Problem with unlocked custom zone

[Sjkieffer]

I unlocked a circular custom zone. I was able to enter the zone just fine but then it got stuck! I was getting messages such as leave this zone immediately. It would not return to home and the drone would not move in any direction. If force landed and I had to rush to retrieve it. What could be up with that?

 

[GadgetGuy]

I unlocked a circular custom zone. I was able to enter the zone just fine but then it got stuck! I was getting messages such as leave this zone immediately. It would not return to home and the drone would not move in any direction. If force landed and I had to rush to retrieve it. What could be up with that?

You have to be inside the unlock when you launch, because the area outside the unlock automatically becomes an NFZ. If you somehow manage to enter an unlock from outside of it (home point not yet acquired), you will not be able to fly out of it. You must create a circular custom zone that includes your lunch point.

 

[jedpause]

You have to be inside the unlock when you launch, because the area outside the unlock automatically becomes an NFZ. If you somehow manage to enter an unlock from outside of it (home point not yet acquired), you will not be able to fly out of it. You must create a circular custom zone that includes your lunch point.

Hi @GadgetGuy .. I am not challenging your statement.. However what you say has not been my experience ever..

I create an unlock zone and often take off outside of it and then fly into the zone and back out (I live by Heathrow airport and the DJI NFZ is inaccurate...)

Also not sure what you mean by the area outside your custom zone becomes the NFZ.. Doesn't follow if it was free to fly in in the first place...
Just curious on your rationale.. Thanks

 

[jedpause]

I unlocked a circular custom zone. I was able to enter the zone just fine but then it got stuck! I was getting messages such as leave this zone immediately. It would not return to home and the drone would not move in any direction. If force landed and I had to rush to retrieve it. What could be up with that?

Just a question and forgive my being obvious.. The Customs zone, was it successfully downloaded to your drone before flying into the zone?

Incidentally I had a weird experience with my Air 3 in the last month.. 26 GPSs locked, area I use often.. Phantom restricted zone warning.. Backed off and it would not let me out via original path.. Tried all routes.. Warnings etc. Couldn't fly home.. Battery died & lost contact..
Recovered next day intact.. But sent back to DJI for warranty analysis.. They sent me back a new drone the next day so there must have been a fault.. Worth a try for peace of mind.. Not your use case I know

 

[Sjkieffer]

Just a question and forgive my being obvious.. The Customs zone, was it successfully downloaded to your drone before flying into the zone?

Incidentally I had a weird experience with my Air 3 in the last month.. 26 GPSs locked, area I use often.. Phantom restricted zone warning.. Backed off and it would not let me out via original path.. Tried all routes.. Warnings etc. Couldn't fly home.. Battery died & lost contact..
Recovered next day intact.. But sent back to DJI for warranty analysis.. They sent me back a new drone the next day so there must have been a fault.. Worth a try for peace of mind.. Not your use case I know

Sounds like what happened to me but I was fortunate enough to retrieve it without any damage or need to use my refresh

 

[GadgetGuy]

Sounds like what happened to me but I was fortunate enough to retrieve it without any damage or need to use my refresh

I assume you meant to reply to me, rather than to @jedpause?

I almost lost my drone when I had inadvertently left an unlock on from my prior flight, and then flew from another nearby location that I later learned was just outside the border of that same unlock. I apparently launched before getting a full home point setting, and then flew into the unlock for the rest of my flight. At the end of my flight, I was at the cliff's edge over the ocean trying to fly the drone back to me, and it would not fly any closer than 100 feet away over the water! Had to basically ditch land it blind several blocks away in the street by flying it along the interior of the unseen border of the unlock back over dry land, with 2% remaining battery! Fortunately, I was able to reach the landing location before any cars drove over it! Could have ended very badly in the surf!

Beware! Creating a custom unlock zone makes an NFZ out of everywhere outside the unlock.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Hi @GadgetGuy .. I am not challenging your statement.. However what you say has not been my experience ever..

I create an unlock zone and often take off outside of it and then fly into the zone and back out (I live by Heathrow airport and the DJI NFZ is inaccurate...)

Also not sure what you mean by the area outside your custom zone becomes the NFZ.. Doesn't follow if it was free to fly in in the first place...
Just curious on your rationale.. Thanks

See my explanation above. Not sure how you are able to circumvent this functionality, unless DJI has changed it for the Air 3, which I do not own.

 

[jdmpr]

I had the same experience with my Mini 4. Took off outside of the unlocked zone, flew in, and then was unable to fly out. RTH did not work. I could not figure out why the drone would not respond as it seemed to hit an invisible wall and it was not that windy. Was finally able to bring it to shore and I hiked into the zone to retrieve it. A scary experience, but now I understand what was happening.

