More noob questions

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Hello, I am noob with the PV2+. I have been flying a HeliMax 1sq Vcam for a few months off and on.

Ordered my PV2+ a week ago and it came 2 days ago, In the meantime while waiting for it I have spent numerous hours reading all manuals cover to cover (some parts are not that well written and are confusing). I have also looked at many many videos on the DJI web site and youtube, as well as the forums. Essentially, anything I could find.

I followed all instructions in the manual and videos. I updated the the controller and phantom firmware to the latest. Calibrated the sticks. It worked fine. I was able to calibrate the compass (though I had some difficulty).

I have not been able to get 6 GPS sats to lock steady, but I am not in a wide open space (yet). Will probably take it to an open spot this weekend. But it should be noted that both my Tom Tom and Garmin auto GPS's *easily* get 6+ sats in the same position in the yard.

Took it to my back yard for a few VERY short (30 seconds) low (10 ft) "test flights" seemed to work OK, but I was very nervous. Like most have mentioned, without GPS lock it tends to drift.

I have also found the throttle stick to be very touchy / sensitive and when lifting off it really takes off quickly with very little deflection of the stick. Is it advisable to adjust the sensitivity of this? If so, how?

I have a few questions regarding failsafe function:

The manual states:

The Phantom will enter Failsafe mode when its connection to the Remote Controller is lost. The Flight Control
System will automatically control the aircraft to return to home and land to prevent injury or damage.

Home Point: When the Phantom enters ’Ready to Fly’ from the ‘Ready to Fly status (non-GPS)’, the
GPS coordinates will be recorded and set as the home point.

1) When Remote Controller signal is lost, the aircraft will return to the recorded home point
coordinates and land.

2) Home point coordinates are used to calculate the horizontal distance of the aircraft (shown as
“Distance” on the GUI of the DJI VISION App).

3) After successfully record the home point, rear LED flight indicators blink fast green.

In my case, I haven't really flown yet. Just a few low/short tests in my back yard. I have been unable to get GPS lock. I hope to get out to a large field this weekend if the rain ever stops.

1. My question as it realates to failsafe is: What happens if I start flying in RTF Non-GPS mode and while in flight (a long distance away) the phaontom gets GPS lock? according to the "HomePoint" statement above, this location (wherever it is) will be my new home point. Thus if failsafe engages, it will go to THAT point rather than the home point that was locked in at power up (my pilot position).
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2. Do I understand failsafe correctly? Without GPS it just descends/lands wherever it is? And WITH GPS it climbs to 20 meters (or remains higher if already at that altitude) and then returns to the pre recorded home point from power-up?
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3. The manual states: Quickly flipping the S2 switch of the Remote Controller from top to bottom 5 times or more will reset
the current aircraft position as a new home point. Rear LED flight indicators will blink green rapidly
when successful. Why wouldn't I just do this at the beginning of each flight rather than "hope" it records the home point automatically?
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4. I am a conservative flyer (for now). I want to start very slow, low and methodically. Is it advisable to to use the Assistant to set the max height and radius to much lower settings while I am learning?
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Sorry for the lengthy post. With flight time and experience I am confident that my posts will be more brief.
 
1. Yes, unless a home point is recorded when you take off, it will return to the homepoint it records once it gets GPS lock. This is why it's vitally important to get a home lock before taking off.

2. Return to home works why flying in ATTI mode too. The Phantom is still looking for satellites if you fly in ATTI. If you lose control, it will flick to GPS and return to the home point as you describe.

3. You can, but why? The phantom indicated when it has recorded the home point by it's LED. Just look at it and don't fly until it's got a home point set.

4. No, turn it off completely. It's will freak you out if the phantom just suddenly stops flying due to the limits. In the past, there were lots of reports of very erratic behavior and loss of control when passing the set flight limits.
 
You got good answers from rilot. My experiences:

pjw73nh said:
1. My question as it realates to failsafe is: What happens if I start flying in RTF Non-GPS mode and while in flight (a long distance away) the phaontom gets GPS lock? according to the "HomePoint" statement above, this location (wherever it is) will be my new home point. Thus if failsafe engages, it will go to THAT point rather than the home point that was locked in at power up (my pilot position).
I never take off before I get home lock. Never ever. If I can't get enough sats, I pick it up and move it. If that doesn't work, I don't fly.

pjw73nh said:
2. Do I understand failsafe correctly? Without GPS it just descends/lands wherever it is? And WITH GPS it climbs to 20 meters (or remains higher if already at that altitude) and then returns to the pre recorded home point from power-up?
I've used failsafe only a couple of times. Every time, I regained control as it closed the gap between itself and the controller. Again, don't take off without lock.

pjw73nh said:
3. The manual states: Quickly flipping the S2 switch of the Remote Controller from top to bottom 5 times or more will reset
the current aircraft position as a new home point. Rear LED flight indicators will blink green rapidly
when successful. Why wouldn't I just do this at the beginning of each flight rather than "hope" it records the home point automatically?
I've reset home position once, just to try it.

pjw73nh said:
4. I am a conservative flyer (for now). I want to start very slow, low and methodically. Is it advisable to to use the Assistant to set the max height and radius to much lower settings while I am learning?
Conservative is good. When you say "low", you mean above the trees but lower than local air traffic, right? :) When I was learning I would push it above any obstacles soon after takeoff. It's safer up there. Heck, I still do that.

