502E, 502S, 501S choices
502E, 502S, 501S choices
HI all:
My son and I have been looking at some Hubsans after getting some beginner experience on micro quads. It seems Hubsan offers a lot of bang for the buck with the GPS quads I listed above. I think the 502E would be a good unit for us, but then spotted the 502S and think it might be nice to be able to switch off GPS and have the better video quality. Then I spotted the 501S and really liked the brushless design which apparently yields longer flight time but further confusion as there are two versions, regular and pro. We really don't intend on capturing video in canyons, mountains, over oceans, nor really focusing on video capabilities for that matter, but I think we would really mainly like the GPS altitude and hold features of these quads. We will mainly be flying in open baseball fields in the like - mainly enjoying the stability offered by GPS and further honing our piloting skills again rather than any video photography. (We lost a quad last year that did not have GPS and think RTH would be a really nice feature). How do we make this decision? Also, what is the forum's experience with customer support? Local hobby shops here don't seem to carry Hubsan so no real opinion from them. Most of the reviews I have seen on YouTube seem very favorable about these models but I guess there was some disappointment about determining if you had the 501SS or the 501S which seemed like an odd thing for a customer to have to decipher. Finally, after reading ottoman's experience with his 501S flyaway, maybe the 502E is the better choice for us. Less money and less to lose perhaps? Afterall, it does seem like a very ice quad for only $69USD on the Hubsan.com site. I just like to buy the best I can afford right upfront and that's why we were also looking at the 502S and 501S. Any guidance/input would be appreciated. Many thanks.
My son and I have been looking at some Hubsans after getting some beginner experience on micro quads. It seems Hubsan offers a lot of bang for the buck with the GPS quads I listed above. I think the 502E would be a good unit for us, but then spotted the 502S and think it might be nice to be able to switch off GPS and have the better video quality. Then I spotted the 501S and really liked the brushless design which apparently yields longer flight time but further confusion as there are two versions, regular and pro. We really don't intend on capturing video in canyons, mountains, over oceans, nor really focusing on video capabilities for that matter, but I think we would really mainly like the GPS altitude and hold features of these quads. We will mainly be flying in open baseball fields in the like - mainly enjoying the stability offered by GPS and further honing our piloting skills again rather than any video photography. (We lost a quad last year that did not have GPS and think RTH would be a really nice feature). How do we make this decision? Also, what is the forum's experience with customer support? Local hobby shops here don't seem to carry Hubsan so no real opinion from them. Most of the reviews I have seen on YouTube seem very favorable about these models but I guess there was some disappointment about determining if you had the 501SS or the 501S which seemed like an odd thing for a customer to have to decipher. Finally, after reading ottoman's experience with his 501S flyaway, maybe the 502E is the better choice for us. Less money and less to lose perhaps? Afterall, it does seem like a very ice quad for only $69USD on the Hubsan.com site. I just like to buy the best I can afford right upfront and that's why we were also looking at the 502S and 501S. Any guidance/input would be appreciated. Many thanks.
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Re: 502E, 502S, 501S choices
If you can buy off of eBay you may find lower prices on the H501S and/or the H501A. The are essentially the same drone except the H501A has Wifi flight control FPV and waypoint capability. It also can fly with 2.4G and 5.8G FPV but you need to add a HS001 display. For mission under 400 meters the WiFI version works well.
The ebay auction that ended last night were $113 and $119 USD for the HT011A. They sold for those bids. The current auction ending Saturday night are starting at $125 for a H501A and HT011A controller.
A big difference between the 501A drone and the 502S is Waypoint, follow me and circle fly along with up to 20 minutes of flight time. With the eBay auction at almost 50% off of Hubsan.com site pricing its a no brainer. I have had no support issues with miflydrone2017 the eBay store. They have supplied me with warranty replacement parts as needed(when possible).
The ebay auction that ended last night were $113 and $119 USD for the HT011A. They sold for those bids. The current auction ending Saturday night are starting at $125 for a H501A and HT011A controller.
