Just lost my P4 this evening.
- Thread starter KevMo Photog
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Beware that buildings are reputed to also host lot of wi-fi signals from routers etc. Flying between two of them and within noisy electrical environment of a city is super challenging. Hope experience will deserve other pilots as clearly some risk here.
Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots mobile app
Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots mobile app
Wow, thanks. It has been a couple of years since I ran into this, looks like I stand corrected. Phantom Pilots is awesome, the amount of good, accurate information here. Thanks again.
It's a bit OT, but I think you'll find this story interesting. It shows that cell carriers notice jammers, and notify the FCC. And, the FCC apparently, reacts. This happened in Tampa. Guy landed a $48k fine for having a jammer in his car to keep other motorists off their phones while he drove to work. A government employee, to boot.
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We need to find a GPS tracker to go on Drones. All I can find are Bluetooth that only reach about 100" . Anyone have any ideas?
I guess I pushed it too far this evening with my P4. I guess you did! So I'm flying across the Ohio River directly across from Louisville Kentucky. I'm on Indiana side of river and it's about a mile across the river to get to the buildings. So as darkness came, you flew across a mile wide river and then tried to avoid two big buildings? Dumb me got lined up to go between two 500ft tall buildings in town. Started driving right between them and totally lost connection almost instantly. Had 70% battery left so I thought no problem should be coming home. With 70% left, that means you used 30% just to get there. What was your battery reserve set at? I leave mine at the default of RTH at 30%. 100% minus 30%, minus 30% more for the return trip leaves about 10% to look around. Cutting it very close. Of course, you can lower your reserve. But return altitude was set at 120 meters. Not tall enough if it has to go over the tallest building. Nope, not set high enough by some 160 feet at a bare minimum. Was there any consideration of the likelihood that those buildings had radios, etc. on top? Could you see them a mile away in twilight? But it should not have hit it because of Object avoidance right? It should have just stopped and tried to go around or just hover there until battery ran out right? Depends my friend, how did you set it up before flight? I was using Windsurfer's too btw. Which I don't think I would have got as far over the city as I did without them. But they did not help when it ducked behind 500ft tall building at over a mile out. My stupidity for sure Fraid so, 
But anyway, it never came back at all. So I drove over to downtown Louisville and walked the streets and even talked to two security guards and gave them all my info. All of my info was on the bird too. So hoping I get lucky and get a call on it. I'm almost more pissed because of the nice footage I had of barges going up and down river and the awesome sunset on the skyline was cool too. I will also never set my maximum altitude to 400ft ever again either. I was trying to climb to get just above those bulidings which may have kept my RC control. But with max altitude set at 400 it would not let me climb as I was driving it forward. This def my fault and I should have known better than to try flying these buildings and being so far away from me. Lesson learned I guess. Be glad to upload the files from my Ipad if I knew how. Help on that if possible? Now what to do next? I was ready for an Inspire anyway. As much as I freaking love the P4, I'm ready for a little better sensor with better stills too!
Sad you have lost your P4. I am not criticizing you as much as I am saying that not thinking and planning ahead makes this hobby more prone to government intervention and regulation. And now an Inspire?
I expect to be attacked and such, but why not see this as the non pilots will?
But anyway, it never came back at all. So I drove over to downtown Louisville and walked the streets and even talked to two security guards and gave them all my info. All of my info was on the bird too. So hoping I get lucky and get a call on it. I'm almost more pissed because of the nice footage I had of barges going up and down river and the awesome sunset on the skyline was cool too. I will also never set my maximum altitude to 400ft ever again either. I was trying to climb to get just above those bulidings which may have kept my RC control. But with max altitude set at 400 it would not let me climb as I was driving it forward. This def my fault and I should have known better than to try flying these buildings and being so far away from me. Lesson learned I guess. Be glad to upload the files from my Ipad if I knew how. Help on that if possible? Now what to do next? I was ready for an Inspire anyway. As much as I freaking love the P4, I'm ready for a little better sensor with better stills too!
Sad you have lost your P4. I am not criticizing you as much as I am saying that not thinking and planning ahead makes this hobby more prone to government intervention and regulation. And now an Inspire?
I expect to be attacked and such, but why not see this as the non pilots will?
Yeah I get it Oldphantompilot! I learned a huge lesson here. Thanks for being nice man. But heck yes, I'm def ready for an Inspire.I guess I pushed it too far this evening with my P4. I guess you did! So I'm flying across the Ohio River directly across from Louisville Kentucky. I'm on Indiana side of river and it's about a mile across the river to get to the buildings. So as darkness came, you flew across a mile wide river and then tried to avoid two big buildings? Dumb me got lined up to go between two 500ft tall buildings in town. Started driving right between them and totally lost connection almost instantly. Had 70% battery left so I thought no problem should be coming home. With 70% left, that means you used 30% just to get there. What was your battery reserve set at? I leave mine at the default of RTH at 30%. 100% minus 30%, minus 30% more for the return trip leaves about 10% to look around. Cutting it very close. Of course, you can lower your reserve. But return altitude was set at 120 meters. Not tall enough if it has to go over the tallest building. Nope, not set high enough by some 160 feet at a bare minimum. Was there any consideration of the likelihood that those buildings had radios, etc. on top? Could you see them a mile away in twilight? But it should not have hit it because of Object avoidance right? It should have just stopped and tried to go around or just hover there until battery ran out right? Depends my friend, how did you set it up before flight? I was using Windsurfer's too btw. Which I don't think I would have got as far over the city as I did without them. But they did not help when it ducked behind 500ft tall building at over a mile out. My stupidity for sure Fraid so,
But anyway, it never came back at all. So I drove over to downtown Louisville and walked the streets and even talked to two security guards and gave them all my info. All of my info was on the bird too. So hoping I get lucky and get a call on it. I'm almost more pissed because of the nice footage I had of barges going up and down river and the awesome sunset on the skyline was cool too. I will also never set my maximum altitude to 400ft ever again either. I was trying to climb to get just above those bulidings which may have kept my RC control. But with max altitude set at 400 it would not let me climb as I was driving it forward. This def my fault and I should have known better than to try flying these buildings and being so far away from me. Lesson learned I guess. Be glad to upload the files from my Ipad if I knew how. Help on that if possible? Now what to do next? I was ready for an Inspire anyway. As much as I freaking love the P4, I'm ready for a little better sensor with better stills too!
Sad you have lost your P4. I am not criticizing you as much as I am saying that not thinking and planning ahead makes this hobby more prone to government intervention and regulation. And now an Inspire?
I expect to be attacked and such, but why not see this as the non pilots will?
And if someone you cared about needed emergency medical attention at the time this clown was stuck in traffic and jamming cell phones, you might think differently.
It is mind-boggling the number of people who simply can't help themselves & actually appear to derive some sense of pleasure by piling on, quoting rules,& "scolding" people. I'll add it's notable we rarely see anything of interest or significance when it comes to Phantom photos or videos posted by these folks.
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Count yourself in the top ten of stupid, careless, dangerous, no regard to others safety or damage to property. I can't believe you would even post this. You should be locked up and the key thrown away.
No wonder we drone flyers get a bad rep.
No wonder we drone flyers get a bad rep.
And what if someone didnt like a drone hovering around his head and did something to it? Just thinking...
In my town there are people that shoot at drones if they see them!
In my town there are people that shoot at drones if they see them!
Bummer about your bird but thanks for posting. I learned a lot from it. I doubt you'll ever make those mistakes again.
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