GPS mode not working

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Have the Phantom 1. Flies just fine in manual mode....have flown it a lot already. But its never worked in GPS mode. It shows its in GPS mode when I plug into NAZA Asst and toggle the switch back & forth, etc. When turning on the Phantom to ready it for flight, I only get 1 green, then 3 red flashes (and repeat). Not more than 3 red flashes, indicating its not getting satellites' GPS signal (since it requires 4-5 or more red flashes to operate in GPS mode).

What should I do?
 
Where are you turning the Phantom on to check this...indoors?

How long are you waiting after you turn it on and see the green/red/red/red flashes for it to acquire more satellites? Sometimes it takes several minutes for that to complete...it's not always instant as soon as you turn it on.
 
You are looking for a decrease in red flashes, not an increase.

It may take a few minutes before the red flashes go from 3 to 2, then to 1 and finally to a low green pulse.

There should be at least 1 multiple green flash sequence to show that Home Lock has been achieved.

If you are not able to get GPS lock within 5 minutes, it may be possible that the Ceramic antenna that the GPS uses is cracked and needs replacing.
 
I turn the Phantom on outdoors to check for GPS mode.

I thought when turning it on, you had to wait for >3 red flashes (not less) to indicate that satelittes have lined up to the Phantom and its ready for GPS mode flight. If I have to wait 5 minutes or more, won't the battery have used half its charge already?

The antenna doesnt appear cracked.
 
mbarnhar said:
I thought when turning it on, you had to wait for >3 red flashes (not less) to indicate that satelittes have lined up to the Phantom and its ready for GPS mode flight. If I have to wait 5 minutes or more, won't the battery have used half its charge already?

The antenna doesnt appear cracked.

No, ideally you want NO red flashes for GPS indicator...the more red flashes, the less satellites it has locked. Ideally you want to get to no red flashes (which means >6 have been locked).

Waiting a few minutes on the ground for a proper GPS lock doesn't drain your battery anywhere near as much as flying for that amount of time does. When the motors are running, they draw 10x the power of just the onboard electronics.
 
+1 to Ol Photogs' suggetion - on average it's a wait time of anywhere from 1:30 to 2:30mins. I've had it go as long as 3 mins (on really overcast day)
 
OK, good to know....thank you. I'll let you know what happens. Its going to be a few days before I fly it again due to weather conditions. Thanks!
 

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