Complete Newbie about to buy his first Drone

[Chris_35]

Hi all

So for a few years now i have been thinking about buying myself a drone, and i think i am about to take the plunge on the mini 2 (i live in the UK)

I have watched dozens of you tube videos and looked online etc and i think i have a fairly good idea of how things work, as well as the rules to where you can and cannot fly etc.

However i have a few things that i cant get my head around, and i apologise in advance as these will be very basic questions.

Basically the last thing i want (and i dare say any of us want) is to lose the drone. So a few things worry me.

1) i know when you take off you can set the (return to home) GPS point. But lets say i am in a field that has maybe a a pylon in it, obviously when i launch it i would then make sure it goes higher than the pylon and then send it on its way. But then if i return it to home, how do you make sure when its coming back it does not then hit the pylon (i am thinking it will be descending gradually), does this make sense?

2) same sort of thing i guess...if you lose signal i have read that it will automatically return to home, what if your say quarter of a mile away and at a low height and it loses signal, would it then just turn around at that height and come home? if so what is stopping it hitting loads of things on the way home? ..probably not explaining myself but say you put it 300ft in the air to start with, send it out a distance then come down to 100ft and it loses signal...would it then return home at 100ft? if it does then would it not hit into things that it obviously was high enough to clear on the way out?

I have loads of questions but they are the 2 that i cant get my hear around so far.

Thanks all

 

[nathankw]

You should always set a return to home height. The drone will first ascend to that height - fly to above the home point then descends.

So for the reasons mentioned it's important to set that high enough to avoid any local obstacles but no so high it's pointlessly going up higher than needed.

 

[Chris_35]

You should always set a return to home height. The drone will first ascend to that height - fly to above the home point then descends.

So for the reasons mentioned it's important to set that high enough to avoid any local obstacles but no so high it's pointlessly going up higher than needed.

Ahh ok...

So would it be a good idea if i am in the field to send it up to a height i know clears everything, look at that height on the screen, then maybe bring it back down and then set the return to home height using that figure i just seen.

 

[nathankw]

Ahh ok...

So would it be a good idea if i am in the field to send it up to a height i know clears everything, look at that height on the screen, then maybe bring it back down and then set the return to home height using that figure i just seen.

You don't even have to bring it down. It's a parameter you adjust in the app whilst flying.

So yeah - I usually have it set to about 50m default. But once I'm up in the air I can check the highest obstacle - add 10m safety margin and adjust the RTH height if needed.

More generally - as a relative drone newbie (just got my MM2 a couple of months ago) the whole system just feels incredibly well thought through. All the scenarios you're likely to encounter have been taken into account and there are plenty of safeguards. It really helps me to feel confident about sending my little buddy out on adventures!

 

[Chris_35]

You don't even have to bring it down. It's a parameter you adjust in the app whilst flying.

So yeah - I usually have it set to about 50m default. But once I'm up in the air I can check the highest obstacle - add 10m safety margin and adjust the RTH height if needed.

More generally - as a relative drone newbie (just got my MM2 a couple of months ago) the whole system just feels incredibly well thought through. All the scenarios you're likely to encounter have been taken into account and there are plenty of safeguards. It really helps me to feel confident about sending my little buddy out on adventures!

Thank you so much, it makes more sense now!!

sorry one more thing, so even if it loses signal the drone will still go up to the pre set height? and then come back?

 

[THE CYBORG]

Hi Chris_35 Welcome to Mavic Pilots.
Yes it will go up to the pre set height on RTH.
New flyer advice,
Wide open space.
Slow & easy
Power-lines & trees are evil.
Don't expect RTH (Return To Home) to save you especially if you are under trees.
Don't forget to read the manual
Download Mini 2 manual HERE
You want an SD card that is U3 for 4K
Most of all have FUN

 

[Chris_35]

Hi Chris_35 Welcome to Mavic Pilots.
Yes it will go up to the pre set height on RTH.
New flyer advice,
Wide open space.
Slow & easy
Power-lines & trees are evil.
Don't expect RTH (Return To Home) to save you especially if you are under trees.
Don't forget to read the manual
Download Mini 2 manual HERE
You want an SD card that is U3 for 4K
Most of all have FUN

Thank you for the advice yea i was planning on a wide open space and taking things real slow for a good while ..

when you say dont expect RTH to save you if you are under trees? what do you mean? does the drone not come back at the pre-set height we have just been talking about directly above the RTH GPS spot and then descend down towards you? if yes then how can it then hit a tree that you have accounted for by setting the height higher?

