Newbie flier here with a question. I work on a ship that has a large helo pad. I soon will have the skill to confidently fly my Phantom 2 off the deck and over the deep blue sea. HOWEVER....what effect will the steel of the ships hull (1200ft) have on my compass? And how will this effect manifest itself (ie what will the quad do different?) I am trying to avoid taking off and driving it into the sea like a lawn dart or having an epic fly-away. Thoughts???
Phantom compass and ships
- Thread starter Mooringmaster
- Start date
From the DJI Docs:
Calibration Warnings
（1）DO NOT calibrate your compass where there is a possibility for the existence of strong magnetic interference such as magnetite, parking structures, and steel reinforcement underground.
（2）DO NOT carry ferromagnetic materials with you during calibration such as keys or cellular phones.
（3）Compass Calibration is very important; otherwise the flight control system will work abnormally.
http://wiki.dji.com/en/index.php/Phanto ... he_Compass
Calibration Warnings
（1）DO NOT calibrate your compass where there is a possibility for the existence of strong magnetic interference such as magnetite, parking structures, and steel reinforcement underground.
（2）DO NOT carry ferromagnetic materials with you during calibration such as keys or cellular phones.
（3）Compass Calibration is very important; otherwise the flight control system will work abnormally.
http://wiki.dji.com/en/index.php/Phanto ... he_Compass
Mooringmaster said:
+1 for below, very important.
bobomet said:
Tricky one on a huge ship with lots of metal and potential EMR.
Best bet would be to have a laptop with you and connect the Phantom up to the assistant to monitor if the compass gives any abnormal readings before and after calibration. You can check these in the 'Tools' section.
Perhaps also look into installing potential flotation devices in case the worst happens.
Wow, thanks for posting this question. I have a project coming up soon where I will need to fly off of the back deck of a 180 foot steel hulled vessel and I never even considered how I was going to do my compass cal out there. Perhaps I can borrow a small rubber dingy and paddle a short distance aways to calibrate ;-)
I did however, consider having them turn off the radar and any other high-power transmitters while flying!
I did however, consider having them turn off the radar and any other high-power transmitters while flying!
Sadly flotation will not help my particular situation. Even though I am the Captain of this vessel, I can not endanger crew or waste the fuel (take us 5 miles to turn around and 3 miles to stop) to attempt to recover the Phantom......Would much rather watch her fly off into the sunset on her eternal flight!! It is a very good idea to have her checked out via laptop before and after. I had never thought about that. I also think I will try a "Lab test" and first fly her when we are dockside!!! Will let you know how it turns out. BTW...radar does not interfere with the controls. Totally different freq. HOWEVER....beware of the Inmarsat transmitter!!!
If I cal before I get on the ship, and the cal is done in the same geographic area as the ship, and the cal is done properly. Will the steel of the ship still interfere with the quad do to the change in the magnetic field around the vessel when we are at sea?? Also am concerned that I will then be flying several hundred miles from the cal point.
This guy works at seas and doesnt seem to have much trouble check his vids ...... note though he has lost a one I dont think was compass issues from what he reported, but big waves . :shock:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8KZAIL_wsk[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xvmOEmbyco[/youtube]
then a loss ....
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l6boL7iVxM[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8KZAIL_wsk[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xvmOEmbyco[/youtube]
then a loss ....
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l6boL7iVxM[/youtube]
ianwood
Taco Wrangler
Assuming your ship is steel, your results will vary but you should be able to make it work. Definitely calibrate on shore in an open area away from metal objects (even car keys or a watch) and test it before you leave port. At sea, do not recalibrate. Better to be a little off vs. completely out of whack from local magnetic fields. If you can launch the Phantom off of something that gives it a couple of feet distance from large metal objects, that will help with initialization of the compass. Maybe a fiberglass substructure or even a weighted down cardboard box.
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