drones

VIDEO: Searchers of the Lost Drone

Earlier this spring, I lost a drone in the waters of Lake Huron.  Finally the waters cleared and warmed enough for us to search for it.  We found nothing, but the underwater video footage is nice regardless.

Late July drone videos Pt 1

The two videos below were taken with my new Ruko F11PRO 2 Plus drone.  There are more coming that I need to edit!

The first video features an altitude record of about 380 feet.  The second video was taken while Jen was swimming!

PRODUCT LINK:  Get yours on Amazon today.

 

MUSIC:  Memory of Water (Big Beat Mix) by Marillion

MUSIC:  Everybody Wants To Rule the World by Tears for Fears

This video below was made using my light Potensic Atom 4k drone.  I wanted to do some “stunt flying” which you shouldn’t really do with a pro drone when people are around.  The Potensic is perfect for that feeling of flying!

MUSIC:  Traveling Riverside Blues by Led Zeppelin

 

 

 

 

REVIEW: Ruko F11PRO 2 Plus drone

PRODUCT LINK:  Get yours on Amazon today.

RUKO F11PRO 2 Plus drone

Are you ready to level up your drone videos?  If you have been wanting to fly higher, further, faster and capture amazing videos while doing it, then the Ruko F11PRO 2 Plus might be the perfect fit for you.  All you need to get started is a micro SD card (to record video) and a phone.  This drone is 360 grams, so you will also need to register it, which can be done in minutes.  Check your local regulations.

The drone comes with two batteries which give you a flight time of 35 minutes each, depending on conditions.  This is longer than the average drone, usually good for 20 to 30 minutes.  You will also receive all the cables for any phone connection, spare propellers, and replacement tools.  Not to be underrated, the drone also comes with a paper manual instead of a PDF file.  The included controller is sleek, with a small digital screen feeding you information about battery life, GPS connection strength, distance and altitude.  It is easy to learn how to fly, and once calibrated, the drone is extremely stable.  If you take it straight up, you can bring it straight down with minimal drift.  The running lights make it easier to spot in the sky.  In hand, it feels strong, sturdy and robust.

If you’re already familiar with drones and their features, you probably want to know all about the camera.  The videos in this review (at bottom) are their own testimony.

Video and photo quality are unparalleled.  With photos at 8k UHD, and video footage at 4k and 30 fps, you will capture smoother, sleeker, clearer images than ever before.  The camera offers a 5X digital zoom as well.  When you take these videos and play them on a high definition display, it will feel as if you are flying.  The three-axis brushless gimbal is key to the smooth feel of these videos.  Whether you are maneuvering your drone, adjusting the camera angle, or doing both at once, the videos are completely smooth and always level.  Even in windy conditions, you won’t notice any shake on video.   The drone will remain steady as you capture the images with all your creativity unleashed.  The special sauce might actually be the Sony lens, for top colour reproduction and light capturing.  The videos demonstrate this incredible life-like colour reproduction.

The drone has many features you can access through the phone app.  Taking off and landing in one touch?  Got it.  The controls include a high powered “sport mode” with extra responsive controls, to handle higher wind situations.  If it loses signal or a battery runs too long, it will automatically “return to home” (a point you can set) and land.  Range?  10,000 feet!

Features aside, one thing you can’t appreciate about this drone by reading specs and manuals is just how fun it is to fly.  There is so much satisfaction in pulling the sticks back and starting the motors.  Then pushing the stick forward and watching the drone rise.  Feeling the controls and seeing the response from the drone, as it responds precisely to every movement.  Then letting it loose, and watching it speed confidently away, but always under complete control.  Release the stick, and the drone hovers still, awaiting your next command.

Equally as fun is working with the flawless videos you will capture.  No more editing around shaky moments.  Every detail becomes clear.  In particular, I enjoy discovering details that I didn’t notice while flying.  Whether it’s an accompanying seagull or the vivid deep blue of water, every flight seems to reveal new details about the world around us.

We could talk about the night mode, where you can capture better images in the dark.  We could discuss the Optical Flow Positioning feature, which allows the drone to navigate by its own built-in cameras when the GPS goes out.  There’s even an infrared sensor to measure distances for low-altitude flight.  There’s a GPS follow feature, programmable routes, and more.  Still, there is no topping the sheer satisfaction you get from performing a perfect, flawless manual landing.

