RTC vs RTH

[JimPalik]

Does Return to Controller work? I was doing low level test flying and set the return function to controller. I had walked about about a kilometer through an open field flying the drone about 10 meters in front of me. When the battery got low, I decided to press the RTH button. Instead of returning to me, the drone returned to home. and crashed because as soon as figured out what it was doing I tried to cancel the instruction. Unfortunately there was not enough battery to control it back and it crashed. Does the return to controller not work on the Mavic-2

I was using the latest DJI GO4 software.

Jim

 

[Dakarenduro]

you would have to reset the home location to the current controller location, requires your mobile to have gps AND gps active (ie not airplane mode)

did you do this?

 

[Deleted member 103366]

Are you sure you are interpretting this correctly?
I thought the reset-the-home-point-whilst-in-flight options are to reset the home point to either the drone's location or the controller's location at the time of the reset and that the latter requires that the phone has a good gps lock. I haven't tried resetting it via the map but the options look the same if that does indeed work.
If I am correct the 'return-to' point is fixed wrt the ground and does not follow the controller if the controller is moved.
Ooops Dakarenduro beat me to it.

 

[JimPalik]

you would have to reset the home location to the current controller location, requires your mobile to have gps AND gps active (ie not airplane mode)

did you do this?

I do not understand why you are referring to me phone. I am flying the Mavic-2 Zoom using the Mavic-2 controller.

 

[JimPalik]

Are you sure you are interpretting this correctly?
I thought the reset-the-home-point-whilst-in-flight options are to reset the home point to either the drone's location or the controller's location at the time of the reset and that the latter requires that the phone has a good gps lock. I haven't tried resetting it via the map but the options look the same if that does indeed work.
If I am correct the 'return-to' point is fixed wrt the ground and does not follow the controller if the controller is moved.
Ooops Dakarenduro beat me to it.

As I said to Dakarenduro, why are you referring to my phone. I am using the Mavic-2 controller.

 

[Deleted member 103366]

The phone is referred to because it is the source of the GPS data used to locate the controller. This assumes you are using either the RC1A or RC1B controller.
If by chance you are using a smart controller (built in screen) then, at a guess, the smart controller has its own GPS system. If that is correct then the principals stated above still apply.
If there is some confusion, perhaps you could specify the model of controller that you are using rather than simply saying "Mavic-2 controller"


BTW " Are you sure you are interpretting this correctly? " was not sarcasm, I have just realised you are in Germany and thus prossibly literally interpreting things

 

[JimPalik]

The phone is referred to because it is the source of the GPS data used to locate the controller. This assumes you are using either the RC1A or RC1B controller.
If by chance you are using a smart controller (built in screen) then, at a guess, the smart controller has its own GPS system. If that is correct then the principals stated above still apply.
If there is some confusion, perhaps you could specify the model of controller that you are using rather than simply saying "Mavic-2 controller"

I am using the Smart Controller Model rm500 Android version 7.1.2

 

[Deleted member 103366]

Ok, in that case, the smart controller appears to have its own GPS
DJI - The World Leader in Camera Drones/Quadcopters for Aerial Photography
so substitute "smart controller" for "phone" when reading the previous posts

 

[JimPalik]

Ok, in that case, the smart controller appears to have its own GPS
DJI - The World Leader in Camera Drones/Quadcopters for Aerial Photography
so substitute "smart controller" for "phone" when reading the previous posts

Thank you

 

[Dakarenduro]

As recommended on the forums here quite a bit, for first time flights/flyers it is wise to do test flights in open spaces/fields. See how the craft responds to commands AND test out the features first in a safe environment to learn how it reacts. Then once you know how the features work, RTH and RTC for instance, you will have your answer and know how it will respond in regular flight.

Personally, I have not used the RTC command ever. And I have never flown to the point that the battery was critically low. I prefer to manually control the drone for my flights to include take off and landings.

 

[GMAN007]

You raise a good point! I use a Smart Controller ~ realizing the hard way that I needed to set my iPhone to Hotspot ON mode to link the controller to the Internet (e.g. Geo Fence Unlock Access). If the signal from the iPhone is the “Beacon” , in order for a successful RTC landing, then there might be a problem (you think) if I stored my iPhone (for example) in a backpack 100 meters away vs. near your person (pocket)? I will try to test this theory later this week. For the most part, I will assume a majority of end-users directly connect their iPhone vs. Smart Controller which kills two birds with one stone given the WiFi / GPS Link ? ?

