LMRC LMO1 – GPS, Full HD Camera & Long Flight Time
The LMRC LMO1 is an affordable GPS drone for beginners. It has a Full HD camera, can transmit the live image (FPV) and currently comes with two batteries for a total of up to 32 minutes of flight time.
The design
The LMRC LMO1 is very compact with dimensions of 26.5 x 26.5 x 5.5 cm. The weight is just 162 grams. Due to the robust construction, it survives most crashes unscathed. Additional protection is also provided by the included propeller guards, which can be attached if needed.
The four guards shield the rotors, preventing damage to the propellers in collisions. Bystanders are also protected from the drone, so the LMRC LMO1 is also recommended as a drone for kids. However, it should only be flown under adult supervision.
So that you can easily distinguish the front and rear of the quadcopter, different colored LEDs are installed on the arms. Two blue LEDs light up at the front, and two red ones at the back.
GPS Functions & Speed
The drone has a GPS module and therefore keeps the flight position stable. Even light wind does not let it drift from the spot. However, due to the low weight, you should not fly in too strong winds. The GPS can also be turned off if necessary. A simple push of a button on the controller is enough for this. This makes sense if you want to fly indoors with the LMRC LMO1. Since GPS reception is not possible indoors, many GPS drones do not even take off inside buildings. However, this is not a problem with this model.
With GPS enabled, a handy Return-to-Home (RTH) function is available when you’re outdoors. At the push of a button, the copter returns to the starting position. By the way, the drone will also fly home on its own if the battery level is too low or if the signal is lost.
If the signal to the remote control is lost because of an obstacle in the flight path or because the range is too long, the LMRC LMO1 does not simply fly away, but returns to the starting point.
The drone can be launched either manually with the control joysticks or conveniently by pressing a button on the controller. There are two speeds to choose from 8.3 mph or 12 mph (13.3 km/h or 19.4 km/h), so you can slowly get used to the controls before switching to the faster mode.
Flight time and range
The flight time of the LMRC LMO1 is about 16 minutes – per battery. Since 2 batteries are included with the drone, up to 32 minutes of flight are possible before the two 850 mAh, 7.4 V LiPo batteries need to be recharged. Charging takes about 80 to 120 minutes and works with the included USB charging cable. You simply connect this to a conventional power supply for smartphones or a PC, laptop or power bank.
The control range is about 110 to 220 yards (100 to 200 meters). It varies depending on whether you are flying in an open area or in an area with obstacles or interference signals (other WiFi networks).
The remote control
In addition to the two obligatory control joysticks, the 2.4 GHz remote control also has various buttons for triggering the drone’s different functions. For example, you should always use the buttons to calibrate the gyroscope and compass before takeoff. This allows for the most stable flight possible.
The two antennas on the top can be folded out, but they are only there for optics. The actual antennas are located inside the controller. On the bottom of the controller is a retractable mount for attaching a smartphone.
If you press the button to turn off GPS reception, the quadcopter will still maintain its current flight altitude independently, but will drift to the sides if you do not countersteer. Unfortunately, the LMRC LMO1 does not have a vision positioning system (camera on the underside).
The emergency stop button causes the motors to stop immediately. Therefore, only press the button in emergencies or when the drone is already on the ground. Otherwise, it will simply fall out of the air.
If you activate the headless mode, simplified control is available. In this mode, you don’t have to pay attention to how the quadcopter is instantly oriented when you execute a control command in a certain direction. The drone will always fly in the direction you pressed.
However, we recommend that you do not fly in headless mode for too long and also learn the normal controls, since by far not all drones have such a mode.
Switching between the two speeds can be done by pressing the left shoulder button. The right shoulder button is used to trigger photos and videos. A short button press takes a photo, a long press starts a video recording.
To operate the remote control, 3 AA batteries are still needed (not included). Extremely practical: When the batteries of the remote control are almost empty, the controller alerts you with a warning tone.
