Lost drone

[kakao]

Hey fivepac, any news from DJI yet?!

 

[kizbot85]

Sorry to hear mate. I have some tips for you when you get up and running again.

First of all, read the entire manual and look for first time flying / setup tips. There are plenty of videos. Write yourself up a checklist of things to check each and every time before you fly. Even if it's just a quick skim. PURCHASE DJI CARE. Make sure you activate this within the first 48 hours of receiving your drone. It can be done after 48 hours but it's a lengthy process.

Before flying, make sure update firmware on battery / transmitter and drone. Also make sure you calibrate everything that is recommended in the manual removing ALL STICKERS and gimbal lock. Do this in an open area away from metal objects. Take your keys out of your pocket etc. Make sure you get all the clear stickers over the sensors off. Confirm drone is not set to WIFI mode. There is a small switch on the side of the drone under a plastic cover.

I'll list a few things I check before every single flight without even thinking about it in order to make sure my drone is as safe to fly as possible.

When arriving on location

* Remove gimbal lock before powering on Mavic. (To avoid gimbal motor overload).
* Check propellers are secure. (Never remove propellers as this will heighten the chance of you not putting them back on correctly and having issues).
* Press the power button once and confirm 4 green lights.
* Power on or restart phone / ipad disabling unwanted apps. Set phone / ipad to flight mode disabling wifi etc.
* Place Mavic on flat stable surface clear of overhead obstructions, away from metal, confirming propellers are also clear of grass / rocks etc.
* Check wind conditions and preferably fly into the wind so you know you can get back OK. (If worried about wind, fly close to your person into the wind at your desired height in GPS mode and check the speed of the drone on transmitter confirming it is handing the wind OK remembering Sport Mode is an option to get you out of trouble as well as lowering your altitude if needed.
Note : Sport mode uses more battery power as motors are working harder).
* Check there are no mobile phone towers, radio towers, sources of interference nearby.

After powering on Controller / Mavic and launching DJI APP

* Verify high number of satellites connected and no errors present (Green ready to go GPS MODE)
* Verify home point has been set correctly and check location is correct on map. If in doubt, reset the home point before take off.
* Go to battery settings and confirm battery at 100% and check voltage is correct and even across all cells.
* Go to sensor settings (under advanced settings) and confirm all 4 sensor readings are GREEN. (If yellow or red, re-calibrate before takeoff).
* Power on Mavic and listen for any unusual sound.
* Take off and hover for roughly 5-10 seconds at a height of 10m and confirm everything is behaving normally. No drift, errors etc.
* Once you are satisfied then feel free to fly.

A few more general tips.

* Set RTH height at maximum legal height (The higher you are the less likely you are to hit anything).
* Set RTH mode to active when disconnect occurs.
* Check motor shutdown mode and set to "emergency only" in order to minimise the risk of you shutting your Mavid down mid flight.
* Never active RTH mode when beneath an object.
* Attempt to put drone into Sports mode in wide open area and confirm this is activating correctly as this mode may be needed to return in high winds.
* Use the bottom USB connector on transmitter with a high quality cable. Have a spare cable with you at all times in case the cable fails and drone is out of sight. Transmitter displays distance from home point. If unsure where drone is, press RTH once which will point drone in correct direction. If wind is an issue. Put into sports mode, lower altitude if you can safely and fly back with forward throttle while constantly watching distance from Mavic to Home Point value decreasing until drone is visible.
* Write phone number on drone with white paint pen in case someone finds it. (Can use stickers if you can be sure it won't come off during flight, especially over time with moisture in the air etc).
* Don't fly near birds. If a bird shows interest in your drone then immediately land.
* Be mindful of the connection from the transmitter to your drone. Keep an eye on the HD quality and signal quality. I try to stand in an open yet shady area (difficult at times) with preferably line of sight to your drone. Keep facing the drone with the transmitter at all times. If the signal / video streaming value lowers to a dangerous level, immediately move to a more open area and confirm you are facing the drone, try adjusting antenna position up / down slightly and fly drone higher if legally able to do so while decreasing the distance from the drone to yourself.