 

[old man mavic]

@Chris_35 when you set a RTH height then if the signal is lost between the RC and drone then the drone will climb to the RTH height that you set so if it was under a tree and it went into RTH for some reason, it would then climb up into the branches also never take off under a tree as if the drone did go into RTH then it would not know the home point was below the tree ,and would try to descend through the branches

 

[Chris_35]

@Chris_35 when you set a RTH height then if the signal is lost between the RC and drone then the drone will climb to the RTH height that you set so if it was under a tree and it went into RTH for some reason, it would then climb up into the branches also never take off under a tree as if the drone did go into RTH then it would not know the home point was below the tree ,and would try to descend through the branches

Of course....gee i have a lot to learn....thanks

 

[nathankw]

Of course....gee i have a lot to learn....thanks

It sounds complex - but you really don't need to worry.
For your first few dozen flights you want to be well away from trees, pylons etc so that won't be an issue.

And if you're staying within VLOS (which you have to be law) you're very unlikely to lose signal. So play in a big wide space as above - try doing some RTH's just to see how it behaves. Soon it'll all come naturally!

 

[Chris_35]

It sounds complex - but you really don't need to worry.
For your first few dozen flights you want to be well away from trees, pylons etc so that won't be an issue.

And if you're staying within VLOS (which you have to be law) you're very unlikely to lose signal. So play in a big wide space as above - try doing some RTH's just to see how it behaves. Soon it'll all come naturally!

thats a good idea, i will defiantly do that !...makes perfect sense to do first few weeks flying somewhere safe.

You are also right, the line of sight rule should also keep me safe!

Thanks all i appreciate your help

 

[old man mavic]

@Chris_35 you can download the manual for the drone you intend to purchase from the DJI website ,and have a good read ,but really the only way to grasp the actual art of flying, is to get stuck in and practice, practice,practice, you need a quiet spot away from trees and people who could distract you

 

[Deleted member 103366]

(i am thinking it will be descending gradually), does this make sense?

Sorry for the length of this saga but things came to mind as I was typing and they may be useful to you.

Uum there is only one DJI drone that I know of that can automatically make a gradual descent during RTH and that is the Mavic Air 2. To use this you need to be at heights which, unless you flew up a mountain, are illegal in the UK

" as well as more than 290 m higher than the home point"

and even that wll leave a significant vertical descent at the end (if I remember correctly).
The rest use vertical descents after largely horizontal trips home, some may climb to avoid obstacles that were not allowed for in the original setting.

With regards to your second question, at the distance you mention, 1/4 mile, and assuming the loss of signal response is set to RTH, the drone will climb to the specified RTH height (which is relative to the Home Point) before it starts to move towards home. EDIT, just rememebered, some of the new drones will, on loss of signal, "reverse" for 50m before starting to climb to RTH height. I don't know if reverse = straight back or reverse course.
HOWEVER if you are closer then, model and settings dependent, the behaviour can become more complicated and you need to pay close attention to the manual and the nuances of various setting.

In general I think RTH behaviour is one thing that REALLY should be experimented with and experienced BEFORE it is used for real and this should be done in a wide open space. Encountering unexpected behaviour tends to cause 'oh sugar' moments which can send clear thinking out the window.

From my own experiences I have had 3-4ish scares with RTH.
All due to the drone not behaving as expected, note this was not the drones misbehaving, it WAS my not knowing how they would behave!
1) With a P3Adv, on a steep hillside and well below me but close to me, I initiated and RTH, ( blooming stupiditiy on my part), the app asked if I wanted to land immediately, WT-heck, no! cancel RTH and I flew it back manually. The reason....I initiated the RTH when the drone was within 20m of the homepoint, MY MISTAKE. If the drone had landed I would have had a devil of a job getting it back.

