is they want to spend their time on customers buying multiple drones and not just 1, but I mentioned at the start that we certainly may have use over time to keep adding more to our fleet.

I'm limited in my options and just need to pick the best image quality I can without getting too screwed on the price premium for NDAA compliant or even Blue list approved.
If we need to consider the Florida market as well, then I learned the list of brands is down to like 5 or 6 with many of them not even offering something to even consider.

So I'm now at the point I really think my 2 options will be the Parrot ANAFI USA GOV and the Skydio X10.

 

[Dave Pitman]

I'm limited in my options and just need to pick the best image quality I can without getting too screwed on the price

If your customer requires certain equipment, or more correctly, rejects superior equipment at a lower cost, to work on their projects, then increase your rate in order to cover the difference. Every vendor that they might use is in the same boat. It is their choice, or rather, their political "leaders", that have put them in that position. It's not your fault. Increase rates accordingly, or find a new market.

 

[EhmayWuntee]

If your customer requires certain equipment, or more correctly, rejects superior equipment at a lower cost, to work on their projects, then increase your rate in order to cover the difference. Every vendor that they might use is in the same boat. It is their choice, or rather, their political "leaders", that have put them in that position. It's not your fault. Increase rates accordingly, or find a new market.

Yes good point, sadly a lot of this is just marketing photos for private company use and not even being provided to the client so it is unpaid until we can show them they do want us to start including milestone photographs for their records.

The DOT doesn't want to have to follow the rules on the DJI ban as they themselves had many DJI drones too, but everyone's hands are tied because state government requires this and that's where all the funding comes from.

Also, no we can't try and use a gray area of taking photos for ourselves and even perform the mission outside of DOT ROW which is technically legal to do because we are still contracted under them to a degree and don't want to start getting any negative reputation added for trying to find a loophole in a way.

 

[adm_geomatics]

I completely understand your concern regarding software.
It is my understanding that the flight software is an exact match just different branding upon start up.
The link below is to a video regarding the new developments.
In this video, the Anzu Robotics, story is touched on.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

From a first-hand look the ANZU Aloft flight software is definitely not an exact match. It looks completely different in planning and is missing many functions of DJI Pilot 2 including any web or PC interface. It is getting better and I would guess another 6-8 months before it is close but it has the basics and is reliable. I use Aloft for fleet management so that is a plus. I'm still going to wait a little while as they are also under fire for allegedly being a DJI loophole which I am pretty sure is just US Gov't scare tactics. If it flies like a duck and looks like a duck then it must be... no.

 

[a1ex]

I have around 2 DJI drones, but I've used FreeFly drones before. That may be more helpful.

 

[Whizzit]

Long story short, we are still finalizing our options and a few things have diverted our attention different ways including the semi-recent US investigations into Anzu and it's possible closer ties to DJI than they let on.

I come to just ask if anyone has experience with the Parrot ANAFI USA or USA GOV. My concern is that the camera seems lower spec and/or outdated to where it may still be decent for close up inspection photos, but be lower quality than desired for further away full scale project photos I would be after.

The price is higher and I still need to learn more about their annual fees for certain things that hopefully we don't need and can therefore avoid, but I think my other option is the Skydio X10. It sounds like they include fancy AI stuff that is their niche, but we likely don't have a use for. The camera however at least appears to be better specced.

I fly a Parrot Anafi GOV at work. This entire aircraft and all its components are 6 years old or more. It does have a limited optical zoom, but it uses digital zoom beyond that. The zoom indicator will turn from white to yellow when you go beyond the optical range. FreeFlight6 is not terrible, but definitely not a DJI quality interface. For $2700/year you can use DroneSense, but it's a huge price tag for an individual or small company. We have flown it to 10K feet horizontal distance with no obstructions, but trees will cut that to around 2700 feet. No obstacle avoidance on the aircraft and it makes an odd whistling sound when it flies. You won't sneak up on anyone. The customer support from Parrot does not exist, they are French, and don't like anyone especially their customers. DroneNerds in Florida sells us our parts and they are amazing for support. We've had a few units fall out of the sky for mechanical failures (the left arm works loose), but they are easy and affordable to repair. One battery went bad after 6 months, just out of warranty. It was expensive to replace. It will do some pretty decent mapping, the thermal almost useful for nighttime SAR ops, but not much use for anything else and no thermography application. I personally own DJI and Autel and enjoy flying both. I live with the Anafi because it's what we had to buy.

 

[jaja6009]

I fly a Parrot Anafi GOV at work. This entire aircraft and all its components are 6 years old or more. It does have a limited optical zoom, but it uses digital zoom beyond that. The zoom indicator will turn from white to yellow when you go beyond the optical range. FreeFlight6 is not terrible, but definitely not a DJI quality interface. For $2700/year you can use DroneSense, but it's a huge price tag for an individual or small company. We have flown it to 10K feet horizontal distance with no obstructions, but trees will cut that to around 2700 feet. No obstacle avoidance on the aircraft and it makes an odd whistling sound when it flies. You won't sneak up on anyone. The customer support from Parrot does not exist, they are French, and don't like anyone especially their customers. DroneNerds in Florida sells us our parts and they are amazing for support. We've had a few units fall out of the sky for mechanical failures (the left arm works loose), but they are easy and affordable to repair. One battery went bad after 6 months, just out of warranty. It was expensive to replace. It will do some pretty decent mapping, the thermal almost useful for nighttime SAR ops, but not much use for anything else and no thermography application. I personally own DJI and Autel and enjoy flying both. I live with the Anafi because it's what we had to buy.

Thank you for a great review on this unique aircraft.

My previous comments may seem harsh, but the Anafi series (USA and AI) are outdated. They still may be functional for many use cases, but at the end of the day, there are better tools that cost less.

I just gave away my original Anafi Thermal (160 Lepton FLIR) so I am Parrot free for the first time in my drone career. Somehow I do miss the little bird.

 

[adm_geomatics]

Thank you for a great review on this unique aircraft.

My previous comments may seem harsh, but the Anafi series (USA and AI) are outdated. They still may be functional for many use cases, but at the end of the day, there are better tools that cost less.

I just gave away my original Anafi Thermal (160 Lepton FLIR) so I am Parrot free for the first time in my drone career. Somehow I do miss the little bird.

...but not harsh at all. Why had to fly an Anafi on a DoD project and it was garbage in comparison to DJI, Autel and yes even a Yuneec that we had at the time. Support is non-existent, flight planning was very limited in our use-case, and we went through two of them in 14 months because of hardware failures. America can do better. Or can we?

 

[AMann]

...but not harsh at all. Why had to fly an Anafi on a DoD project and it was garbage in comparison to DJI, Autel and yes even a Yuneec that we had at the time. Support is non-existent, flight planning was very limited in our use-case, and we went through two of them in 14 months because of hardware failures. America can do better. Or can we?

I’m in that same boat, but it’s private individuals that don’t want Chinese-made tech (mainly just the “drone computer”) on their property. So instead of being able to use my excellent Pixhawk flight controller, I am in search of a non-Chinese Ardupilot compatible flight controller that is lower cost than the standard blue cube for the kit I’m building. Talk about a quest for the holy Grail!

I’ll put this on a separate thread.