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Automated orbit (“circle”). radius

Lister

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Automated orbit (“circle”) radius: how far away from the target can the drone be in circle mode? IE what radius for the circle?

Will it lock on to large objects? Like a structure? Or a tree?
 
Automated orbit (“circle”) radius: how far away from the target can the drone be in circle mode? IE what radius for the circle?

Will it lock on to large objects? Like a structure? Or a tree?
I can tell you I've tested it on a large object (house) from a little less than a thousand feet or so out. It appears to maintain the same radius from the center point you select. In other words the same distance you are from the object will be maintained and it will finish in its original position. Took longer than you'd expect to do it from a distance.

My thinking is no matter the distance if it can lock on when selected it will orbit that object.
 
I can tell you I've tested it on a large object (house) from a little less than a thousand feet or so out. It appears to maintain the same radius from the center point you select. In other words the same distance you are from the object will be maintained and it will finish in its original position. Took longer than you'd expect to do it from a distance.

My thinking is no matter the distance if it can lock on when selected it will orbit that object.
Excellent! Thank you.
 
Test it somewhere safe BEFORE you use it for real. Bear in mind you have no collision avoidance sensors.
 
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Test it somewhere safe BEFORE you use it for real. Bear in mind you have no collision avoidance sensors.
This is something we all have to remember. I once started and saw my tree would be in the way so aborted and raised my altitude.
 
I want to be able to do a circle round a building, but when I am nowhere near the building.
eg quickshot circle round a remote object.
Is this what you are talking about ?
Do I start the quickshot circle when I am over the centre of the building, or on the edge of the circle?
Will the circle be at the altitude I am when I begin it, or will it rise first.
None of the tutorials show circle round a remote object, and they all seem to start local to the operator, then rise to the circuit altitude, then do the circle.
 
So you can start the circle anywhere (doesn't have to be near you) and the focus can be anywhere - usually below the level of the drone (ie the camera is angled slightly down).

The drone will then execute a circle with the focus at the centre and the edge of the circle starting at the drone's position - mainaining the same height as when you locked on.

So the radius of the circle will be whatever the initial distance from drone to focus is.
If the focus is many 10s of meters away the circle will be very large and could take a long time to complete.

The focus can be something large but obviously needs to remain visible at all angles.

But obviously you need to be able to see you drone at all times throughout the circle - both because that's the law and because you need to see if it's going to crash into something.
 
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Standing 30m away from my van, I identified it to my Mini2 as the “target”, or center of the circle, with the Mini2 at about 30m altitude and about 30m from the van. The start point wasn’t near me.

It successfully completed the circle operation, taking about 45 sec.
 
Thanks Nathankw and Lister.
There is a superb ruined castle near here, I have flown over it, and in to it, but I want to do a circle route around it. It is closed to the public, and has a fence all round it.
So I stand in the nearby field, fly towards one of the turrets, then at some distance away from the turret, and above the height, I point at the centre of the castle and do quickshot, circle, select the target as one of the high turrets, and off we go. Right?

It has an empty forecort in the centre, so nothing really to use as a centre point for the target, so it will have to be a high turret.
I've already got basic video of it on you tube.

I am going to practice the circle mode in a field first!
 
So I stand in the nearby field, fly towards one of the turrets, then at some distance away from the turret, and above the height, I point at the centre of the castle and do quickshot, circle, select the target as one of the high turrets, and off we go. Right?
Right. You may have to keep enough altitude to maintain a VLOS between you and the Mini so you don't lose the signal behind a turret for too long or the mini may go into RTH. Also keep hands off the sticks or the Quickshot will terminate.
 
"I am going to practice the circle mode in a field first!"

That's what I did with my van shot. A test, basically, free of obstructions.
 
I’m having issues with circling a building. It seems to set the center of the circle on the closest wall to me, not the center of the building. In the photo below, I tried a circle and boomerang around me. The circle of the barn was unsuccessful. The trees on the opposite side of the barn were a problem for the collision sensors.
 

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