I have plenty of other items on my check list but these are purely the items that will keep you in the air that work for me. I'm sure I have forgotten a bunch of stuff. The other items and more about checking camera settings, formatting memory card and a bunch of other hand things. I can send you a copy if you like.

Thanks,

Kieran

 

[javelina]

Sorry to hear mate. I have some tips for you when you get up and running again.

First of all, read the entire manual and look for first time flying / setup tips. There are plenty of videos. Write yourself up a checklist of things to check each and every time before you fly. Even if it's just a quick skim. PURCHASE DJI CARE. Make sure you activate this within the first 48 hours of receiving your drone. It can be done after 48 hours but it's a lengthy process.

Before flying, make sure update firmware on battery / transmitter and drone. Also make sure you calibrate everything that is recommended in the manual removing ALL STICKERS and gimbal lock. Do this in an open area away from metal objects. Take your keys out of your pocket etc. Make sure you get all the clear stickers over the sensors off. Confirm drone is not set to WIFI mode. There is a small switch on the side of the drone under a plastic cover.

I'll list a few things I check before every single flight without even thinking about it in order to make sure my drone is as safe to fly as possible.

When arriving on location

* Remove gimbal lock before powering on Mavic. (To avoid gimbal motor overload).
* Check propellers are secure. (Never remove propellers as this will heighten the chance of you not putting them back on correctly and having issues).
* Press the power button once and confirm 4 green lights.
* Power on or restart phone / ipad disabling unwanted apps. Set phone / ipad to flight mode disabling wifi etc.
* Place Mavic on flat stable surface clear of overhead obstructions, away from metal, confirming propellers are also clear of grass / rocks etc.
* Check wind conditions and preferably fly into the wind so you know you can get back OK. (If worried about wind, fly close to your person into the wind at your desired height in GPS mode and check the speed of the drone on transmitter confirming it is handing the wind OK remembering Sport Mode is an option to get you out of trouble as well as lowering your altitude if needed.
Note : Sport mode uses more battery power as motors are working harder).
* Check there are no mobile phone towers, radio towers, sources of interference nearby.

After powering on Controller / Mavic and launching DJI APP

* Verify high number of satellites connected and no errors present (Green ready to go GPS MODE)
* Verify home point has been set correctly and check location is correct on map. If in doubt, reset the home point before take off.
* Go to battery settings and confirm battery at 100% and check voltage is correct and even across all cells.
* Go to sensor settings (under advanced settings) and confirm all 4 sensor readings are GREEN. (If yellow or red, re-calibrate before takeoff).
* Power on Mavic and listen for any unusual sound.
* Take off and hover for roughly 5-10 seconds at a height of 10m and confirm everything is behaving normally. No drift, errors etc.
* Once you are satisfied then feel free to fly.

A few more general tips.

* Set RTH height at maximum legal height (The higher you are the less likely you are to hit anything).
* Set RTH mode to active when disconnect occurs.
* Check motor shutdown mode and set to "emergency only" in order to minimise the risk of you shutting your Mavid down mid flight.
* Never active RTH mode when beneath an object.
* Attempt to put drone into Sports mode in wide open area and confirm this is activating correctly as this mode may be needed to return in high winds.
* Use the bottom USB connector on transmitter with a high quality cable. Have a spare cable with you at all times in case the cable fails and drone is out of sight. Transmitter displays distance from home point. If unsure where drone is, press RTH once which will point drone in correct direction. If wind is an issue. Put into sports mode, lower altitude if you can safely and fly back with forward throttle while constantly watching distance from Mavic to Home Point value decreasing until drone is visible.
* Write phone number on drone with white paint pen in case someone finds it. (Can use stickers if you can be sure it won't come off during flight, especially over time with moisture in the air etc).
* Don't fly near birds. If a bird shows interest in your drone then immediately land.
* Be mindful of the connection from the transmitter to your drone. Keep an eye on the HD quality and signal quality. I try to stand in an open yet shady area (difficult at times) with preferably line of sight to your drone. Keep facing the drone with the transmitter at all times. If the signal / video streaming value lowers to a dangerous level, immediately move to a more open area and confirm you are facing the drone, try adjusting antenna position up / down slightly and fly drone higher if legally able to do so while decreasing the distance from the drone to yourself.

