UPDATE:
It's fixed. Download 3.06, install, recalibrate everything and enjoy. Below is the history of the issue:
As of July 14, 2014, there are 139,765 P2 users of all sizes and flavors reporting the same issue. If you are affected, make sure you say so here! Apparently Barack Obama crashed his P2 in the rose garden after it hooked into a trellis on July 4th weekend. He wasn't impressed. Says he wants DJI to fix it ASAP. (Washington DC is -12 magnetic declination.)
Here is what we know about the problem so far:
Fixing DJI's Compass Problem
Some of you know about this and some of you aren't affected. If you live in the following areas, you are subject to this problem even if you don't know it:
Your compass and GPS are disagreeing over which way is forward. This results in curving (hooking), tracking to the left or right in GPS and course lock, and/or not hovering in place. This is a caused by a defect in DJI's firmware which they need to fix.
I am working through some contacts to get in touch with DJI's LA office to present the issue in a clear fashion along with the backing of the user communities like this one. Most importantly, I want to show them how many other people have this issue.
If you are in one of the areas above, confirm in this thread that you have experienced this issue. I have written a complete summary of the issue here: DJI Phantom and Magnetic Declination which I will be sharing with DJI as well. Please share this so that we can collect as many of the affected users as possible.
And before anyone says "Just rotate your compass", that is not the answer. DJI has said so themselves. If you wish to discuss rotating the compass, there are threads dedicated to that discussion.
It's fixed. Download 3.06, install, recalibrate everything and enjoy. Below is the history of the issue:
As of July 14, 2014, there are 139,765 P2 users of all sizes and flavors reporting the same issue. If you are affected, make sure you say so here! Apparently Barack Obama crashed his P2 in the rose garden after it hooked into a trellis on July 4th weekend. He wasn't impressed. Says he wants DJI to fix it ASAP. (Washington DC is -12 magnetic declination.)
Here is what we know about the problem so far:
- Affects all P2x in areas of high magnetic declination (+/-8 or higher).
- Curved flight and hooking is worst when first flying. It improves during flight but may take several minutes.
- Beta 2 of the 3.05 firmware remembers adaptions between flights.
- Similar issues may exist with the P1 and other Naza platforms, however this thread is focused on the P2.
- Areas with very high declination will experience TBE during initial hover.
- Several people have returned their P2x thinking it was defective only to get a new one with the same problem.
- This is a firmware defect. Possibly a signing bug in the code.
- This defect is still present in all firmware versions up to 3.04.
- Measuring the angle between initial true heading and initial course lock heading will give you the real margin of error.
- Rotating the compass is not a recommended workaround.
- Using a very rough bottom up model, it is expected that at least 1 in 4 P2x users experience this problem.
- DJI beta firmware 3.05 has been tested and confirmed it is 80% improved.
- DJI is working on a revised beta firmware for further testing.
- The beta test group is limited in order to maintain control of observed results.
Fixing DJI's Compass Problem
Some of you know about this and some of you aren't affected. If you live in the following areas, you are subject to this problem even if you don't know it:
- Western US and Canada
- Northeastern US and Canada
- Eastern OZ and all of NZ
- Northeastern South America
- Southern Africa
Your compass and GPS are disagreeing over which way is forward. This results in curving (hooking), tracking to the left or right in GPS and course lock, and/or not hovering in place. This is a caused by a defect in DJI's firmware which they need to fix.
I am working through some contacts to get in touch with DJI's LA office to present the issue in a clear fashion along with the backing of the user communities like this one. Most importantly, I want to show them how many other people have this issue.
If you are in one of the areas above, confirm in this thread that you have experienced this issue. I have written a complete summary of the issue here: DJI Phantom and Magnetic Declination which I will be sharing with DJI as well. Please share this so that we can collect as many of the affected users as possible.
And before anyone says "Just rotate your compass", that is not the answer. DJI has said so themselves. If you wish to discuss rotating the compass, there are threads dedicated to that discussion.