After a thorough series of flights, there is only one feature that I wish this drone had.  I love the 5x zoom feature, but I wish there was an external control for it.  You have to tap a button, select “zoom”, and adjust it via the phone screen.  A zoom dial on the side would have been perfect!

If you are ready to take your drone flights to another level (literally) and come back with brilliant 4K footage, then the Ruko F11PRO 2 Plus is what you need.  When you fly it yourself and see the results, you’ll understand.

5/5 stars

REVIEW: Ruko U11MINI 4K(RC3) drone

PRODUCT LINK:  Get yours on Amazon today.

RUKO U11MINI 4K(RC3) drone

Interested in flying a drone, but don’t know where to start?  What you need is something easy and intuitive, that doesn’t require registration, and comes with everything you need to get going, in one package.  I present to you the new Ruko U11MINI 4K(RC3) drone.  In one handy case, you can get flying in minutes without having to use your phone.  Because this drone is under 250 grams, you don’t need to register it.

Let’s unpack the convenient carrying case.  Inside you’ll find a paper user manual (always superior to PDF files), your drone, some spare propellers, charging cables, batteries, and the secret weapon:  the RC3 controller with built in 5.5″ screen.  With no need to connect and pair with a phone, the controller connects to the drone automatically on startup.  The antennae fold away neatly, and the controller offers programmable buttons along with the standard controls.  No more worrying about your phone battery, or the phone overheating.

Once you have everything charged to full, you’re ready to get flying.  The drone has a range of up to 6 km, and is able to capture 8K photo resolution and 4K video recording.  Speaking of video, you get a crisp 3-axis brushless gimbal for stable, smooth, and high-quality footage.  You can see a sample video below.

The U11MINI 4K features a cruise control function for easy flying.  It works just like your car – just hit it, and the drone will continue along that flight path and speed.  There is an advanced positioning system, with GPS, a barometric altitude hold, optical flow positioning and TOF positioning for times when the GPS signal is weak.  You’ll achieve more stable low-altitude flight, and smoother landings, as I did on my first flight.  The drone has three speeds:  low, medium and high (“sport mode”).  The sport mode can be used in windier conditions, to give the drone more responsive power.  There is an automatic return to home feature, if the drone loses signal or the battery runs low.

There are several intelligent flight modes.  GPS follow is a common one, allowing the drone to automatically follow your position on the ground.  There are also programmable routes, and an image follow feature.  You can have the drone follow an object that you select on the touch screen.  You can also have it circle around a point of interest.

You can choose to store your video footage on a micro SD card (not included), but you don’t have to.  Videos can be stored on the controller, which can be connected to a Wi-fi network.  From there you can upload your footage to a Google drive account, without having to worry about cards.  This makes the drone extremely attractive for beginners who don’t have extra micro CD cards sitting around.

One of the most underrated features of this drone is the camera zoom feature.  With a simple dial on the side, you can quickly zoom in and out, as demonstrated in the video below.  The simplicity of this control makes you wonder why every drone doesn’t have one.

For beginners, this drone is the ideal, logical launching point.  Grab one on Amazon today, and you’ll be in the air in no time.

5/5 stars

REVIEW: Potensic ATOM 3-Axis Gimbal 4K GPS Drone

Potensic ATOM 3-Axis Gimbal 4K GPS Drone

Welcome drone enthusiasts and newcomers alike!  Thanks for clicking this review.  I hope you find this helpful and informative, as I have had many adventures and misadventures with four of these “under 249 gram” drones now!   This little craft do not require a license to fly.  Let me run you through my backstory with three previous drones, which you can click for more information.

The Ruko’s superior camera was a marked improvement in my drone video quality, no matter how hard they were to fly.  I thought about upgrading my Potensic.  Why not?  You only live once.

One thing about the old ATOM SE’s camera was that it didn’t have a fancy 3-axis gimbal.  What’s that mean?  It means that it couldn’t keep a level picture, with the horizon always…horizontal.  When the drone was flying in wind, it needed to tilt to compensate and stay stationary.  Most of my old ATOM videos have a visibly crooked horizon.  But that’s just the obvious difference.  The 3-axis gimbal gives it an unprecedented smoothness.  All my old videos had jerky movements.  Not anymore.  This camera is like an aerial steady-cam.

It wasn’t all smooth flying.  I had some issues out of the box.  I think one was caused by an uncalibrated controller.  It was veering off to the right upon takeoff, much like the Ruko used to do.  A calibration of the joysticks seemed to fix this.  It also defaulted to a “beginner mode” that I failed to notice and caused some confusion at first.

