RC Stops Working During the Flight

[kashifs]

RTH protocol in the DJI Mini 2 manual says that a failsafe RTH will be initiated automatically if the AC losses connection with RC for more than 11 seconds. Can I make the RC off during a flight to test this RTH behavior? Will it work or is this worth to test something like this? I have no idea if the RTH doesn't work, will restarting the RC result in auto reconnecting with the AC!

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Yes you can turn the controller off, , but you would be better off just making sure the RTH works and that you have the right settings before you do that.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your Air 2 in the Rain and Land on Water.

 

[netfolks2000]

To your 3 questions, yes, yes & yes. But as suggested above, try it the normal way first. And ALWAYS check the map first so it shows you accurately where you are. You wouldn't want it to "think" home is somewhere else.

 

[kashifs]

To your 3 questions, yes, yes & yes. But as suggested above, try it the normal way first. And ALWAYS check the map first so it shows you accurately where you are. You wouldn't want it to "think" home is somewhere else.

Thanks. This actually gives a big comfort and peace of mind. So if:

- The home point is correctly set
- RTH altitude is set high enough to clear any obstacles
- There are no altitude restrictions
- Drone battery is at sufficient level
- And there are no offensive birds around

then the drone will come back to the starting point automatically, no matter you've lost control of app or the RC itself. Hope these are not over expectations.

 

[Bodkin's Best Photography]

Thanks. This actually gives a big comfort and peace of mind. So if:

- The home point is correctly set
- RTH altitude is set high enough to clear any obstacles
- There are no altitude restrictions
- Drone battery is at sufficient level
- And there are no offensive birds around

then the drone will come back to the starting point automatically, no matter you've lost control of app or the RC itself. Hope these are not over expectations.

Find a clear, flat area (like an old parking lot), go to the center, launch the drone, fly to the edge of the area, and initiate the test. With return home altitude set higher than any obstacle it will most likely return to the home point unscathed and safe. Even if it lands somewhere else in the area it will be unlikely to be damaged in any way.

You've got me curious. If you don't feel like taking the "risk" I plan to do what I just suggested tomorrow. I have initiated rth a few times now, and even with the landing spot in a small area the drone will return to that location without issue.

 

[RC_Adik]

Thanks. This actually gives a big comfort and peace of mind. So if:

- The home point is correctly set
- RTH altitude is set high enough to clear any obstacles
- There are no altitude restrictions
- Drone battery is at sufficient level
- And there are no offensive birds around

then the drone will come back to the starting point automatically, no matter you've lost control of app or the RC itself. Hope these are not over expectations.

If the app or phone/tablet crashes and the RC still has connection to the drone it will NOT RTH until the drone itself detects a low battery RTH. Turning off the RC will initiate a RTH after about 11 seconds and when turned back on after the RTH has started should re-connect. That has been my experience.

 

[Bodkin's Best Photography]

Tested this out twice today. Flew out 100m from home point then powered down the remote. 11 seconds later the drone elevated to the set level and flew back towards the home point for a landing.

 

[jimlips]

I've done the above tests with all of my drones. Works great!

Something else to make note of if you have a drone that has a "real" RC with an actual display, like the Mavic Pro:

Try unplugging your phone but leave the RC turned on. I have learned to fly my drone home without a phone/iPad/tablet. All the info you need is on the Mavic's RC screen. It shows the elevation, speed, and how far away (horizontally) the drone is. You can watch those numbers and just fly it back. Just keep flying in the direction that makes the distance number get smaller. When it gets to 0, it is directly overhead. You should be able to hear it by then.

I have used this on the rare occasion when the cable went bad. Many pilots think the only thing they can do when they lose contact with the drone is hit RTH. But usually, the RC is still connected to the aircraft and you can still fly it just fine. You can confirm this by seeing that the Green LED is still illuminated on the RC.