Help Please: Mavic 2 Pro Lost Yesterday

[Monument.AL]

.....I’ve just completed my RPAS license and this stuff was drummed into us. We had to learn to fly in ATTI mode for just this type of situation (loss of GPS) - and it’s tricky even when you can see the UAV. When you can’t see it - it would be nigh on impossible depending on the wind.
.....
I’m hoping the technology gets better - with parachutes, maybe lidar and other sensors, so that BVLOS becomes possible for more flyers.

I’d also strongly recommend you consider doing the RPAS certification. It’s great fun and you learn a **** of a lot.

I second Shaunh's comments here. Doing the RPAS certification was a real revelation for me and I recommend all drone users invest their time and get certified. I learnt so much and became very much aware of the importance of keeping within the regulations for the sake of protecting the entire drone industry.

As mentioned by Shaunh, parachute devices and technologies such as DJI's AirSense (ADS-B) will make future drones so much safer for the community (both airspace users and citizens on the ground) and will enable automation to enforce local regulations that will help keep us drone pilots out of trouble.

 

[PTBperegrine]

I second Shaunh's comments here. Doing the RPAS certification was a real revelation for me and I recommend all drone users invest their time and get certified. I learnt so much and became very much aware of the importance of keeping within the regulations for the sake of protecting the entire drone industry.

As mentioned by Shaunh, parachute devices and technologies such as DJI's AirSense (ADS-B) will make future drones so much safer for the community (both airspace users and citizens on the ground) and will enable automation to enforce local regulations that will help keep us drone pilots out of trouble.

Thanks for your advice guys, the trouble is that I have NO interest in commercial operation. I've sent CASA some enquiries and I look forward to their reply....

 

[PTBperegrine]

Note in the RTH OA description, OA is disabled during landing. Could that have been what that OA message was about?

RC would have had to be connected to AC for that to be reported.

Note in the RTH OA description, OA is disabled during landing. Could that have been what that OA message was about?

RC would have had to be connected to AC for that to be reported.

Thanks DanMan32, because I'm sitting on a motorcycle, I hand launch and hand catch as the norm so I do fly with Landing Protection disabled...

 

[PTBperegrine]

so, why then OP could not find his model using it? were there some other dependencies that would render it unreliable?

A friend took my controller down to the lookout to try to reestablish control at about 23 min mark and if that didn't work, to try the "Find My Drone" but neither worked. I assumed that this meant a crash had already occurred.

 

[PTBperegrine]

hmm. interesting.
it is exactly what i was asking about, as in many cases it saves the day. the failsafe action is getting executed AFTER the mandatory climb - you set that to 50m something and in many cases it re-enables the link and fixes gps hdop to a correct level, then it would do RTH or landing, if chosen so.

so, in dji settings there is no way to enforce a mandatory climb prior to execution of a failsafe rth or landing? anyway, it was a very good info to know. i could also probably get into same trouble, as i would not expect that.

the GPS puck - is it under the plastic cover on mavic, or exposed out? **** gearbest still did not ship my unit out. can`t wait to get my paws on it.

I'm ordering a Marco Polo tracker from Eureka.com tomorrow - for the replacement...

 

[PTBperegrine]

so, why then OP could not find his model using it? were there some other dependencies that would render it unreliable?

Being stuck in a wheelchair in the carpark was one of the primary reasons that I lost VLOS.. ;p

 

[PTBperegrine]

I hope you find your drone, I had a similar experience where my M2P lost signal well within range. I had flown 3-4 times the distance (same elevation and same location) and had never lost signal. The find my drone function showed a location where my drone should have been and it was roughly 100 meters off when I finally found it. I played and replayed the path my M2P was flying and retraced that path, which led to its discovery just shy of 300 feet away from the location that was shown via the app. I had full signsl connection with GPS, I had "Hover" mode enabled if I had ever lost signal and I was flying well above tree heights. It took me 2 days to locate but to the OP I suggest retracing its flight path (with the help of your kind friends) and work it backwards and hopefully you find where it landed. Mine had crashed into some thick brush (idk since it should have hovered) and I had only broken one of the landing legs off. Good luck

Thanks Gully McBillam, that's interesting about the location inaccuracy. I have accepted that my bird is lost but I have a reward offer and my contact details under all of my batteries, so there's still a small hope. In the meantime, I'm going to order a Marco Polo tracker for the replacement.

 

[PTBperegrine]

When the RC displays "Connecting " there is no connection between it and the AC. Pushing the RC RTH button will have no effect.

I was hoping that the signal was intermittent and that the command might get through. Yeah, I know - drowning man & straws comes to mind. ;p

 

[PTBperegrine]

Great picture thanks! At least now I've seen the view that cost me my drone...

 

[PTBperegrine]

Maybe if it were neon pink or orange it could be spotted in a tree or tangled in a shrubs. But from that angle it looks like a dense jungle!

One of my searcher mates was an army vet with extensive jungle experience and his comment was "You couldn't see more than a metre without cutting stuff". I suspect the National Park would have frowned on that approach..

