FINALLY! Hands on with the Chasing M2 and it's AWESOME!

[@Hercova]

This is one of the best KZbin reviews I've watched. Great information, knowledgeable, well produced, and well spoken. Great work!

[@TheFishFindersTV]

Thank you for the feedback!

[@jerryjackson6376]

Allan If you recall we interviewed a hundred years ago for a writing job. Fast fwd 30 years I'm considering a chasing M2 The review is excellent JJ

[@TheFishFindersTV]

That was a lifetime ago Jerry! Hope all is well! Thanks for the feedback on the M2 review. I put mine to work for a couple of years successfully before it started to get glitchy. Unfortunately, it finally crapped out during a tv documentary shoot and I haven’t trusted it since. I’ll re-motor it this year and try again - failing that it’ll be replaced. Let me know what you decide and it was nice hearing from you!

[@michaelmcnew744]

Chasing M2 underwater drone can see is very well made good design and good video explaining.

[@TheFishFindersTV]

Thanks for the feedback Michael. Overall, I have had a very successful time using the M2 for work purposes.

[@2handsomeforlaw]

This was the best review of the M2 I have seen so far, and I have seen a lot of them! Thank you very much!

[@TheFishFindersTV]

Thanks very much for the feedback Fredrik! This was my first product review and I wasn’t sure how it would be received.

[@Dynamo55b]

Thank you for your efforts. This is a great video. I’m getting one myself tomorrow.

[@TheFishFindersTV]

Thanks for the comment! I hope you get the same satisfaction out of using it as I have!

[@decoservices]

Great review and thank you for sharing it.

[@TheFishFindersTV]

Thanks for your feedback Deco Services! I’m operating mine on Lake Huron right now!

[@lonewolfeire9176]

very honest and informative review, thank you for sharing.

[@HOTRhuntinontherock]

NICE!!

[@MaverickDroneSystems]

Well done. Let us know if you make the lighting mounts further away from the sensor.

[@reconaerialdroneservices]

Amazing overview, thanks!!

[@TheFishFindersTV]

Thanks for the feedback Recon Aerial! Glad you got something out of the video.

[@visiblehiggs130]

I wish they can send power and data through the tether.

[@TheFishFindersTV]

The M2 Pro now offers power through the tether which is definitely an upgrade for longer jobs.

[@kattconnors1863]

Thank you for the reply…

[@TheFishFindersTV]

TX battery has a very long life and has never been an issue for me lasting for a day of operating while just swapping out ROV batteries as needed.

[@franklindmurphy]

Great video. I have been using the Gladius mini and have made a lot of videos down to 170ft in the ocean. Very fun stuff. I'm thinking about getting this. Kind of pricy.

[@TheFishFindersTV]

From everything I’ve seen online the Mini is a very capable ROV as well Franklin. 170 feet is impressive! It’s amazing what we can now explore that a few years ago was only accessible to a small percentage of people.

[@toto7751]

Thank you very much for a nice video. I like your lesson. Best lesson. I pressed subscription and "like". Hope I can see your video for Chasing 2 Pro Max.

[@EternalAngler]

Amazing review, the accessory rails are great, because the buckle bracket is too weak to lift anything heavy off the bottom like WW2 History Hunter did with the Fifish V6s claw, such as lifting up a heavy ww2 german ammo cannister, so hopefully someone can make a heavy duty bracket that attaches to the rails to lift up heavier objects when pulling on the tether. The battery clip is very brittle as well, with little force it can be easily broken, sadly I already broke mine. After a long successful day of fishing and a dive using the M2,I was a little tired afterwards handling the M2, I pulled a bit too hard on removing the battery, and crack, snapped the clip after it came back over the battery. I honestly lay my Chasing M2 front side on a pillow before removing the battery. As for removing heavy objects with the cheap buckle bracket and claw, for now I suspect you can do what danijo2012 did at Lake Amqui Nettoyage Lac, using the claw to clamp down on a hook and strong rope, then bring the hook over to a heavy object to attach to it, then pull on the rope to recover the heavy object. Other than that, the Chasing M2 is a beast, still not sure what Chasing Innovations was thinking with that cheap tiny buckle bracket, considering QYSEA had a video out already removing a kettlebell from the pool pulling on the tether. They have the same exact tiny piece of plastic bracket on the $5,000 M2 Pro which they're marketing as a commercial drone? I guess not much thought process went into that part of the engineering, should be an easy fix though! Looking forward to future videos!

