Mavic for Farm Use ? A few Questions:

[BraamMavic]

So I finally made the call to purchase a mavic. I've flown the Syma X5C and SYMA X8HG for a long time now which I'm hoping would have given me enough experience in manual mode to start flying the Mavic safely.

I'm currently installing the software upgrades & calibrating the compass & IMU. I have flown a friends's Mavic before but I plan on "grounding" myself for about a week during which I want to study all I can on the Mavic, familiarise myself with all its features and watch YouTube videos to hopefully learn from other people's mistakes.

So, we own a private Game Farm in South Africa, way out in the bush at least 150km from the nearest town. One of the main reasons I bought the Mavic is to be able to sit at the camp site and fly the drone 5km away to all the waterholes to photograph (and when needed count) the game on the farm. I have a few concerns about flying my drone out of sight though - as mentioned there are no people or buildings I can hit for 150km but I'm concerned for the safety of my drone. So my concerns are the following and I would really appreciate some feedback.

1. Will the drone lose signal to the point of total signal loss when I fly very low (or land in case of emergency) say 5.5km away, due to not having direct line of sight anymore ( lots of bushes & trees between me & the drone) ? The furthest border from camp is 5.5km so I will never fly further than this.

2. In case of GPS loss, will I still have control over the drone and be able to see live video, it's oriëntation in relation to me on the compass, the speed, height, thus enabling me to fly it back manually?

3. In case of a crash / landing at 5km away, will I have the last known GPS coordinates on my phone / remote ?

4. Will I lose anything other than video feed if my phone cable accidentally disconnects from the transmitter during a flight ?

5. Will the RTH button still work during such a scenario ?

6. Will I be able to plug the phone in again & regain video feed during such a scenario ?

Any feedback would be valued.

Regards
Braam

 

[msinger]

Will the drone lose signal to the point of total signal loss when I fly very low (or land in case of emergency) say 5.5km away, due to not having direct line of sight anymore ( lots of bushes & trees between me & the drone) ?

Yes.

In case of GPS loss, will I still have control over the drone and be able to see live video, it's oriëntation in relation to me on the compass, the speed, height, thus enabling me to fly it back manually?

Yes.

In case of a crash / landing at 5km away, will I have the last known GPS coordinates on my phone / remote ?

You will only be able to find the last recorded coordinates. As long as the downlink is connected the entire time, the Mavic will be at the last recorded location.

Will I lose anything other than video feed if my phone cable accidentally disconnects from the transmitter during a flight ?

You will lose all of the data in DJI GO. You'll still have full control of your Mavic though since it's flown with the remote controller.

Will the RTH button still work during such a scenario ?

In a scenario where you disconnect your mobile device from the remote controller? Yes.

Will I be able to plug the phone in again & regain video feed during such a scenario ?

Yes.

 

[Former Member]

3. In case of a crash / landing at 5km away, will I have the last known GPS coordinates on my phone / remote ?

Best to get a GPS tracking device.

 

[BraamMavic]

Thank you Msinger and Thunder Drones !

Turns out my drone is defective anyway. After arriving back home after work ( thinking about the drone all day at work) I installed software updates & did the IMU & Compass calibrations. It then said the forward vision sensor needs to be calibrated. Failed to calibrate manually.I then tried using DJI Assistant 2 to to this - failed to calibrate despite several attempts, restoration of factory settings and reinstallation of Assistant 2 software.

So it seems after buying it in New York ( store on Broadway) and bringing it back to South Africa & only having the drone for two days (no flights taken) I have to ship it back to the US after all. Pretty heart broken to be honest - was planning on using it during a visit to the farm in two weeks. Error messages attached.

Hope Dji will cover this under warranty & restart my Dji Care package from the time I get my new drone...

Such is life I guess.

 

[Davidss]

It seems, from reading many previous postings, that the standard response to 'forward vision sensor problems', especially with a new craft / new user, is, 'have you removed both of the protective clear stickers'?

I know, it seems like an insulting question, but apparently some people have missed that step in the past, and if it is appropriate, it's a very cheap fix, so the question 'has' to be asked.

Regards.

 

[BraamMavic]

Hi Davidss, Yes I have removed those - not a silly question at all.

Also don't have video feed from the camera ever since this calibration issue came about...

Bummer.

 

[BraamMavic]

So in keeping with the original topic of this thread:

1. Is there a maximum "safe" range within which the drone will not lose signal even if there were trees & bushes directly between me & it ? I know it would depend on what type of trees etc but has anybody experimented with this ?
2. The Loc8tor that you recommend - (I assume it is the one that has a 120m range ). Will it not interfere with the compass & other electronics on the Mavic ?

Regards
Braam

 

[BraamMavic]

I also saw this Bluetooth tracker online (Chipolo - How It Works ) . You have to be pretty close ( 60m). Will a bluetooth device perhaps be better suited to be fitted to the mavic in terms of interference ?

