In 2014, Gary Mcdonogh the owner of Hobby Centre, a business located in South Africa started to get enquiries from local fisherman on how a drone could be used to deliver a bait over a long distance. At this time, the only consumer drone available was the early Phantom from DJI, but it was expensive compared to the local bait boats which were predominantly used for freshwater angling.
Having been an avid RC model aviator for over 30 years, Gary decided to expand his shops direction into building drones and utilising local materials. The first quadcopter Gary produced was named the AFRICAN Quadcopter, as the frame parts could be found anywhere in AFRICA. It did not take long for stories to get back to Gary about how freshwater anglers were starting to drop baits further than casting distance off rock and surf environments. In 2015 Gary developed the REVO MKI which was the very first Cuta-Copter model and was distributed and sold through angling stores. Shortly after, the rock and surf market exploded in SA for drone use and other bait release products also entered the market that could be used with off the shelf drones like DJI. At this time consumers started to place more emphasis on waterproof fishing drones. In response to this demand, the new look Cuta-Copter REVO 4 and Matrix were developed which featured advanced di-electric resin sealed electronics –these new models were sold very successfully in 2019. With new players and competition entering the waterproof fishing drone market, Gary continued his research and development, always striving for perfection.
Utilizing Gary’s years of experience, the all new EX-1 is the result of over 5 years of intensive research and development – producing the most advanced fishing drone on the Planet.
The EX-1 comes in 2 variants, the 4S and the 6S. Both models feature double water- proofing and double flotation. Cuta Copter is affectionately known as ‘The Tough One’, and the EX-1 continues to use the tried and tested Cuta Copter shell design, providing incredible resilience toabsorb shocks and increase survivability.
The EX-1 has the pilot and people safety at the centre of its’ design. How the EX-1 flies and regulates the pilot is an essential element in assisting with the overall protection of the asset. Platform reliability and stability is paramount, and this has been achieved by using advanced software enabling multiple safety features and multiple hardware redundancies such as dual gyroscopes, dual compass’s and dual accelerometers. Remote controller stick sensitivity has been adjusted to make it easy to fly and control.
Cuta Copters landing feet are designed to provide a firm footing on all types of surfaces and provides an additional layer of flotation. All Cuta Copters are hand built with love in South Africa and are not mass produced in China, this approach enables very high-quality assurance and craftmanship standards.
The Australian version 4S model features an 8100mAh LiPo battery providing 20 minutes* of flight time and a maximum payload capacity of 2kg. The 6S version sportsa 5000mAh LiPo battery providing 23 minutes*.
Both the 4S and 6S variants have typical maximum wind ratings up to 40kph! (21-22 knots), and a peak wind gust rating up to 50kph! (26-27 knots).
The advanced waypoint mission planner enables the drone angler to select a GPS position and save multiple spots. Once the GPS bait drop mission has been setup, you simply tap to launch and the EX-1 will fly the bait to the dropzone, deloy the bait, and return to land by itself!
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