The RH Fun App
The “RH FUN” app can be downloaded by scanning the QR code in the user manual. It displays helpful flight parameters such as the number of connected satellites, remaining battery power, current altitude, distance, and horizontal and vertical speed.
The live image of the drone camera (FPV) is also displayed in the app, so you can always see what the camera is recording.
The app has a handy flight tutorial consisting of a few short videos to help you learn the basic controls of the LMRC LMO1. A beginner mode can also be set. Here, the control distance is preset to 44 yards (40 meters) in distance and 98 feet (30 meters) in height.
Furthermore, in the options, you can also set the altitude at which the drone should return in Return-to-Home mode. For example, if you are flying in an environment with tall trees, set the RTH altitude to a value higher than the tallest trees.
By the way, the drone can also be controlled using virtual control joysticks in the app. However, this is not recommended for beginners. In general, the operation via the controller works better than via the app.
A nice extra is that data from past flights can be displayed in the app.
The LMRC LMO1 camera
The LMRC LMO1’s Full HD camera captures photos and videos in 1080p. The camera can be manually tilted before flight to point either horizontally forward or slightly downward.
Unfortunately, this model does not have a gimbal to compensate for the drone’s own movements. Your shots will therefore always be a bit shaky.
Photos and videos are stored directly on your smartphone. A memory card is not necessary and cannot be inserted into the drone.
By the way, camera shots can also be taken by gesture. For this, you need to be at a distance of 6 to 10 feet (2 to 3 meters) from the drone. To take a photo, form your fingers into the Victory sign. To start a video, extend your palm toward the drone. The same gesture ends the recording.
In general, the quality of the recordings is not comparable to that of current top camera drones. However, it is perfectly sufficient for first experiences. Those who want to take high-quality photos and videos should therefore rather buy a more expensive drone right away.
Intelligent flight modes
The LMRC LMO1 has a total of four different flight or recording modes that can be selected via the app’s interface. You can choose between Follow Me, Dynamic Follow Me, an Orbit mode and a Waypoint mode.
Activate the Follow Me mode when you are at a maximum distance of 22 yards (20 meters) and a maximum height of 33 feet (10 meters) from the drone. The copter will now follow you at the current distance by tracking the signal from the remote control.
In Dynamic Follow Me mode, the drone will always keep an eye on you while following you and recording a video of you. To do this, you must first mark yourself on the display in the app. In this mode, make sure that there is a good contrast between you and the background, otherwise the tracking will often fail.
Orbit mode allows you to circle around an object or person. Radius can be set in this mode.
Waypoint mode allows up to 16 individual waypoints to be set within a radius of up to 330 yards (300 meters) in the app. The quadcopter will then fly the route independently.
In general, not too much should be expected from the intelligent flight modes and sometimes they do not work properly. However, you also have to remember that we are dealing with a drone for around 100 dollars. Really sophisticated flight modes are only available on more expensive drones with cameras (from DJI, Parrot, etc.).
Scope of delivery
- 1 x Drone
- 1 x remote control
- 2 x LiPo batteries (850 mAh)
- 1 x USB charging cable
- 4 x spare propellers
- 4 x propeller guards
- 1 x instruction manual
Conclusion
The LMRC LMO1 is a solid camera drone with FPV function for beginners. For a GPS drone, it is also extremely affordable. Due to the propeller guards, it can also be flown by children under supervision.
The Full HD camera takes decent pictures, but the quality is not comparable with high-end drones. However, the photos and videos are completely sufficient for first experiences.
The relatively long flight time of up to 16 minutes per battery is very positive. The current offer on Amazon even includes two batteries. The range of 110 to 220 feet (100 to 200 meters) is sufficient and the general flight behavior is impeccable. Thanks to GPS, the drone can independently return to the starting position (RTH) and is easy to control.
Overall, the LMRC LMO1 is an excellent beginner drone with a very good price-performance ratio!