Phone GPS out by a meter

[AnnaBang]

Hi there
I am a new pilot, and is currently practicing flying in our fairly large back yard. We use an old plastic table surface as a landing zone and I found that it always lands about 1 meter off the take-off spot. I have read a lot on the forum, and I do press the precision icon when I take off, the drone did ask me to calibrate it when we got it (fairly new 2nd hand original Mavic Air), and we have tried the hover after take-off, landing after take-off, etc.
After using another phone, the conclusion is that my phone's GPS might be off. And of course I cannot find a way to re-calibrate it (Samsung A51). I did download an app (GPS Status).
So, my question is this. Is this a good app, or is there a better one to use, to improve the GPS of my phone?

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Hi there
I am a new pilot, and is currently practicing flying in our fairly large back yard. We use an old plastic table surface as a landing zone and I found that it always lands about 1 meter off the take-off spot. I have read a lot on the forum, and I do press the precision icon when I take off, the drone did ask me to calibrate it when we got it (fairly new 2nd hand original Mavic Air), and we have tried the hover after take-off, landing after take-off, etc.
After using another phone, the conclusion is that my phone's GPS might be off. And of course I cannot find a way to re-calibrate it (Samsung A51). I did download an app (GPS Status).
So, my question is this. Is this a good app, or is there a better one to use, to improve the GPS of my phone?

Dont get all tangled up in a web.
This is so hit and miss , if your within 3 to 5 ft your golden.

Your never going to pin point every time not even close as there are just to many factors and in the mix of things
it not really relevant .

GPS is accurate but its not Pinpoint. no matter how many phones and apps you try.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your Mavic in the Rain / Snow and Land on Water

 

[old man mavic]

welcome to the forum,the phones GPS has no bearing on the precision of the drone ,the drone has its own GPS module and downwards pointing sensors that it uses to pinpoint it position when it is near to the ground

 

[AnnaBang]

welcome to the forum,the phones GPS has no bearing on the precision of the drone ,the drone has its own GPS module and downwards pointing sensors that it uses to pinpoint it position when it is near to the ground

Much Appreciated, thank you.
I am an old woman, never played with PS or any games that require toggles, etc. So it is a huge learning curve! But taking it baby steps, and just getting used to to operating the flying part of Drone handling.

 

[AnnaBang]

Dont get all tangled up in a web.
This is so hit and miss , if your within 3 to 5 ft your golden.

Your never going to pin point every time not even close as there are just to many factors and in the mix of things
it not really relevant .

GPS is accurate but its not Pinpoint. no matter how many phones and apps you try.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your Mavic in the Rain / Snow and Land on Water

Thank you! It is a relief to know this.
Flying this thing is still extremely stressful, lol but am improving.

 

[old man mavic]

@AnnaBang no worries compared to me you are a very young women,have you downloaded the online user manual from DJI that will help you to understand the workings of your drone
good luck in your venture and happy flying

 

[AnnaBang]

welcome to the forum,the phones GPS has no bearing on the precision of the drone ,the drone has its own GPS module and downwards pointing sensors that it uses to pinpoint it position when it is near to the ground

Is there a way to improve it, or do I just accept that it will do a landing in the grass every now and then?

 

[AnnaBang]

@AnnaBang no worries compared to me you are a very young women,have you downloaded the online user manual from DJI that will help you to understand the workings of your drone
good luck in your venture and happy flying

yes, we did. Still need to read more though.

 

[old man mavic]

@AnnaBang have you got a contrasting colour H or X on the table you use to take off from,it helps the drone to locate its home point ,also take off climb to 25ft straight up then after a few seconds move off and fly where you want ,the accuracy of the GPS is not that good and anything within a two meter radius is considered acceptable

 

[eaglesurfing]

Welcome to the forum and enjoy.

Remember you control the drone so give up on the RTH option and fly it to were you want to land.

Return to home is a safety option in case something goes wrong. I hardly use it but test it to make sure it works but still cancel it to land it myself.

 

[slup]

...never played with PS or any games that require toggles...So it is a huge learning curve!

Firstly ...

Welcome to the forum ?

Yeah, understand what you mean ... when I started up flying it was always with a feeling that I had forgotten something ... my weapon to deal with it was to dig in & get to understand what made these thing's fly and which was the weak spots in the technology.

Have over time collected crucial thing's that one need to know right away during the learning process in order to avoid the worst mishaps until you grasp thing's a bit better.

Here they are ...

Read the user manual ...the thick downloadable one, not only the quick start, download here --> https://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/Mavic Air/Mavic_Air_User_Manual_v1.2_en.pdf

Power on in the right order ... First power on your RC & start the app ... after that, power on the drone (& do it on the spot you're going to take off from). Reverse order to shut down.

Before take-off ALWAYS ... add in one very easy check to avoid a really scary event coming from accidentally launching from a magnetic disturbed place with following flyaway at height in an uncontrollable circular or straight flight path. After powering on your drone, connected to your RC/app & placed it in the take-off spot ... but before lift-off, ALWAYS check that the drone icon on the map in your app is pointing equal in relation to other objects in the map as the drone does in reality ... if not, abort launch attempt, power down & move away, power up again and repeat.

Keep well under the wind spec where you fly ... and please note that it's not only at ground, it's at the altitude where you fly. The winds up to 400ft are very different than on ground. Use for instance the UAV Forecast app where you can get a feeling about the winds on higher altitudes, but please note that it's forecasts we are speaking of, a bit of common sense is good to apply to that ... "better skip flying a windy day & fly more another".

