Best uses for retired and unsupported drones

When you bought your Inspire I just a few short years ago, you were excited. At the time, it was arguably the best drone on the market. It is reliable, easy to fly, and has a gimble set for a family of very high-quality cameras.

Now in 2021 DJI is pushing the Matrice 300.  As with the Inspire 1, DJI will be soon “end of lifeing” the entire 200 and 210 series.  This is the natural evolution of these types of rapidly changing high technology products.

However, unless your old, unsupported, and orphaned drone is physically damaged, it still works like it did when you first took it out of the box. In the case of an unsupported DJI product, there is one major thing that will keep it out of the air: the DJI “smart” batteries are no longer sold.

You don’t need batteries

If you are flying drones that are powered by a “generic” 6S (24v) battery, then you can use a tether system without any batteries. Unfortunately, DJI products will not fly without the correct DJI batteries. If your Inspire 1’s TB47 or TB48 batteries are worn out and will no longer hold a charge you have few options.  Fortunately, we have a solution. The Blue Vigil tether can be used to keep your old drone not just in service but in the air for an unlimited flight duration.

Consider the advantages of using a tether with your old drone.

Why use a drone tether?

There are many use cases for drone tethering and in particular, tethering an Inspire 1. A tethered drone is useful for:

  • Surveillance applications
  • Crowd and event management
  • Traffic management
  • Event and sports filming
  • Situational awareness when managing an incident
  • Communication antennas
  • Equipment and asset monitoring at quarries, construction sites, farms, and other large worksites

In the case of your old Inspire 1, the costs and risks for tethered use are very low. After all, what is the value of the drone to you if you cannot fly it? If it is just sitting on the shelf collecting dust, anything you do with it makes it valuable again. Many Inspire 1 parts and accessories (other than batteries) are easy to find on eBay.

What about other unsupported drones or today’s new drones?

Blue Vigil started making drone power tethers in 2016. I know that is not that long ago but think about it in relationship to the drone industry. What where you flying in 2016 compared to today? Do you still have your part 333 exemption? The UAV industry has come a long way in five short years. With each new model drone release, Blue Vigil tether systems have been adapted to provide their users with power for unlimited flight time.

Blue Vigil drone tethers work with today’s newest drones as well as yesterday’s drones. One Blue Vigil tether system will work with your entire fleet. That means when the time comes to retire your old Matrice 200 because you have a new Matrice 500, Blue Vigil tethers will still work with your entire fleet.