No signal then drown at sea

[AerialTouch]

It's likely toast after several days in salt water (specially if the battery stayed in it). At this point, you could try anything to try and dry it out... A bath in isopropyl alcohol would be my first choice to displace any water and hopefully clean any salt deposits out of the bird. It probably will not help, but alcohol is cheap.

Best bet would be to sell the controller, any extras (props and batteries that didn't get dunked), and maybe part out the shell, landing gear and other parts that water wouldn't bother.

Take the money (along with some savings and buy a P4P or Mavic...

Glad you're getting the memory and bird back...



Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots

 

[Meta4]

I've learned that some people got luck with the drying process. Once I have it, should I open it up and meticulously use my hair dryer or should I let DJI take a look? I don't expect my P3P to survive at all, but I will get my SD card back. I was also informed that my last video file was incomplete.

Freshwater ... maybe. Saltwater .. no.
It will have sizzled the electronics as soon as it hit salt water with a live battery.
Don't waste any effort on it.
All that's useable now are the SD card and props.

 

[eaglegoaltender]

Once I have it, should I open it up and meticulously use my hair dryer

As stated by Meta4 - chances are with power the salt water conductive process has likely fried most components and boards due to shorting.

However, since the battery is part of the electrical system, there lies a very slim chance the battery shorted out first hence no power to the boards etc.

If you are not planning on contacting DJI as to a replacement, why not open it up and take a look at the internal components and give it all a good fresh water scrubbing (tooth brush works). Then use rubbing alcohol to clean more - keep on scrubbing and rinsing till you remove all the white residue from the boards etc.

As stated however the chances are slim - very slim you will save the bird - especially since it was allowed to dry-out somewhat after recovery. If nothing else and you have the time - you will learn how to dismantle and assemble her.

 

[PlanetPapi]

I think it would be better to insure your future drone for these kind of things. I insured mine with State Farm for $60 a year. Lost/Damaged/Theft, all covered if I remember right. I learnt that here in this forum.

 

[Klaus_Klavier]

Why didn't it RTH when it lost contact?

Do you have the flight record as to why it went down in the water?

 

[Meta4]

Why didn't it RTH when it lost contact?
Do you have the flight record as to why it went down in the water?

Flight record in post#1 & full explanation in post #3.

 

[hoctro]

As stated however the chances are slim - very slim you will save the bird - especially since it was allowed to dry-out somewhat after recovery. If nothing else and you have the time - you will learn how to dismantle and assemble her.

Thanks Meta4 and eaglegoaltender: once it comes back home, I'll try some CPR.

 

[kenjancef]

I was also informed that my last video file was incomplete. Thanks in advance.

How did you find this out? Did the people that found it look at the video?

 

[Meta4]

How did you find this out? Did the people that found it look at the video?

That's just what happens when you don't stop recording before powering down.
The file doesn't get closed off properly and have an end of file marker.

 

[kenjancef]

That's just what happens when you don't stop recording before powering down.
The file doesn't get closed off properly and have an end of file marker.

Right... but just wondering how he was "informed". Is there some kind of alert in DJI Go? Just curious, in case (god forbid) something happened to mine... or do you need the physical card to find out...?

 

[hoctro]

Why didn't it RTH when it lost contact?

This is still a mystery to me.
I don't have any problem admitting my mistakes, but in this incident, I believe there are 3 hardware/software bugs (I have a graduate degree in computer sciences so this comes as inductive reasoning easily) and I would like to share with all of you, hoping that you guys will know how to handle better than I did.

