It isn't for me...I'm ready to send it back !

[Jonathan C Wells]

I love the videos the Phantom 4 can produce. Its impressive flight and video characteristics seem intuitive and easy to use. I want the benefits of the Phantom's 4K video, with its sport tracking, intelligent mapping and long, far, high flights. But after dutifully setting up and charging my Phantom 4 and the controller, my enjoyment is overcome with conflicting firmware update methods, and with its colorful lights flashing, My Phantom 4 gets off the platform, but only after I've had enough, and I pick it up, to put it away for a while. If I hand't already 'confirmed' I was going to use it (hoping the blades would spin to life), I would carefully box it up, request a return and say good bye. But I can't, I now own it. I hate to say it, but I'm 'stuck with it'. And so I will persist. I have to, otherwise The Phantom 4 will soon be a fancy shelf sculpture. If anyone can help me please, to get the Phantom 4 to come out of its hiding and rotate to life, I will greatly appreciate it. Please, no scolding of how dumb I am, you don't know me, please, only real attempts to help. Until then, at least for the next 15 minutes, I will enjoy my fully charged, and easy to use, old 1080 video flyer, thank you, Jon.

 

[With The Birds]

Some initial patience is required, your frustration is understandable. Did you get the props to start? What colour are the lights flashing?

 

[Jonathan C Wells]

Some initial patience is required, your frustration is understandable. Did you get the props to start? What colour are the lights flashing?

Thank you for replying, The props and the gimbal initiate, but after that, no movement. Two red lights are steady, two yellows are flashing, and the battery is now down to three solid and 1 flashing green(s), Jon

 

[Jonathan C Wells]

I got the remote's alarm to stop

 

[Neon Euc]

Let's start from scratch [emoji4] don't worry we will get this up and running for you

1 turn on bird
2 turn on remote
3 launch app
4 plug in USB cable from controller to phone.

DJI should now go through the registering stage.

At this point, it will update

After that it will spring to life. How far did you get so far on this as the more detail we know. The more we can help [emoji4]

Dont give up just yet, it's the little things we miss that can get us puzzled sometimes [emoji4]

Sent from my HUAWEI LYO-L01 using PhantomPilots mobile app

 

[Neon Euc]

By the way when it updates it can take up to 15 mins so don't worry to much if nothing happens. The lights will start flashing in different colours and random too

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[Limp Gimble]

/wrists.


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[tcope]

Thank you for replying, The props and the gimbal initiate, but after that, no movement. Two red lights are steady, two yellows are flashing, and the battery is now down to three solid and 1 flashing green(s), Jon

The Phantom came with a card (or it's online) that gives you an outline as to the error based on the lights and number of times they flash.

Phantom 3 Professional - Specs, FAQ, Tutorials, Downloads and DJI GO - DJI

Second to past page:

https://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/phantom_3/en/Phantom_3_Professional_Quick_Start_GuideV1.2_0419.pdf

please read the online manual a few times before trying to fly.

 

[mark farrell]

Wow


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[mark farrell]

Follow the directions. It will work. Have faith.


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[MarcelV]

A good thing to try if you are having trouble with firmware is to use the DJI Assistant 2 desktop application and connect the drone directly to your computer via USB. The app will prompt you to upgrade the firmware once it connects to the drone. I used that method out of the box and had no trouble whatsoever.

Good luck and don't give up!

 

[Patrick]

Thank you for replying, The props and the gimbal initiate, but after that, no movement. Two red lights are steady, two yellows are flashing, and the battery is now down to three solid and 1 flashing green(s), Jon

if you're asking this question , you probably didn't read the manual and do enough initial research to have the privilege of owning a phantom and you likely wont have it long with that said:

the yellow lights typically mean the bird is warming up and or acquiring GPS, the dji go 4 app should tell you in the upper left corner what the status is,

do you know how to start the motors? if not RTFM..... i don't mean to be crass but if you don't it will be an issue if you run into less than ideal flying scenarios. ie losing GPS, NFZs etc.

also get the B4UFLY and or hover app, learn about where you can and were you cannot fly... i also highly recommend uavforecast.com to find weather and NOTAMs

learn how to fly in atti mode without GPS assistance.

i highly recommend you read the online manual, watch some youtube videos and familiarize yourself with local laws , if not you could quickly see yourself in trouble....

this hobby / profession is not for the faint of heart. you have to take the initiative to educate yourself, if you don't do your research and education it will be at your own behest and you might as well send it back

 

[rocketflyer]

if not RTFM..... i don't mean to be crass but if you don't it will be an issue if you run into less than ideal flying scenarios. ie losing GPS, NFZs etc.

A phantom is a fairly sophisticated radio control aircraft with all the responsibilities that come with the hobby. There is a lot of information about how to set up and operate the craft contained in the manual (a fair bit of which to be honest is less than crystal clear, even for the experienced hobby flyer). They demand some work to get going and operate proficiently (by which Patrick means to be able to cope with emergency situations, in perfect conditions the craft is so easy to fly it's scary, but we still have real (and hopefully well trained) human pilots on planes despite having auto pilot systems).

Have you viewed the setup videos on DJI's website? They are quite useful for the basics and to get you going.

