I Need To Use Dynamic Home Point with my P3 on a Boat. What Should I Know About It?

[bobomet]

I'm planning to do some photos and videos for members of a sailing club that's based on the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia. We plan to shoot a few miles out into the Bay. As a safety precaution, I plan to used the DHP feature on my P3P.
Has anyone routinely used it? What should I be looking out for?
I much appreciate all the help anyone can offer.

 

[Lookoutbelow]

I haven't used it on a boat but it seems to work fine otherwise. What are your concerns ?

 

[TnHwyman]

I am a greenhorn but I think this link may help you.

Good luck,

 

[bobomet]

I am a greenhorn but I think this link may help you.

Good luck,

Thanks lots!

 

[Fplvert]

The video was for P2V.

I'm planning to do some photos and videos for members of a sailing club that's based on the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia. We plan to shoot a few miles out into the Bay. As a safety precaution, I plan to used the DHP feature on my P3P.
Has anyone routinely used it? What should I be looking out for?
I much appreciate all the help anyone can offer.

P3 does not have DHP to the best of my knowledge; it is available on the latest Vision software.

 

[Meta4]

I'm planning to do some photos and videos for members of a sailing club that's based on the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia. We plan to shoot a few miles out into the Bay. As a safety precaution, I plan to used the DHP feature on my P3P.
Has anyone routinely used it? What should I be looking out for?

DJI haven't provided any documentation and many of us assumed it was Dynamic Home Point like the P2 has but according to this post:
http://www.phantompilots.com/threads/new-pilot-app-tutorial.43905/#post-449086
.. it only updates to the controller when you set it and does not continue to update.
Before depending on it offshore, it would be sensible to experiment on land.

 

[bobomet]

DJI haven't provided any documentation and many of us assumed it was Dynamic Home Point like the P2 has but according to this post:
http://www.phantompilots.com/threads/new-pilot-app-tutorial.43905/#post-449086
.. it only updates to the controller when you set it and does not continue to update.
Before depending on it offshore, it would be sensible to experiment on land.

Thanks Meta! I will check that out, and will definitely experiment on land!

 

[bobomet]

Hey Meta .... you posted this in that post you referenced above:

"Or .. if you have a GPS enabled tablet you can choose Dynamic Home Point where the location of the controller becomes the home point and is updated every few seconds.
his can be useful in a situation where you are moving (like a boat or car) and you don't want RTH to take the P3 back to where home was. Now home will be wherever the controller (with GPS enabled tablet) was at the time RTH was initiated."​

I do have GPS enabled Android Tablet, so I'm thinking this applies to my rig ..... am I reading this incorrectly?

 

[BenDronePilot]

The video was for P2V.

P3 does not have DHP to the best of my knowledge; it is available on the latest Vision software.

The P3 only had dynamic home point IF you're using a GPS enabled Tablet or Smart Phone. The inspire 2 controller has a GPS chip built into it so dynamic home point worked on that regardless of your device.

If you're using an iPad mini 2 3 Air or Air 2 it has to be the cellular model as the wifi only version does not have a GPS chip.

If you're going the Android route, the 2013 Nexus 7 wifi only model does have a GPS chip inside of it.

In summary yes Dynamic Home point works with the P3 if you are using a GPS enabled device. And it works by updating the home point every so often as you fly to the current position of where you happen to be standing or floating if you are on a boat.

 

[bobomet]

The P3 only had dynamic home point IF you're using a GPS enabled Tablet or Smart Phone. The inspire 2 controller has a GPS chip built into it so dynamic home point worked on that regardless of your device.

If you're using an iPad mini 2 3 Air or Air 2 it has to be the cellular model as the wifi only version does not have a GPS chip.

If you're going the Android route, the 2013 Nexus 7 wifi only model does have a GPS chip inside of it.

In summary yes Dynamic Home point works with the P3 if you are using a GPS enabled device. And it works by updating the home point every so often as you fly to the current position of where you happen to be standing or floating if you are on a boat.

Oh .... great then! I'm using a GPS enabled Android. It looks like I will select the "Home" position with the human character in the Pilot App as I move around the water .....