 

[msinger]

Is there a maximum "safe" range within which the drone will not lose signal even if there were trees & bushes directly between me & it ?

It's safest to not fly with anything blocking the signal. The Mavic was not designed to penetrate obstacles.

Will a bluetooth device perhaps be better suited to be fitted to the mavic in terms of interference?

No.

If you think you'll need to track your Mavic at a greater distance, then a Marco Polo or one of these trackers would be better choice.

 

[Eric17]

Always remember the flat side of the antennas are what you want pointing toward the drone for best signal, you dont want the tip of the antennas pointing to it! Im still learning alot to, just keep it close for awhile i was surprised i could still see it 800ft out which is the furthest ive taken it so far lol, there definitely is a learning curve and nervousness to flying these, you are already a step ahead by asking questions, most just power it up and fly away only to wreck or lose it. Probably the majority are user error in not correctly adjusting the settings or panicking when something goes wrong.

 

[BraamMavic]

Thanks @ Mavic Help. I really appreciate the fact that I get answers from Dji[I assume?) and fellow pilots on here (and fast !). I should also probably mention that the farm has very limited to no cellular reception since it is so remote. I need a tracker that does not necessarily need cellular reception to locate the drone and one that won't interfere with its instruments. Would you still recommend all the ones on the list you sent ? ( Oh and I won't be penetrating anything - African bush doesn't form canopies

@ Eric : Thanks for the hint - yea I figured that but it isn't obvious to everybody. Yep - drone is still grounded ( although I think I have sorted all the camera & calibration issues thankfully, but "grounding" it myself to give me time to study up.). I want to be as ready as can be when I start flying ( even in beginner mode) and know what to do in what scenario.

 

[Rnl]

Antenna mods. do work, I do the same here but for whitetail deer, turkey, and such. Look on this site plenty to read about it.

 

[Rnl]

Been looking into it the cost with boosters is about $350.00. Here in U.S

 

[Rnl]

From what I've read antenna mod alone not enough for penetration.

 

[msinger]

I should also probably mention that the farm has very limited to no cellular reception since it is so remote. I need a tracker that does not necessarily need cellular reception to locate the drone and one that won't interfere with its instruments.

The Marco Polo tracker would be a good option then. Cell reception is not required since it tracks via a radio signal.

 

[newnan3]

You should look into getting a bright colored skin for your Mavic in case it goes down. Ive found that most animals besides birds have little concern for drones as long as their not super close to them. So a bright yellow thing flying about probably wouldnt bother them.

 

[WIMMPYIII]

So in keeping with the original topic of this thread:

1. Is there a maximum "safe" range within which the drone will not lose signal even if there were trees & bushes directly between me & it ? I know it would depend on what type of trees etc but has anybody experimented with this ?
2. The Loc8tor that you recommend - (I assume it is the one that has a 120m range ). Will it not interfere with the compass & other electronics on the Mavic ?

Regards
Braam

You are over thinking it.
I would not waste the time or money messing with a tracker, 95% of us do not use them and are fine. Not saying they dont work, I just think its overkill.
Put your worries into setting your RTH high above any trees or hills that could get in the way of returning,
Put your worries into preflight checks physical and sensors, check that the mavics first gps and home point is accurate to the map.
Dont run your flights where you are landing with 10% to spare coming back from miles away eventually doing this you are going to get caught in some wind and not make it. Give yourself a good % buffer to make it home.
Dont fly far or at all in 20+ mph wind.
Dont fly in the rain.

 

[BraamMavic]

Good Tip @newnan3 , thanks - perhaps on top & on the arms so as not to obstruct downward sensors.

@WIMMPYIII, you are probably right. I tend to do that. I have set up a 23 point pre-flight checklist (3 of which is regarding weather) so far, constructed a landing platform, built a foam casing for the transmitter ( I feel the sticks get a bit squashed in the standard mavic bag) and building a sunshade. It is getting close to the weekend here and I have been invited by a local farmer where I shoot pigeons to come test the drone on his land. He has a newly harvested field which is flat & open so that should be a good place to start ( even if it is just in beginner mode).

Need to get all in place as my visit to the farm is coming up is exactly two weeks away today * the whole family is obviously very impatient to see pictures & videos of the land & animals from above. I also have 10 trail cameras installed on the farm which gives invaluable information regarding numbers & type of game. The drone will bring me one step closer to a false sense of having "tamed" my piece of Africa. A few pics attached.

 

[BraamMavic]

Apologies for the volume...

 

[toegema]

I also got the same Forward sensor warning when flying for the first time. I calibrated using Assistant but I got the feeling the calibration was not completed successfully as Assistant never gave me an "ok"/" success ".
However, the Mavic seems fine now. Have you tried flying it after the calibration in Assistant, even though it seems uncomplete?