 

[Erised]

Welcome Jonathan, From what you have described your craft seems normal, all it needs is some set-up. Several of the guy's that have replied to your post know their stuff and will help you in your quest to get your bird in the air. All your dismay in the initial flight preps will soon dissolve as you will be amazed at the pleasure your new craft will bring. In order to become a pilot some knowledge will be necessary in the proper function of this new addiction your about to experience. Take the time to understand all the settings available and mostly all the ones that will ensure a safe flight and a safe return home. This forum has the best group of pilots that will get you in the air. Patience Jonathan, sometimes good things need a little time to materialise.

 

[Jonathan C Wells]

Thank you each and all, Erised, rocketflyer, Patrick, MarceIV, mark farrell, tcope, Limp Gimble and Neon EUC, for replying. Anything worth while takes effort. Your collective experiences, encouragement and wisdom are helping me get 'back in the saddle' preparing my Phantom 4. I felt a sense of personal doubt when doing the quick guide and then the full user's manual didn't get my machine going, so I'm double checking for a possible computer glitch, iPhone SE parity issue, all while re-reading the manuals, check lists, and the procedures for updating both the drone and controller's firmware. The flying tutorial is a blast anyway. And as noted, go through everything again. Check for the obvious overlook, the middle and the small things, any, or all can make it a "go" or "no go". I look forward to be 'in the sky with you all, using this serious, fun tool. It isn't for the faint of heart. Thank you, Jon

 

[Neon Euc]

Once you get the set up all ready you will be glad you gave it another shot [emoji2] keep us updated, let us know how far you got and if possible, upload a clip of the drone so the experienced members here can see what the drone is doing and work out what stage it is at just by looking at the footage [emoji4]

Sent from my HUAWEI LYO-L01 using PhantomPilots mobile app

 

[coullit]

I love the videos the Phantom 4 can produce. Its impressive flight and video characteristics seem intuitive and easy to use. I want the benefits of the Phantom's 4K video, with its sport tracking, intelligent mapping and long, far, high flights. But after dutifully setting up and charging my Phantom 4 and the controller, my enjoyment is overcome with conflicting firmware update methods, and with its colorful lights flashing, My Phantom 4 gets off the platform, but only after I've had enough, and I pick it up, to put it away for a while. If I hand't already 'confirmed' I was going to use it (hoping the blades would spin to life), I would carefully box it up, request a return and say good bye. But I can't, I now own it. I hate to say it, but I'm 'stuck with it'. And so I will persist. I have to, otherwise The Phantom 4 will soon be a fancy shelf sculpture. If anyone can help me please, to get the Phantom 4 to come out of its hiding and rotate to life, I will greatly appreciate it. Please, no scolding of how dumb I am, you don't know me, please, only real attempts to help. Until then, at least for the next 15 minutes, I will enjoy my fully charged, and easy to use, 1080 video flyer, thank you, Jon.

You contradict yourself, why did you buy it if you didn't want it, it's a great quad you should appreciate it fly somewhere that interests you, follow a cruise liner out at sea use the tool

 

[Jonathan C Wells]

Now the humble feeling. It works! The third time is the charm. You can see from the time, it only took roughly seven hours after my buddy installed more ram in my computer, I double checked for any updates, and the expanded memory allowed for the latest apple OS, then the iPhone ES, then I double checked the tutorial videos, reviewed one of Laure's late night cups of Jo, and then we re-read both the included simple instructions and the more inclusive instructions online. Last, but not least, I reviewed forum comments, reviewed YouTube videos and made sure I wasn't cutting corners to try and 'fast trek' (short change) the process. To our (especially my delight, well, her's too) It is the little things. Thank you all for helping, Jon.

 

[captainmilehigh]

Been watching this thread, and it's great to hear you are in business again. These things can be frustrating at times, and aren't the 4 electric motors and a battery the public thinks they are. We are all here to help each other, and it's great to see positive outcomes on the forum. [emoji3]


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[AlecW]

For future newbies. I downloaded and printed the full manual, read it in full and watched all the DJI how to videos while my drone was in UPS land. The videos helped a lot, visual reference helps me more than anything.

I diligently followed all of the instructions and knew it would lightly need a firmware update. I watched a couple of videos on that subject too. Sure enough it wanted a firmware update and I knew how to use the supplied cables to get those installed, it went smoothly (I've updated firmware on many devices before and am not scared to do that). I went outside with my new toy to calibrate the compass as instructed. I made a small mistake here and accidently started to calibrate the IMU (which I knew nothing about at all other than glossing over it in the manual). Realizing I'd done something that I knew nothing about I picked it up and went back inside. I googled IMU calibration and calibrated the IMU on a level kitchen counter. I went back outside and calibrated the compass. I started the motors and pushed the left stick up. The Phantom went up in to the air and I stopped it at about 9', I used the stick and rotated it to face me (YAW), I took a selfie and then landed and was happy as can be. Then I took off again and flew around my yard for 5 minutes and was shocked how easy it was to operate.

So what I am trying to say is I spent about 4-6 hours learning before I even charged the batteries. That time was invaluable to me, I know how some features I've not even used yet work. Every day (when it's not sub zero) I go outside and try something new, like fully understanding and testing RTH. I have about 2 hours flight time now and would guess I am about 20% into the learning curve (this is a guess). It's a slow and steady long haul deal but It's fun. I like software, cameras, learning to fly etc.

My 2 cents.