Backyard RTH settings?

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I'm wondering what the best RTH setting would be for me when flying in the relatively small area of my backyard? When flying in the yard the drone is never more than about 120 feet from the takeoff home point. There are trees that I both fly under and above, and I'll put it over my house as well. I have set the RTH mode to "hover" because if I lose signal within 20 meters I do not want it to land on my house or a tree. Is this the best setting for such a flight situation?

My thought is that if I lose signal my odds of regaining contact with the drone in a hover are better than my odds of a safe landing with so many obstacles in the 20 meter radius.

While I assume the 20 meter radius for descending is to ensure a clear area for takeoff, the fact of the matter is I would be pleased if RTH could be set to go to the home point even when it is within that radius. Of course, the other issue I would have is RTH altitude since it could always rise up to hit a tree branch if RTH is high and it kicks in while under a branch, or smack into a wall if RTH is low and it kicks in while there is something between it and the home point. I realize those are just part of its limitations.

Am I correct that hover is the best RTH call here, or is there some other combo of settings I should be using?

Thanks!
 
No. Hover is mostly used if your moving like on a boat or something. For me I always have it set RTH and make sure it's around 90 metres to clear and trees and buildings where I am. Then when I get signal and video feed I cancel RTH and then take full control and land it manually

Neon Euc
 
RTH means that the drone will fly up to the set altitude (or remain at it's current altitude if already higher), return to the take off point and hover for a bit. If no control is regained, it will land at that point.

So unless you took off from your roof, it would not land on your roof. However, GPS is not exact so it could be 1-3 feet off the take off location.

If you choose hover, it will hover until critical battery or you regain control. If not, it will land where it is hovering (which could be a roof, a tree, a car, etc.).

If the Phantom is returning to home, you can always take control if you regain a connection. If you are close to the take off point, this should happen. But again, the drone will return to the take off point and a message will pop up allowing you to take control if you have a connection.

RTH altitude should consider the tallest object in the area and then add around 50' to that height.

Yes, if you loose a connection and something is above the drone, it will probablyt rise up and hit the object. Flying around and under things like trees is not advisable.
 
If RTH is set to hover, will it sill climb to the set altitude?
Sounds like to me his main concern is not to hitting some thing above the Phantom at times.

@rsgreenx
Welcome to the Forum!

May not your answer, but something else that you don't want to happen.
Lesson learned from crash by RTH because flying with a low battery

Stay away from trees, they don't move out the way, they usually win the fight!

Rod
 
As a new P3S owner, I have been thinking about this as well. There are times where I just want to fly around my back yard to practice flying. I too am flying under trees and over my house, and I realize this isn't the ideal scenario to fly. But I also want to know what to expect if the drone does lose connection or goes into Failsafe RTH mode. It doesn't appear that there would be one setting to rule them all in this situation, but knowing what to expect when it happens is very important.

I realize that within a 20 meter radius of the home point, it will just land without ascending. That would be the preferable behavior if you are flying under trees, for example.
I realize that outside of the 20 meter radius, it will rise to the RTH altitude first and then return to home and land. That would be preferable if you are flying over the house, for example.

So either way, if you have no control over the drone at all, there is a risk that it could land on something undesirable (the roof) OR fly up to something undesirable (the tree). And having no control over the drone is really the biggest thing to think about, as you should never let the drone get close to low battery anyway when flying in the back yard.

The problem is that when flying in the back yard, you may sometimes be within that 20 meter radius, and other times not. Having it do one thing within the radius and the opposite thing when outside of the radius is probably not desirable in this situation, right? So what's the best solution? Is there a way to tell it to just land without ascending no matter what the distance is? OR is there a way to tell it to ascend to the RTH altitude even when it IS within the 20 meter radius?

I wasn't aware of the "hover" setting. What does that do exactly?
 
If RTH is set to hover, will it sill climb to the set altitude?
Sounds like to me his main concern is not to hitting some thing above the Phantom at times.