[@TheFishFindersTV]

Awesome feedback! I totally agree about the battery retainer. I have a bag of parts arriving from chasing tomorrow and included is a spare battery retainer for when mine breaks. The 200Wh battery has a similar retainer but much larger to account for the increased size of the battery. Definitely a weak point. Replacement props and a couple of motors on the ways too. The props can easily get nicked from ingesting bottom debris if not careful and intrusive vibration over time. A spare left and right motor just made sense because of some of the remote sites i’ve worked my M2 in. Have to be pretty self sufficient! Overall still loving it tho!

[@EternalAngler]

@@TheFishFindersTVyes sir, whats so neat about the open design of the chasing m2 is, you could basically change out a broken motor within 10 minutes out in the field. At first I wanted to get the Mini S because how smooth(hydrodynamic) and stable the design of the body is, but after having a few dives with the M2, I knew I had made the right purchase. When I get back to work I also plan on purchasing a few extra batteries! I do wish that we had replaceable batteries for the controller. I suspect if you wanted to do an 8 hour dive, you'd have to have two remotes, not much of a big deal though. Your videos definitely helped me make the right choice! I also appreciate the update video too, I use the curved power linear setting at all times, I even find it works good when using the claw. Looking forward to getting some musky on video in the future, but I've found the esox can be tough to get on film. Crazy story, I took it to stony creek lake in Michigan, I captured all bass on film, but when I fished afterwards, I caught all Northern pike. Im thinking no way I missed these pike with the m2, I think they were being stealthy and avoided the m2 when it got close to them. I mean I've seen pike on film with the mini and I recently went to lake st clair and caught a pike on film, but when I got close to the pike, it definitely swam away. Stealthy apex predators, I'm sure each season they act differently, I noticed when filming in winter with the geneinno t1 all the species swim together like they're coexhisting. Spring is a whole different ball game, lol, its fun noticing these sort of things and studying these fish species. Im sure we'll find out all sorts of things, I suspect these underwater drones will be a great way to monitor our water ways with the asian carp, sea lamprey and snakehead invasive problem. Just so many uses, so neat, I suspect its going to spawn so many different hobbies, just starting to get into treasure hunting and even finding fishing lures. Last video I saw a snagged tube bait on the bottom, but again, I suspect I'll have to upgrade the buckle bracket to grab items like this with the claw. I recently decided to coat my claw shaft seams with plasti dip for a little extra protection, I already seen a couple claws leak both from the finish v6s and m2. Sonar is something to look forward to, but its still pretty pricey. CMO Jacky Yang said they're gonna allow 3rd party sonar like blue robotics sonar which is around $2k... not completely out of price range. But I don't think m2 has a sonar option in the software, its mostly for the m2 pro.

[@EternalAngler]

Did you ever see the monster quest episode with Lee Tauchen and James Lindner on the search for monster musky and lake trout, of course it was embellished, but both episodes were fun to watch, they uses a rov in the one episode that cost like five figures, never thought I'd see the day where this technology would one day be affordable for the average fishermen, pretty darn neat, but its slowly catching on. Lol Always wanted an underwater drone ever since watching the James Cameron's movie abyss with little geek!

[@yogatsea]

Very good review! Considering it for research. I'm missing part 2. Is it already on line? Thanks for the review. Erik

[@TheFishFindersTV]

Thanks for watching Erik - I don't think you'd be disappointed based on my experiences to date. Part 2 ended up being the E-Reel review and Part 3 was the firmware update - the REAL Part 2 fell through the cracks! It's being worked on now and will be published in a couple of days. Thanks again!