2) Mavic Mini, on a calm day over open sea I deliberately flew out to loss of signal (I had checked that the loss of signal response was set to RTH), no worries RTH will bring it back. When I regained signal the Mini was climbing and climbing and climbing, (normally I have the RTH height set to somewhere between 25m and 30m), when I checked the RTH height it was something 260?m (870 odd ft). PANIC. I had missed in the manual that you can stop a climb to excessive height once drone is above 20m by moving the throttle after which the drone will start to fly home. The result, the mini ended up at 870ft. I had the throttle closed for most of the trip home.
The reason, two fold,
a) I must have accidentally dragged the RTH height button whilst changing one of the other limits ( I had flown up over a cliff top so my max height was "way up there", which is what allowed the RTH height to be so ridiculously high i.e. the max possible RTH height is limited by the max height setting.
b) my not knowing that I could stop the climb to excess height.

3) M2P and the real point of my making these comments as it relates to the situation you describe.
I had the drone below and 15m or so from the home point. My house was between the drone and the home point. I initiated an RTH expecting the drone to land, it didn't, it started a vertical climb. That unnerved me but I thought "ok it's going up to RTH height and I will go around the house and bring it down once it's over the HP". It DIDN'T go up to the RTH height, it climbed until it was about 1m above the roof at the point and then started to move towards the home point. "Oh SUGAR", that course at that height would take it straight into a tree. I cancelled the RTH.
The reason, there is a setting in the Go4 app which relates to distance and height
" If the aircraft is between 5 m and 20 m from the Home Point when the RTH procedure begins: i. If the RTH at Current Altitude option is enabled the aircraft flies to the Home Point at the current altitude, unless the current altitude is less than 2 m, in which case the aircraft ascends to 2 m and then flies to the Home Point at a speed of 3 m/s.ii. If the RTH at Current Altitude option is disabled, the aircraft lands immediately ".
It was on, I did not know of its ramifications and it applied to the situation I was in. In addition the obstacle avoidance kicked in, as it saw the house, and the drone climbed until it had a 'clear flight path' i.e just over roof level, etc etc

2) Robbed me of all common sense until the drone was on its way back. Once the mini had climbed into solid signal connection I could have cancelled the RTH but was too flustered to think of that.

Two other RTH oddities,
1) be aware of what changes the homepoint, you can do it by choice or unintentionally.
With the Phantom I did a deliberate mid air motor stop and restart (over the sea) (DONT NOT TRY THIS YOURSELF) I lost sight of it during the free fall so once it was hovering I initiated an RTH. I was asked if I wanted the drone to land? Why, the restart had reset the homepoint to the line of fall and that was 200ft off shore. Momentary "oh dear" but I cancelled the RTH and either used the map or screen image to bring it home.
2) What happens if you had the loss of signal response set to either land or hover and, in the instance of "land" the drone rjeject the landing site? It hovers. If left hovering and control is not regained it will hover until the low battery RTH kicks in and then RTH, I have tried this with the Mavic Mini by setting the reponse to hover and switching the controller off, and it did hover until the low battery RTH was triggered then RTH'd. I switched the controller on as soon as the RTH started, I regained control before the drone landed and cancelled the RTH and landed manually

 

[DanMan32]

Besides the manual, also go through the release notes. DJI often makes changes in firmware/app and doesn't update the manual. RTH behavior is a prime example. Used to be 20m (60ft) distance is point where RTH will either return at current altitude or land. If return at altitude, then land is at 5m distance.

But with Air 2, they made it 50m instead of 20m.

Do safe tests/experiments for what you're not quite sure of. Since you're asking about RTH and failsafe, test it out. Go into a big field, take it out 100m and say 20m high, then engage RTH. Since RTH at close distances is mentioned, try it at 15m and 4m. If there's nothing between you and it at these distances, it can't run into anything.

Nothing better than first hand experience.

 

[African wildlife]

Hi Chris_35. I'm also based in the UK and I remember what it was like before getting our first drone - a P4P+, to which we've just added the Mini 2, which is a great little drone (even as an additional tool for certain professional usage).

There's a lot of good advice above. I took it carefully, step-by-step, with my first flight being straight up to about 1m or 3ft, hovering for 10 seconds, then landing. I've only ever had to use RTH once (and then I manually flew it back most of the way). Be in control at all times. In fact, unless a filming situation is urgent, I still takeoff, go up to 2m or so, hover for a few seconds, then properly begin; if anything was to go wrong with the drone (which so far it never has), it might show up at this early stage, in which case I could immediately land safely.

