HOW TO: Setup and use Home Lock

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Follow the steps below to setup and use the Home Lock feature in the DJI GO app. If you have additional tips or information below, please comment below.



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Launch the Home Lock feature.
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1) Your Phantom needs to be started and in the air before you'll be able to access the Home Lock feature in the DJI GO app. Start your Phantom, take off, and fly out a few hundred feet to a location that is above all obstacles.

Important: If you need to use home lock in a scenario where you cannot physically see your Phantom, it's a good idea to push the left stick up to raise it to an altitude that you are sure will be above all obstacles that will be passed as your Phantom returns to the home point.


2) Flip the PAF switch to the "F" position to access the IOC features. If Multiple Flight Mode is not enabled, you're going to see the following prompt:

Phantom-3-IOC-MultipleFlightMode.jpg


If you see the above prompt, click the "OK" button to enable Multiple Flight Mode.


3) Select "Home Lock" from the IOC menu.

Phantom-3-HomeLock-1.jpg




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Engage the Home Lock feature.
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4) Click the "Apply" button to engage the Home Lock feature.


Phantom-3-HomeLock-2.jpg




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Bring your Phantom home.
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5) At this point, Home Lock is enabled and your Phantom is waiting for your command. Pull down on the right stick to start moving your Phantom toward the home point.

Note: It does not matter which direction your Phantom is facing -- it'll move toward the home point.

Phantom-3-HomeLock-3.jpg



6) Click the "Exit" button to disable the home lock function and allow your Phantom to start traveling in the direction it's facing. You can also exit by flipping the PAF switch back to the "P" position.
 
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I noticed that the intelligent Home Lock behavior is not like the previous firmware P3 "set direction" which the controls would be consistent regardless of how close it was to home point. Now there is a minimum distance before it becomes active. I just did a short test and when I engaged HL too close, and it reversed the controls! Will this now be a problem when the aircraft comes home and it reaches this invisible boundary and the controls change? This seems to be going back to the P2-style home lock and, if so, I don't see this is a step forward. Or am I missing something?.
 
In the rare occasions I used home lock with my P2V+, I cancelled it as soon as the Phantom was in my line of sight. I had no reason to attempt to fly it the entire way home using home lock.
 
Thanks for the Write Up

Just to confirm, you do not set your home point. Home is just the original take off location? Wouldn't this be similar to RTH?
 
Thanks for the Write Up

Just to confirm, you do not set your home point. Home is just the original take off location? Wouldn't this be similar to RTH?
Yes, it's similar to RTH. Once RTH is engaged, your Phantom should start moving toward your current Home Point. if you engage Home Lock, you're still in control of your Phantom. Pulling back on the "pitch" stick will bring it back to you, regardless of whether it's pointed at you or not. In Home Lock, it will go left, right, forward and backward with the right stick - regardless of where it's facing.
 
Yes, it's similar to RTH. Once RTH is engaged, your Phantom should start moving toward your current Home Point. if you engage Home Lock, you're still in control of your Phantom. Pulling back on the "pitch" stick will bring it back to you, regardless of whether it's pointed at you or not. In Home Lock, it will go left, right, forward and backward with the right stick - regardless of where it's facing.


Thank you. So it seems its good for getting shots along the home route and you will have the ability to stop along the route. You can yaw in any direction and not have to worry about changing direction.

So when using Home Lock, you are only able to Pull back on the right stick? Left Right and Forward will not do anything?
 
Thank you. So it seems its good for getting shots along the home route and you will have the ability to stop along the route. You can yaw in any direction and not have to worry about changing direction.

So when using Home Lock, you are only able to Pull back on the right stick? Left Right and Forward will not do anything?
Ah! Therein lies the major advantage of Home Lock. Pulling back on the right stick brings the Phantom back toward you. Pushing forward on that stick makes it move directly away from you and the left/right motions are there as well. NO MATTER WHICH WAY THE AIRCRAFT IS POINTING!

You may remember the Blade series from Heli and sold by Horizon Hobby? This is what they called their "smart mode." One of the examples they gave was to "spin" the quad (continuous yaw) and still steer the quad in any direction, simply with the use of the right stick.

Now with the Horizon Hobby "smart mode" it was recommended that you never let the quad get behind you - always fly it out in front of you. I've not seen any such admonition with Home Lock. But it does make sense. If the Phantom gets behind you and you maybe don't turn and look at it, you may get disoriented. And trying to keep from getting disoriented seems the main purpose in the first place of using Home Lock.

Last, but not least, Home Lock is not to be confused wtih Course Lock, although there are some similar operations. Take a visit to phantomhelp.com and look over on the right side. One of the items over there is a "how to" section. I may be mistaken - it might be on the left side. At any rate, check out his "how to" section for the new functions now available on the Phantom 3.

Art Burke - N4PJ
Leesburg, FL
 
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