which direction is the RADAR map point pointing towards?

[Meta4]

definition of BLIMP RADAR is to get a name on a display which has been very badly confused to the MAP LOCKED and the MAP UNLOCKED discusstion that have permeated this discussion. It is actually used in radar towers.....but generally by the older operators. LOL. There is no definition in any of the Mavic Pro manuals or the Goggle manuals about what the red and white arrows are called in the displays.

There's nothing blimp about the radar display.
It's just the radar display.

the red "arrow" is a red paper plane icon that represents your drone.
The white triangle at the top of the radar display is the point on the horizon directly in front of your controller.

 

[tjcooper]

Meta4,
please elaborate on your comment about the green beam coming out of the MAP Lock and Unlock images. Were you saying that it is an indicator that the camera is recording video (what about stills)? I don't think I have seen that in MAP images, but maybe it is only something used in BLIMP-RADAR mode.
tjcooper

 

[old man mavic]

old man mavic,
thanks for the observation of the circle N on the BLIMP RADAR. I have never used the BLIMP RADAR when flying and so was not aware of its presence. This marking of NORTH is with respect to the RC or the cell phone attached to it? My question is in concern if I have a long cable on the cell (or tablet) and it maybe in Portrait or Landscape orienation. Is this circle N icon present in any of the other Mavic navigation displays?
tjcooper

i just set my mav up to emulate you issues firstly i had the map display on fullscreen with the compass locked i then pressed the unlock symbol on the screen and my map turned to magnetic north in relation to where i am situated i then used the radar icon and the n was showing magnetic north when i then rotated the mav the red arrow which depicts the direction the mav is heading turned in time with me i cannot emulate you issue sorry

 

[tjcooper]

OldManMavic,
thanks for your response. I think you have said that with the navigation display that I call BLIMP-RADAR that you can rotate the drone to any angle and you get the red arrow pointer (which is what all of the Goggle threads call it) to point in the direction of the nose of the drone? Have you tried to see if you get the same response when you use the MAP LOCKED and the MAP UNLOCKED mode? Would be very interested to know your results......and what cell phone you are using.
tjcooper

 

[mel.m]

Blimp-radar???
Sorry I'm not going to respond to someone that keeps saying blimp radar

Been following this thread but feel like I've missed something been to work then took the MP out 4 a play open my favorite forum and blimp radar is this something new should I check manual or GO4 for updates haha

 

[old man mavic]

OldManMavic,
thanks for your response. I think you have said that with the navigation display that I call BLIMP-RADAR that you can rotate the drone to any angle and you get the red arrow pointer (which is what all of the Goggle threads call it) to point in the direction of the nose of the drone? Have you tried to see if you get the same response when you use the MAP LOCKED and the MAP UNLOCKED mode? Would be very interested to know your results......and what cell phone you are using.
tjcooper

dear tj the radar icon is not really radar it is a representation of the drones attitude when it is flying when you yaw or stop or fly forwards or back, the line across the middle will change depending on the orientation of the mav the red arrow shows the direction the mav is flying the radar icon does not do the same thing as the map one does if you go on the map full screen with the compass locked then unlock it the map will turn as i said i do not use a cell phone i have a dedicated android device for my mav i can only speak for my drone which is a mavic pro platinum maybe yours needs an update

 

[tjcooper]

Old Man Mavic,
thanks for clarification. If I read you right, then when go you from BLIMP-RADAR mode to MAP and unlocked, then the red arrow ALWAYS points back to you at HOME POSTION (assuming you have not moved since you took off).

My problem is that in both MAP locked and unlocked, I have many instances on 5 Android cell phones where the red arrow does not point back to HOME POSITION. Most of the time it points 90 deg ccw to where the direction of where the drone nose is pointing.

If I attempt to fly home using the red arrow and point it towards the HOME POSITION, my drone will fly off to China. That is the whole problem that I have been trying to get a resolution with this thread.
tjcooper

 

[old man mavic]

Old Man Mavic,
thanks for clarification. If I read you right, then when go you from BLIMP-RADAR mode to MAP and unlocked, then the red arrow ALWAYS points back to you at HOME POSTION (assuming you have not moved since you took off).