The phone is referred to because it is the source of the GPS data used to locate the controller. This assumes you are using either the RC1A or RC1B controller.
If by chance you are using a smart controller (built in screen) then, at a guess, the smart controller has its own GPS system. If that is correct then the principals stated above still apply.
If there is some confusion, perhaps you could specify the model of controller that you are using rather than simply saying "Mavic-2 controller"


BTW " Are you sure you are interpretting this correctly? " was not sarcasm, I have just realised you are in Germany and thus prossibly literally interpreting things

 

[Dakarenduro]

RTC does not require an internet connection. So if the SC has a built in GPS then there is no need to worry about an iPhone or any phone tethered to it or nearby.

RTC sets the new 'home' position to the location of the controller, based on the gps location of that controller.

 

[raven swe]

pause button is your friend

 

[Deleted member 103366]

Sorry but unless I am misunderstanding or missing something I think the use of "RTC" leads to confusion. The drone does not, as such, return to the controller, it returns to a home point which is set at where the controller is/was at the time the home point was changed.

GMAN007 if, with respect to GPS, the Smart Controller works in the same way as an Android phone, a connection to the WWW is not needed to give the Smart Controller a GPS location. All that is needed would be a good GPS lock by the controller itself.
My phone is in airplane mode with wifi, bluetooth and ever other known communication method switched off, it doesn't even have a SIMM card in it.
With a phone, maps for the chosen flying location can be "downloaded and cached" at home, quite how that works I am not sure as I have never actually used the maps when away from home. However. I did recently see a video that, at a quick skim, seemed to suggest that "downloading" might mean opening the app and map when you have a WWW connection and zooming in to the chosen location. I have not tried this to see if it is correct.

 

[Meta4]

You raise a good point! I use a Smart Controller ~ realizing the hard way that I needed to set my iPhone to Hotspot ON mode to link the controller to the Internet (e.g. Geo Fence Unlock Access). If the signal from the iPhone is the “Beacon” , in order for a successful RTC landing, then there might be a problem (you think) if I stored my iPhone (for example) in a backpack 100 meters away vs. near your person (pocket)? I will try to test this theory later this week. For the most part, I will assume a majority of end-users directly connect their iPhone vs. Smart Controller which kills two birds with one stone given the WiFi / GPS Link ?

Hotspotting from another device would only give internet connection, but not GPS data.
But none of that matters anyway because your Smart Controller has its own GPS receiver and that's what's used by the app.

 

[apeel]

Also, while it is not true for the original poster who is using an SC, my understanding is that the ability to set the home point to the controller location does not work when using an iOS device, but does work when using an Android device (which the SC controller is based on). Is that still true? When I tried it (awhile ago), I got a error message that said (something like) the 'GPS signal was not strong enough', even though it was. Others had reported the issue with iOS but as far as I know it has never been fixed.

 

[JimPalik]

Interesting comments. I am the original poster. I am a moderately experienced pilot. I have been flying a Phantom 4 for almost 2 years and have 100+ flying hours and a German license. I recently bought the Mavic-2 Zoom. to do roof inspections with the Zoom. Because roof inspections require flying close to the subject I was practicing low level flying. It was my understanding that because I use a smart controller that using RTC was dynamic on the Mavic-2. It appears that I was wrong by crashing my drone by pressing RTH after flying the drone while walking down paths and across fields, and having the drone start returning to my original position more than a kilometer away. Has anyone used "Follow Me" and RTC for the drone to return to the controller when pressing RTH?

According to some Phantom 4 flyers, this works. I would love to hear your experience.

Jim

 

[iaincaradoc]

Also, while it is not true for the original poster who is using an SC, my understanding is that the ability to set the home point to the controller location does not work when using an iOS device, but does work when using an Android device (which the SC controller is based on).

Are you sure it doesn't depend on an iOS device with its own GPS? Non-cellular iPads, for example, have no GPS.

Or, at least, they didn't the last time I looked.

 

[Meta4]

Are you sure it doesn't depend on an iOS device with its own GPS? Non-cellular iPads, for example, have no GPS.
Or, at least, they didn't the last time I looked.

For the last year there has been a problem that prevents you resetting the home point when using an iOS device.
Even if the iOS device has GPS and has good GPS signal, the DJI app reports Weak GPS signal and won't accept the GPS data from the iOS device.
But since so few flyers ever reset their home point, most flyers never have to deal with this.

 

[apeel]

Are you sure it doesn't depend on an iOS device with its own GPS? Non-cellular iPads, for example, have no GPS.

Or, at least, they didn't the last time I looked.

That is true. Non-cellular iPads do not have GPS so they will not support RTC. That is not a s/w bug in DJI GO 4 app. However, every iPhone does have GPS does not work and that is a bug in GO 4.