[@livestreamhawaii]

Do you have any video footage of your M2 in open ocean? I would like to know how stable video footage looks under moderate ocean current. I saw some ocean footage and it seems to be fairly jerky footage. I figure slowing down the footage would be recommended.

[@TheFishFindersTV]

I will try to post some shortly. Some of the jerkiness I’ve seen and experienced is operator error too. Things like the exponential control stick option really help in getting smooth footage. Slowing down the drone and planning shots first where possible is desirable. Slowing footage down can help but I usually only do that if it adds to the sequence.

[@livestreamhawaii]

@@TheFishFindersTV Ahh, I see... Okay Mahalo!

[@loordimus]

Thanks for the video! Did you end up mounting the diving lights?

[@TheFishFindersTV]

Thanks Niklas. I mounted Sola 1200's briefly on UCLS buoyancy arms but only did pool testing with that setup. For the work I had immediately after that the larger profile created by the arms was a hinderance so I didn't run and good real world trials. If I can get the motor issue fixed in time I might world on that again early this season.

[@bullitanaconda]

If theres a battery why the cable? I guess its not for power but for radio controls, is it because frequencies cant travel through water?

[@TheFishFindersTV]

Correct. The cable is for control and video signal only. Check out the new M2Pro tho - option for power through the cable as well.

[@jimj6916]

Awesome feed back from drone.....Price ? Price of the arm ? Was thinking about another drone called the ....ooppsss forgot....it started with a T and has an arm also for underwater ? Was wondering about taking the whole thing on a plane....would they say noway with that battery ? Tks again

[@TheFishFindersTV]

Thanks for watching Jim! The drone itself currently lists for $2699USD and the arm is $499. I would keep checking the Chasing website I case those prices change. You may have been looking at the Geneinno T1 drone. When I looked into that one it wasn’t possible to turn and go forward at the same time. Control inputs had to be performed separately so it wasn’t on the short list for me. No problem with airline travel on the M2 as the battery is 98Wh - under the 100Wh limit for airlines.

[@Filmbz]

This is a stupendously thorough review and I absolutely love it. If you need assistance with anything drone or filming, i'm a great asset and I'm ready to relocate!!! :) Subscribed!

[@snowcelt]

This is by far the best review of the M2 on YT. Did you ever get round to making a Part 2 to review the app or how to tweak it to get better footage? I had mine in the sea for the first time yesterday and was underwhelmed by the 4k footage. Have you noticed any differences between firmware versions of the Chasing Go1 apps? I have a million questions!

[@TheFishFindersTV]

Thanks very much for watching and for the comments Snowcelt! I haven’t had a good chance to run the M2 recently - need a bit more ice to melt - and aerial drone work has taken most of my time. Shortly I’ll have it back out and working and I’ll do a better test of the post update quality. I didn’t notice enough of a difference immediately after updating to be concerned but my testing at that time wasn’t extensive. Feel free to ask any questions you have in the meantime!

[@snowcelt]

@@TheFishFindersTV Ok, here goes: Tested the M2 again yesterday in the field. Changed to a better micro SD card. Underwater 4K/60 mbits/s video footage still with very soft focus. Tested prior to use in air, focus noticeably sharper. So, should I increase the sharpness in the settings once I make a test video underwater? Is everyone else happy with the underwater focus out of the box or have they tweaked it in settings or in post editing?

[@dcptngenesis]

Great video! May I ask the brand and the model of the camera in the drone? Can you tell what it is?

