Dji support tells me that i actually should calibrate before every flight.
- Thread starter Darwish
- Start date
My reference was the Phantom 4 manual. Did DJI change their procedures or is there a difference between the 4 and 4P compasses
I am not going to agree or disagree on if / when the compass calibration should be performed. Rather I am going to share my personal experience with y'all.
We are active travelers and do not only travel CONUS but also abroad. We just returned from 2 weeks to Costa Rica & Nicaragua. I have massive footage of pictures and videos taken at both countries that I am currently editing for family and friend's presentation. On this trip I brought the MAVIC, last time I calibrated the compass was right after FW update but never calibrated the compass at either country. I even flew the Mav chasing a fishing boat almost 2 miles off the coast but had no issues
I am also shooting footage at various locations with the P4 Pro, sometimes more than 200 miles away from home. In some cases even across the U.S. / Mexican Border.
Personally I do the compass calibration when I see the prompt in the DJI GO App. If Ain't broke don't fix it.
We are active travelers and do not only travel CONUS but also abroad. We just returned from 2 weeks to Costa Rica & Nicaragua. I have massive footage of pictures and videos taken at both countries that I am currently editing for family and friend's presentation. On this trip I brought the MAVIC, last time I calibrated the compass was right after FW update but never calibrated the compass at either country. I even flew the Mav chasing a fishing boat almost 2 miles off the coast but had no issues
I am also shooting footage at various locations with the P4 Pro, sometimes more than 200 miles away from home. In some cases even across the U.S. / Mexican Border.
Personally I do the compass calibration when I see the prompt in the DJI GO App. If Ain't broke don't fix it.
ianwood
Taco Wrangler
I think this is the most discussed topic here. And it always has the following:
Having learned A LOT about magnetometers (the compass) in the past several years, I can say with full knowledge of exactly how they work, the best strategy is the one I've outlined here:
Compass Calibration, A Complete Primer
It's my one big contribution here. So, people can say do this or do that but unless they know exactly why, they're guessing based on limited empirical data. And that includes 99.9% of people who work for DJI. Take it for what it's worth.
- Those that calibrate once and never again.
- Those that do it all the time.
Having learned A LOT about magnetometers (the compass) in the past several years, I can say with full knowledge of exactly how they work, the best strategy is the one I've outlined here:
Compass Calibration, A Complete Primer
It's my one big contribution here. So, people can say do this or do that but unless they know exactly why, they're guessing based on limited empirical data. And that includes 99.9% of people who work for DJI. Take it for what it's worth.
Meta4
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It was never necessary to calibrate every flight or location and DJI are only now correcting the poor wording in the manuals for new drones.
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Dji support is simply fascinating,
"Dji housewife club, how may we help you?
Hold on sir, ill ask my neighours wife about that...
Sorry for keep you waiting 30 mins, it seems like you have to turn on the aircraft before taking off.
Are you sure theres a battery inside?
I think you have to return it for inspection, you will get it back in 2-3 months or so, i think..."
"Dji housewife club, how may we help you?
Hold on sir, ill ask my neighours wife about that...
Sorry for keep you waiting 30 mins, it seems like you have to turn on the aircraft before taking off.
Are you sure theres a battery inside?
I think you have to return it for inspection, you will get it back in 2-3 months or so, i think..."
msinger
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Are you sure it's prompting you or is it just giving you the option to calibrate like this?
The Aircraft Status screen appears soon after DJI GO4 connects to the aircraft with the Calibrate button highlighted. I didn't actually notice the Status, just assumed it wanted a calibration. I will check it out tomorrow maybe. Today is blizzard conditions. Thanks.
msinger
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Thanks for the update. Do not want to incorporate errors unnecessarily if a calibration is not required. Since I am new to this drone hobby, I was just following DJI written instructions.
So is the conclusion is to follow the manual, calibrate it once, then only calibrate it again when it tells you to?
Meta4
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The manual doesn't say to calibrate once.
Here's what it does say:
I have been flying my P4pro for three months straight out of the box with no calibration - exactly following the manual instructions and have had no trouble with it.
ianwood
Taco Wrangler
So after reading through the manual I also see that it says, "Only calibrate the compass when the DJI Go App or the status indicator prompt you to do so". I just got my P4P+ and it hasn't yet prompted me to do so. So I shouldn't do anything? Is that little "Calibrate" button on the Aircraft Status screen considered a prompt? Or will a screen/prompt explicitly say something like "Please calibrate the compass before your next flight"?
You do not need to calibrate unless it specifically says to. The button is just the button to do so. I've never calibrated mine out of the box yet either. And zero problems here.
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