Your Mini 2 will come already pre-set to a RTH height of 100m. This is a good all-round safety height, which you could adjust upwards if your circumstances are unusual.

Here's my super-simple bit of advice: If you get into trouble, just take your hands off the control sticks. The drone will stay put, hovering, because of GPS. This will buy you a few seconds, or a minute or two, to calm your brain down and start thinking logically again.

Another small tip, when the drone is almost back to you, I turn it around so that the front is facing away from me - as was the case when I took off. This eliminates any mental disorientation. Habit, when good, is something helpful (and a pain in the backside when not).

Finally, as you become experienced and more confident, don't lose that early caution. Complacency is always an unhelpful thing - whether in a loving relationship or whilst flying a drone. Remain fresh, as you are now with regards to drones.

 

[Deleted member 103366]

pre-set to a RTH height of 100m. This is a good all-round safety height, which you could adjust upwards if your circumstances are unusual.

I am sorry but I think that is bad advice, on several counts.

1) it may put the drone up into strong wind, this is perhaps not as significant consideration with the mini 2 as it is with the Mavic Mini but the Mini 2 isn't a gale beater.
2) a set and forget, clear all, setting may encourage laxness in looking out for possible problems especially if you get drawn into an unintended flight path i.e. "oh that looks interesting, I will just take a quick look".
3) excessive height wastes power in both the climb and the descent and yes I have had a few flights where I have been watching the charge as the drone descends

 

[Chris_35]

Thank you all so much for your replies, so much to take it but i have learnt so much just from these replies alone.

One more thing (trying to keep it all in one thread so i don't take over the forum)

I was thinking about holding off buying one until lockdown in th UK is over. As i dont think I would get away with saying drone flying is an "essential" reason i am out if Mr policeman seen me. So didnt see the point in eating into the guarantee if its just sat at home

However i was watching a you tube video the other day on the new laws that came into affect and forgive me but if this sounds vague but he said something like, if you get the Mini 2 now before its catergorised then even after 2023 you can still fly the drone in the A1 catergory.

What did he mean by this and am i risking anything by holding of purchasing a few months to when hopefully lockdown will be over.

 

[hawkinsuk]

Welcome to the group. I, too, am in the UK and fly the Mavic Mini 1. Great piece of kit. Never mind eating into the guarantee period, you’re morale is much more important and I sense that getting the Mini 2 will do lots of that Two suggestions: The first one is to buy the combo kit; it will give you extras that are noy really extras at all but essentials. The second is that you will find out about the insurance policy that DJI run (I think it’s about £65) and you should get it and then you have the peace of mind of knowing that if you prang your drone, it’ll be fixed. Someone earlier advised just practicing in an open space with Return to Home. It’s good advice; not so much to learn how to do it (easy) but to develop your confidence in it. It’s very effective and sorted me out on a few occasions. Good luck and get on with it!! Mike

 

[Dbez1]

Sorry for the length of this saga but things came to mind as I was typing and they may be useful to you.

Uum there is only one DJI drone that I know of that can automatically make a gradual descent during RTH and I that is the Mavic Air 2. To use this you need to be at heights which, unless you flew up a mountain, are illegal in the UK

" as well as more than 290 m higher than the home point"

and even that wll leave a significant vertical descent at the end (if I remember correctly).
The rest use vertical descents after largely horizontal trips home, some may climb to avoid obstacles that were not allowed for in the original setting.

With regards to your second question, at the distance you mention, 1/4 mile, and assuming the loss of signal response is set to RTH, the drone will climb to the specified RTH height (which is relative to the Home Point) before it starts to move towards home.
HOWEVER if you are closer then, model and settings dependent, the behaviour can become more complicated and you need to pay close attention to the manual and the nuances of various setting.

In general I think RTH behaviour is one thing that REALLY should be experimented with and experienced BEFORE it is used for real and this should be done in a wide open space. Encountering unexpected behaviour tend to cause 'oh sugar' moments which can send clear thinking out the window.