You'll do fine. Enjoy your new bird. It's SO much fun!
 
Great questions and answers for a noob, or not-so-noob.

Weather in our neck of the woods looks just about okay for flying today. Good luck.

Jimmy
 
I would suspect the controller isn't properly calibrated if a slight movement of the stick makes it shoot up? Did you calibrate it with RC ASSISTANT then the PHANTOM ASSISTANT ? Cos it sounds like the throttle is set at "all or nothing" at the moment :)
 
Rilot, D_Tshudy, Madwak & Jimmy, Thanks for the quick and informative replies. I sincerely appreciate it.

I need a little clarification on a couple of things. I apologize for keeping this line of questions going on and on, but being new to the aircraft, I am really afraid of something going wrong, so I want to get as much of an understanding about the phantom and it's behavior as I can before my first flight.

Regard to my question #1. Is "home-lock" ONLY achieved in RTF-GPS mode (6+ sats) (slow flashing green LED) ? I thought I read somewhere that if it was less than 6 sats, (slow flashing yellow), that it still had some kind of "home-lock" but that it was less accurate or something to that effect. Does this ring a bell?

I think I am a little confused about RTF w GPS and RTF without GPS. Rilot, can you explain this a bit more for me please?
-----------------------------------
<<<Return to home works why flying in ATTI mode too. The Phantom is still looking for satellites if you fly in ATTI. If you lose control, it will flick to GPS and return to the home point as you describe.>>

Are you saying that ATTI mode is the same as RFT without GPS?
------------------------------------

Am I correct in assuming that if I want use ATTI mode, I have to connect to the PV2+ using the assistant software and change to NAZA there? Then use switch 1 to go between GPS and ATTI modes?

I noticed during my few "short" flights, that I inadvertantly bumped switches 1 & 2. Nothing appeared to happen. Can I presume that in "Phantom" mode, neither of these have any effect (unless toggled 5 or more times) OR unless I use S1 to regain control after failsafe has been engaged ?

Ref Q #3. I guess this goes back to #1 somewhat. Is there a "non GPS" type of home lock or not? Do I need to have full RTF GPS (slow green) in order to us the "S2 manual setting of home" function? Or can I do it with RTF Non-GPS (slow yellow)?

Other than the "slow green" is there any other means of confirming the "home point"? If I can see the craft in the "find my phantom" app and it is current, can I assume that it has home lock?

D_Tshudy, Your comment <<I've reset home position once, just to try it. >>, I trust it worked fine for you?..

Re "low" I guess I was thinking even lower (where I could observe it closely and clearly) , but it seems to make sense to get higher than any obstacles in the area so as not to encroach on any of them.

Madwak, I think I did the controller and then the phantom, but I honestly can't remember the order. What I mean by "sensitive" is that to get off the ground I need to give it a pretty good "oomph", and then it ascends pretty quick for a second or so, then I seem to be able to control thrust OK. I'll have to try it again today and see what happens. Maybe it was just "first timer syndrome"...

Thanks again folks. I really appreciate the help and encouragement.

P.../NH
 
Hello. After reading this forum for a while and having owned the Vision+ for a couple of weeks now, I decided to register.

I have noticed that the GPS reception of the Phantom is pretty poor. Having trees around you can prevent you from getting proper GPS lock. This doesn't prevent you from flying, however. You can take-off without GPS, take it to the treetop level, and hover around till you get at least 6 satellites. You just have to mind the wind and be ready to counter any drifting to keep it still.

The Phantom is an awesome gadget and people shouldn't get too scared from the horror stories posted on this forum. Sure it can fail but most people are flying without any major problems. I have flown close to 40 times now and have had zero problems. I have been flying above a lake and launched from, and landed to a small aluminum boat. The Phantom has operated without any flaws.
 
Regard to my question #1. Is "home-lock" ONLY achieved in RTF-GPS mode (6+ sats) (slow flashing green LED) ? I thought I read somewhere that if it was less than 6 sats, (slow flashing yellow), that it still had some kind of "home-lock" but that it was less accurate or something to that effect. Does this ring a bell?

I think I am a little confused about RTF w GPS and RTF without GPS. Rilot, can you explain this a bit more for me please?

