GPS aspects

old man mavic · Jun 1, 2020

@KingRat i do find it somewhat odd that a few days ago you were posting ,things telling us you were not in any way tech savvy ,in fact the words you used were Totally Bewildered
you had just updated to windows 7 ,did not have phone with a screen ,etc yet then you say you have done all this things as a pro photographer, i am just trying to help you keep your drone in one piece thats all, but i dont think what any of us on the forum say to you ,will make any difference, so for me personally i will not be giving any more help to you sorry

Flycaster · Jun 1, 2020

Watch all the vids you can regarding launching from a boat (launching from boats dji drones - YouTube),
Understand fully the compasses (yes, there are two of them) and when and when not to calibrate them.
Make sure you are familiar with everything, read the manual a few times, and practice on land is the best thing I can say. Especially playing with Dynamic RTH and your phone or tablet, whatever your device is.
Oh, one more thing:
You may need a backup/second aircraft on station.......

KingRat · Jun 1, 2020

old man mavic said:
@KingRat i do find it somewhat odd that a few days ago you were posting ,things telling us you were not in any way tech savvy ,in fact the words you used were Totally Bewildered
you had just updated to windows 7 ,did not have phone with a screen ,etc yet then you say you have done all this things as a pro photographer, i am just trying to help you keep your drone in one piece thats all, but i dont think what any of us on the forum say to you ,will make any difference, so for me personally i will not be giving any more help to you sorry

You didn't read it properly did you. What I said about the tech side of things was completely true. Windows 7 is what I have. Shame you are so impatient, or judgemental.

KingRat · Jun 1, 2020

Flycaster said:
Watch all the vids you can regarding launching from a boat (launching from boats dji drones - YouTube),
Understand fully the compasses (yes, there are two of them) and when and when not to calibrate them.
Make sure you are familiar with everything, read the manual a few times, and practice on land is the best thing I can say. Especially playing with Dynamic RTH and your phone or tablet, whatever your device is.
Oh, one more thing:
You may need a backup/second aircraft on station.......

Another link that has been extrememly helpful. Many thanks.

Two compasses.... where do you find out about them? I have been trying to find out about the camera, but none of the videos I have watched says about the aperture. I have been trying to find out how you change the aperture on it and can't find it for love nor money. I am struggling to get sense out of google. You type in a question and it comes back with stuff that is absolutely nothing to do with photography or drones.... I haven't worked it out yet.

Meta4 · Jun 1, 2020

KingRat said:
I have been trying to find out about the camera, but none of the videos I have watched says about the aperture.
I have been trying to find out how you change the aperture on it and can't find it for love nor money.

Of DJI's consumer drones, only the Mavic 2 pro and the Phantom 4 pro have an adjustable aperture.
All of the other models have fixed aperture lenses.

KingRat · Jun 1, 2020

Meta4 said:
Of DJI's consumer drones, only the Mavic 2 pro and the Phantom 4 pro have an adjustable aperture.
All of the other models have fixed aperture lenses.

Blimey, that is going to be a challenge then. f2.8 constantly! Even with NDs fitted it is going to have a high shutter speed. Low light times will help I suppose - long shadows always help for interest.

Detritalgeo · Jun 2, 2020

Youtube can have some tips for you as well, just search for 'drone on a boat' or similar.

KingRat · Jun 2, 2020

Detritalgeo said:
Youtube can have some tips for you as well, just search for 'drone on a boat' or similar.

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I have taken notes from the bottom one.
I think I am going to make a hand landing pad - a helipad on a handle, like a plasterer's mortarboard kind of thing... teatray with the handle underneath. I saw a foam one that is marketed in USA for $150! A 2ft square birch ply disc, or gym mat foam disc..... with a strap below to hold it. I am sure it can be done without too much trouble. The Mavic Air weighs nothing, so it doesn't have to be THAT strong. It isn't going to flex under the weight of a tiddler like that I don't think. Maybe rubber door stops for feet as well, for standing on its own on a flat surface?

Flycaster · Jun 2, 2020

It may be easier to practice on land and hand catching the bird. There on vids on how to do this.
I say this only because the boat your on may be pitching a bit, and trying to land a drone on a handheld platform, while still controlling the bird with the controller, just makes for to much to do at once.
Catch the bird and rotate/pitch it 90 degrees to turn of the motors.

KingRat · Jun 2, 2020

Flycaster said:
It may be easier to practice on land and hand catching the bird. There on vids on how to do this.
I say this only because the boat your on may be pitching a bit, and trying to land a drone on a handheld platform, while still controlling the bird with the controller, just makes for to much to do at once.
Catch the bird and rotate/pitch it 90 degrees to turn of the motors.

Thank you for the input. I have been practicing that, in the garden, but the phone I have been loaned simply isn't good enough to see the screen. So I have put everything away until I can get a decent screen to use first. That is the bit I am struggling to understand - how you get the drone to treat the controller as the home point - yes press the button with the person on it, but apparently not all 'screen devices' work for that mode. I need to know which one(s) will - so the GPS will use the controller/pilot position as RTH, not the take off point.

Someone will give me the name of a definitive tablet to get that will do this, have a decent battery and a screen you can actually see, without it weighing so much I can't hold it (injury issues there). An iPad is too heavy, I know from trying it with a friends drone (he is a commercial pilot) - yes I can fly the drone. No I don't know how to go about setting it up or what to buy to go with it.... I am writing notes in a dedicated notebook to create my own manual and 'hints and tips' pages as a reference guide for me to refer to. So your input has been noted, and I have written it down in my book.
Thank you.