A Successful Calibration does not always mean a Good Calibration

I have edited a few of the last post. Debate is welcome, arguing is not.
@Signals - if you need a title change to better reflect your topic please let me know and I will change it for you. ;)
 
I have edited a few of the last post. Debate is welcome, arguing is not.
@Signals - if you need a title change to better reflect your topic please let me know and I will change it for you. ;)
Thank you, how about "A Successful Calibration does not always mean a Good Calibration". Sorry for my contribution to that exchange.
 
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we are here to share each others experiences and learn from one another...and since compass and metal are both mentioned in this thread, i will share that just yesterday, i attempted to t/o on a parking garage roof. i got good compass value (~1400) and a "safe to fly" after moving to several spots on the roof...i was eager to get these particular shots...but i was leary given the earlier "change location/compass error" messages...so i took off, but only got a foot off the ground before she started doing a big whirly whirly circle...I was lucky to get her on the ground before she tipped over and there go my props, or worse.

my point, and my two cents from my own experience...metal or other possibly disruptive materials in or near your t/o will have very negative affects on your flight.
 
Could have taken off in atti mode and moved a safe distance
Thx S, I have not attempted any atti mode flying...and I will, for sure, when I get more "air time"

Wouldn't I then be landing in the same crumby compass hell, and therefore have to land atti too? Def a good reason to learn that skill, thank you.
 
ATTI mode is something EVERYONE should be practicing with! It appears to be the only fool proof solution to potential fly away losses. Landing in ATTI is NOT a simple matter for the unskilled!
 
ATTI mode is something EVERYONE should be practicing with! It appears to be the only fool proof solution to potential fly away losses. Landing in ATTI is NOT a simple matter for the unskilled!

Too true. I was practicing landings in ATTI mode yesterday in 10-12 knot crosswinds - very challenging indeed. It certainly is a good skill to master.
 
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Compass was calibrated. no problems at all unless you land and then take off again. So if you calibrate which you don't, from previous statements, and it tells you it is alright. It just might not be so and may not manifest itself on take off or flight and land.

Let's call this the end of this thread.
I do calibrate, every time it is necessary, but I am not obsessed with values, FW updates etc. I'm afraid to have to say that your problem falls (again) in the category of RTFM... It has been made quite clear and mentioned many times here that you should not calibrate next to a ferromagnetic or large metallic structure. ( which includes some driveways, car parks, bridges....)
 
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I cringe every time I read I calibrate every flight.
It's usually meant to show that the flyer is concerned about safety but reading between the lines it often means that he doesn't understand what calibration is for and is at risk of getting a bad calibration sometime that could potentially lead to serious issues.
 
Just an FYI I did not calibrate on the driveway or near it, I calibrated it in my open field on August 10th. I read the RTFM and watched videos and read everything I had before flying. I practiced in my open field etc but I cannot fly distance out of my field (only 5 acres and tree lined) with line of sight which is in back of me. So I fly it out of the front out over the corn and beans. So there evidently must have been something in the ground where I calibrated it first, but it still calibrated and good mod numbers. That was August 10th and it has always flown great. I have flown out the front almost every day since and had not noticed anything strange until I started to take off and the postal worker was coming down the road so I immediately put it back down and idled engines and waited for him to hand me mail. Then i tried to take off again when the weird thing happened. Stopped motors and looked to see if props were tight etc. Took off again and it was fine. So finally to solve the problem I went about 300' across my road next to the corn field and calibrated there again with good mod numbers and brought it back. Again the mod numbers were fine on the drive, next to the drive and in middle of yard away from drive (i have no fences) all about the same but that one weird behavior was gone.
 
So your point is that sometimes things in the ground can distort the calibration ?
 
I think its more that a slight variation, from any source, can manifest its self in sometimes hazardous P3 actions. It had little at all to do with wire mesh in the driveway and everything to do with a slightly varied compass MOD value. This can happen when comparing values taken in open areas even a mile apart. It just doesn't always lead to this drifting issue

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I think there is too much voodoo going on regarding compass calibration, and compass sensitivity.
While the calibration should be done at a place far from metal, there is no problem (as far as I know) flying in an area with metal, or taking off a concrete slab with rebar.
Also, there is no need to re-calibrate all the time: Just when changing location more than 100 miles.

If anyone thinks I am wrong, let's discuss this here and make sure we get to the bottom of this. I believe that people are misleading by suggesting that drifts are caused by flying near metal. You would have to be really close to the metal, for it to impact the compass. Too close for it to happen while flying, unless you are a daredevil...
ok hope I am not jumping in where I shouldn't be but I am new. Every time I get ready to fly my phantom3 advanced it wants me to calibrate the compass sometimes it works the first time but sometimes it is really hard to find a place and get it done. this is in my same place as I have flown the same day. so can I just ignore the calibrate compass on the app or what? It says it is safe to fly GPS on the top middle of the app thanks for the help and if it has been answered just don't respond that is fine I will get the answer elsewhere, thanks
ok just read the thread again and I do realize the compass calibration does not need to be done in the same place every flight then why does it tell me to do it on the app?
 
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my back yard but and my drive way my driveway is gravel I do have high power lines in the area and a amateur radio tower in the area, but I try to be in an open spot about 50' from everything
 
I do realize the compass calibration does not need to be done in the same place every flight then why does it tell me to do it on the app?
If your Phantom is asking you to calibrate the compass, it s because it is detecting a magnetic environment significantly different from what it is expecting.
Likely causes are steel close to the compass.
Are you trying to launch from a manhole cover, car roof, concrete with reinforcing inside etc?
 
no my yard, but close to a shop that has a metal roof. so it is all about the location, so since it calibrated there before it is probably safe to just fly it and cancel where it says calibrate the compass? like I said it says safe to fly gps . thanks for the help.
 

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