Want to learn Thermography?

[Outta Control]

As I stated before you do not need to have a ANST/NDT Certification to be a good Thermographer. What you need is a objective reasoning, experience, and the right tools.

While we all can not afford a DJI XT, or a FLIR Duo Pro we can certainly learn and prepare those skill sets.

So in the interest of learning I highly recommend for anyone wanted to learn more about thermal to get the FLIR C2.

This has been a valuable tool in my thermal setup.

I carry this around most days and use it when I find something that interest me in understanding a targets thermal properties and the environment it is at.

Let me know if you have any question.

 

[txDroneCo]

This looks amazing. This is certainly much more affordable than one of those you mentioned. Have you put this on a drone? Is it even worth playing with to show proof of concept or is it best kept on the ground?

 

[Outta Control]

This looks amazing. This is certainly much more affordable than one of those you mentioned. Have you put this on a drone? Is it even worth playing with to show proof of concept or is it best kept on the ground?

Did you mean to attach the C2 on a drone? No cause I already have a VUE.

The C2 is for continued education and experimentation.

 

[Skyworks Aerial]

Thanks. Is this your set up on those two Drones? How do you attach them.

What are your recommendations for an I 2. You mentioned certification so what are the options and cost if you know.

 

[Outta Control]

Well the photo is setup #1 I use the Mavic to do a RGB pass or stills, then the VUE Pro is mounted on the other aircraft. The C2 is on the ground next to the tripod.

Setup #2 is a single aircraft with is a Hexacopter with a 18x zoom RGB camera with the FLIR mounted next to it.

 

[emi326]

As I stated before you do not need to have a ANST/NDT Certification to be a good Thermographer. What you need is a objective reasoning, experience, and the right tools.

While we all can not afford a DJI XT, or a FLIR Duo Pro we can certainly learn and prepare those skill sets.

So in the interest of learning I highly recommend for anyone wanted to learn more about thermal to get the FLIR C2.

This has been a valuable tool in my thermal setup.

I carry this around most days and use it when I find something that interest me in understanding a targets thermal properties and the environment it is at.

Let me know if you have any question.

I am interested in learning thermography and earning a certification. How would you recommend getting started on this path?

 

[Outta Control]

I am interested in learning thermography and earning a certification. How would you recommend getting started on this path?

So there is a couple of things you should ask yourself.

First, do you have the capacity to understand and comprehend some scientific theories. Things such as a, "couple of dead-guys laws". Along with it, able to keep up from a firehose of information thrown at you. Lastly, do you anticipate that you will work with a client that will require a temperature reading, which is rare. If you can, then taking the ITC sUAS Thermal course. Just for correlation, about at least 1/3 of the class were lost in the discussion, and I am sure there were a few more that were playing it off that they get the material. Just because, they attended, pass the course, and get their certification, doesn't mean they are already an experienced thermographer, begin diagnosing and writing accurate reports.

Here is my suggestion to all that are asking the same question, I did this post for a reason and that is to give y'all a basic foundation to learn and earn. Watch some of my friend's YT video, Jon Mcbride of RMUS, he covers some great subject matter in thermal. Read some of my post as I provide some basics theories for y'all to practice and gain experience in thermal reading. I've been practicing and studying on the subject of thermography for over 3 years before I got certified and yet, I still learned a lot from the course as it was a butt kicker, but the conversation and discussion were much easier for me to digest and it filled in the gaps that were lacking in my knowledge base.

I am in the process to market a sUAS Entry-Level Thermography course if you are interested, this will be a practical learning course in sUAS Thermography in a Qualitative perspective and prepares you with the skillset to write a professional report and start earning money,

Hope this helps.

 

[Thomas A Van Ness]

You are correct, most clients do not require quantitative measurements, but the training is good to help learn how to determine what you are looking at even when performing qualitative analysis. Experience is just as important as training, but IR is being used in UAS in new ways all the time. Without a school of experience to draw from, all a person has to learn with is training. Although the competitive field in IR is not that great at this time, it will grow and a certified thermagrapher may win business over one that is not.

 

[Gord955]

That looks like a great set-up, I'm also interested to learn thermography, I'm not sure exactly what to take. My thoughts are really to perform energy audits on a building and identify heat loss. What course would you recommend OC. I'm curious on the screen and tripod, do you connect to the UAV wifi?

 

[Outta Control]

@Thomas not sure what you are getting at as I’ve already stated what you just posted but thanks for the comment.

 

[Outta Control]

That looks like a great set-up, I'm also interested to learn thermography, I'm not sure exactly what to take. My thoughts are really to perform energy audits on a building and identify heat loss. What course would you recommend OC. I'm curious on the screen and tripod, do you connect to the UAV wifi?

