Active Track first test - Self shot MTB ride

Logger · Jan 1, 2017

MontanaMavic said:
Just so you know, the Mavic will climb or descend with you and keep the same elevation above ground as you move along.

Actually it will not. Typo perhaps? As it rounds the bend, bike descends, Mavic does not. I have to manually descend it.

It you use the Terrain Mode designed for grassy obstacle free hills it will try to ascend (not capable of descend) with you.

AlexSP · Jan 1, 2017

Logger said:
Actually it will not. Typo perhaps? As it rounds the bend, bike descends, Mavic does not. I have to manually descend it.

It you use the Terrain Mode designed for grassy obstacle free hills it will try to ascend with you.

Yep, that's what I got too. Tried FOLLOW ME mode and it works, but only if I'm walking/hiking. Then it climbs or descends with you, and also keep you on scene.

On a bike we're too fast even when going too slow and the lag makes it too slow to keep up. I had mixed results even at a moderate walking/running pace.

stratos · Jan 1, 2017

AlexSP said:
Updated the original link with the HD video, much better now. Yesterday did another ride trying different altitudes, everything went fine again. A bird almost hit the quad early on, put it in slo-mo it's crazy LOL.

Birds are quite polite. Everytime I fly and see some bied arpund they just get a little curious but respect and share their space

and I like to respect them also. Good vid mate!

Sent from my iPhone using MavicPilots

AlexSP · Jan 1, 2017

stratos said:
Birds are quite polite. Everytime I fly and see some bied arpund they just get a little curious but respect and share their space and I like to respect them also. Good vid mate!

Sent from my iPhone using MavicPilots

True, perfect flyers and the true owners of the sky! Never had an incident with birds in all these yrs flying, thankfully. Lots of space up there for all of us I guess LOL

MontanaMavic · Jan 1, 2017

I have watched videos with it following a guy on a mountain bike and he was up and down big hills and such and he wasn't controlling it.
Watch this short video. You can see the Mavic drop altitude to keep the same distance to the rider. There was a longer and better one I watched where the biker must have dropped 1000' altitude and the Mavic stayed right there with 100'. of him. I may be wrong and you right, but I have to try and figure this out now. I'll be disappointed if it doest adjust altitude because I live in a mountainous area......
UPDATE : After watching more videos, I think you are right. I don't think it will adjust elevation from ground. Darn it.

AlexSP · Jan 1, 2017

Watched the video and It looks to me like the drone is keeping altitude, but I could be wrong. I've seen some videos where it changes altitude but there's a second person with the controller operating throttle manually.

During my tests - the two videos in this thread - I had to control altitude myself while riding. I had the feeling that if I just kept going it could hit a tree or the canes. You can feel and see it closing in as you climb. Or gaining vertical distance as you descend.

Logger · Jan 1, 2017

Me too. I reckon it maintains altitude which is what is is supposed to do. It is deceptive because the gimbal so smoothly tilts down to track him it gives the illusion of a decent. The giveaway is the subject shrinks as he descends and the drone keeps a constant height. This would be more obvious in the app with green square shrinking.

MavicGuy · Jan 1, 2017

This has been covered in other threads. It does not terrain follow for elevation. The two modes (follow me/active track) do not work together with terrain tracking. It's a if let down for many of us but it is what it is.

Btw. Very brave having it follow through the trees!

Sent from my iPhone using MavicPilots

magnil · Jan 2, 2017

From what I understand Litchi Follow mode can follow the phone/controller altitude. "When set to Mobile device elevation, the aircraft will fly at the altitude set relative to the mobile device elevation which means it will continuously adjust its altitude as the subject moves up or down in altitude."

Only works with Android phone with pressure sensor, hopefully soon on Iphone.

Help - Litchi

MontanaMavic · Jan 2, 2017

Her's some more on the Active Track. It's supposed to work changing elevation only if the active track is set at 30 meters or less. Reports that it works going up or down in elevation. Now I'm really confused. Check this link.

Active Track - Elevation change?

Logger · Jan 2, 2017

MontanaMavic I humbly eat my words. Just did some testing with Active Track -Trace and it does indeed follow you uphill and down dale provided I do not go too fast for it. Had it descend about 40' as it followed me down a hill and climbed again on the way up again. Was not too pretty with obstacle avoidance seemingly causing it to climb but it did work. At the end if the clip an alarm goes off with no message. I suspect my speed (35mph) was too high for it. Please ignore the handsome blob on the dirt bike - but you can clearly see the Mavic height displayed onscreen as it climbs and descends as I go up and downhill. Negative altitudes are due to the home point being further up the hill.