I have plenty of other items on my check list but these are purely the items that will keep you in the air that work for me. I'm sure I have forgotten a bunch of stuff. The other items and more about checking camera settings, formatting memory card and a bunch of other hand things. I can send you a copy if you like.

Thanks,

Kieran

Great stuff buddy! This is worthy of a printout. Many thanks!

 

[daisy-girl]

The first time I sent my drone up about 100 feet, my heart almost stopped. I just knew it was going to fly away never come back. So then I just flew around my backyard 4 feet off the ground till I got a little more comfortable with the controls. I am still a little scared when I send it on long missions, but look at your map next time you get a chance to fly, there is a green line leading back to the home point, point your aircraft on that, and bring it home.

"look at your map next time you get a chance to fly, there is a green line leading back to the home point, point your aircraft on that, and bring it home." -- Yep!

 

[daisy-girl]

look at your map next time you get a chance to fly, there is a green line leading back to the home point, point your aircraft on that, and bring it home.

-- Yep!

 

[daisy-girl]

I’m still on the hunt for something that’ll mimic the Mavic in atti.

Why not fly in Beginner Mode until you feel comfortable with the actual MP?

 

[daisy-girl]

In a crowded neighborhood I, too, would be anxious about getting it up and flying around. You'd be more prone to "spying" complaints and if you needed to come down there are less areas where you could access it. Another neighbor's yard is not easy access. Try to fly in open areas on weekends, near a park or out of the city. It's portable, so easy to take elsewhere and launch.

-- Yep!

 

[wytnyt]

-- Yep!

yup

 

[daisy-girl]

After powering on Controller / Mavic and launching DJI APP

* Verify high number of satellites connected and no errors present (Green ready to go GPS MODE)
* Verify home point has been set correctly and check location is correct on map. If in doubt, reset the home point before take off.
* Go to battery settings and confirm battery at 100% and check voltage is correct and even across all cells.
* Go to sensor settings (under advanced settings) and confirm all 4 sensor readings are GREEN. (If yellow or red, re-calibrate before takeoff).
* Power on Mavic and listen for any unusual sound.
* Take off and hover for roughly 5-10 seconds at a height of 10m and confirm everything is behaving normally. No drift, errors etc.
* Once you are satisfied then feel free to fly.

A few more general tips.

* Set RTH height at maximum legal height (The higher you are the less likely you are to hit anything).
* Set RTH mode to active when disconnect occurs.

Kieran

Totally agree with the above method for "Failsafe RTH."

Kieran, re "Set RTH height at maximum legal height [120m]": If the trees surrounding the open flying area are, say, 50 meters high, would it be a, possibly fatal, error to set the RTH Height to 120m, which would mean the battery would need to traverse an additional 140m (70 above 50 then another 70 back down to 50)?

 

[787steve]

You say hacking I say changing a setting

Lots of things have hidden menus with settings TV's, phones, etc

Would this cancel the DJI insurance in case of a crash?

 

[daisy-girl]

To all new upcoming pilots: I would strongly suggest to get a cheap no-GPS drone (big enough to fly outside, cost about up to 50$) and practice manual VLOS flying in a safe unobstructed area, before flying anything as sophisticated and capable as a Mavic.

Among the best advice in the thread. Alternatively, fly the MP only in Tripod mode until the newbie has mastered the joysticks.

 

[wytnyt]

Would this cancel the DJI insurance in case of a crash?

likely yes if dji finds out,like most,they look for any reason to deny a claim.