My second issue happened after a windy flight in Tiverton, Ontario.  I decided to bring the drone down after a few seconds, as the wind was unusually strong.  After a drive home, I was not able to re-connect the drone to the controller.  The drone was acting up, and wouldn’t power down without removing its battery.  I spent days trying to get the two devices to pair.  After a desperate email to Potensic, the problem revealed itself.  They advised me to try a number of things including re-pairing the devices without a memory card inserted.

The drone came with a 64 gig micro CD card (a surprise in itself!) but I decided to use a Gigastone 128 gig card instead.  It was actually my second Gigastone.  The first one failed right out of the box and wouldn’t format.  It turns out, the second Gigastone also failed sometime in the car between Tiverton and Lorne Beach.  Upon removal, the drone and controller paired immediately without issue.  Who knew that the memory card, which is used to store images and videos, was critical to the proper operation?  I mean, you can fly without one.  But throw a bad one in there by mistake, and you will stay grounded.  So there’s a tip for you:  if you’re having issues with your drone, take out the memory card as a first step.  Two Gigastones failed one after another!  Another tip is not to buy a Gigastone 128 gig card.

Once we got all these little details ironed out, the Potensic flew steady and true, just as my original did.  I’ve started to discover new features.  The camera has a zoom!  Pinch and zoom; it’s that simple.  This is going to improve my video making abilities over Lake Huron.

I ordered the option with three batteries.  No matter which version you choose, you will get the equipment you need (minus the micro SD card which only came with the three battery option).  In addition to the controller and all the cables, this version comes with the three batteries (32 minutes life each), and a charging block to simultaneously charge all three batteries and your controller at once!  It all comes in a handy carrying case, with handle.

There are lots of features for me to play with that I haven’t touched yet:  6km transmission distance, visual tracking, pull-away shots, boomerang shots…lots to try out, though I always prefer manual controls.

Check out the videos below and be sure to check back as more are added.  The new Potensic drone is going to drastically improve my video making abilities in 2026.

5/5 stars

 


Calibrating: “SMC” by Def Leppard


Sunrise Test Flight: “Mighty Morris Ten” by Episode Six


High Wind Test Flight: “Next Summer” by Arkells


Final Test Flight & All Bugs Worked Out: “Michigan Left” by Arkells

#1243: Checking Things Off the List: Creative Works in Early 2026

RECORD STORE TALES #1243: Checking Things Off the List: Creative Works in Early 2026

I have been relatively silent in Spring 2026. Like many of us in these uncertain times, I have been paralyzed when trying to think of the future. This is rare for me. In the past, when I have found myself unable or unwilling to create, I tended to throw the towel in and cry “I quit”! Then more sober minds gently remind me that talking about music is something I’m pretty good at. They tell me it’s OK to take a break without nuking everything. So, this time I haven’t freaked out. I’ve just created at my own pace, and focused what juice I do have on videos. Videos are a different creative process and it feels more immediate to me at the moment.

Every year, twice a year, I try to do something “new” creatively. This could be writing, cooking, or video making.  I can rarely plan ahead or field creative suggestions.  Something new always comes along.  It just happens organically every summer.  Some future summer, I swear, I will take up meat smoking at the cottage, but not this year. This year, a new investment has been made and new equipment acquired in another direction.

Drones came into my life in 2024 when I accumulated enough Amazon points through my work to buy one. I chose the Potensic Atom SE, a great drone for beginners but not with the 4k 3-axis camera that a better drone carries. It was not until I tried both that I appreciated what the better camera can do. In 2025, I had a misadventure with the Ruko company and not one but two of their drones.  While I loved their 4k camera with brushless 3-axis gimble, I didn’t enjoy that their drones are prone to crashing.  My more primitive Potensic didn’t seem to have that weakness.  If only it took better pictures, I mused.

Welcome to 2026, my new Potensic 4k drone with brushless 3-axis gimble.  I upgraded.  My parents enjoy my photos and want to see what I can do with a better camera.  They made it happen.  You can really see the difference.  You’ll see how the horizon is always perfectly level.  That’s the 3-axis gimble.  Thank you mom and dad!