A big difference between the 501A drone and the 502S is Waypoint, follow me and circle fly along with up to 20 minutes of flight time. With the eBay auction at almost 50% off of Hubsan.com site pricing its a no brainer. I have had no support issues with miflydrone2017 the eBay store. They have supplied me with warranty replacement parts as needed(when possible).
A Very Unhappy Hubsan Customer



Re: 502E, 502S, 501S choices
Thanks JustJarHead! I will check on the ebay store.
Question...I was also looking at a DGI Spark. I know that unit is several hundred USD more ($400 USD starting point) but what I really like is supposedly the RTH feature actually senses obstacles along the way due to the extra camera in the front and reroutes accordingly to avoid. Also, I understand they have excellent customer support. From what I understand, the Hubsan RTH feature basically does the following : ascend to a new set height depending on the current altitude, travel in horizontal plane till directly overhead the starting spot, and then descend straight down. As such, it is conceivable it could run into a tree or building, right? In your experience, has this been a negative attribute? As beginners, the RTH feature is important to us should we ever get the drone out of sight by mistake, but again we intend on using it in pretty much open fields but there are still a lot of trees here too.
Question...I was also looking at a DGI Spark. I know that unit is several hundred USD more ($400 USD starting point) but what I really like is supposedly the RTH feature actually senses obstacles along the way due to the extra camera in the front and reroutes accordingly to avoid. Also, I understand they have excellent customer support. From what I understand, the Hubsan RTH feature basically does the following : ascend to a new set height depending on the current altitude, travel in horizontal plane till directly overhead the starting spot, and then descend straight down. As such, it is conceivable it could run into a tree or building, right? In your experience, has this been a negative attribute? As beginners, the RTH feature is important to us should we ever get the drone out of sight by mistake, but again we intend on using it in pretty much open fields but there are still a lot of trees here too.
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Re: 502E, 502S, 501S choices
If your takeoff point is from a clear location and you press RTH the drone will ascend to the RTH height, if below it and then perform the RTH. I think the default RTH height is 20 meters which is above most trees so it normally will RTH safely. If around obstacles taller than 20 meters fly higher than the obstacle and then RTH. For a lower cost Drone the H501 series does well except for:
a) Flyaways due to operator error
b) Flyaways due to failures
c) Flyaways due to WiFi interference or RF interference
d) Warranty
If this is first Drone, DJI is too expensive and you should wait until you have flight experience. The are fast and nimble Drones and at sppeds above 25 mph are easy to get in trouble with. They are not beginner drones with their price point.
a) Flyaways due to operator error
b) Flyaways due to failures
c) Flyaways due to WiFi interference or RF interference
d) Warranty
If this is first Drone, DJI is too expensive and you should wait until you have flight experience. The are fast and nimble Drones and at sppeds above 25 mph are easy to get in trouble with. They are not beginner drones with their price point.
Re: 502E, 502S, 501S choices
Thanks! Do you think the 502E would be a good selection or would we really like the built in FPV screen of the 502S, 501S or others? This isn't our first quad. We have some experience with the Hubsan X4 and an Ares Ethos but think we would really like the stability of a GPS plus the safety feature of RTH in case things get out of control! I would just hate to get the 502E and then think we should have gotten a FPV unit for $40 USD or so more like the 502S.
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Re: 502E, 502S, 501S choices
I went with the H501A because of waypoint missions. It has FPV capability using WiFi or with an optional FPV display like the HS001. Many people have issues with the 5.8g FPV either picking up lots of interference or losing connection and going black screen with the H901A or H906A transmitters. The HT011A and H501A gives you more functionality over the H501S-S and if 5.8g FPV is a must for $45 USD you can pick up the HS001(Note: I returned it because I had nothing but 5.8g problems with FPV)W95 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 27, 2018 4:24 pmThanks! Do you think the 502E would be a good selection or would we really like the built in FPV screen of the 502S, 501S or others? This isn't our first quad. We have some experience with the Hubsan X4 and an Ares Ethos but think we would really like the stability of a GPS plus the safety feature of RTH in case things get out of control! I would just hate to get the 502E and then think we should have gotten a FPV unit for $40 USD or so more like the 502S.
