drones

#1222: Replacement Ruko

RECORD STORE TALES #1222: Replacement Ruko

Earlier in 2025, I was sent a new drone to test.  I was very excited to receive my U11Mini 4k drone from Ruko, but struggled to keep it flying straight.  I crashed it once in the summer.  I thought my issues were due to user error, weather, or bad calibration.  I didn’t think it was due to a faulty drone.  I tried it once more in early October.  The flight started well enough, but I lost control of the drone during the return. It started veering to the left and losing altitude. I managed to bring it back to the beach and land it in the sand, but I thought for sure it was going to hit the water or trees.

I figured three strikes and you are out – I didn’t plan to fly the Ruko again, despite its awesome 4k camera and ability to hold a level image even if the drone is flying on a 35 degree angle.  I packed it up.  My dad talked me into changing my mind.

“Why don’t you just contact their customer support?” he asked.

“Because this drone was a free review copy,” I answered simply.   “I did the review and gave it a passing mark.”  As a creative individual, I like to make my own videos, and edit them how I please.  Working with Ruko, they encouraged me to film different landmarks and objects from the drone.  I prefer working independently on my videos, so I didn’t really want to go back to them.  Yet, my dad was right.  What harm could come from submitting a ticket for customer support?

Ruko came through.  All they asked for was the flight log for the most recent video where I encountered troubles. You can see in the video below, I flew fine and straight for the outbound flight. Upon my return, the drone started veering off to the left, and losing altitude. I could not control it, but barely managed to land it in the sand without hitting the water, rocks, or trees. Ruko had a look at the flight log and determined that it was not user error. They offered to send me a new drone!

“Just the bare drone,” they said, and I agreed.  I didn’t need new batteries, a new case, or a new controller.  Just the drone itself.

Two days later, there was a parcel!  And it wasn’t just the bare drone.  It was the whole package – cables, case, batteries, controller, and everything else you need.  I now had two complete drone sets, one that didn’t work and one that was brand new out of the box!

The only unfortunate thing is the time of year.  I let Ruko know that in Canada, it was fall turning into winter, and the window for good flying days was over.  They said “no problem”.

While I still have not had a chance to test the new Ruko drone, I can give their customer service a 5/5 star rating.  Fast, hassle-free and helpful.  Hopefully I will get a chance to fly again before the spring.  If not, thank you Ruko and we’ll see you next year!

 

CRASH!  Language!

VIDEO: “Mystery” by Dio / Ruko Over Lorne Beach

The flight started well enough, but I lost control of the drone during the return, right around the guitar solo (Vivian Campbell). It started veering to the left and losing altitude. I managed to bring it back to the beach and land it in the sand, but I thought for sure it was going to hit the water or trees. Why? It’s a “Mystery”!

To its credit, the Ruko U11MINI 4K gets incredible images with its always-level camera.

The water levels are heading back to their low point. It is a 20 year cycle. It does create beautiful imagery. Enjoy the flight.

Mystery (Dio/Bain)
From The Last In Line (1984)

Can you hear me
can you see
there’s a storm on the edge of the sky
does it matter
it does to me, i can tell you why
When there’s thunder, there should be rain
but it don’t always follow the rule
and is the wise man always right?
no he can play the fool
It’s always a mystery, not what it seems to be
it’s always a mystery, just like you and me
We are lightning
we are flame
and we burn at the touch of a spark
if there’s fire, but no one sees
the there’s only the dark
Just imagine, will you try
i can see that you’ve opened your mind
silver linings can disappear, but they always shine
It’s always a mystery, not what it seems to be
it’s always a mystery, just like you and me

#1203: Wildfire Haze (with drone videos)

RECORD STORE TALES #1203: Wildfire Haze

 

Wildfires are more and more common as the world warms, but this year has been something else.

The sunsets have been alien and unimpressive.  The sun appears as a red dot, but disappears before reaching the horizon.  You can’t smell or taste the smoke, like you could in 2023, but the visuals are more obvious in 2025.  The windmills that dot Bruce County disappear into the distance.  The horizon isn’t a clear line, but a blur.  The sky is a hazy blue-grey.  The water is a shimmery silver.  It is like we live on an alien world, or a place from a science fiction dystopian novel.