New thing #1 in 2026:  New improved drone.  Check ✔


Music: “SMC” by Def Leppard


Music: “Mighty Morris Ten” by Episode Six, featuring Ian Gillan and Roger Glover of Deep Purple

My summer creative goals are usually cottage goals.  The drones are a perfect example.  You could not ask for a better camera in the most perfect setting.  I’m all about “set” and “setting”, as they say in psychology.  Mindset, and physical setting.  The cottage is the setting that gives me the best conduit to my creative side.  I used to do a lot of animation videos from the lake, and I’d like to return to that.  Since those days, live streaming from the lake is a creative highpoint.   I started in 2020 using a primitive phone and Facebook Live, and they got better year after year, with 2026 being hopefully one of the best.

Because I love the night up at the cottage, and also because strange things have been seen and heard there, I have always wanted to live stream from the spooky dark.  The ideal topic would be UFOs and the paranormal, I reasoned.  I put the idea on the shelf as one that I hadn’t fully formed.  Something to do someday, sometime, if the right circumstances came to be.

In 2025, while in a hospital emergency ward waiting to be seen for a rib injury, I spent my idle time reading the dystopian science fiction of Australian author Violeta M. Bagia.  I remember complimenting the book and comparing it positively to Firefly in tone.  Since that time I’ve learned that Bagia is not only a Blaze Bayley & Wolfsbane fan, but a UFO and paranormal enthusiast.  Due to her location in Australia, her best time happened to fall at 6 AM EST, while the cottage in the woods is just waking up from the pitch black dark.  It became obvious that I had my special guest and my setting for the UFOs and Paranormal episode.  Please welcome to Grab A Stack of Rock on Friday May 22 at 6:00 AM EST:  Violeta M. Bagia!

New thing #2 in 2026:  Finally doing the UFO and Paranormal episode from the cottage.  Check ✔

Coming May 22: Sci-fi, UFOs and the Paranormal with author Violeta M Bagia

But that’s not all.  Harrison and I still have 50 Years of Iron Maiden to wrap up, and we’re so close!  We are ready to cover The Book of Souls: Live Chapter, and as usual we do live albums as live episodes.  Not wanting to delay 50 Years of Iron Maiden another week, I decided to do two shows in one day, at two extremes of the day:  sunrise and sunset!   This isn’t a goal I knew I had, but I’m excited to do it.

New thing #3 in 2026:  Sunrise and Sunset Hour Shows in One Day.  Check ✔

Two Live Show Announcement for May 22 2026

I have a long long weekend coming.  Feeling the strain, we’ll be taking some extra time at the lake that weekend which will give me plenty of time to prepare and do two really good shows.  That always makes me happy.

It’s already late May.  That is rather late in the year for my creative side to start percolating, but start it has.

 

 

 

 

#1242: How My Brand New Drone Ended Up on the Bottom of Lake Huron

RECORD STORE TALES #1242: How My Brand New Drone Ended Up on the Bottom of Lake Huron

It was like watching time stand still.  First, I heard the motors fall silent.  Then, I watched it begin to fall like a stone.  I calmly and solemnly thought, “There is nothing I can do.  It is going right into the water, and there won’t even be point in fishing it out.  It is what it is.”  It made a satisfying “THONK!” sound as it crashed into the nearby rock pile.  I stood a moment in silence as I considered any options, and concluded there were none, so I turned around and walked the path back up to the cottage.

How did we get here?  Let’s rewind.

In 2024,  I took a chance and indulged myself in my first and most trustworthy drone:  the Potensic Atom SE.  It was a revelation to me, as readers know.  I took the drone to the cottage and flew it over Lake Huron repeatedly.  Stunt flying over the rocks is a treat and results in amazing “feels like flying” video footage.  My review of the Potensic went viral with a modest 4000 views.  It was enough to get the attention of the a company in 2025, who offered to send me their brand new U11Mini 4K in exchange for a review.  It had two advantages over the Potensic that I hoped to exploit.  The first is the 3-axis brushless camera gimble, which enables level images no matter what angle your drone is flying at.  The other is the 4K camera, a step up from the Potensic.  Imagine the video of Lake Huron I could capture with that!


First Flight of 2026 with the Potensic Atom SE drone

I flew the drone twice and wrote a positive review.  I did struggle a bit with the controls, but chalked it up to inexperience.   I expected to get the hang of it, but that never happened.  It was just a really difficult drone to fly, and that did not improve after I wrote the review.  Landing on a specific target was simply impossible, and the drone would fly off on its own without any input from the controls.  I re-calibrated the drone and fiddled with the settings.  It could not hover in place, moved on its own, and crashed into a tree.  I sent an email to the drone company, who asked for my flight logs.  After reviewing them, they sent me a replacement drone.  This arrived in the winter, so I had to wait until spring 2026 to try it.  I fully expected all issues would be resolved.

