No calibrating has been done, no problems.

JHSlayer · Mar 5, 2017

I'm new to this so just curious. My Mavic is flying great, holds steady and is always pointing the direction it shows on the map. Never calibrated anything out of the box and was never asked to do so. Why are most people saying to calibrate the compass if it's flying great and not telling me to? Just hard for me to mess with anything when there are no problems.

Robbyg · Mar 5, 2017

The only thing I have calibrated is the Compass.
If it was calibrated in China it is going to have a slightly different heading than in North America.

BD0G · Mar 5, 2017

No need to calibrate the compass if it is flying predictably and as intended. There will be a notification within the DJIGO 4 app that prompts you to calibrate the compass if it is needed. It is also a good idea to calibrate the compass without being prompted if flying in an area that is 100 miles or more away from your current flight spots.

SafariMan · Mar 5, 2017

BD0G said:
No need to calibrate the compass if it is flying predictably and as intended. There will be a notification within the DJIGO 4 app that prompts you to calibrate the compass if it is needed. It is also a good idea to calibrate the compass without being prompted if flying in an area that is 100 miles or more away from your current flight spots.

^
This!
(+ only calibrate if asked to or in case of malfunction)

Robert Mitchell · Mar 5, 2017

I've never calibrated anything in over a hundred fifty flights. Out of the box with no prompts and no problems.

JHSlayer · Mar 5, 2017

Robert Mitchell said:
I've never calibrated anything in over a hundred fifty flights. No prompts and no problems.

Not even when brand new?

Robert Mitchell · Mar 5, 2017

JHSlayer said:
Not even when brand new?

Nope. I took the manual literally and it says don't calibrate unless prompted.

JHSlayer · Mar 5, 2017

Robert Mitchell said:
Nope. I took the manual literally and it says don't calibrate unless prompted.

Well that's how I took it too and have yet to do any of them. I just seam to be in the minority. I figure it hovers in one spot, flies the direction it says it is and can find home so why mess with it. I have not gone any great distances from home, but I assume if it's off in any way you'd notice or be told to calibtate even at closer distances.

Robert Mitchell · Mar 5, 2017

JHSlayer said:
Well that's how I took it too and have yet to do any of them. I just seam to be in the minority. I figure it hovers in one spot, flies the direction it says it is and can find home so why mess with it. I have not gone any great distances from home, but I assume if it's off in any way you'd notice or be told to calibtate even at closer distances.

I'm with you on this thinking. I think it comes from times when regular calibration was the only way to keep things fine tuned. Seems as if they have made this much less of an issue with the latest technology. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"... and this is coming from the biggest tinkerer you ever saw.

halley · Mar 5, 2017

Robbyg said:
If it was calibrated in China it is going to have a slightly different heading than in North America.

This is easily and regularly compensated in the firmware. If you know your position on the globe by GPS, then you just compute the correct geomagnetic north vs axial north correction.

No need to calibrate unless it tells you AND you are away from large ferrous objects or high-current electrical lines. I have had the calibration suggestion once. I moved the Mavic off the park table onto the grass and then flew trouble-free.

Kestrel · Mar 5, 2017

Haven't calibrated the compass but did the IMU. It wont let me calibrate the compass.

Fletcher500 · Mar 5, 2017

I have tried to calibrate the compass about 10 times now, and no luck. This includes outdoors, away from my house. I'll give it a try in an open field this week, and hopefully get away from whatever magnetic interference is occurring in my neighborhood.

Scapegoat · Mar 5, 2017

I too have not calibrated anything yet. I've operated the craft about a dozen times now , without incident . I try not to over-think it and just enjoy it.

Fletcher500 · Mar 5, 2017

Scapegoat said:
I too have not calibrated anything yet. I've operated the craft about a dozen times now , without incident . I try not to over-think it and just enjoy it.

I agree, sometimes less is more. But the videos I watched all noted that a cal should be done out of the box. The problem is, at least for me, once you try to do it and it doesn't work, the drone is unhappy so I cant fly it until I can get it calibrated.

Geezer · Mar 5, 2017

My first few flights were out of the box with no problems (albeit in Beginner Mode). DJI Go 4 notified me that I needed to calibrate my obstacle avoidance and landing assist cameras. Once I figured out how to use the Assistant 2 software on my PC, it was a bit fiddly, but did work. Subsequent flights have been likewise uneventful, with the aircraft track, heading, etc. all reflecting actual behavior. Admittedly, it's all been under manual control under 100 meters of altitude and distance, except for a couple of Return Home trials, which brought it back to less than a meter from takeoff point.

SkyRider · Mar 5, 2017

Fletcher500 said:
I have tried to calibrate the compass about 10 times now, and no luck. This includes outdoors, away from my house. I'll give it a try in an open field this week, and hopefully get away from whatever magnetic interference is occurring in my neighborhood.

Make sure that you don't have anything magnetic or a lot of ferrous metal on your person when you do this. It can happen.