The Miscellaneous P3P Questions and Answers Thread

[CONTROL FREQ]

Hello everyone.

I'm not new to RC but I am new to flying.

I've had the Phantom 3 Professional for about 6 weeks now and I love it.

I've had some questions and most of them I have searched here and found the answers but some questions aren't that easy to search, so I thought maybe have one thread where people can ask/answer small questions about our Phantoms and it's operations.

Questions like...

1) If I happen to fly into a No Fly Zone a mile away, what will happen? Will the app try to land it?

2) I've read somewhere that the Phantom can take still photos while filming video but it doesn't seem to work for me. Is there a way to take stills without turning off the video record?

3) here's a really crazy one... let's say you were really high up and needed to get down ASAP! would it be possible to execute a CSC and let it free fall and then do another CSC to re-start the motors before it hits the earth?

I'm sure some of the answers are here somewhere but I think this could make for an interesting thread!






...Or not. Let's find out!

 

[TheWire]

I'd like to hear peoples thoughts on how well they would expect a Phantom to be able to return to stable flight if the motors were restarted during a free fall.

 

[bbfpv]

I'd like to hear peoples thoughts on how well they would expect a Phantom to be able to return to stable flight if the motors were restarted during a free fall.

So something like this post? If you ever wondered if a P3 can be restarted in mid flight....... | DJI Phantom Forum

 

[guest1231]

Hello everyone.

I'm not new to RC but I am new to flying.

I've had the Phantom 3 Professional for about 6 weeks now and I love it.

I've had some questions and most of them I have searched here and found the answers but some questions aren't that easy to search, so I thought maybe have one thread where people can ask/answer small questions about our Phantoms and it's operations.

Questions like...

1) If I happen to fly into a No Fly Zone a mile away, what will happen? Will the app try to land it?

2) I've read somewhere that the Phantom can take still photos while filming video but it doesn't seem to work for me. Is there a way to take stills without turning off the video record?

3) here's a really crazy one... let's say you were really high up and needed to get down ASAP! would it be possible to execute a CSC and let it free fall and then do another CSC to re-start the motors before it hits the earth?

I'm sure some of the answers are here somewhere but I think this could make for an interesting thread!






...Or not. Let's find out!

1) It will turn around and go to the home point as if it went out of range.
2) I swear when I got my Phantom 3 and was setting it up in my house I was able to take photos while it was recording video, but I must have been mistaken, because I haven't been able to make it happen since. From everything I've read it's not possible, so I don't know if I was hallucinating or something.
3) Doubtful.

 

[Meta4]

2) I've read somewhere that the Phantom can take still photos while filming video but it doesn't seem to work for me. Is there a way to take stills without turning off the video record?

2) I swear when I got my Phantom 3 and was setting it up in my house I was able to take photos while it was recording video, but I must have been mistaken, because I haven't been able to make it happen since. From everything I've read it's not possible, so I don't know if I was hallucinating or something.

This has never been possible with the P3.
The confusion is probably because a Gopro can do still and video simultaneously.

3) here's a really crazy one... let's say you were really high up and needed to get down ASAP! would it be possible to execute a CSC and let it free fall and then do another CSC to re-start the motors before it hits the earth?

Maybe ... but you would have to have a lot of height and be quite brave or stupid (maybe both).
It as been done with the P2 a few times and attempted unsuccessfully several times as well.
Under 400 feet you have no chance of recovering that way.

 

[N017RW]

1) It will turn around and go to the home point as if it went out of range.
2) I swear when I got my Phantom 3 and was setting it up in my house I was able to take photos while it was recording video, but I must have been mistaken, because I haven't been able to make it happen since. From everything I've read it's not possible, so I don't know if I was hallucinating or something.
3) Doubtful.

I have never personally experienced the condition of question 1 but your answer is different than what the manual says.

Are you saying you have and thus the manual is wrong or did I misunderstand you or the manual?

Phantom 3 Advanced- Flight Limits and No-Fly Zones - DJI Wiki

 

[CONTROL FREQ]

thanks for the replies guys!

i have another one...

i love the little radar scope on the screen because it comes in handy when i lose sight of my bird and it always shows me the way back home.

sometimes during a flight, i may walk several hundred feet while flying. when i click on the icon to follow the radio instead of the home point, it keeps saying something like... the signal is too weak to locate the radio, even though the phantom might be right over me 30 feet above!

i must be doing something wrong. why can't i use this feature?

thanks.

 

[bobmyers]

thanks for the replies guys!

i have another one...

i love the little radar scope on the screen because it comes in handy when i lose sight of my bird and it always shows me the way back home.

sometimes during a flight, i may walk several hundred feet while flying. when i click on the icon to follow the radio instead of the home point, it keeps saying something like... the signal is too weak to locate the radio, even though the phantom might be right over me 30 feet above!

i must be doing something wrong. why can't i use this feature?

thanks.

When the Phantom is directly overhead-- the signal may be weak-- because the antenna if pointed up as is the norm the signal transmission is only occurring from the tips of the antenna and not the flat sides. If you flip the antennas flat, when directly overhead, the signal strength should be better..

 

[CONTROL FREQ]

When the Phantom is directly overhead-- the signal may be weak-- because the antenna if pointed up as is the norm the signal transmission is only occurring from the tips of the antenna and not the flat sides. If you flip the antennas flat, when directly overhead, the signal strength should be better..

when directly overhead, 100 feet or 1,000 feet out, i get the same result.
it will not locate my controller. only the homepoint.
i'm hoping there is just a feature in the settings that i have to enable or something.