My problem is that in both MAP locked and unlocked, I have many instances on 5 Android cell phones where the red arrow does not point back to HOME POSITION. Most of the time it points 90 deg ccw to where the direction of where the drone nose is pointing.

If I attempt to fly home using the red arrow and point it towards the HOME POSITION, my drone will fly off to China. That is the whole problem that I have been trying to get a resolution with this thread.
tjcooper

i guess you could have a faulty mav maybe im sorry for your issues but i do not think there is any more help i can give you you need to get DJI to sort it out

 

[tjcooper]

UPDATE on TERMS:

Last night a found a video on YouTube that defines the RADAR icon or the BLIMP-RADAR or whatever you want to call it as the DIRECTIONAL/ATTITUDE INDICATOR. Here is the reference so everything I have learned can be in one thread:

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The instructor goes to great length to discuss that the term RADAR for this display would be completely inappropriate because it does not show distances from the RC source but rather attitude of drone and relative orientation. He was nice enough to explain the green beam from the red arrow (his term).

I will start using that term: red arrow in DIR/ATT Indicator for all future references to the display which I previously called BLIMP-RADAR. I will test out that system today (if it stops raining). It is my intuition that my red arrow in DIR/ATT indicator will not always point back to my HOME POSITION. This matches the images shown in #46 and #58 responses.
tjcooper

 

[old man mavic]

UPDATE on TERMS:

Last night a found a video on YouTube that defines the RADAR icon or the BLIMP-RADAR or whatever you want to call it as the DIRECTIONAL/ATTITUDE INDICATOR. Here is the reference so everything I have learned can be in one thread:

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

The instructor goes to great length to discuss that the term RADAR for this display would be completely inappropriate because it does not show distances from the RC source but rather attitude of drone and relative orientation. He was nice enough to explain the green beam from the red arrow (his term).

I will start using that term: red arrow in DIR/ATT Indicator for all future references to the display which I previously called BLIMP-RADAR. I will test out that system today (if it stops raining). It is my intuition that my red arrow in DIR/ATT indicator will not always point back to my HOME POSITION. This matches the images shown in #46 and #58 responses.
tjcooper

i am glad you have found the video it does vindicate my reply in post#96 good luck in your endeavours

 

[tjcooper]

Old Man Mavic,
I am caught between a "rock and a hard place" with trying to get a solution. DJI said they cannot open a case and give me a RMA until I send them a video of the problem. I sent them the video and they said my 2 Android cell phones are NO LONGER supported by them. But they were supported when I bought the unit. I can send in the unit without RMA and they will examine it because it is still under warrantee. But they will not ship back my original unit to me (they rotate units in and out). If I do that, then I have to buy new NLD mod CLIENT software since it is locked to a specific serial number of drone. And even if I do buy new software for $40, there is no guarantee that the problem goes away.

Sometimes life just gives you lemons. I tried making the lemonade out of it, but I am told that the BLIMP-RADAR solution is no longer acceptable. LOL.
tjcooper

 

[tjcooper]

TESTING UPDATE:

at huge Baylands meadow today, I setup the drone pointing NORTH on the launching platform. MAP unlocked, MAP locked, and DIR/ATT displays all gave virtually the RIGHT answer. The DIR/ATT indicator was off by something like 30deg CW from test to test. The most important thing learned was that all 3 displays will have the red arrow shift by as much as 180 (random direction) when you are using the directional stick to fly.

1) Took unit home and did another compass calibration of all devices and set drone up to point WEST to start. That caused MAP locked to be 90 deg CCW from correct direction. MAP unlocked and DIR/ATT display were almost correct (off by like 30 deg CCW randomly).

2) Powered down drone, RC, cell phone and set the starting direction as NORTH. Now all navigation plots had virtually CORRECT directions.

Repeated tests 1) and 2) out in middle of asphalt street. This showed same results (I was worried that my normal takeoff between two cars caused magnetic interference).

RESULTS: if you position the drone to point NORTH at power up then most red arrows point correctly. There are repeat tests where there was a 30 deg CW switch. I can live with this constraint. The DIR/ATT indicator generally has the best results when not using the directional stick. MAP unlocked is the most useful to see underlying map of where you are flying. Compass Calibration of drone and cell phone did not make any significant changes.