 

[Dmcvey]

Buy Autel

 

[GadgetGuy]

Buy Autel

Autel is already fully geofenced. They just haven't yet flipped the switch to turn it from really annoying warnings to compulsory here in the U.S.. It only takes one highly publicized incident involving an Autel Robotics drone. Wait and see!

 

[Dmcvey]

Autel is already fully geofenced. They just haven't yet flipped the switch to turn it from really annoying warnings to compulsory here in the U.S.. It only takes one highly publicized incident involving an Autel Robotics drone. Wait and see!

I rather have a warning then a bricked drone.

 

[Riteguy]

I rather have a warning then a bricked drone.

Buy Nolimitdronez.com and stop geofencing altogether and fly at will.

 

[GadgetGuy]

I rather have a warning then a bricked drone.

The warnings are just the precursor to "bricking" your Autel Robotics drone by turning them into compulsory NFZ's, at Autel's will. You heard it here first. Autel promotes themselves as completely GEO free, but it is a lie! Anti-rollback FW which has already irreversibly installed geofencing is proof, no matter what they say!

 

[journo]

This has happened to me only once and I think it was because I was in the last 20% of battery life. RTH was launched automatically, but I kept cancelling it because it was near homes. It wouldn't let me go anywhere but straight down, no other control options worked. Luckily I was close to the homepoint, but I had to go on private property (a driveway) to retrieve the drone. Now I return well before RTH is launched.

 

[GadgetGuy]

This has happened to me only once and I think it was because I was in the last 20% of battery life. RTH was launched automatically, but I kept cancelling it because it was near homes. It wouldn't let me go anywhere but straight down, no other control options worked. Luckily I was close to the homepoint, but I had to go on private property (a driveway) to retrieve the drone. Now I return well before RTH is launched.

Even under so called "Autoland," after reaching 10% remaining battery, you still have both lateral and vertical control to delay the rate of descent and maneuver the drone to a better landing spot. In fact, the drone will actually still climb under full up left stick, but at a very slow rate. Most people panic when they first see the Autolanding notification on the screen, and just give up, thinking that they have no control, when, in fact, they still do!

 

[journo]

Even under so called "Autoland," after reaching 10% remaining battery, you still have both lateral and vertical control to delay the rate of descent and maneuver the drone to a better landing spot. In fact, the drone will actually still climb under full up left stick, but at a very slow rate. Most people panic when they first see the Autolanding notification on the screen, and just give up, thinking that they have no control, when, in fact, they still do!

I've never been able to understand this sudden lack of control at the end of a 15-20 minute flight, years ago, with a Mavic Mini first generation. Out of hundreds of flights this has happened only once. It was while covering an apartment fire where I was well to the outside of rescue efforts and in D airspace with permission, up to 200 feet. A news helicopter was much farther away and significantly higher; I was staying under 100 feet and was able to get what I needed. At some point the mini just froze to any stick maneuvers, except down. It was almost like the airspace was suddenly locked down. As the first RID deadline approached, last year, I retired that drone and now have a mini pro 3 as my second drone.

 

[davidarmenb]

Even under so called "Autoland," after reaching 10% remaining battery, you still have both lateral and vertical control to delay the rate of descent and maneuver the drone to a better landing spot. In fact, the drone will actually still climb under full up left stick, but at a very slow rate. Most people panic when they first see the Autolanding notification on the screen, and just give up, thinking that they have no control, when, in fact, they still do!

Very true! I have manually landed the drone at home point after canceling RTH and continuing to fly and then being forced to land a couple of times already. Yes, it does slowly drop altitude and land in place if you don’t do anything, but you can still control the drone’s flight trajectory and dramatically delay the descent by pushing and holding the throttle all the way up.
Say if the drone was at a height of 100 feet when forced landing started, this will still give you a long enough time to pilot the craft and land it in a much more convenient location, if not the home point itself.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Very true! I have manually landed the drone at home point after canceling RTH and continuing to fly and then being forced to land a couple of times already. Yes, it does slowly drop altitude and land in place if you don’t do anything, but you can still control the drone’s flight trajectory and dramatically delay the descent by pushing and holding the throttle all the way up.
Say if the drone was at a height of 100 feet when forced landing started, this will still give you a long enough time to pilot the craft and land it in a much more convenient location, if not the home point itself.

It not only prevents the descent, but it actually allows for a very reduced rate of ascension. However, I make sure I have gained enough altitude while still under full control, to have maximum flexibility to return on a glide path of the reduced descent, without having to depend upon any ascension. If it ever ends up below intervening obstacles, you likely won't be able to ascend fast enough to clear them!