Your small horizontal distance is probably the reason why you went out at only 500ft. Took my P4 for a Climb at a mountain in a remote island in Norway the other day. went 500 meters (1640ft) with full signal.
Climbed way above max altitude
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Your small horizontal distance is probably the reason why you went out at only 500ft. Took my P4 for a Climb at a mountain in a remote island in Norway the other day. went 500 meters (1640ft) with full signal.
I tried it with several different max altitude settings and the P4 stopped every time. I haven't tried it again at 120M yet but will when I can get to a less congested area to fly.
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I had my Max distance set to 120m. I reviewed a log that said Max altitude was over 900m!!! No WAY I actually went anywhere close to that so I did wonder why the discrepancy, I just figured it was an error. Also Max distance reads over 5kms but again I've never flown anywhere close to that.....
Yes I do calibrate the compass each flight and had calibrated I U before that particular flight/day of filming as well so I am at a loss as to why such large errors
I had my Max distance set to 120m. I reviewed a log that said Max altitude was over 900m!!! No WAY I actually went anywhere close to that so I did wonder why the discrepancy, I just figured it was an error. Also Max distance reads over 5kms but again I've never flown anywhere close to that.....
Yes I do calibrate the compass each flight and had calibrated I U before that particular flight/day of filming as well so I am at a loss as to why such large errors
Meta4
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The altitude limit is stored in your Phantom so you have to have the Phantom connected to change the default setting.
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It will let you set it above 120m. As stated above, for my last flight, I set it to 190m. The key is that you have to have the bird powered on and connected for the setting to "stick".
msinger
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And, don't forget to press enter/done after changing the setting. It doesn't save otherwise for some reason.
Hmmm perhaps that's why I get an error msg saying I have two flight modes set.....
I'll plug it in and check all this out
Thanks OP
I'll plug it in and check all this out
Thanks OP
Just a note on overhead flight. I fly overhead more than I realized I would and finally "got the message". Easy enough to simply make sure you're keeping your antennas perpendicular to the aircraft. As I climb, I stay aware of the attitude of the antennas and just lean the controller around as needed to make sure the aircraft sees the sides of the antennas.
I've tested my P3P to just over 800 feet - out in the NM desert, well out of known aircraft flight patterns - and have had no issues. I don't recommend to anyone they should/could fly above 400, but it's good to know that if it is required for momentary flight - it can be done safely when you're concerned about the aircraft.
I've tested my P3P to just over 800 feet - out in the NM desert, well out of known aircraft flight patterns - and have had no issues. I don't recommend to anyone they should/could fly above 400, but it's good to know that if it is required for momentary flight - it can be done safely when you're concerned about the aircraft.
Look at flight mode. When GO HOME is activated, it started climbing to 600'
What is your RTH height set at???
What is your RTH height set at???
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FYI, It's perfectly ok and within the FAA guidelines to fly above 400' above take off point, as long as you are below 400' AGL (above ground level), or within 400' above a tall building. I will occasionally fly all the way to 1640' (500M) when climbing a mountain. Just today near Vail, Colorado I went above 1000' to climb some scenic mountains around this little town called Red Cliff, but I was always less than 300' AGL.
That said, I don't recommend flying at 400' above mountain RIDGES, just because it's within the FAA guidelines. Some Cessna type small planes will struggle and fail to clear higher mountain ridges at least 500' AGL, even though they should. They sometimes fudge to save time and gas, so be aware.
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John would not just tilting the controller antennae horizontal give better signal strength when directly overhead?
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Yes, and a Windsurfer helps in direct overhead scenarios, but people forget antenna orientation, especially newbies during the thrill of flight. I notice some forget to even raise their antennas. I generally don't fly straight up overhead, I just avoid it for simplicity, it's easier to see the craft.
It's ideal to have the craft antenna parallel to the RC antennas. When flying direct overhead that can't be done without getting caught the donut hole effect. That's because the craft antenna are in the legs, which are always vertical. It broadcasts the video signal out horizontally, so directly below the craft is the weakest area for video signal from the craft.
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If I understand that antennas are redundant ie (you don't need both) then it should be best to leave one horizontal and one vertical if you are flying a lot of vertical work nearby.... and both vertical for range missions?
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Not true. The left RC antenna is for the control signal transmission, the right antenna is for video signal reception.
That's good to know. Are both operating in the 2.4Ghz band or is video up at 5?
Thanks again for the quick response John. Perhaps you could tell me a bit about proximity to 2.4Ghz Cell towers. How close ( or far away) do you have to be so the Cell tower Transmitter will not overpower the P4 airborne receiver. Has anyone published and real data as opposed to "just stay away" . . they are everywhere.|!
I can't help much with this question. Most places I fly don't have cell towers nearby, and I certainly don't seek them out. However I have flown within 400' of a cell tower and never had a problem.
You may want to watch this.
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You can tilt the controller antennae horizontal all you want, but the aircraft antennae are still sitting verital.
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