A few questions

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What happens if signal is lost during the flight either with the controller or ground end?

can I take control over the bird half way through its course?

Does the ground end only transmit directions to the bird at the beginning of the flight, then uses gps with the given directions to complete the journey? If yes does radio controls need to connected during the whole journey?
 
Once the mission is transmitted and the Phantom starts flying, it no longer needs any signal from the ground end. it will continue to fly all the waypoints that it was told to fly.

yes, you can take control. Toggle the S1 switch from GPS to ATTI and back to GPS. You now have control with the remote and can then keep it in GPS mode or switch to either of the other 2 positions. (ATTI, Failsafe/Manual)

You ALWAYS want your radio to be turned on and connected to the Phantom in case you need to take over from automated flight. You can do a RTH from the iPad GS software but only if the connection from ground end to air end is still good. Depending on how far away the waypoints are, you may not have a connection anymore.

I have not tested what would happen if it's flying waypoints and you turn OFF the transmitter. Does anyone know this scenario?
 
Thanks for your reply I will be testing it soon so I need to know everything about the 2.4 datalink.
So Does it store the data and go by GPS?
Lets say for example i have everything on and connected,I set the route on my iPad press go, mid way through the flight looses connection with the datalink AND the controller. Will failsafe kick in? I know u said that it will continue if it loses control with ground. But what about the controller
 
That was my last comment in the post. I'm not sure what happens then. If it doesn't see a controller does it kick into RTH or does it only check after it goes to all the waypoints? When it gets to it's last waypoint, it will just sit there and hover if you have turned off the LOOP setting or whatever it's called that would make it go back to WayPoint #1 and fly the pattern again.

I just did a test with 8 waypoints and after it got to the last waypoint, the iPad GS app screen changed to show the touch controls for flying the phantom. I flipped my transmitter S1 to RTH but it did not RTH. I had to flip it BACK to GPS to switch control over to the transmitter and then down again to RTH and then it came back to me.
I could have just started flying it with the iPad GS app by using the touch screen controls.
 
Sorry fella getting really confused. So once it's finished it's waypoints it just hovers? Does not land?

You know the right-hand switch if you flick it all the way down does that mean failsafe? That return home and land or hover? I thought you need to be in Naza mode dor this. I am in phantom mode.
 
I don't use Phantom Mode and I don't know how it functions. I only use Naza and I set the bottom most position of the right switch S1 to be FAILSAFE with a Return Home and Land at an altitude of at least 33M.

Yes, it will just hover at the last waypoint. GS app does not have a way to program in a GO HOME AND LAND. You can press the button at the top of the app to make the Phantom Go Home and Land but you can not program that as part of the mission.
 
Let me help answer here. I do lots of autonomous flying with Ground Station running on an iPad Air (cellular data) and connected to the bird via 2.4GHz Data Link.

Once you upload your waypoint mission to the Phantom, you really don't need GS any further. The Phantom will take-off and head to its first waypoint (which is hopefully directly overhead; best practice). The mission will continue without any further need of a human being. I lose GS contact rather quickly, say 500 feet (I usually have lots of trees around). I usually cannot see my Phantom (trees) but I can usually still hear it. I do long-distance autonomous flying too, so I don't see or hear it a lot of times.

When the Phantom is on a "mission" it doesn't care about losing contact with your transmitter. It will keep flying its mission. If the Phantom hits a low-battery condition, and you have the response set to RTH (when you were connected with DJI Assistant, selecting choices for what S2 did), the Phantom will abort the waypoint mission and return to home.

I strongly recommend that you do NOT take (or try to take) over manual control of the Phantom (via S1 switched to ATTI, and back to GPS) unless you KNOW you are within range of a good transmitter connection. If not connected, your switch inputs will do nothing other than provide you with a false sense of being in control. Let the Phantom fly its mission. Double-triple check that you have a good home-point established (either on the GS screen BEFORE takeoff), or manually via toggle of S2 (if you have optionally set your Phantom to NAZA-M mode).

I fly my missions, all switches up, don't load my mission until I have a good hover, 50 feet up, and have toggled S2 for the NAZA-M home lock. THEN I hit "Go" on the GS mission and let the GS upload my waypoints once I'm already off the ground (as described above). When the mission "starts", I put my controller down, being careful not to disturb it in any way (fingers far away from switches). I do not want any accidental control signals set to the Phantom during autonomous flying.

Be careful, my GS defaults to "Looping", which I HATE. When I go on a 2-mile round-trip flight, the last thing I need is for the Phantom to try it again. When my last waypoint is reached (again, directly overhead), I pick up my controller and single-toggle S! from GPS to ATTI, back to GPS, and manually land (or hand-catch).

I hope this is helpful.

Disclaimer- I do not fly with any WiFi, so this information is NOT applicable to folks flying GS App on smart phones or any form of WiFi. I have 2.4GHz transmitter (Controller), with 5.8GHz video Tx, feeding a diversity monitor (Black Pearl).
 
