Compass calibration

Andres Posada · Oct 18, 2015

Do you guys calibrate after swapping batteries? Even if you calibrated for first flight?

Meta4 · Oct 18, 2015

Andres Posada said:
Do you guys calibrate after swapping batteries? Even if you calibrated for first flight?

Definitely not after swapping batteries. There's no need to.
I haven't calibrated the compass for 3 months.
Read this to understand what compass calibration does and when it's necessary.
Compass Calibration, A Complete Primer | DJI Phantom Forum

bobmyers · Oct 18, 2015

Andres Posada said:
Do you guys calibrate after swapping batteries? Even if you calibrated for first flight?

No-- a compass calibration is not required after every flight -- nor every day-- nor every location.-- You only have to recalibrate the compass if it shows a compass error when you power up the P3 and if you are going to be flying at a location that is several hundred miles from where you normally fly.

jephoto · Oct 18, 2015

Andres Posada said:
Do you guys calibrate after swapping batteries? Even if you calibrated for first flight?

Maybe you are confusing setting the Home point wig Compass Calibration?
Do you mean where you rotate the bird to set your current Home point?

If so, no you don't need to do that either if taking off from the same spot ( or reasonably close )
And if that's not what you mean- sorry.....

RedHotPoker · Oct 18, 2015

@jephoto,
You rotate the Phantom on a horizontal plane, then turned face to ground and rotated once again, to calibrate the compass, that's all.

Home point is set by GPS and the satellites up above. ;-)

RTFM!! (read the flight manual)
Please get a better understanding of your rather expensive Bird. Before it flies away on you. That would be no fun.
& I'm afraid, Not a happy landing.

RedHotPoker

jephoto · Oct 19, 2015

Sorry for getting the terminology mixed. I do calibrate for every new location I fly from. Every time.
But do not if just swapping batteries at the same spot. That's all I meant.
I was thrown off by what bobmeyers said about not needing to calibrate unless flying from a new spot hundreds of miles away.
That sounds off to me. If I move to a new location, even 1/4 mile away, I redo the compass calibration in case I do a RTH. Don't want it to come HOME to my previous location.
Look at pages 44-45 in the Manual.

N017RW · Oct 19, 2015

jephoto said:
Sorry for getting the terminology mixed. I do calibrate for every new location I fly from. Every time.
But do not if just swapping batteries at the same spot. That's all I meant.
I was thrown off by what bobmeyers said about not needing to calibrate unless flying from a new spot hundreds of miles away.

It can be true.
I have traveled from S. Fla. to Western N.C. with no need to re-cal upon arrival or return home.
Both times through TSA scanners.

Meta4 · Oct 19, 2015

jephoto said:
I was thrown off by what bobmeyers said about not needing to calibrate unless flying from a new spot hundreds of miles away.
That sounds off to me. If I move to a new location, even 1/4 mile away, I redo the compass calibration in case I do a RTH. Don't want it to come HOME to my previous location.
Look at pages 44-45 in the Manual.

Some serious misunderstanding there.
Compass calibration has nothing to do with home point recording.
A bad compass calibration won't make your Phantom think home is somewhere it's flown before.
It might make your Phantom fly a curve when it's trying to fly straight.
Recalibrating frequently is completely unnecessary and introduces the potential go get a bad calibration if you attempt calibration in a bad location.

Read this to understand what compass calibration does and when you need to do it.
Compass Calibration, A Complete Primer | DJI Phantom Forum

jephoto · Oct 19, 2015

Thanks. I'll read that.
I guess I did misunderstand that point.
Are you saying that when I startup at a new spot (locally without huge travel) the Homepoint will update on its own and we will get the flashing green- Ready to Fly GPS mode on its own as soon as the bird connects with the Sattellites?
No need to recalibrate during a given days flying even if in different spots?

Meta4 · Oct 19, 2015

jephoto said:
Thanks. I'll read that.
I guess I did misunderstand that point.
Are you saying that when I startup at a new spot (locally without huge travel) the Homepoint will update on its own and we will get the flashing green- Ready to Fly GPS mode on its own as soon as the bird connects with the Sattellites?
No need to recalibrate during a given days flying even if in different spots?

Homepoint comes from your GPS deriving the Phantom's position from satellites.
Calibration of the compass adjusts your compass to deal with the magnetic field environment it has to fly in so it can fly straight.

Really you don't need to endlessly recalibrate the compass and you're probably better of and safer if you just get a good calibration and stick with it.
I've only done a few in over two years of flying and I frequently travel 100 miles or more between locations.
Understanding how the Phantom works is one of the keys to safe flight.

RedHotPoker · Oct 20, 2015

There are dozens of helpful YouTube videos that explain this all, in great and easy to understand detail.

Also some explanatory text, (more reading) from @dji. ;-)
Phantom 3 Professional-Calibrating the Compass - DJI Wiki

Have fun, fly safe, happy landing.

RedHotPoker

NorthcountySD · Oct 20, 2015

Does the compass calibration have anything to do with the setting of the home point? For some reason I have the two associated with each other and would love to hear more on the home point like the great info here on compass calibration!

Seems I calibrate the compass each time just to be on the safe side If I don't, will the home point be updated by the satellites? Seem obvious but so do quite a few other things I've managed to let slip on occasion ... Thanks!

brianb87 · Oct 20, 2015

Andres Posada said:
Do you guys calibrate after swapping batteries? Even if you calibrated for first flight?

I wouldn't calibrate unless it requires you to.

bbfpv · Oct 20, 2015

NorthcountySD said:
Does the compass calibration have anything to do with the setting of the home point? For some reason I have the two associated with each other and would love to hear more on the home point like the great info here on compass calibration!

Seems I calibrate the compass each time just to be on the safe side If I don't, will the home point be updated by the satellites? Seem obvious but so do quite a few other things I've managed to let slip on occasion ... Thanks!

home point is set by GPS. Has nothing to do w/ compass.

Meta4 · Oct 20, 2015

NorthcountySD said:
Does the compass calibration have anything to do with the setting of the home point? For some reason I have the two associated with each other and would love to hear more on the home point like the great info here on compass calibration!

Seems I calibrate the compass each time just to be on the safe side If I don't, will the home point be updated by the satellites? Seem obvious but so do quite a few other things I've managed to let slip on occasion ... Thanks!

Read post #10 above. It answers exactly this question.
Better understanding of how your Phantom works is one of the keys to safe flight

HotRod T · Oct 23, 2015

bobmyers said:
No-- a compass calibration is not required after every flight -- nor every day-- nor every location.-- You only have to recalibrate the compass if it shows a compass error when you power up the P3 and if you are going to be flying at a location that is several hundred miles from where you normally fly.

I am showing compass error, have tried ICU calibration twice and have reformed several compass calibrations, unit will not change ??