tech rc TR008W Predator – Cheap Indoor & Outdoor Drone
The tech rc TR008W Predator is a mini quadcopter with camera and FPV live image transmission. The small drone comes with two batteries of approx. 8 minutes flight time each, automatically maintains altitude and is also perfectly suitable as a drone for children thanks to propeller protection.
Who is the tech rc TR008W Predator suitable for?
The tech rc TR008W Predator is aimed at beginners and is also suitable as a drone for kids thanks to its low weight and rotor protection. The mini drone is easy to operate, robustly built and can be flown both indoors and outdoors.
The multicopter, which measures just 13 x 13 x 3 cm, has a weight of only 42 grams and survives most collisions completely unscathed thanks to the four protective plates around the rotors. It is therefore ideally suited for absolute beginners who are on the move with a drone for the first time.
Externally, the tech rc TR008W Predator comes completely in black. On the front, it has two blue LEDs, thanks to which it is always highly visible.
The front two propellers are white, while the rear ones are black. So you can easily distinguish front and rear during flight. You can fly the mini drone both indoors and outdoors when there is no wind.
Flying time & range
According to the manufacturer, the drone can fly for up to 10 minutes per battery. Since two batteries are included, up to 20 minutes of flight time are possible. However, a flight time of 7 to 8 minutes is more realistic when using the camera and live image transmission to the smartphone.
The two 3.7 V, 500 mAh LiPo batteries are charged via the included USB charging cable. You can either connect this directly to a laptop or PC, or plug it into the charger of your smartphone. The charging time is about 60 minutes per battery.
Before flying, you should first calibrate the drone so that it does not drift in one direction. To do this, place it on a flat surface and then move both control joysticks down-left. That’s it and you can take off.
The 2.4 GHz remote control with angle-adjustable smartphone holder fits well in the hand and allows you to control the tech rc TR008W Predator at a distance of about 27 yards (25 meters). For the operation of the remote control 3 AAA batteries are still needed.
The features of tech rc TR008W Predator
The fact that the tech rc Predator is a beginner’s drone is apparent from several features. Takeoff and landing work conveniently at the push of a button, and once the drone is in the air, it independently maintains the current altitude thanks to the Altitude Hold function. So you don’t have to permanently operate the thrust controller to keep the copter in the air.
There are three different speeds to choose from (slow, medium, fast), which can be switched between at the touch of a button.
To prevent the drone from accidentally crashing when the battery is low, you get a warning in advance. If the battery level is too low, the two LEDs on the drone will start flashing, signaling that you should prepare to land.
Another safety feature is the emergency stop: if you fly the drone too far away (more than 25 yards/meters), the copter will stop on its own and wait in place until you approach it again. So the drone does not simply fly away uncontrolled.
Especially absolute beginners will be happy about the so-called Headless mode. If you activate this mode, it doesn’t matter how the drone is oriented at the moment when you give control commands to the left, right, front or back. So you don’t have to pay attention to where front is and where back is when you move the control joystick in a certain direction. The drone will always fly in the direction you pressed.
However, we recommend that you do not fly permanently in Headless mode and also learn “normal” drone control. Not every multicopter has such a mode for simplified operation and if you ever buy another drone later on, it is an advantage to already master the proper controls.
If you want to perform some acrobatic feats with the tech rc TR008W Predator, you can do it easily thanks to 360° flip mode. Simply press the flip button and then with the control stick in a desired direction. The drone will instantly perform a flip in the pressed direction. However, for the tricks to work, the drone must be at least 6 feet (2 meters) high in the air.
The camera of the tech RC TR008W Predator
The camera installed in the tech rc TR008W Predator is a 0.3 MP/480p camera. That doesn’t sound like much, but it is quite sufficient for first experiences with a drone with a camera. You always have to keep the low price in mind.
For the low resolution, the photo and video recordings still look very good and you get a first impression of what is possible with camera drones.
Extremely exciting and by no means self-evident for such an inexpensive drone is the FPV live image transmission of the camera image to your own smartphone.
In order to view the drone camera image in real time, you first need to download the “tech rc MINI RC” app for iOS and Android phones. This either works manually in the respective app store or you simply scan the QR code in the instruction manual to get to the download.
You can then pair the drone with your smartphone via Wi-Fi and you will see the camera image on your phone’s display. By the way, you can also control the drone without a smartphone.
Scope of delivery
- 1 x Mini drone with camera
- 1 x Remote control
- 1 x Smartphone holder
- 2 x 3,7 V, 500 mAh LiPo battery
- 1 x USB charging cable
- 4 x Spare propellers
- 4 x Propeller guards (already attached)
- 1 x Instruction manual
Conclusion
The tech rc TR008W Predator is an extremely good drone for beginners and can also be recommended for children without hesitation thanks to its light weight, easy handling and protective guards around all four propellers.
The mini drone has a camera and can stream the live image to your smartphone. The small copter is robustly built and can be controlled within a radius of about 27 yards (25 meters). It can be flown either indoors or outdoors in calm conditions.
One battery charge is enough for about 7 to 8 minutes of flight time, and charging takes about an hour. Since the drone comes with two batteries right out of the box, you can fly for up to about 16 minutes before the LiPos need to be powered up again.
All in all, the tech rc TR008W Predator is a great mini drone with a very good price-performance ratio and we can highly recommend the copter!