I have read many posts on how to initiate the return to home and I am getting ready to use Lithci for the 1st time. In the event I lose control would the "BEST" way to initiate RTH be by turning off the controller, thereby cutting off all signals to the drone? I will be on our property of 100 acres farm land, flat and very few trees, just trying to have an emergency plan should something go wrong. Thank you for your thoughts on this.I will be flying phantom 3 standard
Emergency RTH?
- Thread starter drvrbobob
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I wouldn't recommend it. The GPS system in the bird has an accuracy of 15 meters. That may not be good enough for landing on a safe surface. And there are other reasons.
Push the RTH button and maintain control. Monitor the bird's path and be prepared to abort the RTH.
SB
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Depending upon the mission, there is a chance you will lose signal. If that does happen, don't panic. Litchi will complete the mission regardless of control signal. Litchi is the pilot, not you. That's the idea. Turning off the controller will not have any effect nor will it trigger RTH so long as Litchi is in the pilot's seat.
If you wish to abort for any reason, flip the S1 (right) lever back into GPS. This terminates the mission and returns control back to you.
If this is your first mission, I recommend starting out with something simple. Out and back comes to mind. Not too far. Maybe run a short circuit, say 3 to 4 waypoints just to see how it works.
As a general best practice, RTH is a safety net and it works, however, you should fly the AC back under your control whenever possible.
Good luck!
Hey thanks everyone. I am gonna start by just flying out and back, then try simple square. I have easily 300 yards by 600 yards in field by the house so definitely keeping it well with those boundaries. I know litchi is flying the drone but was thinking I read somewhere that they lost signal and perhaps as they tried to regain control ,made it worse.Lesson learned to not worry, just let the app pilot the drone and regain control as it tries to land.
You read correctly (if it's the same thread I'm thinking of). He did lose signal and tried to abort. Just made matters worse! He eventually got within range again (walking 1/2 mile or so) and managed to get it back. Be sure to review your settings carefully, especially the final actions to take at the end of mission. I always place my last waypoint close to my home point. That way I can take control and bring it in under my control.
If you haven't already seen this video, give it 17 minutes of your time. It's all Litchi. At 3:16 the "Leader" AC loses signal (watch the lights) and yet it continues on to complete the mission and returns home safely.
Lastly, there are some good and not-so-good YouTube demonstrations. This guy seems to explain it the best in my opinion,
Meta4
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If you lose control signal, there's nothing you can do.
Flicking switches etc won't do anything because ... you've lost control signal.
In normal Phantom flying, the Phantom would initiate RTH three seconds after losing signal.
But if you are flying a Litchi waypoint mission, the Phantom will continue to fly the mission even if signal is lost.
You could program a waypoint mission to fly right around a large obstacle.
So what should you do if you lose signal during a Litchi waypoint mission?
1st. Double check the mission parameters before launching because Litchi will go exactly where you program it to.
2nd. Nothing, just wait for the Phantom to come back into range.
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Also once you created the mission then you can open it on litchi mission hub on your computer. From here open the mission and choose download KML file. This will open your flight mission on google earth and show you the height in 3D
You don't mention "mission" anywhere in this thread so I assume you're talking about normal flying with the Litchi app.
Regardless of what app you're using, the best way to deliberately initiate RTH is with the S2 switch (see your manual). Once RTH begins, your app should indicate that you're in RTH. This is the best way because the log on your mobile device will remain intact.
If you lose the 2.4 signal and you can't see the AC in the sky, you won't have any confidence that the S2 switch is working (.i.e. you don't know if you have a good 5.8 connection), so in that case, yes, turn off the controller. It must RTH after 3 secs. But know that (my understanding is) your log on the mobile device will end and a new one will begin when you turn your controller back on (maybe that doesn't matter to you).
You might think "If my 5.8 is good, then the AC will sense the S2 switch, and if it isn't good, the AC will RTH on its own", but what has happened to other pilots in the past is that if the 5.8 is intermittent, the signal won't disconnect/RTH and the AC may not receive your RTH command from the S2 switch either. So the AC ends up landing somewhere due to low battery.
So yes, in an panic emergency, just turn off the controller. You can turn it back on later and cancel RTH and land it yourself.
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