How do you handle the stress?!?!

rbhamilton · Feb 10, 2015

So today I was playing around with Groundstation. I'm using the DJI app so I stuck within the green circle. I decided to have my little guy buzz around the outer limits of the circle and return home. Simple enough. That circle should be safe, right? And I kept to about 12000 feet so that's under the 16000. And while it might be behind a tree now and again or behind a building or whatever I was up nice and high. I figured I'd have a fairly good idea where it was and get constant updates and telemetry and video. What could possibly go wrong?

And for 30 seconds everything was perfect. Then ***CLICK*** connection lost. And nothing more. For about 13 of the longest minutes of my life.

And just when I had given up all hope my little guy comes zooming in from a completely unexpected direction and starts to land. Wow. What a relief. I don't think I've got the nerves for Groundstation. How do you guys handle it? I think I've got to go back to 100% LOS.

bbfpv · Feb 10, 2015

rbhamilton said:
So today I was playing around with Groundstation. I'm using the DJI app so I stuck within the green circle. I decided to have my little guy buzz around the outer limits of the circle and return home. Simple enough. That circle should be safe, right? And I kept to about 12000 feet so that's under the 16000. And while it might be behind a tree now and again or behind a building or whatever I was up nice and high. I figured I'd have a fairly good idea where it was and get constant updates and telemetry and video. What could possibly go wrong?

And for 30 seconds everything was perfect. Then ***CLICK*** connection lost. And nothing more. For about 13 of the longest minutes of my life.

And just when I had given up all hope my little guy comes zooming in from a completely unexpected direction and starts to land. Wow. What a relief. I don't think I've got the nerves for Groundstation. How do you guys handle it? I think I've got to go back to 100% LOS.

12000 ft? This is the Phantom forum. The Apache forum is down the hall :shock:

BlackTracer · Feb 10, 2015

rbhamilton said:
So today I was playing around with Groundstation. I'm using the DJI app so I stuck within the green circle. I decided to have my little guy buzz around the outer limits of the circle and return home. Simple enough. That circle should be safe, right? And I kept to about 12000 feet so that's under the 16000. And while it might be behind a tree now and again or behind a building or whatever I was up nice and high. I figured I'd have a fairly good idea where it was and get constant updates and telemetry and video. What could possibly go wrong?

And for 30 seconds everything was perfect. Then ***CLICK*** connection lost. And nothing more. For about 13 of the longest minutes of my life.

And just when I had given up all hope my little guy comes zooming in from a completely unexpected direction and starts to land. Wow. What a relief. I don't think I've got the nerves for Groundstation. How do you guys handle it? I think I've got to go back to 100% LOS.

It seems something went wrong with your GS mission. Because after it reaches the last waypoint, it is supposed to return to the home point, but not land. If it tried to land, then it would seem it was RTH'ing. We have to ask ourselves "When would a ground station mission end in a non-user initiated RTH?" I dont know the answer.

As for the stress level, I know I get it too. The hardest thing for me to do is click the "Go" in GS.

rbhamilton · Feb 10, 2015

Well in fairness to my little guy, he's no quitter. I was constantly hitting the RTH button and flipping the failsafe on the remote after the dreaded ***CLICK***. The app said "RTH Failed" and "Connection Lost" but I'm assuming some signal to return did manage to get through somewhere along the line. Still freaked me out big time.

dalebb · Feb 10, 2015

rbhamilton said:
So today I was playing around with Groundstation. I'm using the DJI app so I stuck within the green circle. I decided to have my little guy buzz around the outer limits of the circle and return home. Simple enough. That circle should be safe, right? And I kept to about 12000 feet so that's under the 16000. And while it might be behind a tree now and again or behind a building or whatever I was up nice and high. I figured I'd have a fairly good idea where it was and get constant updates and telemetry and video. What could possibly go wrong?

And for 30 seconds everything was perfect. Then ***CLICK*** connection lost. And nothing more. For about 13 of the longest minutes of my life.

And just when I had given up all hope my little guy comes zooming in from a completely unexpected direction and starts to land. Wow. What a relief. I don't think I've got the nerves for Groundstation. How do you guys handle it? I think I've got to go back to 100% LOS.

I have a smoke and hope it comes back.

cahutch · Feb 11, 2015

Keep it within LoS.
Once, not long after I got it I was flying around the neighborhood POV. Didn't realize how far away I was and lost the WiFi connection. I look up and can't locate it visually. Screen says I was about ~860 meters away.
Can't tell if I still have control. No way to fly back blind and due to streets and fences, no quick way to get to within LoS of where it was, So I initiated RTH and waited.
And waited. Not knowing if it was coming back or even still in the air. Finally I hear it in the distance and spot it coming in. It was the longest 4 minutes ever.
It got even scarier when I reviewed the video and saw that it barely cleared the top of a tree on the way back.

I haven't flown out of LOS since. If necessary, I follow it on foot to stay within LoS.
I haven't tried ground station yet but if I ever do, I would want to follow it and keep it in sight for the duration of the flight plan. Otherwise, if it never comes back you'll never know what happened or where it went down.

Jstic · Feb 11, 2015

Try a 30,000 foot round trip flight that lasts 18 minutes or more, that will get your heart pumping. Nothing is more exciting than long distance GS flights. If it stresses you, stick to a Hubsan.

mohan · Feb 11, 2015

Isnt there a height restriction with GS?

rbhamilton · Feb 11, 2015

mohan said:
Isnt there a height restriction with GS?

All the normal height restrictions I'm sure. GS also limits you to a "safe" radius around home. Not sure the exact number. You can get around that with the Unofficial ILoveCoffee app. The distance being discussed above is for the total distance traveled out and back from home not the height flown. If you fly all around the circle and back and forth over home a few times the numbers add up quick.

Drone-Outlaw · Feb 11, 2015

Obsess about how I can get the DASHWARE software cracked open to use on my Fly-Trex Live 3g...
Moose

:twisted: :evil:

expedite · Feb 12, 2015

Liquor. coffee's app is awesome... i always set my first and last way point at my home location...I'm able to sit at my kitchen table and launch off one of the posts on my deck.. Did an 18,000 footer through a controlled burn this weekend.. just posted it.. little long my apologies --

Anyone know how to insert the clips into these posts? Link is below

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhnCwJo5SzE