Hi Gord,

Are you planning to closely work with a building inspector? If so, then taking a the certification course may be beneficial just for the certification. In hindsight it seems like that you were planning to do is more of an interior assessment as opposed to external one. So if you could clarify and provide more detail on your goal that would us guide you to closer to your plan.

 

[Gord955]

Hi OC
As a home inspector, I would like to offer Energy Audits, windows doors, aerial roof etc. Identify where a homeowner can improve their home efficiency. In addition to that service, during a normal inspection, there is a need to look deeper into a problem where thermal imaging would help. Many home inspectors and companies over market this service because the pictures look cool in the report. Last 6 months or so I've lost a few inspections as I currently do not offer this. I want to learn and use the technology for what it's designed for. To answer your question, home inspectors are usually the first line of defense, If I see a need to recommend a professional beyond my expertise, absolutely I could be working with others.

My research shows me for my equipment a FLIR E6 should be minimum standard 160 x 120 9Hz infrared detector, what are your thoughts on this.

thx

 

[Outta Control]

Thanks Gord for the clarification and detail. Yes I flatly say that getting a Thermography certification such as an ITC would add value to you and your customers. Now the question is which ITC course you would need, not want. I suggest you take the Level 1 Thermography Course. Not the sUAS one because the contents are geared towards internal electrical, indoor settings. As for the exterior and such I can provide some insight on the side to help you there as the learning curve would be less and less subject to cover.

Thoughts?

 

[Gord955]

That's great, a Level I is classroom course or online? Do you offer this course?
I found this coming to Edmonton, Infrared Training Center

 

[Outta Control]

That's great, a Level I is classroom course or online? Do you offer this course?
I found this coming to Edmonton, Infrared Training Center

Yes it is a classroom course.

 

[Gord955]

Great, I will definitely register for one.

 

[Thomas A Van Ness]

@outtacontrol, I suppose what prompted my post was the description of the ITC training, and the lack of need of quantitative training. I am agreeing that the there is little need for quantitative analysis in most drone applications. However, the Level 1 training can help a new inexperienced thermographer understand more of what they are seeing. For example, I believe that in a different post you posted an image of a solar array with a reflected infrared signature in the image. Having gone through training would help to immediately identify that as a reflection. I have on multiple occasions since the advent of the E series and FLIR C2 had customers of mine forward me images and reports of "moisture" found in roof systems by folks that have this equipment that is not moisture at all and had they been trained, would have probably known that. As the advent of UAV and IR technologies grow, I worry that there will be even more errors made, and assets wasted on misread results.

Perhaps I misread your post, as I read these quickly on Saturday mornings, and if I caused offense I did not mean to. It is my opinion that a Level 1 course is the minimum to understand what you are seeing, and as you get farther from the target, as in UAV's, this training becomes even more important. Most roofs will have IR reflections in many places, and until a thermographer has the experience to find them easily, the training will give them what they need to look for them in their imaging.

Last opinion, It is easy to justify lower resolutions in cameras due to cost, my experience has been that many times my distance to target is farther then I would like due to some obstacle that I am avoiding. Purchase the most resolution you can afford, it will pay off to have it most times.

 

[Outta Control]

Thanks for the clarification Thomas and I do understand what you are driving at. When I was a non-cert, self-taught thermographer a few years ago I knew my knowledge limitations, even though I had experience, but could not explain it to a client, even though doing my Google-Fu research into the subject occasionally yielded more questions than answers.

...my opinion that a Level 1 course is the minimum to understand what you are seeing...

I wish I had see this from my course but as I expressed in the prior post, just in my class at least 1/3 of the class had the blank stare of "i do not understand what just happened" look. I could not imagine these folks spending the money for the class then leaving more confused than a Jimmy Swaggart Ministry service. And lets not forget just because a person gets their certificate this doesn't mean they are competent and ready to do analysis.

Also I appreciate your opinion on camera resolution, though I am a big proponent of having the right tool, for the right job and never go beyond what you can't pay back in less than 3 jobs.

 

[Sojourner60]

Is there a IR camera that will work on a Phantom 4? I guess I have my work cut out for me. I need to learn how to be a thermograper and use a drone to measure stock piles.

 

[Outta Control]

Is there a IR camera that will work on a Phantom 4? I guess I have my work cut out for me. I need to learn how to be a thermograper and use a drone to measure stock piles.

Not that I know and seen but there are some old Phantom 1 that will take a GoPro gimbal and get a FLIR Duo and get started.