Would be interested to know if other Mavic Pro flyers have seen this "must start NORTH" setup.
tjcooper

 

[ottodawg]

This thread is making my head hurt... [emoji2962]

 

[tjcooper]

ottodawg
If you are going to make comments, why not make them useful comments with some useful data? What is it you find problematic? Too long? Absolutely, but I have not had anyone in this thread offer a solution. There are over 40 threads in Mavic Pro FORUM where users site problems with the "red arrow" not pointing correctly. All user error? Doubtful.

So why not tell us what cell phone you have, what software level, and have you ever seen the problem?
tjcooper

 

[tjcooper]

Old Man Mavic,
I just did another search on Mavic Pro Forum. 59 different threads with problems on "red arrow" And now even more on Mavic Pro 2. So it is a real problem.

In reading a couple of other threads I found this potential solution:

Jan 8, 2017
#2
Yep, same problem here. Galaxy s7 edge. It's definitively something in the transmitter interfering with the phone compass. Even with the transmitter turned off, putting the phone in the transmitter holding arms makes the map rotate to a completely wrong heading (heading of map is OK when NOT in the transmitter arms . Its something in the transmitter interfering with the compass? - the joystick mechanism?? which I think I read is magnetic??

Have found a potential solution. When I place my phone the other way up (ie rotate it through 180 deg) the magnetic interference goes away! Unfortunately the micro usb port is then on the wrong side, but you can connect the phone via a usb cable to the usb port underneath the transmitter. The compass on my G S7 edge must be towards the left edge (ie the edge normally directly adjacent to the transmitter). Turning the whole thing through 180deg must move the phone compass far enough away from the transmitter to enable it to function OK again. Not that convenient though....

Have you ever had to re-orient your cell phone to get compass to show right direction?
tjcooper

 

[old man mavic]

Old Man Mavic,
I just did another search on Mavic Pro Forum. 59 different threads with problems on "red arrow" And now even more on Mavic Pro 2. So it is a real problem.

In reading a couple of other threads I found this potential solution:

Jan 8, 2017
#2
Yep, same problem here. Galaxy s7 edge. It's definitively something in the transmitter interfering with the phone compass. Even with the transmitter turned off, putting the phone in the transmitter holding arms makes the map rotate to a completely wrong heading (heading of map is OK when NOT in the transmitter arms . Its something in the transmitter interfering with the compass? - the joystick mechanism?? which I think I read is magnetic??

Have found a potential solution. When I place my phone the other way up (ie rotate it through 180 deg) the magnetic interference goes away! Unfortunately the micro usb port is then on the wrong side, but you can connect the phone via a usb cable to the usb port underneath the transmitter. The compass on my G S7 edge must be towards the left edge (ie the edge normally directly adjacent to the transmitter). Turning the whole thing through 180deg must move the phone compass far enough away from the transmitter to enable it to function OK again. Not that convenient though....

Have you ever had to re-orient your cell phone to get compass to show right direction?
tjcooper

as i said in post in post #66 i do not use a phone i use an android tablet that does not take phone calls, or mobile data when it is not connected to a WIfi router. and i have never had the problems being reported. my compass is as it came when the drone was new and it was brand new out of the box from a UK supplier. i was asked when i purchased it, if for a small charge ,they would set the drone up and register it for me but i wanted to do it myself and found the whole process very easy to do hope you can resolve your issues

 

[ottodawg]

ottodawg
So why not tell us what cell phone you have, what software level, and have you ever seen the problem?
tjcooper

I would but you wouldn't read it anyway, so I won't..

 

[tjcooper]

ottodawg,
still waiting for your response.....I read everything.
tjcooper

 

[JosephAir]

Have the same problem with my new iPhone 11, fixed by turning on and off location service. This recalibrated the compass in this iPhone. I had the same problem on my iPhone 6, same fix recalibrate compass on iPhone.
I always check the red arrow on the blimp to make sure it’s facing the right way.
p.s. I understood all your essays.
good luck

 

[tjcooper]

JosephAir,
much thanks for your update. In what program on your iPhone 11 did you turn off location update? Was this for the DJI app? I will try that and see what happens. Again, thanks for verifying that this is a real problem and not "operator error".
tjcooper