Several times I noticed red square sign instead of compass during flights

[ninja_geezer]

so i have been flying using a new ipad mini cellular ,this is a great device for using with the MA2.
the compass orientation icon on the bottom middle of the screen is very accurate compared to flying it with my samsung S9+
but i noticed during most flights the other day the icon would turn red like in the picture sometimes for a couple of minutes and ive no idea why .
i had 21 satellites as well that day so im guesting its not connect to that .
anyone else notice this at all.each time it has come back on during the flight .its just i find it a bit unnerving when the drone is out of sight and you cannot see at a glance where in relation to you it is exactly.i always calibrate my ipad before i start flying on the day as well.

 

[old man mavic]

it is to do with the Ipads position ,not the drones GPS i dont bother with it, its the same with my MM i just use the map to see where the drone is in relation to the home point

 

[ninja_geezer]

it is to do with the Ipads position ,not the drones GPS i dont bother with it, its the same with my MM i just use the map to see where the drone is in relation to the home point

when you say its to do with the ipads position what do you mean exactly ?

 

[old man mavic]

if it is red then the ipad has not been able to get a GPS lock you will get the same thing if you are indoors

 

[ninja_geezer]

if it is red then the ipad has not been able to get a GPS lock you will get the same thing if you are indoors

ok thanks i wonder why this is ,should be a decent gps in afield away from anything .
i will try it with the wifi diabled next time and just use cellular .
when it works its spot on .

 

[Juggler]

so i have been flying using a new ipad mini cellular ,this is a great device for using with the MA2.
the compass orientation icon on the bottom middle of the screen is very accurate compared to flying it with my samsung S9+
but i noticed during most flights the other day the icon would turn red like in the picture sometimes for a couple of minutes and ive no idea why .
i had 21 satellites as well that day so im guesting its not connect to that .
anyone else notice this at all.each time it has come back on during the flight .its just i find it a bit unnerving when the drone is out of sight and you cannot see at a glance where in relation to you it is exactly.i always calibrate my ipad before i start flying on the day as well.

Post #39 expalins it all

Has anybody seen this red Icon before?

DJI Fly, what else?

mavicpilots.com

 

[GadgetGuy]

if it is red then the ipad has not been able to get a GPS lock you will get the same thing if you are indoors

It's an iPad compass issue, not a GPS issue. iPad compass simply needs recalibrating, which is easily done, even in flight, by rotating the iPad and RC together in a figure eight, while still pointing it in the last known direction of the drone.

 

[Pappy]

not a GPS issue

Not according to DJI.

 

[Juggler]

its a combo of both...the dotted line is drone gps missing
the red phone is mobile device

 

[ninja_geezer]

thanks for the advice some great explanations ,will calibrate with the ipad in the handset next time .

 

[GadgetGuy]

Not according to DJI.
View attachment 108921

DJI Mindy doesn't know what she is talking about! The online DJI forum reps and chat support reps and phone techs give all kinds of bad, misinformed answers, like this one! The mobile device's GPS (assuming it even has one!) is only relevant when resetting the Home Point to the RC. The mobile device's compass is what determines the RC orientation relative to the aircraft! The GPS location of the RC was recorded by the aircraft when it recorded the home point before launch. Unless you have moved away from the launch location, the aircraft recorded home point and the aircraft recorded current location and the mobile device’s compass are all that are needed to show orientation. When the mobile device compass needs recalibration, the orientation will be wrong. Recalibrate the mobile device compass by doing the figure 8 motion. The GPS "settings" are those of the aircraft. If the aircraft doesn't know where it is, the compass can't help you find it, and neither can any GPS in the mobile device.

 

[Pappy]

DJI Mindy doesn't know what she is talking about!

I just did a test for the indicator you included in your post. I powered up the MA2 and verified I had the normal "Aircraft Orientation" indication. AS soon as I switched "Location" off on the phone the image above was shown flashing. So this would indicate to me the phone's GPS plays a part in this error indication.

 

[GadgetGuy]

I just did a test for the indicator you included in your post. I powered up the MA2 and verified I had the normal "Aircraft Orientation" indication. AS soon as I switched "Location" off on the phone the image above was shown flashing. So this would indicate to me the phone's GPS plays a part in this error indication.

Aircraft orientation also works correctly on all Wifi only iPads, which have no GPS, as long as the iPad compass is calibrated properly. I presume turning off "Location" also disables the compass in your iPhone, which would be consistent with what you observed.

 

[ninja_geezer]

Aircraft orientation also works correctly on all Wifi only iPads, which have no GPS, as long as the iPad compass is calibrated properly. I presume turning off "Location" also disables the compass in your iPhone, which would be consistent with what you observed.

i had a wifi only ipad before i got the cellular model and it was always shown but never accurate no matter what i tried the cel model is way more accurate in showing the correct orientation of the aircraft.just my findings.

 

[G Randy Brown]

the cel model is way more accurate in showing the correct orientation of the aircraft.just my findings.

May be a dumb question but does one need phone/data service to take advantage of the cell model?

 

[ninja_geezer]

May be a dumb question but does one need phone/data service to take advantage of the cell model?

No you dont

 

[G Randy Brown]

No you dont

Good, I bought a dedicated tablet that doesn't have phone service... thanks!

 

[ninja_geezer]

Good, I bought a dedicated tablet that doesn't have phone service... thanks!

i just put a pay as you got sim in to try the sim dell data but the built in gps works without having to have a data plan.

 

[Ben Anderson]

The indicator at the bottom of the DJI screen needs three inputs to work correctly:
1. GPS location of drone
2. GPS location of device
3. Compass direction of device

If any of the three are missing, then the indicator icon will reflect that. For example if your drone is not sending a GPS location, then a semi-circle of red dashes will appear with a white circle indicating the device with a small arc pointing straight forward. If your device is not giving a GPS location then the red device with stroke will appear.

Some devices do not have both GPS and compass, so this indicator will not work with full functionality.

 

[GadgetGuy]

The indicator at the bottom of the DJI screen needs three inputs to work correctly:
1. GPS location of drone
2. GPS location of device
3. Compass direction of device

If any of the three are missing, then the indicator icon will reflect that. For example if your drone is not sending a GPS location, then a semi-circle of red dashes will appear with a white circle indicating the device with a small arc pointing straight forward. If your device is not giving a GPS location then the red device with stroke will appear.

Some devices do not have both GPS and compass, so this indicator will not work with full functionality.

The GPS location of the device is the home point set by the GPS in the drone. Unless you have moved from your launch point, no GPS capability of the device is necessary. I tested this with my wifi only iPad in an area without cell service on the MA2. Worked perfectly, just like it does on all DJI aircraft, unless the iPad compass calibration needs recalibrating. Use the map miniaturized, and unlock North, and keep the line from you to the drone vertical. MA2 offers an additional option with the map as an icon only. All work the same way. No cellular device is needed. It won't hurt, but it is not needed for this functionality.