[@TheFishFindersTV]

Thanks! If I’m not mistaken it is a Sony CMOS sensor. The following are the specs: CMOS 1/2.3 inch LENS F1.8 FOCUS 1 m ISO RANGE 100-6400 FOV 152° MAX RESOLUTION 12 Meg pixel FORMAT JPEG / DNG VIDEO UHD: 3840*2160 (4K) 30fps FHD: 1920*1080 (1080p) 30/60/120fps Slow Motion 720p: 8x (240 fps) 1080p: 4x (120 fps) Time Lapse 4K / 1080p Video Bitrate 60 M Video Format MP4

[@madmanmechanic8847]

Where is the second part

[@TheFishFindersTV]

That is an excellent question! I didn’t make part two as I got busy using the M2 for commercial purposes for 2 years before it got very glitchy and I couldn’t trust it for work anymore. I just recently got it back out of storage, replaced a few motors and tether connectors and did a series of firmware and software updates and it is ready to go again. I’ll be doing a followup video this week detailing that journey but with real world deep lake footage. Should be posted next week followed by a Chasing F1 review.

[@madmanmechanic8847]

@@TheFishFindersTV When my other business gets launched and have the money I was thinking about getting one of these with the claw. And the auto reel the stand spool looks like a pain the butt On a scale of 1 to 10 what would you give it and would recommend the unit or not if not then why . Thanks for the reply

[@livestreamhawaii]

What about filters for underwater shooting?

[@TheFishFindersTV]

That is a very good question SSH-Live. Currently there are no red or magenta filters available for the M2. I have this question and other pertaining to white balance in with the manufacturer currently and will post the responses here. I’m currently doing all colour correction in post.

[@livestreamhawaii]

@@TheFishFindersTV One more question, have you taken it out in ruff ocean conditions?

[@billmcmillan3059]

What camera would you suggest to mount to the top of the ROV? I’m looking to perform potable water reservoir and sewage outfall inspections.

[@TheFishFindersTV]

Hi Bill. I’m running a GoPro 9 on mine currently. I have it raised on a 6 inch extension arm just to move it away from the lights a bit. When shooting in 4 or 5k you have quite a bit of latitude to zoom in to footage in post to inspect details. Works quite well.

[@PhilD22]

I’m torn between the FiFish v6 & Chasing M2?

[@kattconnors1863]

Can you charge thru the tether connector like a gladius or do you have to remove battery every time? Also how long does the tax run on a charge? Thank you

[@TheFishFindersTV]

Katt you need to remove the battery to charge it. Tether is control and data transfer only on the base M2. I have the standard and hi cap batteries and rarely run them down as my missions are very specific. Also when running a second camera - like a GoPro 9 - I am always limited to the battery life of that camera (around 45 minutes) which both M2?batteries will do easily. I have used the larger battery for 2 hour dives with lots of capacity remaining - depends tho on a lot of factors like speed and other ROV movements, current, using lights and claw and water temperature.

[@sridhar8450]

Sir can you explain how is this product in moving water

[@TheFishFindersTV]

Hi Sridhar - I haven't had much of an opportunity to use the M2 in current so I can't really comment. Most of my experience has been in freshwater lakes. There's a good Facebook group where users share info about use cases - you might find that more helpful.

[@sridhar8450]

We are the company working under water Inspections but it is not success in our operations its not stable in the moving water.we are not convinced agin we are using our divers Recently this product failed before 12 months After purchase. Warranty they give only 6 months for thrusters all my eight thrusters freeze after I explained they send all eight thrusters free of charge including shipping. Product is not up to the standard as advertised. BUT THAIR SUPPORT AMAZING

[@TheFishFindersTV]

@@sridhar8450 Unfortunately my experience has been different. I have just been told that my 8 thrusters will not be covered and that I will have to send the unit to a local repair facility for work. Understand it's out of warranty but disappointed in the lack of support given the focus I have put on the product as an early adopter in Canada.

[@robertclyne6695]

How fast is the robotic grip? I need a grip that can slam shut fast.

[@TheFishFindersTV]

That’s actually a good update suggestion. You can see in this video that the open and close speeds are constant (at one speed only). Having variable rates would be useful and I’ll definitely pass that on.

[@robertclyne6695]

@@TheFishFindersTV I would pay extra for that effect now. I may get it custom done . I need a robotic arm that can work fast and hard all day....

[@TheFishFindersTV]

I’ve asked to have increased claw speed evaluated for a future update. I agree with you that it would be a valuable feature and I’ll keep you posted here with what I find out.