From my own experiences I have had 3-4ish scares with RTH.
All due to the drone not behaving as expected, note this was not the drones misbehaving, it WAS my not knowing how they would behave!
1) With a P3Adv, on a steep hillside and well below me but close I initiated and RTH,( blooming stupiditiy on my part), the app asked if I wanted to land immediately, WT-heck, no! cancel RTH and I flew it back manually. The reason....I initiated the RTH when the drone was within 20m of the homepoint, MY MISTAKE. If the drone had landed I would have had a devil of a job getting it back.

2) Mavic Mini, on a calm day over open sea I deliberately flew out to loss of signal (I had checked that the loss of signal response was set to RTH), no worries RTH will bring it back. When I regained signal the Mini was climbing and climbing and climbing, (normally I have the RTH height set to somewhere between 25m and 30m), when I checked the RTH height it was something 260?m (870 odd ft). PANIC. I had missed in the manual that you can stop a climb to excessive height once drone is above 20m by moving the throttle after which the drone will start to fly home. The result the mini ended up at 870ft. I had the throttle closed for most of the trip home.
The reason, two fold,
a) I must have accidentally dragged the RTH height button whilst changing one of the other limits ( I had flown up over a cliff top so my max height was "way up there", which is what allowed the RTH height to be so ridiculously high i.e. the max possible RTH height is limited by the max height setting.
b) my not knowing that I could stop the climb to excess height.

3) M2P and the real point of my making these comments as it relates to the situation you describe.
I had the drone below and 15m or so from the home point. My house was between the drone and the home point. I initiated an RTH expecting the drone to land, it didn't, it started a vertical climb. That unnerved me but I thought "ok it's going up to RTH height and I will go around the house and bring it down once it's over the HP". It DIDN'T go up to the RTH height, it climbed until it was about 1m above the roof at the point and then started to move towards the home point. "Oh SUGAR" that course at that height would take it straight into a tree. I cancelled the RTH.
The reason, there is a setting in the Go4 app which relates to distance and height
" If the aircraft is between 5 m and 20 m from the Home Point when the RTH procedure begins: i. If the RTH at Current Altitude option is enabled the aircraft flies to the Home Point at the current altitude, unless the current altitude is less than 2 m, in which case the aircraft ascends to 2 m and then flies to the Home Point at a speed of 3 m/s.ii. If the RTH at Current Altitude option is disabled, the aircraft lands immediately ".
It was on, I did not know of its ramifications and it applied to the situation I was in. In addition the obstacle avoidance kicked in, as it saw the house, and the drone climbed until it had a 'clear flight path' i.e just over roof level, etc etc

2) Robbed me of all common sense until the drone was on its way back. Once the mini had climbed into solid signal connection I could have cancelled the RTH but was too flustered to think of that.

Two other RTH oddities,
1) be aware of what changes the homepoint, you can do it by choice or unintentionally.
With the Phantom I did a deliberate mid air motor stop and restart (over the sea) (DONT NOT TRY THIS YOURSELF) I lost sight of it during the free fall so once it was hovering I initiated an RTH. I was asked if I wanted the drone to land? Why, the restart had reset the homepoint to the line of fall and that was 200ft off shore. Momentary "oh dear" but I cancelled the RTH and either used the map or screen image to bring it home.
2) What happens if you had the loss of signal response set to either land or hover and, in the instance of "land" the drone rjeject the landing site, it hovers. If left hovering and control is not regained it will hover until the low battery RTH kicks in and then RTH, I have tried this with the Mavic Mini by setting the reponse to hover and switching the controller off, and it did hover until the low battery RTH was triggered then RTH'd. I switched the controller on as soon as the RTH started, I regained control before the drone landed and cancelled the RTH and landed manually

Great and very thorough information but you must read the above carefully and if you don’t understand parts of it, either ask questions here or send him a private message asking for clarification, specifically for the drone that you are buying.
Simply put...a Mini gives you 3 choices if you lose contact or that you can manually initiate at any time during the flight: 1. RTH (you set the desired height before or during your flight), 2. HOVER in place, 3. LAND wherever the drone currently is. Each has a different circumstance in which it should be used.

To answer one of your earlier questions, when RTH is initiated, the drone goes straight up to your specified height and returns to directly above your launch point, pauses for a few seconds, and comes straight down, (not like an airplane landing). However, if the drone is already pretty close to you, it’ll just land where it is. Enjoy your new hobby!

 

[Chris_35]

@Dbez1 I agree, all of the replies have been super helpful i am grateful to all that has answered