First bug: some malfunctioning in the RC triggered the App to display No Signal during the last 2 minutes (11th minute in the flight log). At that time I was pointing the camera slightly downward aiming at those waves running to shore and I looked at the screen all the time to get a good view angle. When I got the No Signal, the screen froze and the App hung. I was still trying to use the controls but I saw no movement on the screen, the transmitted video was not updated, just a frozen screenshot for the last 2 minutes. I then switched to use the map to see of any change of the aircraft red arrow, but nothing was moving at all.
Second bug: The flight log did not record what the App was displaying. I know you guys trust the flight log more than ... me, but that was what that had happened.
Third bug: This No Signal error did not trigger an auto RTH. I have flown too far too many times my trusted P3P until I get the "Weak Transmission Signal" warning flashing several times before triggering an auto RTH. In this case, if you look at the flight path, the first auto RTH occurred when it was flying left 5000 feet away. At the last 2 minutes, my P3P was much closer, around 1500 feet, but the No Signal came suddenly and stayed with the dead screen until the end. 1500 feet straight from the beach is nothing for a P3P to lose signal.
Then probably I hit the Autoland: that was my mistake. However at that time I did not trust my RC anymore but maybe using the RC RTH could have saved my P3P... When there was no beep beep of the RTH, I did hit the Autoland/RTH one more time and I saw something like "Cannot cancel operation in progress" on the screen. I then turned off my RC and turned it on, hoping it would reconnect to the P3P, but the red light was still there on the RC.
What should I do differently? What would you guys do in this case? Thanks again.

 

[hoctro]

Right... but just wondering how he was "informed". Is there some kind of alert in DJI Go? Just curious, in case (god forbid) something happened to mine... or do you need the physical card to find out...?

The spear fishermen told me. They took the SD card out and checked it even before they called me. They sent me 3 pictures of my P3P. I have sent them some "reward" and will be creating a shipping label for them to ship it back.

 

[Klaus_Klavier]

This is still a mystery to me.
I don't have any problem admitting my mistakes, but in this incident, I believe there are 3 hardware/software bugs (I have a graduate degree in computer sciences so this comes as inductive reasoning easily) and I would like to share with all of you, hoping that you guys will know how to handle better than I did.

First bug: some malfunctioning in the RC triggered the App to display No Signal during the last 2 minutes (11th minute in the flight log). At that time I was pointing the camera slightly downward aiming at those waves running to shore and I looked at the screen all the time to get a good view angle. When I got the No Signal, the screen froze and the App hung. I was still trying to use the controls but I saw no movement on the screen, the transmitted video was not updated, just a frozen screenshot for the last 2 minutes. I then switched to use the map to see of any change of the aircraft red arrow, but nothing was moving at all.
Second bug: The flight log did not record what the App was displaying. I know you guys trust the flight log more than ... me, but that was what that had happened.
Third bug: This No Signal error did not trigger an auto RTH. I have flown too far too many times my trusted P3P until I get the "Weak Transmission Signal" warning flashing several times before triggering an auto RTH. In this case, if you look at the flight path, the first auto RTH occurred when it was flying left 5000 feet away. At the last 2 minutes, my P3P was much closer, around 1500 feet, but the No Signal came suddenly and stayed with the dead screen until the end. 1500 feet straight from the beach is nothing for a P3P to lose signal.
Then probably I hit the Autoland: that was my mistake. However at that time I did not trust my RC anymore but maybe using the RC RTH could have save my P3P... When there was no beep beep of the RTH, I did hit the Autoland/RTH one more time and I saw something like "Cannot cancel operation in progress" on the screen. I then turned off my RC and turned it on, hoping it would reconnect to the P3P, but the red light was still there on the RC.
What should I do differently? What would you guys do in this case? Thanks again.

I heard that for my P3s there is a controller command using the S2 switch by flipping down and back to the middle it activates failsafe mode / RTH


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots

 

[kenjancef]

I'm not trying to sound mean or anything, but if your RC was showing signs of weirdness (and I know they disappeared but came back, then disappeared again...), why did you fly at all? Shouldn't you have at least found out what the issue was with the RC before flying again?

 

[kenjancef]

The spear fishermen told me. They took the SD card out and checked it even before they called me. They sent me 3 pictures of my P3P. I have sent them some "reward" and will be creating a shipping label for them to ship it back.

