Is Mavic Air Active Track really that useless?

adrianoaurelio · May 8, 2018

Just_nick said:
Active Track on any DJI is fairly useless for any sort of extended following or complex maneuvers, and is good only for very short shots. If you watch Casey Neistat's videos, you can actually see the drones go smash into something when he does the active track.

Once you realize it’s logic, it will work very well. No sharp turns it’s the main advice.

Take a look of my videos (on another reply of this conversation)

adrianoaurelio · May 8, 2018

p3eps said:
I'm more worried about having to stash a controller with a phone jammed into it into my small backpack... or an unlocked phone into my pocket to be honest. Is there an easier way of doing this?

As I replied in another post, the best way is to use just phone with no RC (WiFi mode). It will give you a range of about 80m and you can hide the phone very easily.

I use an iPhone, and I can manage to lock all the phone with three fast clicks on the home button (Assisted “something” is called). This way it will avoid unwanted inputs while on pocket or backpack. Three fast clicks again and it’s unlocked.

(Unfortunately DJI go does not work on background - while phone is idle - so I had to find this workaround)

adrianoaurelio · May 8, 2018

LivinLarge said:
My understanding is that active track will adjust its altitude to follow a subject going uphill. If you are going downhill, it will maintain altitude and not descend.

You are right.

LivinLarge · May 8, 2018

adrianoaurelio said:
You are right.

This is what it says in the Mavic Pro manual:

I did see video where the pilot used something to hold the throttle down to make it descend while following. I saw another where the user said it would descend if active track was in profile mode. I will have to try this. There are many sports where the subject is dropping in altitude and it would be great if the aircraft could follow them.

tcope · May 9, 2018

adrianoaurelio said:
You are right.

He is wrong. It will descend.

Edit: Sorry, I should have qualified this... the drone needs to be low enough for the ultra sonic sensors to be working. If they are, it will descend to maintain altitude.

tcope · May 9, 2018

LivinLarge said:
This is what it says in the Mavic Pro manual:
View attachment 37526
I did see video where the pilot used something to hold the throttle down to make it descend while following. I saw another where the user said it would descend if active track was in profile mode. I will have to try this. There are many sports where the subject is dropping in altitude and it would be great if the aircraft could follow them.

That is Terrain Mode, not Active Track. two different modes.

p3eps · May 9, 2018

Again - thanks to everyone for taking the time to reply.
I appear to have inadvertently started a sentence with "follow me is not my primary function". I meant having the MA follow me... not using the specific Follow Me function - so apologies for the confusion. I am well aware that the MA does not have Follow Me.

Some say yes, some say no as to whether Active Track will descend... however my plan was to put the MA away from the mountain a little bit, and it track me side to side as I descent. If the MA doesn't descend, then I'm hoping that the camera / gimbal will still track me as I descend a bit. The only way I'm going to know if my idea works is to try it out!

Some great Active Track videos posted above. Thanks for sharing, as it lets me see the potential the MA has.
I know the mode in the iPhone mentioned above, as I have this enabled for the odd occasion I give it to my 3 year old to keep her quiet! It's called Guided Access. It saves her coming out of the video I give her and playing with my phone. I can see this as being a good option for sticking my phone in my pocket when using the Active Track.

Stingray 101 · May 9, 2018

Got it tracking my sons' sailboat reasonably well over a lake - I think it helps to track an object that is distinctive against it's background but it still got confused with other boats crossing.

Also got it tracking a farm sprayer despite poor dusk light. Again good contrast and I got a signal/range warning but I never lost tracking.

I'd happily trade all the tracking/smart features for an autonomous mode like Cable-cam - really miss that on the Air!

godiva92 · May 12, 2018

Honestly MA active track or follow me kind of the same, this is already best tracking drone you can possible get in the market for price less than $1500! Trust me I had phantom 4, Mavic Pro, Mavic Platinum and Spark, but NONE of them has better track abilities than Mavic Air. So instead of buying Mavic Pro may be rumour Mavic 2, you should study well how such active track work and is short coming. In today technology basically it is difficult to ask a drone track the object same time but with tons of back and fore ground need to differentiate, I not even mention need to do object avoidance as well. May be yes but definitely not affordable.
You can safely track from a moving object like bike riding in an OPEN area for speed less than 20km/h, if you have Spark thats down to 13km/h. All with RC connection NOT your phone and I am much sure next you try connect only your phone to MA will end up fly away.

tcope · May 12, 2018

godiva92 said:
Honestly MA active track or follow me kind of the same...

They are not at all the same. Active Track using software and the camera to track an object, Follow Me uses the display devices GPS.

godiva92 said:
this is already best tracking drone you can possible get in the market for price less than $1500! Trust me I had phantom 4, Mavic Pro, Mavic Platinum and Spark, but NONE of them has better track abilities than Mavic Air.

They are all the same. They all use the same DJI app/software to track the object.

This does not mean the tracking is good, it's not. Visual Studios had better software tracking on the Phantom 3 then what is currently available on the P4 and Mavics.