 

[ilc]

I'm ordering a Marco Polo tracker from Eureka.com tomorrow - for the replacement...

Make sure you satisfy yourself that this product is legal in Australia. I did a quick search and it seems that the 900 MHz ISM band in Australia is 915 - 928 MHz, whereas the Marco Polo operates at 902.5 - 906.5.

EDIT - a bit more digging at it seems that 902.5 - 906.5 is in our mobile phone GSM band.

 

[PTBperegrine]

Make sure you satisfy yourself that this product is legal in Australia. I did a quick search and it seems that the 900 MHz ISM band in Australia is 915 - 928 MHz, whereas the Marco Polo operates at 902.5 - 906.5.

EDIT - a bit more digging at it seems that 902.5 - 906.5 is in our mobile phone GSM band.

Thanks, where do you find this info? Does having the same frequency as a GSM band for a short range emergency transmitter c as use a conflict?

 

[Mavhawk]

Thanks, where do you find this info? Does having the same frequency as a GSM band for a short range emergency transmitter c as use a conflict?

I have the Marco Polo, but I live in the U.S.A. Thankfully, our phone band is way different than the Marco Polo's 902.5 to 906.5. So, we don't have a restriction on that. I'd do your research on that in Australia, but remember to, that the Marco Polo "tag" or little sending unit you put on your drone, doesn't send a signal until you activate it with the receiving device, so that' might help you in that area. I can see where this could be a problem if the bands interfered with each other. Check it all out, and maybe you'll be ok on it. Marc.

 

[PTBperegrine]

I have the Marco Polo, but I live in the U.S.A. Thankfully, our phone band is way different than the Marco Polo's 902.5 to 906.5. So, we don't have a restriction on that. I'd do your research on that in Australia, but remember to, that the Marco Polo "tag" or little sending unit you put on your drone, doesn't send a signal until you activate it with the receiving device, so that' might help you in that area. I can see where this could be a problem if the bands interfered with each other. Check it all out, and maybe you'll be ok on it. Marc.

Thanks Mavhawk!

 

[ilc]

Thanks, where do you find this info? Does having the same frequency as a GSM band for a short range emergency transmitter c as use a conflict?

I went through the same issue some years ago when I was wanting to buy a wireless weather station. The exact same model was one third the price in the US compared to locally, but the frequencies were different.

The initial information I found last night was from an IoT site, but I have managed to find the source on the ACMA site;

800 and 900 MHz bands | ACMA
https://www.acma.gov.au/-/media/Spe...ALI-MS-41---900-MHz-band-plan-docx.docx?la=en

The band is undergoing a restructure, but the frequencies in question don't seem to be affected. So the primary use in Australia for 902.5 - 906.5 is for our cellular network, secondary uses are fixed service (i.e. cellular providers using their own bandwidth) and radiolocation (Dept of Defence and Australian Defence Force).

I don't know what short range emergency transmitter c is, or how the DoD or ADF use their radiolocation services.

I'm not an expert but it seems like the Marco Polo would not be legal in Australia, so you'd have to come to your own decision as whether you were prepared to import it. You would also need to consider the chances of getting pinged by customs, being caught by ACMA, causing interference to the cellular network, the cellular network interfering with Marco Polo, and messing with DoD/ADF. I think the chances of any problems are negligible, but again, I'm not an expert.

I decided against importing a weather station, but it transmits on a regular basis. With any luck your Marco Polo won't have to transmit at all!

 

[PTBperegrine]

I went through the same issue some years ago when I was wanting to buy a wireless weather station. The exact same model was one third the price in the US compared to locally, but the frequencies were different.

The initial information I found last night was from an IoT site, but I have managed to find the source on the ACMA site;

800 and 900 MHz bands | ACMA
https://www.acma.gov.au/-/media/Spe...ALI-MS-41---900-MHz-band-plan-docx.docx?la=en

The band is undergoing a restructure, but the frequencies in question don't seem to be affected. So the primary use in Australia for 902.5 - 906.5 is for our cellular network, secondary uses are fixed service (i.e. cellular providers using their own bandwidth) and radiolocation (Dept of Defence and Australian Defence Force).

I don't know what short range emergency transmitter c is, or how the DoD or ADF use their radiolocation services.

I'm not an expert but it seems like the Marco Polo would not be legal in Australia, so you'd have to come to your own decision as whether you were prepared to import it. You would also need to consider the chances of getting pinged by customs, being caught by ACMA, causing interference to the cellular network, the cellular network interfering with Marco Polo, and messing with DoD/ADF. I think the chances of any problems are negligible, but again, I'm not an expert.

I decided against importing a weather station, but it transmits on a regular basis. With any luck your Marco Polo won't have to transmit at all!

Thanks ilc, my plan is to never have it transmit and if it does, will probably be a remote spot without phone reception. I couldn't find anything else as good/suitable as the Marco Polo unit so will stick with this choice. Thanks for the advice and the insights!