I know my time will come..
I’ve had over 20hrs air time and zero crashes (knock on wood) and this is what I have learnt from others.
Stock Vision + with 3.04 firmware (latest) and as of today FPV booster app.
Transmitter:
1. Don’t be cheap on batteries. Use proper 1.5v Alkaline AA batteries and don’t be tight. Alkaline 1.5 x 4 = 6V, Rechargeables 1.25 x 4 = 5V. Losing $1500 bucks because you saved $1. You can get about 20-40 hrs flight time per a set depending on brand.
2. Also avoid cheap non-brand batteries as the terminal may be shorter. If the remote control loses power, then phantom goes failsafe immediately. It only takes a simple bump for the batteries to come loose and you have fail safe.
3. Point antenna perpendicular to ground.
Phantom assistance software:
1. Use NAZA-M and learn IOC, ATTI, RTH and when ready, learn Manual (scary).
2. Set all the HORIZONTAL and VERTICAL limits to 9999999999. I think this is the secondary culprit in flyaways. Think about it. If the limits are set to horizontal 400m, and you have taken it to a new location and the GPS hasn’t properly acquired, it will fly back to the 400m radius “last known” home position. They should have this option turned off. Explains why it happens on the newer firmware/update.
Phantom:
1. BE PATIENT!!! Do all flight checks (I'm not going to mention them as they are in the manual).
2. Avoid taking off on concrete slabs or metal. Use a box. Stops compass misreads.
3. After the 6> satellites are found, I pick phantom from the arm and walk it around in a figure eight so the GPS reassures itself. This avoids that error you see on your car GPS when you turn it on. Sometimes it’s confused and thinks you’re in another country. This is the primary reason for the flyaways. I think it looks at the last known home position or there is a GPS misread. DJI should have the firmware update that asks the phantom a simple question. During the failsafe/rth, if the satellites are re-pinged, failsafe should be cancelled when the distance is far too great. It should hover and then emergency land if battery is low. They need to look at a sanity check calculation where if the distance is too far from home, then cancel failsafe/RTH.
4. I hover 10 feet for 30-60secs in front me and do control check (yaw, pitch, camera, etc). Whilst this is happening, I use the IOC switch to reset the home position (NAZA-M must be on). Repeat this quickly for 1-7 times > flick OFF, then MIDDLE, back to OFF for more than 5 times. You will see it clearly that the green lights will flash rapidly, especially if its hovering in front of you. The green rapid flash = new home position. You can do this in mid-flight, just don’t do it over water.
5. If you crash phantom, pull her apart and check if anything has come loose.
Phone/Display Device:
1. Stay at your home point and fly the phantom away from you for 10m and look at the orienteering and compare your position vs the phantom. Spin her or yourself around and compare/confirm where you are standing is the home point.
2. Get the FPV booster app for around $10. I just purchased this today and haven’t tried it, but It may help. This will extend/double your FPV range and may help you locate it (only works on the vision plus). I purchase this app to get better clarity in flight and not to do distance flights.
Few extra tips:
1. Learn to catch land. Practice with prop guards first. Make sure you have a lanyard for catch landings. Also, be weary with battery level on catch landings as the phantom will try to descend when the alarms are on. PLEASE ALSO NOTE to use prop guard M3x12 with prop guards and M3x8 with prop guards. incorrect screws will seize the motor!
2. Use cable ties in the rubber mounts for additional gimbal support. Don’t over tighten, keep it loose otherwise video will be shaky.
3. Use a texter and mark 1 2 3 4 on the props and draw lock directions (texter wont affect balance). Makes it quicker to assemble.
4. DON’T use carbon props. NO BENEFIT and more dangerous!! Always use DJI PROPS.
5. DON’T fly out of sight unless you have a spotter. I don’t know why first time flyers try this the moment they get airborne. It’s like skydiving without a parachute.
6. Use black tape to cover the front lights for night flight. The red light bleeds into the video.
7. You tube as much as you can.
8. Avoid the aftermarket 5800/5600 mah battery.
9. Be discreet when flying. The buzzing noise attracts attention. Next thing you know, you have a crowd distracting you with questions. You get disorientated and terrible footage (I hate how the transmitter is fluorescent white).
Finally, if you see it do anything strange, restart or call it day unless you want a fly-away
