My DIY Ground (Base) Station project build for the DJI Mavic Pro and Inspire

Something to do whilst it’s raining. LOL

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The lid looks like it would produce a good sound.

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Actually, a snare added to one side, and a top-hat on the other … #Badum-Tish! (See what I did there? :wink:)

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Bloody stalwart work there Rich, looks the bollocks !.

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Brilliant job, looks great.

As a side issue, its that astroturf you have down there (and if so how do you find it?)

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Oh I do like that :clap: :clap: :clap:

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Nice job Rich.:+1::+1::+1::ok_hand:

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Oohhh - I do wish I hadn’t followed this thread - never even thought of a ground station before but NOW - gotta have one :face_with_raised_eyebrow::grinning:

Great job :+1::+1::+1:

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I missed a piece of information out here, and a couple of pics.

If anyone was wondering how the CrystalSky is mounted to the lid here:

I’ve used a simple magnetic mount.

On the back of the CS is a wafer thin stick-on metal plate, you could do the same thing for an iPad or any other tablet here too.

Sorry, seriously oversized pic here!

Then on the lid is a super-strong magnet of the same size.

Hassle free :+1:t2:

It also means the original DJI quick release mount on the bottom of the CS is unaltered so it can still be connected directly to either of the controllers when you need to be portable still.

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Used in anger yet?

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Earlier this week, yes!

On those rare days when we had some actual sunshine in the north…

Got to say, it’s absolutely fucking brilliant :grimacing:

Such a nice change to only be holding the controller. And to be able to use the amps all the time, without the additional weight, is equally as good.

The high gain antennas landed in the UK yesterday so should be with me on Monday I hope!

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New 7dBi whip antennas on the left vs the standard 5dBi gain on the right (they shall live in the rucksack for mobile use).

It’s just as well they have right-angled elbows, they’d be too long to fit in the case otherwise.

And just for good measure… £16.65 on top.

Ffs :pensive:

image

Duty to be paid is bad enough, always seems to be parcels from the States that get customs interested, Chinese and stuff from Hong Kong normally comes through without tax. But the eight quid handling fee is taking the piss - I had on a parcel that was attracting 75p duty. Eight quid on top was a tad disappointing…

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That’s been my experience as well.

Have noticed that majority of my USA orders have the correct value declared while the Chinese ones are always declared as a few quid.

I don’t know whether it’s a moral or a legal thing with our friends in the land of the free but I have asked a couple of times for purchases to be marked as a gift and met with horrified refusals. I think that the Yanks face some serious penalties from either the post office or the customs for mis-declaring the value of parcels.

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Project costs and parts list for anyone who fancies building something similar:

Item Cost Notes
Hard case £0 Already had
Screen £0 Already had
(this project would also work equally as well for an iPad or Android tablet of any size)
Aircraft power switch £4 eBay link
Titan antenna amplifier £0 Already had
Recommend checking out MaxxUAV for components
(GADC discount available)
12v Li-ion battery pack £0 Already had (part of Titan kit)
(Available on Alibaba for £10 with charger)
3M Anker USB-C cable £10 Amazon link
5M Braided sleeving (20mm) £5 eBay link
6mm sheet of MDF £0 Already had
(You could also use perspex or foam-board)
12v LED battery gauge £8 eBay link
Vinyl wrap sticky back roll £0 Already had
(Approx £7 on eBay)
Half decent tripod £38 Amazon link
Projector/Laptop plate for Tripod £14 Amazon link
1M sticky back 50mm wide Velcro (genuine) £6 Amazon link
Total £85 (ish)
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I salute you sir what a professional job now when can we get you to mass produce as we all want one :clap::beer:

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Just like me :smile:

Since I launched my first model airplane over 30 years ago, I have been thinking about building a ground station.

Inspired by your project, I will now seriously consider the topic.

I particularly liked the idea with the carbon film.
Makes a very high quality impression

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It’d be great if this project helped someone else build one.

Look forward to seeing your build :slight_smile:

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I will keep you up-to-date :+1:

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