An excellent review and demo Don. Looks like a fun little drone. Interesting to see that the phone communicates directly with the drone and not the controller.
My only suggestion is to follow the steps exactly as described. Wait up to a minute for the wifi from the drone to appear on your phone's wifi list. Also, it may simply be defective.
Interesting drone at a budget price - the FPV tag may mislead folk who are expecting to perform aerobatics, but it could be a very good starter drone, if you're not looking for quality still / video capture...
The FPV tag is there probably because there is no gimbal/camera control so it sees where it’s pointed. Same way a handheld DJI gimbal works in FPV mode. Just a thought.
Sorry to hear that, Tianna! If you think there might be something stuck in there, you could try compressed air. If you have no luck, try the HolyStone support line. Apparently they are quite good.
Two ways: hold the left joystick in the down position for a few seconds. Or simultaneously press and hold the two shoulder buttons (which is also your emergency stop)
*UPDATE* controller appears to have a spot for a battery with a 3 prong plug in, however the controller still turns on and work without it? The controller itself is re chargeable. So obviously it has a built in battery of sorts but an option to install a 2nd battery yourself ??????? Maybe you can clarify this don?
They are certainly packing a lot into the cheaper drones these days, doesn't look to bad in the wind. At the price point it is, I would be looking at a second hand spark instead. You may however, disagree with me considering your spark experience :) Nice review mate. Have a great week, cheers
Yeah, it had a lot of features! (BTW...totally 'blown away' by the effectiveness of the improved wind removal feature in PowerDirector! You could barely hear me beforehand)
Hi Don. Thank you for this video. This is the best getting started and setup video I've seen. I just bought my first drone a "used" HS165 yesterday. It was raining all day so I didn't get to need with it until today. I got the app installed, I paired the phone with the app. I got the camera to show in the phone screen. That is when things started not going well. I don't get any beeps when I try to calibrate the compass or the gyros. Also the white lights never stop blinking even after like 4 minutes. I guess it is not able to aquire gps satellites? I can get the propellers to unlock but the drone will not move/fly. As you said, it's probably best it didn't fly since I didn't have Gps lock. Any thoughts?
@@DonJoyce Hi Don. I got the drone working but I'm not sure how. I'm connected to the controller by 5g wifi but the settings screen will not allow me to select either calibration setting. I tried using the joystick option (down/left) and nothing happened either. I tried that a couple times. Then all of a sudden, I got the calibration screen. I had to turn the drone horizontally 8 things before getting a beep. I had to turn 5 times vertically. I finally got gps lock after a long wait time. I powered up the propellers and pushed auto takeoff. It LIFTED OFF!! I was able tto maneuver for about 4-5 minutes and it gave to first battery warning. I hit the Home button and it came back. It took a while but I finally got it off the ground! Hopefully, the second try won't be as hard or take so long. Thanks for your help!!
Interesting. I got my HS165 a couple of days ago and was shocked to see how poor my video/photo quality is vs what your capture shows on-screen. Even flying in stable air, the image is so bad that it almost looks like an oil painting filter is being applied. I've sent off a pic to Holy Stone for an evaluation. As it is, it's unusable for follow-me mode video.
@@DonJoyce Yeah. Fair point. At the price I paid and the features it has, it's a bit optimistic to expect the world. Once I have the chops to not crash into everything (I've managed to fly into my leg -- oops), I'll upgrade to a DJI Mini 2. To fly unlicensed here in Japan, I need to be under 200g.
@@TraneFrancks The Mini 2 is one thousand time easier to fly than any toy drone. It will hover super stable all on its own, with a stable 4K image. Many of my recent videos include Mini 2 footage (check the scrolling credits at the end to be sure...I have a Mavic 2 Pro and a Mini 2). The Mini 2 has a Japan version that is under 200g. I'm not sure if there is a Mini 3 version under 200g.
@@DonJoyce Thanks for the feedback. I checked the Japan Mini 3 Pro specs and it just states < 249g, so it'll most likely be the Mini 2. The Japanese market gets fewer options, e.g., no Mini SE.
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
An excellent review and demo Don. Looks like a fun little drone. Interesting to see that the phone communicates directly with the drone and not the controller.
Thank you, Dave! Yeah, the phone to drone connection seems to be the HolyStone standard mechanism.
Great review Don! Always good to see other options. Thanks brother!
Thanks, Doug! Yes, it helps to be able to compare! Sometimes the grass isn't greener...
Great review Don thanks for sharing
Hey, thanks, Shawn! At one point, my wife said it looked like a "Mr. Hands video" (ie you! Lol)
Hi Don. I was wondering what the 165 was like as a starter for my grandson. Now I know. Thanks for doing the review.
Glad you found my review helpful. Note that I am an experienced drone pilot and still managed to crash this drone into a tree...
Thanks for the review Don. Picked one up and I will have it out at the lake (Beaver) this summer!
Cool! Have fun...keep it close so you don't lose connection!
new subscriber, videos like this are such a big help to all of us, thanks, take care
Glad you found it helpful, Flying Rhino!
Thanks for the video Don, but I have to say … You got me hooked on the DJI Mini 2 so I bought it a couple months ago. Great purchase!
Thanks, Bill! Yes, I love the Mini 2 as well.
Thank you for the vid Don. I have the 165 and it does a fantastic job as long as I calibrate the compass and do the Gyro calibration...
Glad to hear it, Paul! Good tips!
Great video again Don... my 1st real drone was the Contixo 18. I found it had the same issues. I will never buy a drone without a gimbal now...
Agreed, Jim. But as a starter drone, it was a fun fly! (Well, except for losing GPS...)