This is the first chapter I have written since we lost Grandma on July 30, 2025. If she were here, I would show her the photos and videos and ask if she had ever seen the lake like this, in her 60 or so years at Lorne Beach. While I can never ask her now, I feel like the answer would be no. I don’t think she’d ever seen a sky like this on Lake Huron.

Grandma’s funeral will be August 22.  I have been asked to speak.  I would have wanted to speak even if I was not asked, but now that the task is ahead of me, I am strangely without words.  I have things I want to say, but these thoughts are disorganized and jumbled.  When I speak at her funeral, I want it to be the best speech I’ve ever given.  I have spoken at weddings, funerals, and my Grade 2 English project, but this feels like the most important speech I have had to do yet.  What to say?

I wish I could show you the wildfire haze, Grandma.  Actually I wish you were there on the weekends like you used to be.  I used to drive her to the lake.  I would pick the music.  She liked my picks.  She didn’t even mind Sloan’s 4 Nights at the Palais Royale, which was the exact length that it took to go from her driveway in Waterloo to her cottage.  A few weeks ago, we decided to drive to the cottage listening to music she’d like, so we picked the Swingers soundtrack.  She loved Dean Martin.  She loved Tony Bennett.  A lot of our family’s musical inclination came from her side of the family.  Though my dad played saxophone, Grandma’s family were the musicians.

I miss talking to her.  I used to say she was the only one in my family who understood me when I spoke.

I’m going to have to come up with a heck of a speech for her.

 

 

REVIEW: Ruko U11MINI 4K Drone

Buy yours on Amazon!

Ruko U11MINI 4K Drone

Are you ready to level up in your photography or drone flying game?  The brand new Ruko U11MINI 4K is the drone for you.  Best of all, it weighs under 249 grams, which means you don’t need a license to fly it.  Just open the package, read the manual, charge the batteries and launch.

Opening the box, I was delighted to find not one, but two paper manuals!  The full User Manual, and a Quick Guide.  This is a huge step up from having to read a pdf file on your screen.  The inclusion of a paper manual will make all the difference to some users.  Also included are two batteries (roughly 32 minutes flight time each) and all the USB cables needed to charge and fly, no matter what kind of phone you use.  The controller is sleek and features two comfortable and detachable control sticks.  It comes in a handsome and sturdy carrying case for storage and transport.  It also has a plastic camera cover to protect the 4K camera (EIS with gimbal, like a 3-axis brushless gimbal with EIS).  You will be able to capture 8K pictures and 4K@30fps video.  All you need to provide yourself is a smartphone and a micro SD card to record all that lovely video you’re going to get.  And don’t forget to download the appropriate app to your device!

An important step is to make sure your phone is set for USB file transfer mode.  Google the steps for your phone to do this.  Your phone mounts sturdily to the controller, and connects via the included USB-C cable.  You can transfer photos and videos straight to your phone.  When powering on and pairing, be sure to calibrate the GPS and gyroscope.  Give it time for the GPS to lock on.

With this powerful camera at hand, you can record hi-definition video or photos at the touch of a button.  Thanks to the camera’s clever gimbal, it will always take level photos no matter the wind conditions.  No need to straighten and crop videos or photos with this drone.  It can even record audio!

For what I have been used to, this drone is far more powerful, and I am not talking about the camera.  The motors are faster and can go way further:  394 feet altitude, which is double what I’ve flown before.  Without obstructions, it can transmit a signal up to 20,000 feet distance.  I will be able to fly further, and see clearer, than ever before!  There is even a 5x digital zoom available.  It is far faster than my old drone, so be careful with your velocity!

