Auto RTH lost with new features?

[Oso]

Hi guys. I heard in passing that signal loss from the RC would NOT automatically trigger RTH if you are currently flying with one of the new features.

I have not yet updated (traveling without my P3) but I have been reading threads and watching the how to videos. I don't recall seeing any warning about auto RTH being lost if the features are in use. Did I miss that incredibly important little tidbit? Can anyone confirm?

Note - user selected RTH if still signal connected is not an issue from what I heard. Only the auto RTH if signal is lost when using new features. For example, if using POI and the signal is lost the bird will circle until critical battery and then land even if over water.

Again, can anyone confirm? I'd love to know for sure before I get home.

 

[D4T_PoM]

Best thing to do would be...
Take it out for a test in a field, not too far away from yourself, enough distance where you can see it and be able to test it on, enable a intelligent mode and then switch off your RC and see what it does.

I cannot do this as I'm still on an older firmware.

 

[Oso]

Best thing.
Take it out for a test in a field, not too far away enable a intelligent mode and then switch off your RC and see what it does.

That's exactly what I would do if I weren't traveling without my P3.

Part of me thinks it would be impossible for DJI to make such a critical oversight, but then again stranger things have happened.

I'd think that everyone would want to know if auto RTH was lost so they are not flying with false confidence. Especially over water. That also makes me think it can't be true or people would already be slamming DJI about it by now.

I'll be home on the 17th and will test it first thing unless someone beats me to it. I strongly suggest that someone test it sooner.

 

[2nd2non]

The instructions do state that the function will continue even if RC signal is lost. So....

 

[FunN4lo]

I have read the lack of RTH in IOC modes other posts. One where a POI circle just continued until the batt ran out and it auto-landed. I am not familiar with that poster, and I have not seen any confirmation or denial from DJI folks. Makes me think it might be true as I am guessing they would jump all over it if not.

 

[Lori]

While this is not a real confirmation (in the sense of trying it live), the POI feature specifically asks for a RTH altitude before proceeding, so I would expect it to work.

 

[Oso]

The instructions do state that the function will continue even if RC signal is lost. So....

So it says the function will continue with signal loss. That's just what I heard. The function continues with signal loss, but doesn't do the normal auto RTH if signal is lost. That's sort of important I think, yes?

I'm sure that people are flying these features and have no idea that it won't RTH.

 

[rrmccabe]

I'm sure that people are flying these features and have no idea that it won't RTH.

People have been flying for years with missions because it wont RTH on signal loss. That is part of the reason for doing it.

 

[Oso]

While this is not a real confirmation (in the sense of trying it live), the POI feature specifically asks for a RTH altitude before proceeding, so I would expect it to work.

I think it would work if user initiated, but if signal is lost you can't initiate it yourself. It normally would RTH itself, but now the "function continues" until a critical battery auto land - even if over water or something else undesirable.

 

[Oso]

People have been flying for years with missions because it wont RTH on signal loss. That is part of the reason for doing it.

I see what you mean. No auto RTH is by design so people can perhaps exceed normal range with waypoints or something similar?

I can see how that might be desirable in some situations, but it also seems that no auto RTH will be a huge expensive lesson learned to some unfortunate P3 owners who didnt realize.

Maybe it should be a user defined option. At least it should be made more clear, but we know from experience that clarity is not a strong suit with DJI.

 

[rrmccabe]

I see what you mean. No auto RTH is by design so people can perhaps exceed normal range with waypoints or something similar?.

I know where you are heading with this and see your point as well. As an example we know that if you set an orbit/POI far away and lose connectivity it will orbit until it hits critical battery and auto-land.
With the DJI software you are limited to 500 meters. So you have a much smaller chance of not having connectivity with DJI software than a 3rd party SDK.

I did this last week with Litchi. Set an orbit almost a mile away. Then dropped down to get it framed the way I wanted and lost signal. So I had to jump in truck and drive half way there pressing the RTH button to invoke return to home so I could get it heading back my direction !

Missions are not as bad because you always (or should) end the mission back at homepoint. Since the mission is loaded to the bird it doesn't care if you lose connectivity. Its going to come back in range anyway.

 

[Oso]

I know where you are heading with this and see your point as well. As an example we know that if you set an orbit/POI far away and lose connectivity it will orbit until it hits critical battery and auto-land.
With the DJI software you are limited to 500 meters. So you have a much smaller chance of not having connectivity with DJI software than a 3rd party SDK.

I did this last week with Litchi. Set an orbit almost a mile away. Then dropped down to get it framed the way I wanted and lost signal. So I had to jump in truck and drive half way there pressing the RTH button to invoke return to home so I could get it heading back my direction !

Missions are not as bad because you always (or should) end the mission back at homepoint. Since the mission is loaded to the bird it doesn't care if you lose connectivity. Its going to come back in range anyway.

Now that you mentioned the "jump in truck" thing I do recall your post about that.

It sounds like what you are saying is that anyone who has longer term experience with these types of features already knows that auto RTH is lost as the fail safe it usually is. What worries me is that I religiously read this forum and all I can study about the P3 and the loss of auto RTH is something that got passed me somehow. My brother in law actually asked me about it and I told him he was nuts!

My guess is that many more people have no idea there is no auto RTH with the new features, so I hope this helps to get word out more clearly. Cheers!

 

[rrmccabe]

Well its good you brought it up. Always good to have "plan b".

I have only lost mine on missions 3 times. All out of stupidity

I also brought it home all three times with use of tracker. No damage.

 

[nfilipek]

I don't understand why then you been asked to set rth altitude when you triger poi mode? I assume that when you lost signal it will return and not continue then land

 

[rrmccabe]

I don't understand why then you been asked to set rth altitude when you triger poi mode? I assume that when you lost signal it will return and not continue then land

Thats a great question.

 

[Oso]

I don't understand why then you been asked to set rth altitude when you triger poi mode? I assume that when you lost signal it will return and not continue then land

It's so that if you initiate a manual RTH, there is for sure a pre set altitude. If you lose signal, the mission will continue with no auto RTH until it runs out of battery and lands. Even if in water.

At least that is what I have learned in the last hour or so. I am very anxious to test it when I get home on the 17th.

 

[Dermot]

I had same problem when running follow me mode I lost connection after 5 mins and the bird stopped then just landed where it was (No RTH) Battery was fully charged.
I noticed that it did not record the data of the trip, however it did record the full flight and landing video on the SD card.
Is this what it is supposed to do, if so I will be keeping well away from flying over water.

Is there a bug in the system??

 

[Take Flight]

It seems to me that once the battery reaches the level required to return to home it should initiate RTH, not keep flying the mission. I could see some circumstances, like running waypoints where this would not be desirable, however it would be simple to allow the operator to disable RTH in that case at the beginning of the mission if desired.

 

[OldFlyer]

I had same problem when running follow me mode I lost connection after 5 mins and the bird stopped then just landed where it was (No RTH) Battery was fully charged.
I noticed that it did not record the data of the trip, however it did record the full flight and landing video on the SD card.
Is this what it is supposed to do, if so I will be keeping well away from flying over water.

Is there a bug in the system??

I think the home point is updated continuously in this mode to be the position of the tablet. So, return to home would take you to the last place you had good signal.

 

[StumbleBee]

If it weren't raining cats and dogs right now I'd go out and test this question. Seems simple enough. Have it start orbiting an imaginary POI a few hundred feet from Home, make sure that the entire area below the bird is clear and safe, and then run 'er until she croaks. What happens? Straight down as in Failsafe? Or RTH? We'll see.