Don't go & calibrate everything on a regularly basis ... why fix things that are working, it's just a higher risk that you by mistake calibrate your compass in a magnetic disturbed area & the drone goes haywire 10 meters up in the air. Calibrate IMU + compass according to user manual, keep away from magnetic things like cars, metal tables & reinforced concrete at take-off & compass calibrations. If the app recommend a compass calibration first try another launch spot on a far distance from the first ... if calibration still is recommended by the app do it, but only then.

Don't launch in a hurry ... wait until you have at least 8, preferable 10 locked satellites & wait for the lady voice announce that the Home point has been updated, check then on the map that it's in the correct spot. Learn how the RTH function works (it's several scenarios with slightly different behavior), don't set the altitude for that unnecessary high, look around were you are going to fly and set it to clear the highest obstacle, to high & the drone risks a blow away.

Seek up a large open place ... a soccer field, free of obstacles & people. Test off every function one at a time until you fully understand how it works & the logic behind, confirm through the user manual if needed. Fly low, slow & near... & don't start out indoors, save yourself that possible disaster.

Take the claimed control distance from DJI with a pinch of salt ... only doable out in the countryside completely free of WiFi disturbance & obstacles in between the Remote & Aircraft.

Don't rely 100% on the obstacle avoidance sensors ... they are good & handy to have to perhaps save you when making a mistake, but they can't see everything, especially thin branches & wires so don't think they will allow your drone to just bounce away from everything all the time.

The Pause button on the RC ... It's a handy one, it will stop all automated modes immediately (if you have GPS coverage). Place your thumb on that when you initiate a automated flight mode & be prepare to stop it if too close to a tree for instance.

Don't use the RTH button as a "panic button" it's usually the weakest mode of them all ... you will always have access to more power in the manual modes ... if slow against a bit to strong head wind, go for Sport mode, drop altitude & maneuver the drone home manually.

Learn the rules & regulation ... keep the drone within Visual line of sight, if you can't avoid going out of visual keep it at least in line of sight (unobstructed line between Remote & Aircraft even though you don't see it) so you don’t lose the connection.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Is there a way to improve it, or do I just accept that it will do a landing in the grass every now and then?

What most of do is when it gets close we cancel the RTH and land it softly on are own that way we get the Pinpoint landing were looking for.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain / Snow

 

[AnnaBang]

@AnnaBang have you got a contrasting colour H or X on the table you use to take off from,it helps the drone to locate its home point ,also take off climb to 25ft straight up then after a few seconds move off and fly where you want ,the accuracy of the GPS is not that good and anything within a two meter radius is considered acceptable

yes, it is a white/grey table top on a green grass surface.

 

[Steel63]

Greetings from ? Florida

 

[dirkclod]

Welcome to the forum. ?

 

[slup]

yes, it is a white/grey table top on a green grass surface.

Also have a Mavic Air ... if you're checking the precision take off alternative when you take off through the app you shouldn't expect more precision than those 3-5ft that already mentioned ... if the light is good & the take off spot clearly stands out from the surface around. And no hovering is needed when the Mavic have ascended either. It performs as expected.

This with the precision landing & use of RTH the whole way down to ground is something you think is crucial just now in the beginning ... as you possibly feels that you can relax a bit more. You will grow away from all this, start the motors by CSC command, ascend manually & fly out ... & manually fly home & land where ever you want.

 

[old man mavic]

@AnnaBang ,as others have suggested ,the RTH feature is very good and it is very easy just to press the button and let the drone do the rest ,there is nothing wrong with that approach to a point ,but as you have found out it will not bring it back to the exact home point every time ,
as you confidence builds try cancelling the RTH when the drone is a few feet above the home point ,and practice landing it yourself ,this is easier to achieve if you are behind the drone with it facing away from you ,then gently come down and using small stick movements center it over the table top ,come down till it stops at about 2ft ,and then when you are ready pull the throttle stick all the way straight down, and hold it there ,and the drone will say landing and descend gently to the deck,keep the stick down till the motors stop,it is very satisfying, to land the drone yourself ,while you are controlling it especially if it is windy ,it takes practice ,like all aspects of drone flying, but with time you will be able to relax and enjoy your flying ,dont get distracted while you are flying, as things can happen very fast,and then mistakes are made and accidents happen ,if people come up to you to try and talk ,just politely tell them that you are flying a drone, and you will speak to them when you are back on the ground

 

[MA2 317]

Hi there
I am a new pilot,

Just wanted to pop in and say Hello from the Hoosier Heartland AnnaBang.

It looks like you are getting some good advice. ?

That's what is great about this site.

Welcome to the Forum.

 

[anotherlab]

Welcome aboard AnnaBang and greetings from Albany, NY!?

 

[Deleted member 103366]

I don't know the accuracy of precision landing with the MA but with the M2P it has been within inches when I used it.
It does however need that 7m vertical climb before any lateral movement is commanded and the descent from height needs to be watched as the intitial positioning can be well out. If so it does adjust its position as it descends, presumably as its view of the ground becomes more defined but the initial error could be enough to cause problem, in my case and ignoring landing protection etc. it could easily descend into trees.


Also, I believe the precision bit comes from 'optical' sensors in the underside of the drone seeing the ground and effectively creating a very localised 'map', GPS only gets it into the approximate area then the sensors control the final positioning.