 

[NestleQuik]

Hi all. Unfortunately my first post here is to report a lost drone. I'm a complete newbie to drones. My first flight was on Christmas where I just flew it straight up in my yard on beginner mode. I panned 360 degrees for a video and brought it straight down. Yesterday I did the same thing, but took it out of beginner mode to take it higher. I went up to 380' panned for a 360 degree video and went to bring it down. I received high wind alert and magnetic interference alert. I hit RTH and it started to come down. Then it started drifting. After some panicked moments hoping it would come back it drifted out of site. I'm getting disconnect messages off and on and still hoping RTH would work. I looked at the flight record on my home and drop to its last known point. I got permission to search a few back yards and no luck. Later I used the "Find my Drone" feature and it showed the same rough location, but actually gave Latitude and Longitude. If it's very accurate it put it in a tree in a front yard that I didn't check. When I first drove over there my RC said connecting, but didn't. Battery life eventually went to zero, but before it died I think the remote did detect the drone nearby. Is find my drone accurate? Could it have drifted well beyond that last known point and my RC detected it anyway?
As a newbie I shouldn't have done this and deserve any criticism directed my way.
Coordinates: 42.730705 -71.483317

From your coordinates, it shows it right in a tree, if its cold and there are no leaves you should be able to see it dangling up there if it hasnt fallen to the ground already

 

[Haloweenhamster]

From your coordinates, it shows it right in a tree, if its cold and there are no leaves you should be able to see it dangling up there if it hasnt fallen to the ground already

If you read the first page at that point (when he lost connection) the mavic was traveling 10mph at 400ft high so its way past the tree

 

[dan0mite]

Why not fly in Beginner Mode until you feel comfortable with the actual MP?

I’m comfortable with it...and comfort wasn’t the issue. The issue is flying the Mavic in atti...beginner mode does not mimic the MP in atti.

-yup

 

[fivepak]

Hey fivepac, any news from DJI yet?!

Not yet. They said 3-4 business days. With the holiday I was going to wait until Friday before reaching out to them again.

 

[kizbot85]

Totally agree with the above method for "Failsafe RTH."

Kieran, re "Set RTH height at maximum legal height [120m]": If the trees surrounding the open flying area are, say, 50 meters high, would it be a, possibly fatal, error to set the RTH Height to 120m, which would mean the battery would need to traverse an additional 140m (70 above 50 then another 70 back down to 50)?

If your worried about the extra battery consumed just adjust the emergency RTH point battery limit a little higher, say instead of 10% maybe 15% in order to give you a bit more power to get home if need be. A lot is dependent on other factors like wind, distance etc. I always set my RTH to 120m because if I fly somewhere different and forget to check / adjust my RTH altitude correctly for the surrounding terrain (could be buildings etc) I know it's going to clear everything, every time with ease. If you try to fly up to 120m from 60m you will find it will hardly use any battery and probably take the drone 10 seconds to do so so I wouldn't consider it a "fatal error". I'm not an expert on this but it's just my two cents.

 

[HiKen51]

If your worried about the extra battery consumed just adjust the emergency RTH point If you try to fly up to 120m from 60m you will find it will hardly use any battery and probably take the drone 10 seconds to do so so I wouldn't consider it a "fatal error". I'm not an expert on this but it's just my two cents.

I would be more concerned that the battery would ru out while descending from 400’ as that takes quite a while.

 

[kizbot85]

I would be more concerned that the battery would ru out while descending from 400’ as that takes quite a while.

If the drone disconnects due to poor signal, when the drone goes into RTH mode it will go up to 120m possibly allowing you to reconnect as the signal strength will most certainly increase.

 

[Callum]

If your worried about the extra battery consumed just adjust the emergency RTH point battery limit a little higher, say instead of 10% maybe 15% in order to give you a bit more power to get home if need be. A lot is dependent on other factors like wind, distance etc. I always set my RTH to 120m because if I fly somewhere different and forget to check / adjust my RTH altitude correctly for the surrounding terrain (could be buildings etc) I know it's going to clear everything, every time with ease. If you try to fly up to 120m from 60m you will find it will hardly use any battery and probably take the drone 10 seconds to do so so I wouldn't consider it a "fatal error". I'm not an expert on this but it's just my two cents.

I started off with RTH at 120m.

Quickly found it's better to set according to the terrain especially where wind is involved.

It's an extra step before every flight but ensures the mavic is not exposed to unnecessary wind speed in the event of a failsafe RTH.