Hover a while!

[baddog]

Wondering how important it is to hear the lady say "your home point has been updated?"

If it does not update it's current home point on takeoff and you fly out and away, say 2000 ft, and all of sudden it jumps in a RTH, because of a loss of connection, it will attempt it last know RTH location. If you were on vacation in Hawaii and you are now in NYC, your drone is going to try it's best to go back to Hawaii

 

[01Flyer01]

You are right. I've started a course for my srudents at Orion College in Amsterdam the Netherlands. I told my students to make a checklist first. Most of our students have the benefit of thuis rules. We have less accident sinterklaas they made in.
Success Fred

 

[umanbean]

it will attempt it last know RTH location. If you were on vacation in Hawaii and you are now in NYC, your drone is going to try it's best to go back to Hawaii

Ummm, sorry, but no...

When a DJI drone is powered off, it totally forgets its last RTH location. If it flies away when rth is activated, it's for some other reason

 

[Meta4]

If it does not update it's current home point on takeoff and you fly out and away, say 2000 ft, and all of sudden it jumps in a RTH, because of a loss of connection, it will attempt it last know RTH location. If you were on vacation in Hawaii and you are now in NYC, your drone is going to try it's best to go back to Hawaii

That's incorrect and impossible.
As mentioned above, the homepoint is lost when you power off.
The drone will record a new homepoint as soon as you get good GPS location data after powering up again.
If you wait for GPS and to record the homepoint before launching, that homepoint will be where you launch.

If you are impatient and launch early, the drone will record a homepoint when (and where) it does get good GPS location data.
That might be a few hundred feet from where you launched and possibly somewhere you definitely do not want the drone to try returning to.

 

[baddog]

That's incorrect and impossible.
As mentioned above, the homepoint is lost when you power off.
The drone will record a new homepoint as soon as you get good GPS location data after powering up again.
If you wait for GPS and to record the homepoint before launching, that homepoint will be where you launch.

If you are impatient and launch early, the drone will record a homepoint when (and where) it does get good GPS location data.
That might be a few hundred feet from where you launched and possibly somewhere you definitely do not want the drone to try returning to.

Not if it looses GPS lock before it gains a home point and even at that rate, it is still not going to return to its original landing point.

I had it happen to me. I took off on a flight, I did hang for a minute to make sure I could move in all directions, and because volume was off on the device, I just assumed RTH point was locked in as usual, I know, my bad.

I flew out about 800 ft, at about 200 ft AGL and dropped down to get a better view of POI. Lost site of my drone behind some trees as expected but I knew I was only going to be a few seconds. I then attempted climb back above the tree line but it never ascended upwards. I then realized my screen was frozen. Switched from P-mode to Atti, then back to P-mode. regained connection to the camera, hit return to home and the drone started heading away from me but at its assigned return to home height of 200ft AGL. I was able to cancel the RTH and flew back manually.

I assumed it was heading for its last recorded RTM location.

 

[umanbean]

I just assumed RTH point was locked in as usual,

I assumed it was heading for its last recorded RTM location.

Assumed? - not really a good idea

 

[Meta4]

Not if it looses GPS lock before it gains a home point and even at that rate, it is still not going to return to its original landing point.

I had it happen to me. I took off on a flight, I did hang for a minute to make sure I could move in all directions, and because volume was off on the device, I just assumed RTH point was locked in as usual, I know, my bad.

I flew out about 800 ft, at about 200 ft AGL and dropped down to get a better view of POI. Lost site of my drone behind some trees as expected but I knew I was only going to be a few seconds. I then attempted climb back above the

I assumed it was heading for its last recorded RTM location.

Your assumption was incorrect.
It works exactly as I explained above.

It's hard to understand your incident description, but it didn't happen the way you think it did.

 

[VenomXts]

is annoying as hell, but just wait for 8 sats... always.

 

[Meta4]

is annoying as hell, but just wait for 8 sats... always.

There is no magic number.
It will often require more than 8.
Wait till the home point is recorded, not a number is data.

 

[VenomXts]

There is no magic number.
It will often require more than 8.
Wait till the home point is recorded, not a number is data.

I can only speak for an air 2, but once I get 8 and the fly app goes from yellow to white and when I ascend the homepoint updates. I do believe 8 is the magic number at least for the air 2 and flyapp.

 

[Meta4]

I can only speak for an air 2, but once I get 8 and the fly app goes from yellow to white and when I ascend the homepoint updates. I do believe 8 is the magic number at least for the air 2 and flyapp.

There is NO MAGIC NUMBER.
Not for any drone.
The actual number varies with the spread of satellites in hour sky.
Wait until the drone's flight controller is satisfied that the GPS data is good and it records the home point.

 

[VenomXts]

There is NO MAGIC NUMBER.
Not for any drone.
The actual number varies with the spread of satellites in hour sky.
Wait until the drone's flight controller is satisfied that the GPS data is good and it records the home point.

Sure, I am just saying its normally 8 where I fly normally.

 

[Meta4]

Sure, I am just saying its normally 8 where I fly normally.

And I'm just saying that there's no normally and your location makes no difference.

 

[VenomXts]

Congratulations you win, takes a lot for me to realize someone need to be right on a forum.

 

[Meta4]

Congratulations you win, takes a lot for me to realize someone need to be right on a forum.

It takes a lot for facts to get through to you.
People believe what they read here, so I was trying to correct the misinformation.
It took more effort than I expected.

 

[Deleted member 103366]

I did hang for a minute to make sure I could move in all directions, and because volume was off on the device, I just assumed RTH point was locked in as usual, I know, my bad.

Does the drone itself not give a visual indication, through a specific LED flash sequence, that it has just set or reset the home point?

 

[jaswalt]

I get the weekly updates on favorite posts. So many outline a mishap after starting power, and start flying.
I fly planes for work... after starting there is always a checklist to run through. Takes some time and makes the line guys tap their feet and look bored... before you start to taxi.
I suspect if drone pilots hovered a while... ran through an appropriate checklist and then continue to climb, they would lose less drones.

I agree 100%. I personally like to make people look bored. I don't fly planes (yet), but have no problem disappointing any audience that gathers to see what I'm going to do with my drone. After all, they aren't the ones that are going to pay to repair or replace anything that needs it should impatience lead to calamity. While I have never experienced loss or damage to equipment, I have had a drone do something unexpected when I failed to do appropriate checks once in a stable hover, and it was not a great feeling.