[@robertclyne6695]

@@TheFishFindersTV Thank you very much. Do you know if any other drones have a fast robotic arm?

[@TheFishFindersTV]

It's difficult to tell the speeds of the other robotic arms from online reviews without actually having the chance to try them first hand. I'm hoping Chasing can address the higher closing speed (or variable speed) issue - they have been pretty responsive to suggestions so far.

[@boomerantics9586]

I’ve been waiting for reviews to start coming in on this one. Have you any idea when the larger battery will be available? Thanks for sharing!

[@TheFishFindersTV]

Boring Baby Boomer Goes Thanks for watching! I’ll have an answer on the battery question tomorrow - just asked the same question to the company! I’ll post the reply here.

[@TheFishFindersTV]

According to the manufacturer, the 200 Wh battery should be available by the end of August.

[@boomerantics9586]

@@TheFishFindersTV Thanks for the follow up!

[@1989Goodspeed]

Looks like it was inspired by the OSEL "mantis" one man submarine.

[@TheFishFindersTV]

It does have some striking similarities!

[@perry8498]

My interest are in drones , but I’d like to explore a under water drone do you think this drone would be a good starting drone , my concern is I live on a river and water quality is dirty brown/ green how do think the M2 would handle it

[@TheFishFindersTV]

I started the same way having flown drones commercially for over 10 years before getting the M2. Easy to operate but don’t expect much in low viz water in terms of video and photo range. You’ll need to be very close to the targets. Haven’t got a lot of experience in heavy current but it will handle a small amount quite well form my experience. Just has a pretty significant impact on battery life.

[@perry8498]

@@TheFishFindersTV ok maybe the m2 pro would be a better option

[@TheFishFindersTV]

There are a lot of things I like about the M2 but the propulsion system in my experience is very poor. All of my thrusters seized after the ROV was stored properly for the winter (rinsed, dried and lubricated) after operating in fresh water only. Apparently the M2 Pro and Pro Max have updated thrusters but time will tell about their durability. I’m on the fence still as to whether I’ll repair and upgrade or move on to a different and more robust ROV.

[@perry8498]

@@TheFishFindersTV ohh I wasn’t expecting that result from the motors I would have thought they would have been well sealed , have you pull any apart to see what has failed, how many hours would you say you did before putting away

[@alangibbins5769]

@@perry8498 unlike my UAV’s I didn’t log ROV hours but I had several hundred on the M2. The motors are not sealed by design and according to numerous accounts including my own, not robust enough for continuous professional use.

[@interestingamerican3100]

How does this transmit video to the surface?

[@TheFishFindersTV]

Command, control and video transmission is through the tether between the controller and M2. Video is then sent wirelessly to the tablet via the App or through HDMI to a remote monitor. Recorded imagery is saved to the onboard microSD. Hope this helps.

[@ephemeraddict]

Great review! What others did you evaluate?

[@TheFishFindersTV]

TheWestWind Thanks for watching! For me it was down to the FiFish V6S and the Chasing M2. Ultimately, the removable battery and mounting rails sold me on the M2 although the V6S looks very capable as well.

[@deniscayouette7770]

Thanks for this great review. Did you consider the BlueRov 2 when doing your research on which drone to buy. I am still undecided on which one to buy. Thanks

[@TheFishFindersTV]

Thanks for the feedback Denis! I did look briefly at the BlueRov2 but one of my criteria when purchasing was portability and the Chasing M2 came in at half the weight. Both seemed very competent on spec - just needed the lighter weight option. Have you decided on an ROV yet?

[@deniscayouette7770]

@@TheFishFindersTV Yes after a lot of internal debating... it will be the Chasing M2, portability was also a factor for me and the electric reel as space in the Zodiac is reserved for the diving equipment. I will order it at the end of November... I hope it will help me increase my scallops reserve next summer... ;) Thanks again for your review, it actually helped a lot for my decision.