AlexSP · Jan 2, 2017

That's awesome, indeed it changes altitude as vou go up and down that hill. I guess then that as long as we don't overload the AT by pushing too far for speed and altitude it can follow us quite well! Well done mate, let's keep testing and sharing our findings then!

MontanaMavic · Jan 2, 2017

Logger said:
MontanaMavic I humbly eat my words. Just did some testing with Active Track -Trace and it does indeed follow you uphill and down dale provided I do not go too fast for it. Had it descend about 40' as it followed me down a hill and climbed again on the way up again. Was not too pretty with obstacle avoidance seemingly causing it to climb but it did work. At the end if the clip an alarm goes off with no message. I suspect my speed (35mph) was too high for it. Please ignore the handsome blob on the dirt bike - but you can clearly see the Mavic height displayed onscreen as it climbs and descends as I go up and downhill. Negative altitudes are due to the home point being further up the hill.

OK, so just as I figured. I don't think it is changing because it's getting too close to the ground though because notice that when you go down the hill, the quad drops elevation also (Indicated by the down arrow and the vertical speed indicator) It would just continue along at the same elevation because it wouldn't care about the extra distance from the ground because it knows it's not in danger of getting too close to the ground. It is purposely dropping in elevation to keep the same height distance to you the subject. Does that make any sense? They say it works if you keep it with 30 meters.
Thanks so much for the testing. I don't have mine yet and I heard the motorized inner tube they're shipping it on from China encountered a head wind and it is now 6 weeks out.

MontanaMavic · Jan 2, 2017

Logger said:
MontanaMavic I humbly eat my words. Just did some testing with Active Track -Trace and it does indeed follow you uphill and down dale provided I do not go too fast for it. Had it descend about 40' as it followed me down a hill and climbed again on the way up again. Was not too pretty with obstacle avoidance seemingly causing it to climb but it did work. At the end if the clip an alarm goes off with no message. I suspect my speed (35mph) was too high for it. Please ignore the handsome blob on the dirt bike - but you can clearly see the Mavic height displayed onscreen as it climbs and descends as I go up and downhill. Negative altitudes are due to the home point being further up the hill.

How many modes are there in the Active Track. I know of Trace, Profile, and another I can't remember the name of.

AlexSP · Jan 3, 2017

Spotlight. It's kind of Course Lock with AT, this is the one I'm less familiar with too.

Logger · Jan 3, 2017

You can see the three submodes on the opening screen of the video 5 posts up #31
They are the three choices in the RH black border and I have TRACE mode in use.

According to the manual, paraphrasing..

Trace = tries to keep Constant Distance
Profile = tries to keep Constant Angle <- for tracking from side
Spotight = Points at subject, but you must manually move Aircraft to follow along with it.

Trace is the only mode that will avoid obstacles, is the default option and probably the safest to use.

magnil · Jan 3, 2017

What does the slider that is in the middle of the picture do? seems like some kind of rotation?

Logger · Jan 3, 2017

Orbit Left or Right around subject. Wont work very well with fast moving subject.

MontanaMavic · Jan 3, 2017

I just saw a video too that while in Point Of Interest mode you can face the camera any direction you want, and tilt up and down. That would make for some cool pans.

MontanaMavic · Jan 3, 2017

Logger said:
MontanaMavic I humbly eat my words. Just did some testing with Active Track -Trace and it does indeed follow you uphill and down dale provided I do not go too fast for it. Had it descend about 40' as it followed me down a hill and climbed again on the way up again. Was not too pretty with obstacle avoidance seemingly causing it to climb but it did work. At the end if the clip an alarm goes off with no message. I suspect my speed (35mph) was too high for it. Please ignore the handsome blob on the dirt bike - but you can clearly see the Mavic height displayed onscreen as it climbs and descends as I go up and downhill. Negative altitudes are due to the home point being further up the hill.

OK, here's the setting for Terrain Follow. Watch this video at 49:20 and the guy sets the Terrain follow, ten sets Active Track, and it definitely raises and lowers with the terrain.