How many of you do compass calibration before take off?

[JoshuaCarlton]

Are you

What is happening if every time I open the app it shows "Calibrate"?

Are you sure it's telling you to calibrate? Or are you just simply seeing the calibrate button?

 

[mikeGR]

What is happening if every time I open the app it shows "Calibrate"?

You might be getting it because of magnetic interference. Make sure there's no metal objects around your drone, including where it's resting (concrete is usually reinforced with metal slabs in many cases).

 

[mavic6611]

What is happening if every time I open the app it shows "Calibrate"?

Have you tried doing an IMU calibration Jim? That solves most issues. You should try that. It's likely that will cure the problem.

 

[BossBob]

Never calibrated compass or imu since my Mavic turned up because the manual says not to unless the drone asks for it. Vision sensors were calibrated when asked for once.

 

[Ping^Spike]

Wow.... what an eye opener!!

I'm a new pilot, only two weeks in.

I calibrate the compass before EVERY flight!

Why?

Because 'Ty' on the official YouTube DJI tutorials told me to!!!!

But that's it, sod that guy and his smile, I'm going to fly tomorrow and NOT calibrate!

Yeah, I'm kinda worried now lol

But you guys have convinced me, unless prompted by my app, I'll not do it \o/

 

[Tas47]

I'm interested to know if you do compass calibration before every take off or not.

No. Other than before it's first flight in January (when I was prompted to do so) I've not done a compass calibration.
All flights to date have been within 100km from home.

 

[dwallersv]

Never.

 

[MrStark]

Every time I turn my Mavic on it asks me if I would like to calibrate it. To me, what's 20 sec of my time to do it? Plus, in almost every video I've seen online, they all recommend doing it before every flight. Key word :RECOMMEND. Maybe when I fly it again later today, I'll do it without calibration and compare both flights and see if there really is a difference. If my Mavic flies away or something funky happens, I'm going to be pissed... !!!

 

[mark_t]

Every time I turn my Mavic on it asks me if I would like to calibrate it.

If it is actually asking you to calibrate each time then it is faulty.

If you mean it shows you a screen which includes the calibrate option button then that is normal.

Just check the compasses in the sensor section of the app, if they show green then all is good.

If they do not show green then move the Mavic as the odds are you are too close to metal.

Every time you recalibrate there is a chance you'll get a bad calibration, and that will cause problems, so don't do it without cause.

 

[Frits]

I never have since it never asked (I have my Mavic since late November and have done about 160 rock-solid flights).

 

[KaiservonPoopChute]

How did you get the Mavic's battery to last that long?

I had one heck of a tail wind!

 

[swazye]

I do a calibration every time I take a flight. Maybe I'm a little extra but I just do

 

[DonLandis]

My one MP called for calibration after a crash that required repairing the gimbal ribbon. Did it and has been good to go ever since.

I was wondering if when traveling across the continent if the compass will need to be recalibrated. I will go from 6° West to 7° East magnetic declination in a trip. A change of 13°

Wouldn't the GPS signal do the compass correction automatically when traveling?

 

[mark_t]

I was wondering if when traveling across the continent if the compass will need to be recalibrated. I will go from 6° West to 7° East magnetic declination in a trip. A change of 13°

Wouldn't the GPS signal do the compass correction automatically when traveling?

In short, yes, unless the app asks for a calibration, you risk a lot more by doing one than you gain.

Even if you do get a compass warning, always try changing your take-off location before you go straight to a recalibration.

The risk is that you recalibrate near to something that is affecting the compass and then as you fly away from it, the effect falls away and the compass is now wrongly calibrated...

Use the sensor option in the app to see the compass readings, as you move away from something affecting it you'll see the display move from red, to yellow then green.

 

[steezydrone]

For some reason, I thought you always had to calibrate every time prior to flying? (walking around in a circle with the drone, correct?)

 

[Nigpd]

But you guys have convinced me, unless prompted by my app, I'll not do it \o/

Absolutely the right thing to do

 

[mark_t]

For some reason, I thought you always had to calibrate every time prior to flying? (walking around in a circle with the drone, correct?)

It used to be recommended on the early DJI devices, but it stopped being a 'thing' from the P4 onwards, and frankly probably wasn't helping that much for a while before that...

 

[Ping^Spike]

Absolutely the right thing to do

Well, I went for a flight this morning, still learning the ropes but I went further than I've ever been - I was 700m away from my take off point when I hit the RTH button.

Sure enough, she came right back and landed on her own - phew

 

[Nigpd]

Well, I went for a flight this morning, still learning the ropes but I went further than I've ever been - I was 700m away from my take off point when I hit the RTH button.

Sure enough, she came right back and landed on her own - phew

I'll pretend I didn't see the 700m bit

 

[Boog0822]

Calibrated once when it asked me. I tried to launch from a sidewalk and it asked again. I just moved it off the sidewalk and it went away. My mistake...