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Great answer Paul. I have only done about 3 GS autonomous flights so far and the weather here is preventing me from getting any more done for the next few days.
I forget about the S2 manual update of Home Point. What's the order of events to set that and is there a confirmation from LED on Phantom?
 
loganboyd said:
Great answer Paul. I have only done about 3 GS autonomous flights so far and the weather here is preventing me from getting any more done for the next few days.
I forget about the S2 manual update of Home Point. What's the order of events to set that and is there a confirmation from LED on Phantom?

I believe the procedure is S2, middle position, down, middle, down, etc. fast. Kind of like what you do to S1 to invoke compass calebration. Forcing a new Home Point will show fast-blinking green LEDs, much like your initial Home Lock during power-up.

There is a BIG advantage to acquiring more satellites by lifting-off and hovering 30-50 up. Its good to see that you have a nice stable hover too. When all that checks out, I do the S2 toggle for a new position lock. THEN I upload my mission.

Waypoint flying is addicting. I have attached a link to one of my recent flights. 1 mile out, 1 mile back.

http://youtu.be/UPRDpRkR-hA
 
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Thanks Paul, I'll try to adopt that routine as soon as the weather turns friendlier here in Texas. I'm trying to do some photogrammetric flights using waypoints and get into using the Pix4D and similar mapping software. I wish the Phantom 2 could handle more like 32 or 64 waypoints.
I just gto my Hero4 Black and I'm waiting on my 5.4mm rectilinear lens to come in so I can ditch the FishEye!
 
loganboyd said:
Thanks Paul, I'll try to adopt that routine as soon as the weather turns friendlier here in Texas. I'm trying to do some photogrammetric flights using waypoints and get into using the Pix4D and similar mapping software. I wish the Phantom 2 could handle more like 32 or 64 waypoints.
I just gto my Hero4 Black and I'm waiting on my 5.4mm rectilinear lens to come in so I can ditch the FishEye!

Nice loganboyd!!! Yeah Texas has been getting slammed pretty good this winter too! I also wish we could have more waypoints. Regardless, I always have the first and last waypoint directly overhead. I know a lot of folks successfully fly without wasting waypoints overhead, but I really like to perform some in-flight hovering double-checks before sending the bird off on its way.

Mapping applications with our Phantoms is a way-cool endeavor, and in its infancy, technology-wise. In so many ways, we are all pioneers with this quad technology and associated utility.

Stay in touch and keep us informed!
 
Great information! thanks - Anyone who is using a HERO4 Black for PHOTOGRAMMETRY (TOOLBOX OPTION) in PC Ground Station, please let me know what settings you are using for WIDE & MEDIUM such as: FOCAL length(mm), SENSOR H(mm) and SENSOR W (mm).

Thanks again for all the help!
 
Here's the values I'm using for WIDE. I dug all over the internet to find these specs. Some come from the Sony website describing the sensor that is used. Others come from replacement lens sites. I've ordered a 5.4mm lens but haven't received it yet. I don't think you need to be so precise on these values because of the large overlap that is used. If you're off on one side of the other then your overlap would become 50% or 70% instead of 60% and all of those would work out fine.
 

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I have owned a GS for my P2's for quite a while. Used it once, briefly, despite lots of interest and possible applications at work. Can one of you black belts summarize yaw control, camera/gimbal tilt control, etc.? My goals are smooth videos of large properties during various stages of development, and it will be more useful for me if there is ability to manipulate yaw and gimbal tilt during flights.

Thanks,
Kelly
 
Disclaimer- I do not fly with any WiFi, so this information is NOT applicable to folks flying GS App on smart phones or any form of WiFi. I have 2.4GHz transmitter (Controller), with 5.8GHz video Tx, feeding a diversity monitor (Black Pearl).
Will your detailed procedure change if I use the stock P2V+ stock model..no mods? I was wondering why you added the disclaimer. BTW, thank you for all the hints.
 
I believe the procedure is S2, middle position, down, middle, down, etc. fast. Kind of like what you do to S1 to invoke compass calebration. Forcing a new Home Point will show fast-blinking green LEDs, much like your initial Home Lock during power-up.

There is a BIG advantage to acquiring more satellites by lifting-off and hovering 30-50 up. Its good to see that you have a nice stable hover too. When all that checks out, I do the S2 toggle for a new position lock. THEN I upload my mission.

Waypoint flying is addicting. I have attached a link to one of my recent flights. 1 mile out, 1 mile back.

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I have had my phantom for about 3 months. Just was going to try GS. found out my data link didn't work. I had to send it all back to DJI service time is 4-6 weeks. Can you set the camera angle in GS? Like fly in a circle and have the camera always pointing at the middle?
 
good evening guys
I have one p2v+ and I want to ask you can activate the ground station when the drone is in the air?
 
good evening guys
I have one p2v+ and I want to ask you can activate the ground station when the drone is in the air?
I have never tried it. I can't imagine a circumstance where I would want to. What I am going to try this week is manual fly to way points then fine turn way points to accurately fly. I am not sure if I can set way point to where the craft is hovering.
 

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