OK, I'll clarify some terminology. RTF-GPS is GPS mode, RTF without GPS is ATTI mode. DJI decided to rename them for the Phantom 2 when flying in Phantom mode.
I think you are getting confused between the Phantom flying in ATTI mode because it doesn't have enough satellites and flying in ATTI mode because you physically set it with the switch. Even in ATTI mode the craft is still getting satellite lock but it's just not using it for flight positioning. You should fly in GPS mode until you are 100% happy with the craft and not take off until you have a home point set.

Am I correct in assuming that if I want use ATTI mode, I have to connect to the PV2+ using the assistant software and change to NAZA there? Then use switch 1 to go between GPS and ATTI modes?

Correct

I noticed during my few "short" flights, that I inadvertantly bumped switches 1 & 2. Nothing appeared to happen. Can I presume that in "Phantom" mode, neither of these have any effect (unless toggled 5 or more times) OR unless I use S1 to regain control after failsafe has been engaged ?

Yes, they do nothing in Phantom mode.

Ref Q #3. I guess this goes back to #1 somewhat. Is there a "non GPS" type of home lock or not? Do I need to have full RTF GPS (slow green) in order to us the "S2 manual setting of home" function? Or can I do it with RTF Non-GPS (slow yellow)?

Just don't fly unless you have GPS lock and a home point recorded.

Other than the "slow green" is there any other means of confirming the "home point"? If I can see the craft in the "find my phantom" app and it is current, can I assume that it has home lock?

In NAZA mode, the LED will blink green really fast for a second to confirm that it has home point set. In Phantom mode then just the slow flash yes.

To sum up, just fly in GPS mode until you happy with everything. Don't switch to NAZA mode just yet until you fully understand all the terminologies and what they do to the craft.
 
Rilot,

Thank you so much. Your reply explains it very well. This is what I was looking for.

Yes, I plan on staying in GPS mode for a long time. .

P.../NH
 
Ok, so I just returned from my first flight. Two batteries worth.

It was uneventful. Probably about 18 mins each. Stayed low (< 200 ft), never more than 200 feet distance, and in control.

Few observations. I found it hard to NOT fly line-of-sight, and just look at iPhone. I kept trying to see the UAV in the air and navigate via this method. It was bright out and hard to see the iPhone. Do most of you fly FPV only?

Battery started warning at 30% I flew back and landed ASAP. Do I need to? Should (can) I wait?

Another point. Whenever I snapped a single photo there was a long (2-3 second) delay while the "shutter" closed and opened. Is this normal, is there a setting for this?

Even though (upon power up) I saw the lights (fast green for a couple of seconds) indicating recording home point, and the slow green (GPS lock), I was still hesitant to try shutting the controller off and testing "return to home"

It seems to descend rather slow. Is this due to the new firmware?

I suspect I'll need to do a lot of practicing before I get my confidence up.

Thanks again.

P.../NH
 
pjw73nh said:
Ok, so I just returned from my first flight. Two batteries worth.

It was uneventful. Probably about 18 mins each. Stayed low (< 200 ft), never more than 200 feet distance, and in control.

Few observations. I found it hard to NOT fly line-of-sight, and just look at iPhone. I kept trying to see the UAV in the air and navigate via this method. It was bright out and hard to see the iPhone. Do most of you fly FPV only?

Battery started warning at 30% I flew back and landed ASAP. Do I need to? Should (can) I wait?

Another point. Whenever I snapped a single photo there was a long (2-3 second) delay while the "shutter" closed and opened. Is this normal, is there a setting for this?

Even though (upon power up) I saw the lights (fast green for a couple of seconds) indicating recording home point, and the slow green (GPS lock), I was still hesitant to try shutting the controller off and testing "return to home"

It seems to descend rather slow. Is this due to the new firmware?

I suspect I'll need to do a lot of practicing before I get my confidence up.

Thanks again.

P.../NH

camera shutter speed is improved with a high speed micro SD Card vs the supplied card.

FPV very difficult during sunlight due to glare even with a sunshade if you ask me. But when the sun isnt that bright, I easily fly FPV only. Always helps to leverage the radar as well during FPV

Descent is definitely slow with most current firmware. It's to prevent vortex wash issue/crashing due to loss of air.

YOu can change the 30% low battery warning to anything between 20 and 30%. I dropped mine to 25% and bring it in for a landing at around 20%.

DOnt be afraid. As long as you recorded home lock and you have at least 6 sats, your RTH should work fine by shutting off the transmitter
 
phantomguy said:
camera shutter speed is improved with a high speed micro SD Card vs the supplied card.

Shutter speed has absolutely nothing to do with the speed of the card used and is solely dependent upon the amount of light entering the lens (at a given ISO setting).
 

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