One thing I noticed about the drone is that it couldn’t handle light winds as well as the Potensic.  The othetrt tends to drift while the Potensic is still as a stone.  I waited for the first quiet morning before removing the second drone from its packaging and preparing it for first flight.  I had already had my first flight of 2026 with the Potensic, which performed up to its exemplary standards.  There was less wind on the morning I tested the drone.  I began in a small clearing as I usually do.  The drone always takes time connecting to the GPS, which is a much faster process with the Potensic.  (On my original copy, there were days it could not connect to GPS at all, and I had to pack it up again.)  Once connected, I started the motors and began to hover.

The new drone was still not as rock-steady as the Potensic, but it was a marked improvement over the original one.  I felt reassured that whatever was wrong with the original drone (they never told me) had been fixed.  I had a very early U11Mini, one of the first in Canada.  It is possible improvements or corrections were made after.  With my new drone now in the air, I marveled at the clarity of the video.  I took it up higher, with the intention of flying it over the lake and capturing those misty greens and blues.

With great care, I drifted slowly over the trees, and down to the beach.  The drone seemed to be performing acceptably.  Time to test the camera.  I wanted to get some footage of the rock piles and compare the quality to the Potensic.  Already, I was impressed with the level camera.  I panned straight down to capture the rocks.  The drone seemed to struggle a little over the rocks.  It lost altitude, so I raised it again.  It started to drift downwards again, so I raised it.   I panned back up to the horizon with the intention to fly back in, when suddenly the motors died.  They just stopped completely, and the drone fell from the sky, into the water and rocks below.


First and Final Flight 2026

“It didn’t cost me anything,” I lamented I walked back up the trail to the cottage.  “Except the memory card!”  I shared the memory card between the Potensic and the new drone, so there would be no more flying at all for me this weekend.

The company advised me not to fly the drone over water, but at this point I have two years’ experience doing just that with my Potensic.  I have a cottage on Lake Huron:  of course that’s what I’m going to film with my drone!  If I cant fly over water, then I’m not interested in a drone.  The Potensic flies like a slalom skier through the rocks, but the drone couldn’t even hover over them.  Even if I chose to ignore the company’s directions, it was with the experience I’ve gained, and the certainty that I would chose the Potensic over the other every time if I couldn’t fly over water.

When the water levels drop in the coming weeks, I’ll walk out to the rocks and fish what remains of my drone from the water.  Maybe some adventurous canoer will have already found it by then.  My experience with the 4k camera and the 3-axis gimble was positive.  Potensic have a drone similar to mine, but with the 4k/3-axis camera option.  It’s pricey (about the same as a super deluxe Rush box set), but I am seriously considering that upgrade.

I have flown three drones to date, and I’m still flying the first.  Now that I have a newer and bigger memory card in hand, I look forward to our further adventures this summer.

Rest in peace, drone, in your watery grave at the bottom of Lake Huron.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#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

#1200: Birthdays, Castles & Cornfields

RECORD STORE TALES #1200:  Birthdays, Castles and Cornfields

My goal when making drone videos is never to invade privacy, only to make cool videos of the things around me.  Ever since 2022, Jen and I have been driving past this cool “castle” in the middle of nowhere.  We have stopped to take pictures because it is such a whimsical looking place.  I have long wanted to do a drone video of the castle we once called Deke’s Palace.

I woke up around 5:30 AM on my birthday.  I chatted with friends and enjoyed a birthday steak for breakfast.  I thought about driving somewhere to make a drone video.  Around 8:00 I decided to wake up Jen and make a run into town.  I packed up my Potensic drone and made our way up to the castle.  We waited for three cars to pass, and then I was airborne.  I saw no vehicles for the entire flight, but I did soar close enough to the castle to see its ramparts, battlements, and three turrets.  I also hovered over a winding river, and zoomed low over a cornfield.

I always like to try to accomplish something new creatively when I can, and this counts as a brand new location.  I am very happy with the resultant video.

After my flight, we went into the essential hobby store Leisure World, and I treated myself to a birthday gift.

Simply a wonderful birthday, enjoyed in the best place in the world.