@rsgreenx
Welcome to the Forum!

May not your answer, but something else that you don't want to happen.
Lesson learned from crash by RTH because flying with a low battery

Stay away from trees, they don't move out the way, they usually win the fight!

Rod

Thanks all. I think I could have been clearer. What I am specifically asking about are the best settings for a failsafe RTH in the environment I described (i.e. my backyard). In the GO app under "main controller settings -- advanced settings" there is a setting for "Remote Controller Signal Lost" and the options are Return to Home, Landing, and Hover. I'm not worried about a low battery situation, nor will I initiate Smart RTH in this environment -- it's so small that neither should ever be necessary. What I am worried about is losing a connection to the controller while within the 20m radius. My reason for concern is there are plenty of structures, wifi, etc. in the area and I have received numerous "strong interference detected" warnings. I get that this is not an ideal environment -- but for flying there I just want to make sure I'm giving myself the best chances for a safe flight.

If I do lose connection with the controller in this environment, it will most likely be within 20m of the home point. If I'm within the 20m radius when signal is lost, the drone will not ascend to the RTH altitude, correct? Instead it will just land, and if it does so the chances are high that it would hit something like the house or a tree. And if RTH kicks in while I happen to be outside the 20m radius, there's a good chance that the drone could ascend safely to RTH altitude and land safely, but, again, most of the time I expect the drone is within the 20m radius.

So my question really comes down to what setting do you think gives me the best chance when I lose signal in this environment? My sense is that hover is best because that would give me a chance to reconnect before a low-battery landing. If the drone happens to lose signal while hovering over a safe landing location, I'll be ok. And by not automatically going into RTH, I avoid the risk of collision that an ascent to RTH altitude could cause.

I hope this is clear enough for further input but in any event it's helped me get my thoughts out about it, and that's worth something! But really, if there's a better choice of setting for the environment I described, I'd love to hear any input.

Thanks again.

Bob
 
As a new P3S owner, I have been thinking about this as well. There are times where I just want to fly around my back yard to practice flying. I too am flying under trees and over my house, and I realize this isn't the ideal scenario to fly. But I also want to know what to expect if the drone does lose connection or goes into Failsafe RTH mode. It doesn't appear that there would be one setting to rule them all in this situation, but knowing what to expect when it happens is very important.

I realize that within a 20 meter radius of the home point, it will just land without ascending. That would be the preferable behavior if you are flying under trees, for example.
I realize that outside of the 20 meter radius, it will rise to the RTH altitude first and then return to home and land. That would be preferable if you are flying over the house, for example.

So either way, if you have no control over the drone at all, there is a risk that it could land on something undesirable (the roof) OR fly up to something undesirable (the tree). And having no control over the drone is really the biggest thing to think about, as you should never let the drone get close to low battery anyway when flying in the back yard.

The problem is that when flying in the back yard, you may sometimes be within that 20 meter radius, and other times not. Having it do one thing within the radius and the opposite thing when outside of the radius is probably not desirable in this situation, right? So what's the best solution? Is there a way to tell it to just land without ascending no matter what the distance is? OR is there a way to tell it to ascend to the RTH altitude even when it IS within the 20 meter radius?

I wasn't aware of the "hover" setting. What does that do exactly?

It's not in the manual (not that I could find anyhow) but I believe it just means that if signal is lost, the drone will hover in place until signal is reestablished or a critical low battery landing is required. Not certain, but that's my understanding of the "hover" option for loss of signal.

And nice to hear that someone else has similar concerns. I know there is no perfect solution other than a more advanced drone with collision avoidance, but I'm asking within the confines of what the P3S has.
 
