Compass calibrate every flight?

PhantomEvan · May 4, 2017

Should i calibrate before every flight? Calibrating seems to have fixed this turning issue I had.

msinger · May 4, 2017

It would be best to follow the Compass Calibration Guide.

macoman · May 5, 2017

I always calibrate before any new flight.

Meta4 · May 5, 2017

PhantomEvan said:
Should i calibrate before every flight? Calibrating seems to have fixed this turning issue I had.

I think the manual is pretty clear about this:

macoman said:
I always calibrate before any new flight.

This is completely unnecessary and rather than making things safe, it introduces the risk of a bad compass calibration which can cause lots of pain.
So many tales of lost Phantoms begin with ... I calibrated the compass like I always do.

macoman · May 5, 2017

Meta4 said:
I think the manual is pretty clear about this:

This is completely unnecessary and rather than making things safe, it introduces the risk of a bad compass calibration which can cause lots of pain.
So many tales of lost Phantoms begin with ... I calibrated the compass like I always do.

Hold on, so only calibrate when the app tell you to do? I always understood that when you initiate a new flight, you need to calibrate. Does this apply to the phantom 3?

Richard R · May 5, 2017

Same thing goes for the P3. Repeatedly recalibrating the compass is NOT recommended. Even if your new take off location is many miles from where you did a good cal, still no need to do another one. Check page 44 in the P3 manual.

msinger · May 5, 2017

macoman said:
I always understood that when you initiate a new flight, you need to calibrate. Does this apply to the phantom 3?

The Phantom 3 manual used to contain some contradicting wording that seemed to suggest it was necessary to calibrate the compass before every flight. They cleaned up the manuals some months ago to more closely match their suggestions for their newer aircraft. They still conflict a bit though since one section suggests to "only calibrate the compass when the DJI GO app or the status indicator prompt you to do so" and another section suggests to always recalibrate the compass when flying "in a location that is different from the most recent flight".

805hd · May 5, 2017

Calibrate in a wide open area away from any metal. Once you got a good clean calibration. Just leave it alone, the quad will let you know if recalibration is needed.

I used to do the same thing, recalibrate at new spots. Doing this is only increasing the chances of flying off with a bad compass calibration.

erickwill · May 5, 2017

Hey fellas, just found this phantom 3 (but thought it doesn't matter if it's a P3 or P4 regarding this issue) wiki Phantom 3 Professional-Calibrating the Compass - DJI Wiki
Which clearly recommends:
"IMPORTANT: Always calibrate the compass in every new flight location. The compass is very sensitive to electromagnetic interference, which can produce abnormal compass data and lead to poor flight performance or flight failure. Regular calibration is required for optimal performance."
Don't wanna bump anything here, but I think that a calibration before a flight in a new location is strongly recommended.

macoman · May 5, 2017

erickwill said:
Hey fellas, just found this phantom 3 (but thought it doesn't matter if it's a P3 or P4 regarding this issue) wiki Phantom 3 Professional-Calibrating the Compass - DJI Wiki
Which clearly recommends:
"IMPORTANT: Always calibrate the compass in every new flight location. The compass is very sensitive to electromagnetic interference, which can produce abnormal compass data and lead to poor flight performance or flight failure. Regular calibration is required for optimal performance."
Don't wanna bump anything here, but I think that a calibration before a flight in a new location is strongly recommended.

I guess I was not wrong at all

msinger · May 5, 2017

macoman said:
I guess I was not wrong at all

You're not wrong in recalling what DJI is recommending. However, their recommendation goes against the best known advice on this topic.

macoman · May 5, 2017

msinger said:
You're not wrong in recalling what DJI is recommending. However, their recommendation goes against the best known advice on this topic.

Their recommendation goes against best known advice... So the best way is not to calibrate all the time in new flights? I do it because I do not want any failure in mid air. However, you guys said that can damage the compass. If it's the case, I will not calibrate anymore until the app tell me to do it.

msinger · May 5, 2017

Calibrating before every flight will not damage the compass. The danger is that you could be calibrating in a location where there is some type of magnetic metal object near the compass (even more so when in an unfamiliar area). If you can guarantee that will never be the case, then you can safely calibrate the compass as often as you'd like.

macoman · May 5, 2017

msinger said:
Calibrating before every flight will not damage the compass. The danger is that you could be calibrating in a location where there is some type of magnetic metal object near the compass (even more so when in an unfamiliar area). If you can guarantee that will never be the case, then you can safely calibrate the compass as often as you'd like.

Oh ok... I always calibrate far away from any metal or object... I put my car keys, cell phone at around 10 feet away. So far no magnetic issue has happened.

bkushner · May 5, 2017

I haven't calibrated since December when new and have flown all over almost everyday and as far away as 150 miles...no issues..

805hd · May 5, 2017

bkushner said:
I haven't calibrated since December when new and have flown all over almost everyday and as far away as 150 miles...no issues..

I'd like to see the map showing you flew 150 miles away... [emoji23][emoji23] just kidding!

N017RW · May 5, 2017

Been 3 years on my P2 since last cal. Flown as far away as 600 miles from cal location and passed thru airport security about 6 times too.

Richard R · May 5, 2017

erickwill said:
Hey fellas, just found this phantom 3 (but thought it doesn't matter if it's a P3 or P4 regarding this issue) wiki Phantom 3 Professional-Calibrating the Compass - DJI Wiki
Which clearly recommends:
"IMPORTANT: Always calibrate the compass in every new flight location. The compass is very sensitive to electromagnetic interference, which can produce abnormal compass data and lead to poor flight performance or flight failure. Regular calibration is required for optimal performance."
Don't wanna bump anything here, but I think that a calibration before a flight in a new location is strongly recommended.

I would take information on any 'wiki' site with a grain of salt. There's plenty of evidence posted here that the compass is stable and reliable. Doing unnessecary calibrations just gives Murphy more opportunities to kick in.