[@TheFishFindersTV]

Glad to hear the review helped, Denis. I'm very pleased with my decision and I'm looking forward to some under ice trials in a few months. I hope everything works out with integrating the M2 into your operations and I'm looking forward to hearing about it!

[@deniscayouette7770]

@@TheFishFindersTV Finaly I fell on a deal on a second hand BlueROV2 and I am really happy with it. What I like about it is the expansion possibilities but you are right about portability, I have more case to haul then the Chasing. If you are thinking of trying yours under the ice near Québec city, I’ll go take footage of that with BROV.

[@TheFishFindersTV]

Congrats Denis! The BlueROV2 looks pretty impressive! I’ll be doing some under ice work in Ontario this winter but if I get a chance to get to Quebec I’ll be sure to let you know!

[@DanElgaard9]

Why does it need battery??? Can't you just power it via the cable? And, if no, why not?

[@TheFishFindersTV]

Thanks for watching Dan. You would have to have a power source at one end of the cable or the other and I’m assuming there are power efficiencies (as well as portability benefits) to having it in ROV. The tether is also currently very flexible because it only contains communication transmission. If it were to contain power cabling as well (up to 200 metres) if would be considerably thicker, heavier and less workable. There are some instances where tethered aerial drones are more beneficial (static monitoring and security) but there are huge maneuverability limitations. I suppose the same could apply to ROV’s used in certain circumstances where motion was minimal.

[@kattconnors1863]

Meant TX battery longevity

[@gitchitonka]

Are you still using this underwater drone?

[@TheFishFindersTV]

I am. I tore it apart and replaced a number of motors and props and a couple of connectors. Cleaned and lubed the motors for winter and I’m looking forward to launching it in the spring again.

[@andresperez1060]

Hi First of all thank you for your excellent video. I want to show the benefits to a client who, like me, speaks only Spanish, would like to translate it and mention you as its origin. Would you allow me?

[@Nothinglefttosay]

I’ll get one when they don’t have cables... Otherwise.. it’s very cool...

[@greggaming3194]

One Drone Pilot that’s going to take a while I suggest get it now

[@franklindmurphy]

that will never happen. RF doesn't go in water. Also guaranteed you will lose it in the deep when you run out of battery. Ive had the Gladius Mini and made 14 videos with them and it is not easy.

[@nurbugringracer1324]

It has a cord to it can't. See that working out it will get caught on everything

[@thekid8245]

Ha there was a comment on here Saying... I’ll get one when they don’t have cable that would be uhh never ! Wireless cannot go thru water And even “if” they thought of a wireless system I wouldn’t trust 3-4 grand out and about in a lake or ocean !

[@TheFishFindersTV]

We’re still a little way away from that but we’ve seen some major technology innovations over the past few decades - it’ll happen in one form or another! In the meantime I like the security of being able to pull my M2 out of trouble with the tether if something goes wrong down below!!

[@zackworrell]

Your'e not British, quit saying "kit". it's "gear" or "tech" for us Americans

[@TheFishFindersTV]

As a matter of fact I do hold dual UK/Canadian citizenship Zach but I appreciate your feedback.

[@combatsurfers]

What a knob end, who cares what it's called.

[@Emo666Cali]

Boring

[@EternalAngler]

Best thorough review I've seen of the Chasing M2!

[@TheFishFindersTV]

Thanks EA - I appreciate the feedback.

[@EternalAngler]

@@TheFishFindersTV love the channel man keep up the great work!

[@ponyboyvs69]

Question... When tilting your M2 OR DORY up or down do you have to manually hold the drone steady or are they supposed to stabilize themselves? I swear the first time I tilted my Dory up it stayed still... now I tip it up and it takes off like a bat otta h#!! and I have to fight it pretty hard ( and this is in sill water) half the time I have to put it in high gear just to hold it stationary! I just got my M2 today and its just all over the place like an air drone in a wind storm!!!!

[@TheFishFindersTV]

Try fully calibrating again. Compass, level, accelerometer and depth. I do this every day of operation as some settings revert back to default after power off.