 

[bobmyers]

when directly overhead, 100 feet or 1,000 feet out, i get the same result.

it will not locate my controller. only the homepoint.

well since I haven't tried walking around when flying-- I would know that-- but I am going to try now

 

[N017RW]

It seems you have ignored what Mr. Meyers has said.

Go here:
isotropic radiation pattern - Google Search

Notice the radiation pattern is like a doughnut (insert Homer Simpson joke here) there is little to none vertically i.e. from the tip and bottom.
Combine that with the fact the receiving antenna 'listens' in the same way or pattern.

The manual illustrates that when overhead the controller antennas should be near parallel to the ground.

 

[John Lo]

Answer 3. Definity can not restart. Pls search youtube as a chinese guy has done a test to bring p3p in the mid air and drop it. The p3p flip up side down and can not start the motor in mid air.

 

[CONTROL FREQ]

Answer 3. Definity can not restart. Pls search youtube as a chinese guy has done a test to bring p3p in the mid air and drop it. The p3p flip up side down and can not start the motor in mid air.

this is good to know.

thanks.

 

[Meta4]

Answer 3. Definity can not restart. Pls search youtube as a chinese guy has done a test to bring p3p in the mid air and drop it. The p3p flip up side down and can not start the motor in mid air.

I wouldn't say definitely .. in that video he didn't have sufficient height so it proved nothing.
The P2 could so the P3 might (or might not) do it but you'd need over 1000 feet, maybe a few thousand feet to test it properly.

 

[N017RW]

I've also read about a safety feature regarding tilt angle and motor cut-off.
Sorry I don't have a link handy but for what it's worth, IIRC, an angle greater than 70 degrees will result in cut-off and thus I would imagine inhibit restart as well.

EDIT: Here it is:

2) Intelligent Mode: By using this mode, different control mode has different way of stopping motors. In Manual Mode, only executing CSC can stop motors. In ATTI. Mode or GPS ATTI. Mode, any one of following four cases will stop motors:

a) You don’t push throttle stick after motors start within three seconds;

b) Executing CSC;

c) Throttle stick under 40%, and after landing for more than 3 seconds.

d) If the angle of multi-rotor is over 70°, and throttle stick under 10%.


This can be found here:
Naza-M-V2 Start & Stop Motor - DJI Wiki

Not sure if all of these conditions transferred to the Phantom version of the Naza.

 

[bobmyers]

I've also read about a safety feature regarding tilt angle and motor cut-off.
Sorry I don't have a link handy but for what it's worth, IIRC, an angle greater than 70 degrees will result in cut-off and thus I would imagine inhibit restart as well.

EDIT: Here it is:

2) Intelligent Mode: By using this mode, different control mode has different way of stopping motors. In Manual Mode, only executing CSC can stop motors. In ATTI. Mode or GPS ATTI. Mode, any one of following four cases will stop motors:

a) You don’t push throttle stick after motors start within three seconds;

b) Executing CSC;

c) Throttle stick under 40%, and after landing for more than 3 seconds.

d) If the angle of multi-rotor is over 70°, and throttle stick under 10%.


This can be found here:
Naza-M-V2 Start & Stop Motor - DJI Wiki

Not sure if all of these conditions transferred to the Phantom version of the Naza.

That's interesting-- does this apply to the P3?

 

[N017RW]

I don't know and apologize for cross posting this in the P3 forum.
Hopefully good ideas and proven safety features will be be passed on.

 

[CONTROL FREQ]

i want to buy an ipad air 2 and i'm confused as to how the cellular enabled model works and i read some threads on it but i'm a little confused. if i have a cellular enabled ipad air 2 but no cellular service to it, can i still get the maps via satellites or do i need a cellular connection? i keep getting different answers on that when i search. what is the cellular model good for without having a cellular service for it?

thanks.

 

[TheWire]

i want to buy an ipad air 2 and i'm confused as to how the cellular enabled model works and i read some threads on it but i'm a little confused. if i have a cellular enabled ipad air 2 but no cellular service to it, can i still get the maps via satellites or do i need a cellular connection? i keep getting different answers on that when i search. what is the cellular model good for without having a cellular service for it?

thanks.

I believe the cellular version of the Ipad has GPS, whereas the WiFi version doesn't. But verify that before purchasing. The IPad would only satellites for GPS postioning. You would need cellular data or WiFi to get maps. However, I believe a lot of software stores maps once you load them. Also, if you have a phone that has a hot spot function, you could use that to give the Ipad a Wifi connection and load the maps. I'd look into storing them, you could load them ahead of time and not have to be concerned with downloading them in the field.

 

[CONTROL FREQ]

i flew out 10,000 feet a minute ago and i saw the weak signal light flicker and went back to green. me not taking any chances, i immediately turned around and started heading home. all of a sudden out of the blue, the weak signal flickered again the then went to "NO SIGNAL"! i slightly panicked and hit the RTH! it took about 45 seconds for the signal to show back up on the screen returning home. it faded in and out of NO SIGNAL until about the 3000 mile mark and then stayed green until i landed her.

my question is, is it supposed to automatically RTH when the signal is lost, or no?

also, if there is "no signal", is it even possible to use the RTH button if the radio is "not connected" to the phantom?

this is another subject to where i've heard different versions of what is supposed to be real.

thanks.