Creating a Home Point

[Daysie]

Picked up my Mavic Pro yesterday and had my first flight today. I flew the drone without my mobile and just used the Remote Controller. I pushed the RTH button and the drone did not return to me. Do you have to have your mobile connected to the RC to create a Home Point ? Could not find anywhere in the instructions of how to create a Home Point. Looking for advice please.

 

[halley]

If you were in such a hurry to fly that you didn't install a phone/tablet, then you probably took off as soon as the RC controller says "READY TO GO."

Unfortunately, that "READY TO GO" prompt shows up quite a bit before it has acquired GPS lock, so it had no way of recording a home point. The same experiment would most likely work if you wait for about 30~45 seconds after it shows 8 GPS satellites, which is about when you should see "GPS MODE" flash onto the screen briefly. (I really wish DJI would change the controller code to suppress the "READY TO GO" message until after it has positive lock on GPS.)

In addition, if you took off straight upward for at least ten meters, the Mavic would have used its downward cameras to memorize the landing area, so it could fine-tune the landing on its return to the recorded home point.

 

[Daysie]

Thanks for your help, really appreciate it.


Sent from my iPad using MavicPilots

 

[Cyberpower678]

If you were in such a hurry to fly that you didn't install a phone/tablet, then you probably took off as soon as the RC controller says "READY TO GO."

Unfortunately, that "READY TO GO" prompt shows up quite a bit before it has acquired GPS lock, so it had no way of recording a home point. The same experiment would most likely work if you wait for about 30~45 seconds after it shows 8 GPS satellites, which is about when you should see "GPS MODE" flash onto the screen briefly. (I really wish DJI would change the controller code to suppress the "READY TO GO" message until after it has positive lock on GPS.)

In addition, if you took off straight upward for at least ten meters, the Mavic would have used its downward cameras to memorize the landing area, so it could fine-tune the landing on its return to the recorded home point.

Actually the home point is recorded when the GPS health reaches 4. That is 4 bars on the RC.

 

[Bunny Too]

Picked up my Mavic Pro yesterday and had my first flight today. I flew the drone without my mobile and just used the Remote Controller. I pushed the RTH button and the drone did not return to me. Do you have to have your mobile connected to the RC to create a Home Point ? Could not find anywhere in the instructions of how to create a Home Point. Looking for advice please.

The remote does not have a GPS, so you either have to record the home point with the drone (as stated in above posts) or have a device with GPS hooked up to the remote to change the home point when flying, I do not recommend using the controller as home point because if you loose GPS or disconnect the device from the controller, the drone may go for a trip. I always set my home point with the drone and take off vertically to allow the Mavic to get a picture of the landing spot.
Regards,
-d.
Also - if you do a search you can most likely find a you tube video that will walk you through just about anything with the Mavic.

 

[Kilrah]

The mobile device will tell you "home point has been set" vocally but if you don't have one it obviously won't, in which case you should wait for GPS MODE on the remote and look at the aircraft's LED that will blink green fast for a couple of seconds when home point is being recorded.

 

[rb14]

As a matter of interest, I'm soon heading off to the Alps snowboarding. I'll be taking my MP and I was hoping this thread would be the question to which I would like an answer. It isn't, but I don't want to start a new thread.

The question I have is, I'll be launching the MP from the start of my run, but definitely won't want it to return there. Is there a simple(ish) way of predetermining a different RTH point (i.e. the bottom of the run) as a failsafe? Or, if I go to an out-of-the-way (unpopulated) area, can I select that as an RTH point and somehow get it to keep that as a reference, even if it's powered off and on in between times?

 

[JLane]

I do not recommend using the controller as home point because if you loose GPS or disconnect the device from the controller, the drone may go for a trip.

When you reset the Home Point to the RC, you're just setting it to the current co-ordinates of the RC at the time. The Home Point does not follow the RC once set. So losing connection from the device will have no impact. The Mavic will still RTH to the co-ordinates given when you reset the Home point.

 

[Bunny Too]

When you reset the Home Point to the RC, you're just setting it to the current co-ordinates of the RC at the time. The Home Point does not follow the RC once set. So losing connection from the device will have no impact. The Mavic will still RTH to the co-ordinates given when you reset the Home point.

