Calibrating Compass

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I'm new with my Phantom 3 Adv and have a question about compass calibration. The manual says that the compass should be calibrated anytime I move the take off point to a new location. My unit seems to not need that - each time I turn it on, it tells me that the home point has been set and the map shows my current location every time.

I cannot find any tutorials about this that are dated beyond 2015. So, have there been updates to the drone or the software such that calibration is not needed each time?
Thanks in advance,
Bob
 
These are 2 different things. The meaning of "move the take off point to a new location." means somewhere new magnetically. like a different town. You only need to do a compass calibration when you fly from somewhere different, by say, 20+miles or so. Once you do a compass calibration at a good place and it works, then shouldn't have to do it again.

The home point is something completely different. It is the GPS location, that the Phantom records, as a "home point" ( the "where do I go if I loose connection and need to do a RTH )


When Should I Calibrate?
You do not need to calibrate before every flight and in some cases you definitely should not calibrate. That doesn't mean you shouldn't ever bother doing it. It only takes one time for it to go very wrong. The most important aspect of compass calibration is making sure the magnetic "neighborhood" around your Phantom is consistent between calibration and during flight.

IMPORTANT: The ideal place to calibrate is an open field with nothing metallic in a 20ft radius. Keep away from drainage pipes, irrigation systems, rocks, etc.
• DO Calibrate
◦ Mod value out of whack or compass error reported (check area first).
◦ Circling in flight or not flying straight (also check for other possible causes).
◦ New equipment added or removed / new firmware installed.
◦ Location change (greater than ~250 miles).
◦ Significant change in terrain (e.g. to / from mountains).
◦ If you just degaussed your compass (BTW, don't degauss unless instructed).

• DO NOT Calibrate
◦ If near concrete, buildings, and hidden or overhead power lines / pipes / etc.
◦ If you're indoors, on a paved surface, on a stone surface, on the beach, on a boat, on a balcony, near a car, near speakers, etc.
◦ If there are metallic (ferrous) objects nearby or you're not sure

• Pre-Calibration Checklist
◦ Everything used in flight should be powered during calibration, e.g. GoPro, tracker, etc.
◦ Remove all metal from within 10ft radius, e.g. watch, phone, ring, belt, coins, controller.
◦ Calibrate on grass or dirt and not on concrete, asphalt.
◦ Calibrate on a level surface if possible.
◦ A cardboard box is a good idea to get it off the ground and level.

• How to Calibrate
◦ Power up your Phantom and accessories as normal.
◦ Wait until your Phantom is ready to fly.
P3 / P4: Select CALIBRATE in the SENSORS section of the app. Click OK.
◦ Confirm solid yellow rear lights.
◦ Pick up the Phantom and turn it smoothly and steadily a full 360 degrees until the lights turn solid green.
◦ Point the front of the Phantom straight down and repeat until the lights turn off and resume normal flashing.
Note: Don't be concerned if your gimbal reacts poorly to being face down, keep turning as normal.
◦ Optional: power off and restart Phantom.
◦ Enjoy your flight!
If for any reason, you do not complete any of the above steps smoothly and evenly, restart the process.
 
Bob, to restate.... the compass calibration measures the magnetic fingerprint of the surrounding area. By turning the compass 360 degrees, the Phantom can see where the compass reading doesn't smoothly increase or decrease. It uses this information to build an adaption table so that when the Phantom turns during flight, the reading is smooth and linear. This is a procedure YOU do when needed or required.
Setting the "home point" is done automatically every time the phantom is ready to take off. The PHantom does it automatically by finding its GPS satellites and defining its takeoff location.
 
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Thanks for the nice words, Oso. I'm one of those folks that reads all the manuals as soon as I open the box. In this case, I read them all while waiting from my drone to get shipped here. All those tips are quite valuable and I'm having great fun with my new drone while taking things very slowly.
P.S. My horse riding group is planning a 4 day camp/ride at Rancho Oso. Does your name relate to that ranch?
 

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