compass needs calibration??????

[teccer]

went to fly today and set my p3p down on my tablet protector/cover (which I take off to fit the tablet to the RC holder) and got the message, compass needs calibration, so I held it up and done as instructed, compass calibrated, so put it down on the pad and on the screen up comes the same message, needs calabration, done it again with the same result,moving the sticks down and to the center, nothing happened so I moved down the field about 30 mts still got the same message, totally confused then thought yes this happened last week at a different site, just about to go home but held it up in the air pushed the sticks down and center it fired up, yes I got the message, it was the tablet cover/protector that was causing the problem, so then I set the p3p up on my hard pack, 100% perfect, had a good flight.

so now I realise that the protector/cover must have some metal inside the plastic.
lesson learned

 

[Oso]

went to fly today and set my p3p down on my tablet protector/cover (which I take off to fit the tablet to the RC holder) and got the message, compass needs calibration, so I held it up and done as instructed, compass calibrated, so put it down on the pad and on the screen up comes the same message, needs calabration, done it again with the same result,moving the sticks down and to the center, nothing happened so I moved down the field about 30 mts still got the same message, totally confused then thought yes this happened last week at a different site, just about to go home but held it up in the air pushed the sticks down and center it fired up, yes I got the message, it was the tablet cover/protector that was causing the problem, so then I set the p3p up on my hard pack, 100% perfect, had a good flight.

so now I realise that the protector/cover must have some metal inside the plastic.
lesson learned

As I was reading your post, I was thinking that the cover must have magnets. Perhaps the worst place to put your Phantom.

 

[teccer]

yes I think your right, stupid thing for me to do but what I've been trying to do is to get everything into my hardpack, I've sown a zipped net onto the back of my pack to put my tablet and sunscreen in to save having to carry more, this way everything is on my back, what you now see after todays episode is a plastic square just big enough to stand the P3P on so the camera can do it's dance at startup, the tablet and sunscreen is underneath the plastic,
I cut the net with zip from inside an old laptop bag I had and sown it to the pads on the back of the hardpack, good idea???

 

[Matts175]

My Uncle lives on a large lake. If I try to launch too close to the sea wall (gigantic wall of metal, buried into the ground about 15 feet), I get the same message. If I step back 20 feet, the message goes away. What I'm trying to say if that any near by metal objects will make the compass go out of wack. So when you calibrate, make sure there is as little metal around as possible.

 

[solentlife]

AND in support of Matts post ...

It is not unusual that you need to switch OFF and ON again AC and GO ... to get clear of warnings after moving.

Nigel

 

[teccer]

Hi Matts yes I understand all that but this field I've known about (200 mts from my house) for 70 odd years, it's always been a hay field nothing else and the fact that I've flown there before with no problem I now know it was my tablet holder/case causing the problem, magnets inside the case (I've used the case for TO only twice and both times I've had this message) as I said lesson learned.

it's very rare for me to calibrate the compass, only if I travel down to Spain or if I get the message it needs doing

Solentlife, when I had the problem today I switched off & on everything every time but putting it down on the tablet cover the message popped up.
now going back to my 1/4" thick plastic square albeit a bit smaller to fit inside the net zip bag, it only needs to be big enough so that on start up the camera has clearence to swing about during it's initial dance. before I fitted the net I had to have the backpack on my back and carry my tablet/sunscreen and launch pad in my hand or in another bag if going far.
really confused for a while I tell you but all good at the end
BTW I'm using Litchi V 4.0.1.
thanks for your comments

 

[Meta4]

and got the message, compass needs calibration

When you see that message, 99% of the time the correct action is to just move your Phantom away from the magnetic interference - not to recalibrate.

 

[teccer]

When you see that message, 99% of the time the correct action is to just move your Phantom away from the magnetic interference - not to recalibrate.

yes that's what I done first thing, moved about 50 mts down the field, totally away from the farm but the mistake I made was to put it back down on my tablet cover (magnets!!) not realising at the time I did do a recalibration, while it was still in my hand it said calibration sucessfull, it was only when I put it back down I got the message, also in my head, it's the cover not the area,

I was videoing a farmhouse for a friend who was rebuilding the farm, you can see us at 3.21. right out in the middle of the field