First flight, lots of questions

98 SNAKE EATER · Aug 28, 2017

Unboxed my new Mavic earlier today, set everything to charge and watched a few more YouTube videos on how to get started

Did the IMU calibration indoors, then compass cal out in the parking lot.

Put all the props back on, fired her up and took to the sky

Having some experience with my old F550 Hex, the controls on the Mavic actually felt very slow, but in a good way cause the footage is far superior than my old GoPro on a 2-Axis FleaBay gimbal

Flew over my shop for a bit, just getting to know the controls

Activated RTH, but cancelled it before it landed itself because it was quite windy out.

Took her up to about 375+ feet, then landed safely as soon as I heard the battery warning.

Great first flight (I'll upload some footage as soon as I get a chance)

Anyhoo, some questions:

1) During the setup process, I noticed the radio kept losing connection.
Turns out the plug for my Note Edge kept coming loose whenever I flexed the hinges for the arms.
I re-installed it firmly, but it still feels kinda hokey.
In the event that it comes undone and loses connection during flight, will the Mavic automagically return to home and land?

2) I feel more comfortable using an original Samsung cable as it's slightly different and fits better than standard Android cables.
Can I just plug it into the USB port in the center instead of using the short cable provided?

3) After sending her up for a little altitude test around 375+ feet (according to the transmitter screen), I started my descent, but it seemed to take forever.
My old F550 would pretty much drop like a rock when I put the left stick down, but the Mavic just took its sweet time even with the stick fully down.
Is this only because it was in GPS mode? (I'm guessing it will maneuver faster in ATTi mode)

4) If I lose line of sight or go out of range for whatever reason, will it automagically return to home and land?

5) What is the largest micro SD card that I can use?

6) How do I turn the camera gimbal left and right?

That's all I can think of off the top of my head, but I'm sure I'll have many more after the next flight lol

LuvMyTJ · Aug 28, 2017

1) yes if you set it up that way in the app. Be sure and set your RTH height higher than surrounding trees/buildings.

2) Yes.

3) There is no ATTI setting, it will go into ATTI automatically if it loses GPS. It descends slow as it is designed for all types of operators so it has been made "fool proof".

4) Yes, if you set RTH up in the app. There are a few options.

5) 64 I believe but I could be wrong. Why would you need anything bigger anyways?

6) You can't, it is automatically done to smooth out the footage.

Keep flying it and you will become proficient in no time. That Go app can be a challenge sometimes.

FollySteve · Aug 28, 2017

Supplied USB cable bus junk. Yes you can use the USB port on the bottom to connect your device. Amazon has short USB cables especially for drones that should be your first purchase. Have fun and plan your flights. Best way to avoid an early crash is to stay above the highest obstacle until you get some practice. Enjoy.

98 SNAKE EATER · Aug 28, 2017

Thanks for the info

I take it the only way I can make the camera turn is with the goggles in head tracking mode?

Here's some footage from the maiden flight:

I've since learned that my laptop is kinda limited to 1080p (4k clips work, but are super laggy in my editing preview), so after putting these clips together, I've switched to MPEG/1080p

YngveN · Aug 29, 2017

LuvMyTJ said:
1) yes if you set it up that way in the app. Be sure and set your RTH height higher than surrounding trees/buildings.

2) Yes.

3) There is no ATTI setting, it will go into ATTI automatically if it loses GPS. It descends slow as it is designed for all types of operators so it has been made "fool proof".

4) Yes, if you set RTH up in the app. There are a few options.

5) 64 I believe but I could be wrong. Why would you need anything bigger anyways?

6) You can't, it is automatically done to smooth out the footage.

Keep flying it and you will become proficient in no time. That Go app can be a challenge sometimes.

Just to clarify a little

1. Losing connection to your mobile device will not affect the Mavic. As long as the Controller still have connection you can still control it and fly like normal. If the RC loses connection the Mavic will initiate RTH after three seconds. RTH behaviour depends on settings in the app.

3. Switching to Sport mode will let you descend faster.

4. Losing line of sight will not affect the Mavic (how would it know?). Losing RC connection: see 1.

Most, if not all of this is well covered in the manual

Cut.Aussie · Aug 29, 2017

Do yourself a favor, go to the DJI website and download the full Mavic user manual, read it all and fully comprehend all the Mavic features.
And yes, the supplied phone cables are crap

FollySteve · Aug 29, 2017

Regarding camera pivot, the Mavic camera is fixed in the forward position. The only way to pitch the camera left or right is to yaw the entire aircraft.

YouTube is a good source of information for learning settings and how to navigate the many menus in the DJI Go 4 app. It takes awhile but with persistence you will be able to find your way around easily. Most videos are pretty good but looking at more than one will help you to separate the good from the bad.

Steve

98 SNAKE EATER · Aug 29, 2017

Thanks again for all the info, fellas

Here's the second (and third) flight doing a little tour of the house....

Thrown together, but I definitely have to work on transitions (my editing software has a crappy preview in 1080)

Question:

I tried using tripod mode, but it said I needed to be flying first.

When I tried it in the air, the icon dimmed and wouldn't let me click on it

What am I doing wrong?