With the app on your phone, you will unlock a multitude of features for this drone.  GPS follow, and path planning are two such features.  Auto return and setting your own custom maximum altitude and distance will help keep your drone safe as you learn.  You can also have it return to a safe home point when the battery is low.  You can even program a path with up to 16 checkpoints.  Feeling uncertain about landings?  This drone has an AI takeoff and landing system (using GPS, barometric altitude hold, optical flow, and TOF positioning) for smooth takeoffs and landings.  Like all drones, one must be careful in heavy wind.  Due to unseasonable bad weather here in Canada, I have not had many great days to fly safely in the spring of 2025.  As I fly the drone and experiment with its abilities, I will add more videos to this space.  Bookmark it and check back for more videos.

Some tips:

1. Keep the drone in sight when flying to avoid getting lost.

2. Don’t fly too close to the surface, to water, or to trees.

3. Use a large open area to fly in, with good GPS reception.

People are loving my drone footage from the Ruko U11MINI 4K!  From Owen:

“You’ve really got me considering purchasing this drone, Mike. I love your footage in both videos, it’s under 249g. Beautiful shots, Mr. Ladano.”

Take it from me, you’re going to love the Ruko U11MINI 4K drone.

Get one today on Amazon!

5/5 stars

Check back for more videos to be added this summer.

Droning On – Recent Videos with Music!

Lots of new videos up on the channel, with great music to go with them!

The First Flight of Dr. K – Marillion “Fugazi”

I actually let Dr. K fly my drone. This is the unedited footage. You can see the panic on my face, with my hands on my head in anxiety!

Following a Canada Goose and some beach dogs – Jeff Bridges & Colin Farrell “Fallin’ & Flyin'”

Really special footage here of a lone Canada goose in the morning. I hovered nearby, afraid to get too close.

Dawn flight in the fall to lone rock – Brant Bjork “Sun Brother”

This flight took me further than I’ve gone before, all the way to a lone rock on the other side of the river that my sister and I used to sit on.

REVIEW: Potensic ATOM SE GPS Drone

Disclaimer:  This review is from the perspective of a drone rookie.  I recently plunged into the hobby, and found it easy and inviting.  Here’s what I have learned in my three weeks as a drone pilot.

Buy the ATOM SE Drone on Amazon!

Potensic ATOM SE GPS Drone With 4K Single-Axis Camera

When I was a young kid, I would come to the beach and watch this older kid fly his remote control airplane over the lake.  He never landed it without crashing, with either major or minor damage.  I thought it would be cool to fly an RC plane like that, but it looked difficult and expensive.  Then, at some point decades later, my dad bought an indoor drone for me.  Just a toy.  Impossible to control, and it went flying off my wife’s head.  Nope, flying things isn’t the hobby for me.  Onto the next thing.

Then, one day after browsing Amazon, I decided to buy a real drone and see what difference it would make.  You only live once.  I chose the ATOM SE by Potensic, which came with two batteries, a remote, all the cables you need to charge and connect it, and a spare set of propellers (with the appropriate screwdriver).  It all came in a nice, padded travel case that holds everything.  It really is an all-in-one package.  You can buy accessories too, including spare batteries and a charger that can do three of them at once (plus the remote).  I also recommend picking up a landing pad, which helps keep your drone propellers out of the grass and/or sand.  The only thing you will need to provide separately is a micro SD card so you can record all that lovely 1080p video you’re going to capture.

My only complaint:  No paper manual.  All you get is a pdf file.  I gave it a read, but I learn by doing, so one Saturday morning when nobody was around, I took my drone over to the park.  Within minutes I was in the air.  (Of note:  This drone is light enough that it does not require a license, so you are good to go.)

It is intuitive and easy to fly.  You just plug your phone into the remote, to act as a screen.  Everything fits perfectly.  The camera is crisp and clear.  For those with a higher budget, the next model up has a 3-axis camera, but this one just moves up and down.  I found this plenty good enough.  The controller has two (removeable) joysticks (with a clever storage solution).  Everything is ergonomic.  The left stick controls altitude, and rotates the drone.  The right stick controls all movement forwards and backwards, and side to side.  It moves equally well in all four directions.

