Un-planned RTH and lack of RTH in Litchi for P3S IOS.
I was flying a LITCHI Waypoint Mission (P3S, IOS all with latest firmware as of 8/0717) with a ton of waypoints (48) and POIs (30) fairly low (90') around a school complex, the far end of the mission about 1100' from home point. I tried to walk to one side of the long axis outbound to keep the bird in sight, the walk back to the other side to watch it return down the other long axis. I fly this site alot because during summer nobody there and open fields all around. I usually lose video if out past 800' feet or so but too low behind buildings for good LOS. Have flown a least a dozen Litchi missions here and expect to lose visual if too far and too low behind something but usually don't lose controller.
I have lost controller for several seconds but have just waited a little a got control back, then video while the craft came around to finish mission.
Today, at the far end of the oval outbound, I had miscalculated the altitude needed to keep a good signal, did NOT lose video signal but suddenly got a RTH message and the craft scooted directly back to home at the last programmed altitude of 90', right down the middle of the long axis of the schools roofs. I have 120' programmed into DJIGo for RTH. I was trying to get some good low angle shots around the structure for Dronedeploy. I got a great first 3D object from Dronedeploy but wanted to get a little better detail of the east wall windows, etc. which were in shade for the first data set.
OK fine. No problem. Unplanned RTH but got home OK, thanks to no objects between RTH point and home. Never lost video. Do not know what caused RTH.
Next question. I walked a few hundred feet to the west to get a un-obstructed few of the west side of the structures for the return part of the loop but could not figure out how to tell Litchi to start a mission at a waypoint other than number 1. Dronedeploy lets you stop in the middle of a mission, come home, change battery, go back and resume at any waypoint. Is there any way to do that in Litchi other than deleting all of the waypoints already flown?
Next problem. I programmed the 'action' in straight waypoint passing (no curves) and programmed at wp #1 to 1 Stop Recording, 2 Take Photo. Every other waypoint was programmed in action to 'Take Photo'. I had time, batteries, and good diffuse light so I ran it 3 times. When I got home, much to my disappointment, all three missions were Videos from takeoff to landing with no photos. I re-checked the waypoint plan and it had, 'Stop Recording' at waypoint 1, the 'Take Photo'. All other Waypoints had 'Take Photo' actions. No curves. All straight legs. I need smart photos with lat/lon data to use in Dronedeploy. I can't get them from video frames. All the POI angles, etc worked fine. Just in video instead of photo at each waypoint as programmed.
I am already a little afraid of Litchi for IOS as there is no FPV screen RTH button, toggling the P3S S2 manual return to home switch does nothing with S1 in P or F, auto return to home triggers directly back to home point at whatever altitude was at at auto return trigger. All make Litchi for IOS too risky for me to trust other than in very close wide open line of sight (and sound). I don't have an Android capable enough for Litchi.
I like Litchi a lot, but I just don't trust it. I can't understand why the IOS version lacks so many features standard on Androids.
I don't trust Android hardware, don't want to buy to known trusted Androids, and don't trust the Litchi software of IOS.
I just bought and downloaded Autopilot for my iPhone/IPad. Back to studying again. That's $90 so for looking for a good autopilot program.
Any thoughts or suggestions.
Marvin 'Headwind' Hesket