As a new P3S owner, I have been thinking about this as well. There are times where But I also want to know what to expect if the drone does lose connection or goes into Failsafe RTH mode. It doesn't appear that there would be one setting to rule them all in this situation, but knowing what to expect when it happens is very important.
I would suggest taking the bird out to a very open space and testing all the failsafes so you know exactly what the bird will do within a confined area. You'll only have to do this the once and then you can practice as often as you want in your back yard ;)
 
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Yes. I would set to hover. But then, I would never fly in such a small space, with a bunch of trees nearby.
 
I'm wondering what the best RTH setting would be for me when flying in the relatively small area of my backyard? When flying in the yard the drone is never more than about 120 feet from the takeoff home point. There are trees that I both fly under and above, and I'll put it over my house as well. I have set the RTH mode to "hover" because if I lose signal within 20 meters I do not want it to land on my house or a tree. Is this the best setting for such a flight situation?

My thought is that if I lose signal my odds of regaining contact with the drone in a hover are better than my odds of a safe landing with so many obstacles in the 20 meter radius.

While I assume the 20 meter radius for descending is to ensure a clear area for takeoff, the fact of the matter is I would be pleased if RTH could be set to go to the home point even when it is within that radius. Of course, the other issue I would have is RTH altitude since it could always rise up to hit a tree branch if RTH is high and it kicks in while under a branch, or smack into a wall if RTH is low and it kicks in while there is something between it and the home point. I realize those are just part of its limitations.

Am I correct that hover is the best RTH call here, or is there some other combo of settings I should be using?

Thanks!
That's what I do when in my back yard, (hover) I also have a few big trees. Your line "My thought is that if I lose signal my odds of regaining contact with the drone in a hover are better than my odds of a safe landing with so many obstacles" That's my thought also, and added to that I don't want my drone going to RTH altitude and hitting any tree branches.
 
My first couple flights were in a small backyard, and I paid the price. The thing about RTH is when it goes into RTH, it eliminates any ability to see obstructions below it. So therefore the second time mine came down aafter a gust of wind caught it and blew it into some shrubs that was 6 feet from my landing spot. I couldn't stop it.

From now on, I engage the RTH , and kill the RTH when the drone is 20 feet to 30 feet up in the air, higher than the local trees/obstacles, and bring it in manually and make a hand grab
 
If I'm within the 20m radius when signal is lost, the drone will not ascend to the RTH altitude, correct? Instead it will just land, and if it does so the chances are high that it would hit something like the house or a tree. And if RTH kicks in while I happen to be outside the 20m radius, there's a good chance that the drone could ascend safely to RTH altitude and land safely, but, again, most of the time I expect the drone is within the 20m radius.


If RTH is set to hover and it's within 20m it will hover until the battery gets to the critical level (usually 10%) and then land where it is.

So my question really comes down to what setting do you think gives me the best chance when I lose signal in this environment? My sense is that hover is best because that would give me a chance to reconnect before a low-battery landing. If the drone happens to lose signal while hovering over a safe landing location, I'll be ok. And by not automatically going into RTH, I avoid the risk of collision that an ascent to RTH altitude could cause.

I'd agree that hover would be best. When someone uses Active Tracking or Follow Me mode, I recommend to them to change RTH to hover. Otherwise the drone will fly back to the take off point... which could be miles away. I've set it to hover and when it happens, it does not rise up to the RTH altitude.
 
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As a new P3S owner, I have been thinking about this as well. There are times where I just want to fly around my back yard to practice flying. I too am flying under trees and over my house, and I realize this isn't the ideal scenario to fly. But I also want to know what to expect if the drone does lose connection or goes into Failsafe RTH mode. It doesn't appear that there would be one setting to rule them all in this situation, but knowing what to expect when it happens is very important.

I realize that within a 20 meter radius of the home point, it will just land without ascending. That would be the preferable behavior if you are flying under trees, for example.
I realize that outside of the 20 meter radius, it will rise to the RTH altitude first and then return to home and land. That would be preferable if you are flying over the house, for example.