 

[bobomet]

The P3 only had dynamic home point IF you're using a GPS enabled Tablet or Smart Phone. The inspire 2 controller has a GPS chip built into it so dynamic home point worked on that regardless of your device.

If you're using an iPad mini 2 3 Air or Air 2 it has to be the cellular model as the wifi only version does not have a GPS chip.

If you're going the Android route, the 2013 Nexus 7 wifi only model does have a GPS chip inside of it.

In summary yes Dynamic Home point works with the P3 if you are using a GPS enabled device. And it works by updating the home point every so often as you fly to the current position of where you happen to be standing or floating if you are on a boat.

Oh .... hey DenDronePilot .... do I have to enable DHP in the app, or will the app detect a GPS and activate the function?
I would check but am business travelling and wont be able to try until tomorrow night.

 

[Bill Bergman]

Bad news for me. I just bought an iPad Air 2 wifi only. Grrrrr!

 

[bobomet]

Bad news for me. I just bought an iPad Air 2 wifi only. Grrrrr!

Maybe with the receipt you could return it ....

 

[Meta4]

Hey Meta .... you posted this in that post you referenced above:

"Or .. if you have a GPS enabled tablet you can choose Dynamic Home Point where the location of the controller becomes the home point and is updated every few seconds.
his can be useful in a situation where you are moving (like a boat or car) and you don't want RTH to take the P3 back to where home was. Now home will be wherever the controller (with GPS enabled tablet) was at the time RTH was initiated."​

I do have GPS enabled Android Tablet, so I'm thinking this applies to my rig ..... am I reading this incorrectly?

I assumed it works like the P2 and haven't tested it on the P3.
In the light of GadgetGuy's post I referred to, I would want to confirm it's operation on land before I trusted it on water assuming it would keep up with me.
Worst case scenario .. you just fly along with the boat and if you are going any distance you can simply update the home point to the Phantom's current location so it doesn't go flying back to where you started off in the event of RTH.

 

[bobomet]

I assumed it works like the P2 and haven't tested it on the P3.
In the light of GadgetGuy's post I referred to, I would want to confirm it's operation on land before I trusted it on water assuming it would keep up with me.
Worst case scenario .. you just fly along with the boat and if you are going any distance you can simply update the home point to the Phantom's current location so it doesn't go flying back to where you started off in the event of RTH.

Yeah .... I'm leaning toward all shots within 50 meters of so, and probably most from almost directly overhead.
Thanks lots for the help ....

 

[Bill Bergman]

Maybe with the receipt you could return it ....

It was new but got it off eBay. To late to return.

 

[BenDronePilot]

Oh .... hey DenDronePilot .... do I have to enable DHP in the app, or will the app detect a GPS and activate the function?
I would check but am business travelling and wont be able to try until tomorrow night.

You have to select DHP within the app, by default home point is your initial take off location.

 

[neilw]

So far when I've tried using it, you can set the new home point (controller location), but it doesn't update if you move again. You would need to reset it as needed. Perhaps if I had waited more than 10 minutes, it may have automatically updated, but it did not when I tried it a few times. Took off with bird takeoff as home point, then later walked a ways away and set it to the controller location, walked a distance away and used the Return to Home. It goes to where I was standing when I told it to set home point to controller, but did not follow me as I moved. Think I read a thread where this is a known bug where the OM instructions do not correspond to the current software functioning. Maybe someone else got it to work????

 

[TAZ]

I can confirm during tests, the Dynamic Homepoint doesn't update on an interval.

Interestingly I had downloaded the manual at two different times on two different devices, because I wanted to comment on a previous post that incorrectly indicated the Phantom updated its dynamic Homepoint on an interval. What I found was same manual version (P3P Users Guide (EN) v1.2), has been updated. Two weeks ago, this is what the manual said:

However, the current manual states:

Note, the manual that's current and dated 6/1 no longer indicates it updates on an interval. I sure wish they'd put rev versions on the manuals. Hard to tell when they've been updated and what has changed.

 

[skyeboysteve]

My experience has been the same--there is no automatic updating of the tablet / phone home point.