This drone is steady as a rock.  Even in a light breeze, it barely moves from where you want it.  I took it up to its maximum ceiling of 190 feet, and then right down again to land, and it had only moved about a foot.  There are automatic flying modes, such as one where it circles a waypoint (with camera always pointed at the center, a cool feature) and one where it follows you.  You can set a home point for it to automatically return to.  However, I am more comfortable being in control.  That shows you how easy this thing is to use, that I prefer manual controls to automatic.

It’s a fast little drone, and zips right over your head going over 13 mph.  It stops on a dime, and is extremely responsive.  It is also capable of beautiful, slow movements.  The resultant videos are always quality.

When I first bought this drone, a few people were asking me what the heck I would do with it?  Check out the videos below and tell me I’m not having fun!

This is an easy 5/5 stars and a solid gateway into a fun hobby.  You can get an ATOM SE Drone on Amazon.

Save at Capitol One Shopping, at this link.

VIDEO: Floating Like! Over the glassy waters of Lorne Beach (Lake Huron)

I finally had the courage to take the drone over the water. The sky was cloudy and the sunset invisible, but the blue-green waters shine brightly in this video. It’s really special and my best drone video to date.

Music: “Floating Like” by the Arkells, from the album Blink Twice.

#1135: The Triumph and the Tragedy – Cottage Weekend June 20-23

“I am inevitable.” – Thanos.  Also my CD shelves.

I couldn’t wait to get my drone in the air when I got to the cottage.  We made it up in good time, all to the soundtrack of the Beaches.  I managed to pick up their first two EPs in Toronto with Aaron the week prior (paying through the teeth).  With very little traffic to deal with, we ran through The Beaches, Heights, and Blame My Ex before arrival.  Then it was time to fly!

We only had two good days for flying, Thursday and Friday.  It started to get rainy on Saturday which made it the proverbial “indoor day“.  Still, we celebrated our three day weekend with great food and excitement.  It was a brilliant weekend for nature sightings.  We spotted plenty of the usual chipmunks and squirrels, but we were treated to a rafter of wild turkeys, who lingered long enough to be filmed.  There was even a curious seagull who swooped in to check out my drone.  We also spotted our unafraid fox, Eric, who strolled directly past us twice without fear or hurry.  I was unable to get my camera out either time, which is a shame.  He was mere feet away.

My Amazon delivery this time was a new landing pad for my drone.  I discovered that landing in the grass was difficult, so the landing pad gives me a flat square anywhere I go.  Amazon showed up during my interview with author Angie Moon on Grab A Stack of Rock, which was funny to me.  Until recently, if you wanted something like that you’d have to wait until you got home to the city.  Now, Amazon can be there next day.  Unbelievable!  For most of my young life there, we didn’t have phones or cable TV.  Now we have wi-fi and Amazon delivering priority parcels in the afternoon.  I cannot say that I mind.  One thing that I used to miss during my teenage cottage weekends was access to my friends and record stores.  Now they’re all there at a touch of a button.

The drone footage was exceptional, and made up the bulk of the video for the trip.  And why not?  It’s my new toy and I love it.  It’s so easy and intuitive to use.   It has given me more options for being creative.  I simply could not wait to get home and start editing my new video.

And that’s when disaster struck.

What happened?  Watch the video….

Music credits:

  1. “You’re All Heart” by The Candidates
  2. “Annie Waits” by Ben Folds
  3. “Cash Money” by The Candidates
  4. “Leave You Now” by Gypsy Jayne
  5. “Blind” by Dr. Kathryn Ladano

 

Lake Huron at 190 feet! Lorne Beach in 4K – Kincardine/Tiverton Ontario – to the tune of “Billy Oxygen” by Helix

I’ve been out of action since Sunday, for reasons that will be shared soon. (The WordPress “community” didn’t even notice that I haven’t posted in four days for the first time since 2018, thanks guys, “community” is dead!)  Disasters and existential crises aside, the morning of Friday June 21 was perfect for flying a drone.  The drone was almost taken out by a seagull (1:20 of the video), all to the space-exploring soundtrack of “Billy Oxygen” by Helix.

While I try to get things back to “normal” here, enjoy the video.  I’ll be working on video editing all weekend.  The cottage video from last weekend will explain what happened.