Nice...

 

[hoctro]

I'm not trying to sound mean or anything, but if your RC was showing signs of weirdness (and I know they disappeared but came back, then disappeared again...), why did you fly at all? Shouldn't you have at least found out what the issue was with the RC before flying again?

NP, I'm all ears. I did stop using it 2 days earlier, then the issue went away by itself. This issue occurred another time at the beginning of another flight, so I did not fly and went home to recalibrate it. It occurred 1 more time at the end of a flight when I was replacing a new battery: I stopped using it and when home, recalibrated it. The last time, it happened in mid flight.
Well, it was my first time to Hawaii with my family and I was so excited: another mistake perhaps...

 

[kenjancef]

NP, I'm all ears. I did stop using it 2 days earlier, then the issue went away by itself. This issue occurred another time at the beginning of another flight, so I did not fly and went home to recalibrate it. It occurred 1 more time at the end of a flight when I was replacing a new battery: I stopped using it and when home, recalibrated it. The last time, it happened in mid flight.

I've never heard of that issue with an RC before... do you have any idea what the issue was/is? Maybe the whole RC is bad?

 

[hoctro]

I've never heard of that issue with an RC before... do you have any idea what the issue was/is? Maybe the whole RC is bad?

No I don't. I'll keep my RC and hopefully I can find another P3P to test this RC to duplicate this issue if I can, so that we can learn something from this incident.

 

[kenjancef]

No I don't. I'll keep my RC and hopefully I can find another P3P to test this RC to duplicate this issue if I can, so that we can learn from this incident.

Yea.. I'm curious to see/hear what the issue could be...

 

[Meta4]

Why didn't it RTH when it lost contact?

This is still a mystery to me.
I don't have any problem admitting my mistakes, but in this incident, I believe there are 3 hardware/software bugs (I have a graduate degree in computer sciences so this comes as inductive reasoning easily) and I would like to share with all of you, hoping that you guys will know how to handle better than I did.

First bug: some malfunctioning in the RC triggered the App to display No Signal during the last 2 minutes (11th minute in the flight log). At that time I was pointing the camera slightly downward aiming at those waves running to shore and I looked at the screen all the time to get a good view angle. When I got the No Signal, the screen froze and the App hung. I was still trying to use the controls but I saw no movement on the screen, the transmitted video was not updated, just a frozen screenshot for the last 2 minutes. I then switched to use the map to see of any change of the aircraft red arrow, but nothing was moving at all.
Second bug: The flight log did not record what the App was displaying. I know you guys trust the flight log more than ... me, but that was what that had happened.
Third bug: This No Signal error did not trigger an auto RTH. I have flown too far too many times my trusted P3P until I get the "Weak Transmission Signal" warning flashing several times before triggering an auto RTH. In this case, if you look at the flight path, the first auto RTH occurred when it was flying left 5000 feet away. At the last 2 minutes, my P3P was much closer, around 1500 feet, but the No Signal came suddenly and stayed with the dead screen until the end. 1500 feet straight from the beach is nothing for a P3P to lose signal.
Then probably I hit the Autoland: that was my mistake. However at that time I did not trust my RC anymore but maybe using the RC RTH could have saved my P3P... When there was no beep beep of the RTH, I did hit the Autoland/RTH one more time and I saw something like "Cannot cancel operation in progress" on the screen. I then turned off my RC and turned it on, hoping it would reconnect to the P3P, but the red light was still there on the RC.
What should I do differently? What would you guys do in this case? Thanks again.

The Phantom never lost signal as is shown by the app recording the whole incident.
As signal was never lost, RTH was not activated automatically.
There are two signals.
1. Video downlink
2. Control signal
You may have lost the video downlink and believed this meant you had lost signal but the control signal doesn't get lost as easily and you still had full control as well as the app receiving telemetry.