Memyselfandi · May 12, 2018

Hello,

Just got my MA a few days ago and bought it mostly for the tracking modes. Haven’t played a lot with it, but tried the smart capture function today. There’s a follow me function included which worked fine for me today while doing some trail running. Never lost track. The distance away from you is limited, but there’s no need to carry a phone or rc. You can even start the drone and start flying/following without a remote etc. Will try this on the mountain bike as well.
Does anyone have experience with this mode?

tcope · May 12, 2018

Memyselfandi said:
There’s a follow me function included which worked fine for me today while doing some trail running. Never lost track. The distance away from you is limited, but there’s no need to carry a phone or rc. You can even start the drone and start flying/following without a remote etc.

Just to be clear, this is not Follow Me mode, it's Active Track.

Memyselfandi · May 12, 2018

tcope said:
Just to be clear, this is not Follow Me mode, it's Active Track.

Of course, you’re right. I used the wrong terminology. It followed me, but it’s not Follow Me mode.

JSKCKNIT · May 12, 2018

Memyselfandi said:
Hello,

Just got my MA a few days ago and bought it mostly for the tracking modes. Haven’t played a lot with it, but tried the smart capture function today. There’s a follow me function included which worked fine for me today while doing some trail running. Never lost track. The distance away from you is limited, but there’s no need to carry a phone or rc. You can even start the drone and start flying/following without a remote etc. Will try this on the mountain bike as well.
Does anyone have experience with this mode?

I've used it a couple times out on walks/hikes and it's followed me fine as well.

dbrown · May 13, 2018

Memyselfandi said:
Hello,

Just got my MA a few days ago and bought it mostly for the tracking modes. Haven’t played a lot with it, but tried the smart capture function today. There’s a follow me function included which worked fine for me today while doing some trail running. Never lost track. The distance away from you is limited, but there’s no need to carry a phone or rc. You can even start the drone and start flying/following without a remote etc. Will try this on the mountain bike as well.
Does anyone have experience with this mode?

Used it a few times as well. Worked very well in open areas. While on a mountain bike, making turns, it will sweep wide and wander a bit as opposed to keeping an exact position behind you. I imagine it would stay in a precise position behind you if you were going straight. But I turned and it went very wide into a tree I just couldn’t have imagined it would have reached but again it is kind of doing it’s own thing. I had prop guards on so no harm. I highly recommend using prop guards if around any objects in that mode.

I also was about to use that mode in Scotland while in the Highlands. However, it was windy and I could see the wind taking this and moving this away from the mountain I was on and then me not being able to re-capture the smart capture modes due to too much distance. I chose wisely as even with my remote the wind was carrying the drone at times.

I’m totally impressed with this drone and the tracking. It isn’t perfect but I have gotten incredible footage while using the tracking modes and quick shot modes.

DesertRider · May 13, 2018

It definitely takes practice. Here are some examples and analysis of uphill and downhill tracks:

ActiveTrack: How does it handle elevation change?

I carry my controller around my neck, so far with good results

Spidy Air Man · May 14, 2018

thebigbaddan said:
I've used active track for following my kids sledding, and for following them on a BMX track. It's okay to give you some shots, but you definitely need to have hands on the controller to take over. Otherwise it's highly likely that the drone would have crashed.

I can’t test the Active Track on my bike right now (recent back surgery). But I’m wondering if there is a bicycle smartphone holder that would hold the RC? Then you might be able to have your MA follow the remote?
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Robothamster · May 14, 2018

Spidy Air Man said:
I can’t test the Active Track on my bike right now (recent back surgery). But I’m wondering if there is a bicycle smartphone holder that would hold the RC? Then you might be able to have your MA follow the remote?
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Have a look at Quadlock. You can get a self adhrsive mating part to stick on rear of RC.

Mossiback · May 14, 2018

I would call it more dangerous than useless. There are a lot of crash videos created using various autonomous modes. Just remember that the Mavic will not follow your exact course; it will cut corners allowing it to slip sideways into an obstacle.

dbrown · May 14, 2018

Spidy Air Man said:
I can’t test the Active Track on my bike right now (recent back surgery). But I’m wondering if there is a bicycle smartphone holder that would hold the RC? Then you might be able to have your MA follow the remote?
thread-132796-1-1.htmlView attachment 37929

This app will not allow me to post the link to this forum...sorry

I have two different kinds of these handlebar bike mounts for my Mavic Air controller. They hold the remote and work well.

XHS Ball Joint 360° Rotatable Bicycle Holder Mount Stand Bracket for DJI Mavic Pro Spark Transmitter Remote Controller smart phone https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0748DR9NS?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

And...

DJI Mavic Pro Mavic Air Spark Bike Mount 360 Rotatable Bicycle Stand Rack Clamp for DJI Mavic Pro Platinum Mavic Air Spark Controller, Black
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071JBNFFK?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

Use them for mountain biking, though I haven't gone heavily technical while mounted as I don't want to drop both phone and controller in a jump or whatever. However, so far they both work well. The first one is both more simple and cheaper, and seems to work as good as or better than the 2nd one. Gives me quick access to the remote, and putting the mount on and taking it off are both very quick.