So either way, if you have no control over the drone at all, there is a risk that it could land on something undesirable (the roof) OR fly up to something undesirable (the tree). And having no control over the drone is really the biggest thing to think about, as you should never let the drone get close to low battery anyway when flying in the back yard.

The problem is that when flying in the back yard, you may sometimes be within that 20 meter radius, and other times not. Having it do one thing within the radius and the opposite thing when outside of the radius is probably not desirable in this situation, right? So what's the best solution? Is there a way to tell it to just land without ascending no matter what the distance is? OR is there a way to tell it to ascend to the RTH altitude even when it IS within the 20 meter radius?

I wasn't aware of the "hover" setting. What does that do exactly?
Your questions "The problem is that when flying in the back yard, you may sometimes be within that 20 meter radius, and other times not. Having it do one thing within the radius and the opposite thing when outside of the radius is probably not desirable in this situation, right? So what's the best solution? Is there a way to tell it to just land without ascending no matter what the distance is? OR is there a way to tell it to ascend to the RTH altitude even when it IS within the 20 meter radius?"
#1 Solution, Hover IMO
#2 No, RTH will always go to the height it's set to, outside that radius.
#3 No, when under that radius, it lands if RTH is set.
 
Last edited:
I just want to chime in with my 2 cents....and its probably all its worth. I would highly suggest not flying from your back yard. Unless you live on a whole lot of land. Its just going to cause issues with neighbors. Its not good for you or any of us in the drone community.

Sent from my VS995 using PhantomPilots mobile app
 
...most of the time I expect the drone is within the 20m radius.

So my question really comes down to what setting do you think gives me the best chance when I lose signal in this.....I'd love to hear any input.
/QUOTE]

There is no one best answer to this IMHO, as you are trying to anticipate 'which' recovery situation you need to be ready for, and of course neither we nor you know in advance. For example, various reasons one may loose signal, some of these, signal will not be restored (eg you drop RC) - in this example hover may be a problem as. It will hover till critical battery. That said, I'd go for RTH, as can set and forget, if you ok changing each time - I'd go with Hover, since trees sound they are an important obstacle to avoid manually.

Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots
 
in these circumstances land and hover are likely the most suitable RTH actions.

As a rule the back yards of most people are amongst the least suitable places to practice flying.
 
I just want to chime in with my 2 cents....and its probably all its worth. I would highly suggest not flying from your back yard. Unless you live on a whole lot of land. Its just going to cause issues with neighbors. Its not good for you or any of us in the drone community.

Sent from my VS995 using PhantomPilots mobile app
Not sure the situation for the OP, but keep in mind that some backyards are not surrounded by neighborhoods, sometimes people will have undeveloped land behind their home like forest or farmland for example.

Sent from my HTC 10 using PhantomPilots mobile app
 
If RTH is set to hover, will it sill climb to the set altitude?
Sounds like to me his main concern is not to hitting some thing above the Phantom at times.

@rsgreenx
Welcome to the Forum!

May not your answer, but something else that you don't want to happen.
Lesson learned from crash by RTH because flying with a low battery

Stay away from trees, they don't move out the way, they usually win the fight!

Rod
I got a tie with tree, it landed in it rth'ing, but I took off from it also. Battery bounced out landing, and I replaced the props from all the scratches on them from the branches. Sadly the luck didn't hold, and the lottery ticket didn't win.

I would go with RTH set ABOVE the highest tree. and practice turning it OFF. don't go battery low emergency landing in yard if you don't have lots of open area.
I would have been ok, if I hadn't taken off under the trees to fly up my other driveway and do an Animal House on the upstairs windows.
 
Seems a lot of people like to talk about when signal lost but don't seem to cotton on to OP's question.

The simple answer is there is no ideal answer for backyard flying - too many variables. But we can say that RTH is probably the worst choice.
Landing where it is is better but not if over a tree or house.
So that only leaves Hover. At least that does not rise up into a trees branches or descend onto house etc.

So the best compromise is Hover. That's my opinion anyway.

Nigel
 
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