The H501A may get a little laggy with WiFi but with 5 km/hr speeds it really doesn't affect you and this is when H501A is way past line of site.
The big advantage of the H501 series is flight time of up to 20 minutes and stability. They can be bought on eBay Auctions for around $140 or less. Current eBay auction starts at $125 USD.
Re: 502E, 502S, 501S choices
So do the 502E, 502S and 501S have 5.8 gHz transmitters? I don't see the specs for the frequency and are you saying that frequency can be problematic?
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Re: 502E, 502S, 501S choices
5.8g is the frequency used to transmit the FPV feed and has been problematic for users. Typically the signal strength for 5.8g signals is less than the 2.4g band. This reduction in strength makes it susceptible to interference from WiFi and other 5g signals typical in suburban environments.
Hubsan and most quad manufacturers use 5.8g for FPV and Hubsan seems to have many users who experience FPV issues. (look at the many posts in this forum).
When it works it works well but when it doesn't it can be very frustrating.
The H502E is not an FPV quad. The H502S is an entry level FPV quad. For the features you seem interested in the H501S or the H501A seem to be good bets and can be purchased on eBay auctions for $150 or less. Buy it now on eBay and other online stores are typically $200.00 and up. Both of these have 400 meter range and will fly for about 20 minutes or so.
Good luck in your selection and flying.
I suggest that you watch some of the various youtube reviews on these quads.
Re: 502E, 502S, 501S choices
Thanks. How do I know the frequency of the transmitter? I don't see it listed in the Hubsan information unless I'm missing something. It sounds like the 2.4 GHz models are the way to go if I'm understanding you correctly.
Also, from what I understand Hubsan has a lot of bang for the buck from what I've read and researched. Are there any other brands I should consider that I might have missed? HobbyZone used to have the Ares Ethos line but from what I've heard, Ares Ethos no longer exists. We have learned quite a bit on the Ethos QX130.
PS I've definitely watched some videos on youtube and they are very helpful. The ones of the DGI Spark are quite impressive when they try to intentionally try and fly it into trees and the obstacle avoidance kicks in.
Also, from what I understand Hubsan has a lot of bang for the buck from what I've read and researched. Are there any other brands I should consider that I might have missed? HobbyZone used to have the Ares Ethos line but from what I've heard, Ares Ethos no longer exists. We have learned quite a bit on the Ethos QX130.
PS I've definitely watched some videos on youtube and they are very helpful. The ones of the DGI Spark are quite impressive when they try to intentionally try and fly it into trees and the obstacle avoidance kicks in.
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- Posts: 334
- Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2018 12:45 pm
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Re: 502E, 502S, 501S choices
All Hubsan non-bluetooth transmitters use 2.4g for flight control and 5.8g for FPV feed or WiFi on the HT011A with a choice of 2.4g if you are not using the APP.W95 wrote: ↑Sat Jul 28, 2018 11:30 amThanks. How do I know the frequency of the transmitter? I don't see it listed in the Hubsan information unless I'm missing something. It sounds like the 2.4 GHz models are the way to go if I'm understanding you correctly.
Also, from what I understand Hubsan has a lot of bang for the buck from what I've read and researched. Are there any other brands I should consider that I might have missed? HobbyZone used to have the Ares Ethos line but from what I've heard, Ares Ethos no longer exists. We have learned quite a bit on the Ethos QX130.
PS I've definitely watched some videos on youtube and they are very helpful. The ones of the DGI Spark are quite impressive when they try to intentionally try and fly it into trees and the obstacle avoidance kicks in.
I have looked at other drones with FPV and feature for feature and price point Hubsan has the bases covered when and if they work. Many folks including me have experience FPV issues lately.
The DJI Spark is a very nice quad but is probably out of the price range you mentioned. As I have said on eBay in the US you can buy the H501A or the H501S for under $150 including controller. This weekend a few were sold at $119 USD to $129 USD off of eBay. Now the auctions are above $129 USD. If you want to buy try a Make Offer just above the $129 USD range.