But you can set the you (the controller) as home point and then the home point will float with you, this is helpful if you are launching from one spot and hiking to another, you can see this function in the menu as either the aircraft or you as the homepoint. I have heard of people setting themselves as the home point and then losing GPS in the device, the drone thinks it has exceeded max distance and can take off; there is a thread about this here where the drone flew 5000 meters looking for the controller.
Regards,
-d.

 

[JLane]

But you can set the you (the controller) as home point and then the home point will float with you, this is helpful if you are launching from one spot and hiking to another, you can see this function in the menu as either the aircraft or you as the homepoint. I have heard of people setting themselves as the home point and then losing GPS in the device, the drone thinks it has exceeded max distance and can take off; there is a thread about this here where the drone flew 5000 meters looking for the controller.
Regards,
-d.

Hmmm... Although I can't remember if I've tried it myself, I've seen it stated many times that doing this does not create a dynamic (ie. following) Home Point.

 

[Bunny Too]

Hmmm... Although I can't remember if I've tried it myself, I've seen it stated many times that doing this does not create a dynamic (ie. following) Home Point.

Here is a post that describes what I mean. Setting mobile home point Or I could me completely mistaken, some of this is hard to wrap your head around unless you have the drone in you hand.
Regards,
-d.

 

[Ronpan99]

Anyone know if I should hear/see "Home Point is Set" on the 2nd and 3rd take off if I'm taking off from a launch pad? I'm landing and taking off from the launch pad, but I realize I don't hear warning. Should I assume that the Home Point is already set since it is in the same location as the 1st take off??

 

[JLane]

Here is a post that describes what I mean. Setting mobile home point Or I could me completely mistaken, some of this is hard to wrap your head around unless you have the drone in you hand.
Regards,
-d.

Late reply on my part, but I just saw your post again and thought I'd clarify the question of Dynamic Home Points, in case people are still unsure. The answer is no, the Mavic does not have a Dynamic Home Point feature. I recorded a quick video a few weeks ago to demonstrate what happens when you set a new Home Point to the RC's location:

 

[JLane]

Anyone know if I should hear/see "Home Point is Set" on the 2nd and 3rd take off if I'm taking off from a launch pad? I'm landing and taking off from the launch pad, but I realize I don't hear warning. Should I assume that the Home Point is already set since it is in the same location as the 1st take off??

I can't answer for sure, but rather than guess or assume the Home Point is correctly set, you should always verify it on the on-screen map. The truth is, even if you hear the app say "Home point has been set" that doesn't necessarily mean it's been set correctly. You should have a quick look on the map to see that it's where it should be.

 

[Joely-Bird]

Late reply on my part, but I just saw your post again and thought I'd clarify the question of Dynamic Home Points, in case people are still unsure. The answer is no, the Mavic does not have a Dynamic Home Point feature. I recorded a quick video a few weeks ago to demonstrate what happens when you set a new Home Point to the RC's location:

Presumably if you try this again and set new home point to me (controller) after you walked 10 meters that would work? It just requires manually setting each time? Where the track feature would follow you anyway, you could just set the new home point when you're done.

 

[JLane]

Presumably if you try this again and set new home point to me (controller) after you walked 10 meters that would work? It just requires manually setting each time? Where the track feature would follow you anyway, you could just set the new home point when you're done.

Yes, you can keep resetting a new static Home Point as often as you like, but many people thought that setting the HP to the RC would make it dynamic.

 

[Ronpan99]

I can't answer for sure, but rather than guess or assume the Home Point is correctly set, you should always verify it on the on-screen map. The truth is, even if you hear the app say "Home point has been set" that doesn't necessarily mean it's been set correctly. You should have a quick look on the map to see that it's where it should be.

I just watched that vid. It sorta clear things for me now. So the true home point will always be the green H bubble on the map. I guess if you keep landing and flying on the same spot, it will not need to reset it's home point. Seems like the GPS is pretty precise. I'll test it again if I change my launch pad location.

 

[Joely-Bird]

In addition, if you took off straight upward for at least ten meters, the Mavic would have used its downward cameras to memorize the landing area, so it could fine-tune the landing on its return to the recorded home point.

It does? I had no idea it used the cameras to 'remember' its landing zone... that's some clever s***! I love this little thing!