Hi Don when I take off with the drone it starts ascending rapidly and won't come down. I have to emergency break it. Not sure what to do
Don't take off?! Lol. Sorry for joking...it sounds defective so contact Holy Stone.
Trimakasih bang sudah berbagi
Dan terima kasih telah menonton! Selamat dan selamat terbang!
hi don i have the same one but its wifi not connected witg my android mobile so please any issue
My only suggestion is to follow the steps exactly as described. Wait up to a minute for the wifi from the drone to appear on your phone's wifi list. Also, it may simply be defective.
Interesting drone at a budget price - the FPV tag may mislead folk who are expecting to perform aerobatics, but it could be a very good starter drone, if you're not looking for quality still / video capture...
Thanks, Mike! Yeah, I'm not sure why they Bill it as FPV. Fun to fly!
The FPV tag is there probably because there is no gimbal/camera control so it sees where it’s pointed. Same way a handheld DJI gimbal works in FPV mode. Just a thought.
@@johnrumballphotography That makes complete sense..thank you
Hey Don I just go this drone and one of my propeller’s are not spinning it’s almost like it’s jammed do you know how I can fix it ?
Sorry to hear that, Tianna! If you think there might be something stuck in there, you could try compressed air. If you have no luck, try the HolyStone support line. Apparently they are quite good.
How do you land this thing? When I land my propellers won’t stop unless it crashes
Two ways: hold the left joystick in the down position for a few seconds. Or simultaneously press and hold the two shoulder buttons (which is also your emergency stop)
What is the app used for the drone
The name of the app is listed in the instruction manual (which is available online).
Is the remote supposed to come with a battery
Doesn't it just take AAs? Don't recall...says in the video.
No... It has a slide cover and a 3 prong plug reciever
@@mbtranzportllc that's not good!!! It should have a rechargeable battery in there!! You may have received a refurbished unit.
Just got my drone in I have the same issue. No battery in the controller.
*UPDATE* controller appears to have a spot for a battery with a 3 prong plug in, however the controller still turns on and work without it? The controller itself is re chargeable. So obviously it has a built in battery of sorts but an option to install a 2nd battery yourself ??????? Maybe you can clarify this don?
They are certainly packing a lot into the cheaper drones these days, doesn't look to bad in the wind. At the price point it is, I would be looking at a second hand spark instead. You may however, disagree with me considering your spark experience :) Nice review mate. Have a great week, cheers
Yeah, it had a lot of features! (BTW...totally 'blown away' by the effectiveness of the improved wind removal feature in PowerDirector! You could barely hear me beforehand)
Thanks for the review, do you think it’s better than hs440? It’s for an adult that is kind of a beginner
Sorry, I haven't reviewed the HS 440. I would strongly recommend a beginner starts with a drone that has GPS positioning.
Hi Don. Thank you for this video. This is the best getting started and setup video I've seen. I just bought my first drone a "used" HS165 yesterday. It was raining all day so I didn't get to need with it until today. I got the app installed, I paired the phone with the app. I got the camera to show in the phone screen. That is when things started not going well. I don't get any beeps when I try to calibrate the compass or the gyros. Also the white lights never stop blinking even after like 4 minutes. I guess it is not able to aquire gps satellites? I can get the propellers to unlock but the drone will not move/fly. As you said, it's probably best it didn't fly since I didn't have Gps lock.
Any thoughts?
Very hard to say. I would try it in the middle of a wide open field or park to ensure it can get a GPS lock. Glad you liked the video.
@@DonJoyce Hi Don. I got the drone working but I'm not sure how. I'm connected to the controller by 5g wifi but the settings screen will not allow me to select either calibration setting. I tried using the joystick option (down/left) and nothing happened either. I tried that a couple times. Then all of a sudden, I got the calibration screen. I had to turn the drone horizontally 8 things before getting a beep. I had to turn 5 times vertically. I finally got gps lock after a long wait time. I powered up the propellers and pushed auto takeoff. It LIFTED OFF!!
I was able tto maneuver for about 4-5 minutes and it gave to first battery warning. I hit the Home button and it came back. It took a while but I finally got it off the ground! Hopefully, the second try won't be as hard or take so long. Thanks for your help!!
@@appstate1996 glad to hear you made some progress...but it sounds frustrating.
How much
Three?
My doesn't want to change to outdooe
Interesting. I got my HS165 a couple of days ago and was shocked to see how poor my video/photo quality is vs what your capture shows on-screen. Even flying in stable air, the image is so bad that it almost looks like an oil painting filter is being applied. I've sent off a pic to Holy Stone for an evaluation. As it is, it's unusable for follow-me mode video.
The video is not very good, that's for sure. If you want steady video, you need a gimble-stabilized camera.
@@DonJoyce Yeah. Fair point. At the price I paid and the features it has, it's a bit optimistic to expect the world. Once I have the chops to not crash into everything (I've managed to fly into my leg -- oops), I'll upgrade to a DJI Mini 2. To fly unlicensed here in Japan, I need to be under 200g.
@@TraneFrancks The Mini 2 is one thousand time easier to fly than any toy drone. It will hover super stable all on its own, with a stable 4K image. Many of my recent videos include Mini 2 footage (check the scrolling credits at the end to be sure...I have a Mavic 2 Pro and a Mini 2). The Mini 2 has a Japan version that is under 200g. I'm not sure if there is a Mini 3 version under 200g.
@@DonJoyce Thanks for the feedback. I checked the Japan Mini 3 Pro specs and it just states < 249g, so it'll most likely be the Mini 2. The Japanese market gets fewer options, e.g., no Mini SE.
@@DonJoyce P.S. - Not to be spammy, but I grew up in Gravenhurst, ONT. Thanks for the input!
TF = TransFlash. Pre SD designation ....
Yep...but why are they still saying that?