How reliable are litchi waypoints for my P3P???

[dros1828]

Hey guys,
So I want to use litchi to explore some new territory with my p3 but I'm a little nervous on how reliable it is.. I'm in a valley and want to go over the other side of this mountain but I can't go very far over cause I lose the signal.. My plan is to get up there and then send it on a mission out but I know I won't here from it for a couple of minutes.. So what do you guys think??


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[Sagebrush]

Start out conservatively with Litchi Waypoint missions. Don't try the moon shot until you know what you're doing. Set too low of an altitude and it's not coming home.

Great app but I wouldn't recommend a bold mission until you know what you are doing.

SB

 

[Flipsonic]

It is reliable IMO. You just have to make sure you set the height correctly. If you don't know the height of the tallest structure or tree is in the area, fly it around to measure the height. But I will have to go with Sagebrush, be conservative at first.


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[fastfed]

here is what I do, think 300 feet alt. will clear everything? then set it for 600 ft.

Be aggressive with your adjustments and over compensate at first . I too just recently got Litchi and now its the only app I use for all activities!

The first time I set mine for a long mission out of range I was on pins and needles. I was sweating bullets, but once I saw that red dot come back into view (I did it at night) I was so excited.

That said, I would do yours at night first too, you will be able to visually see the red lights at the very least and know its all good.

 

[dros1828]

Thanks guys!!
I've used litchi for my p2v+ and seemed to work fine I'm just nervous with the p3p.. I'm used to buying broken ones and putting them back together, this is my first phantom bought right from the store(still under warranty) so I'm careful with what I do with her


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[fastfed]

start your waypoints slow and close, watch what it does and how it reacts. get a little further and further.

My furthest one out or so I thought I still never lost contact, and that was what I was trying to do, so the next one was super far I lost contact for a good 3-4 minutes

exciting stuff

 

[FantomFlier]

here is what I do, think 300 feet alt. will clear everything? then set it for 600 ft.

Be aggressive with your adjustments and over compensate at first . I too just recently got Litchi and now its the only app I use for all activities!

The first time I set mine for a long mission out of range I was on pins and needles. I was sweating bullets, but once I saw that red dot come back into view (I did it at night) I was so excited.

That said, I would do yours at night first too, you will be able to visually see the red lights at the very least and know its all good.

What benefit is derived from doing it at night? If you can see the lights then the quad is likely in range and you can track its progress on your tablet to see if 'it is all good', without the other risks of flying at night.

 

[happydays]

I have flown many, many missions with Litchi when it goes out of range. As long as there are no obstacles in its path, trees, elevation changes, cables etc to impede its progress, the phantom will always come back (if it has sufficient battery). Set the height higher than you need, adjust the camera angle accordingly and set her off, You can always redo the mission at a lower altitude later if everything is successful. Start with a full battery and enjoy the ride. But it can be nerve wracking when you lose FPV. And once or twice I've seen it come back into range and the FPV picks up again but the telemetry remains stuck.

 

[FantomFlier]

I have flown many, many missions with Litchi when it goes out of range.

I have been experimenting with a GPS tracker for this eventuality. It works well enough, albeit a bit slow on the refresh rate. At least one can see the quad is still moving and making progress. The obvious down-side:- it needs 2G/3G reception.

 

[fastfed]

What benefit is derived from doing it at night? If you can see the lights then the quad is likely in range and you can track its progress on your tablet to see if 'it is all good', without the other risks of flying at night.

heck no, you can see the lights a couple miles away if not further, doesn't mean you're in range, but you can see the drone

 

[skipilot1]

heck no, you can see the lights a couple miles away if not further, doesn't mean you're in range, but you can see the drone

It is a bit scary the first few flights when it gets out of range. I use it because I can record video at a lower altitude. When I say lower altitude I just mean 60 to 120 meters. I don't get great reception where I live because of hills and trees unless I go a lot higher and then the video is not as interesting and I don't want to bust the FAA limits.

I am more comfortable now, but there is always a bit of anxiety and then a great sense of relief when I hear that sound and know it is coming home. Make sure you set RTH at the end of the mission.

Be careful with Orbit mode. Before creating the orbit make sure you have a strong signal for a fair portion of the circle. If you lose connection during the orbit, it will continue to circle until the battery drains.

 

[Flipsonic]

Be careful with Orbit mode. Before creating the orbit make sure you have a strong signal for a fair portion of the circle. If you lose connection during the orbit, it will continue to circle until the battery drains.

Didn't know that...thanks. Hopefully this changes in he future.




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[FantomFlier]

heck no, you can see the lights a couple miles away if not further, doesn't mean you're in range, but you can see the drone

If you have visual LOS but no connection then you have bigger problems than worrying about Litchi.

 

[strgazr27]

heck no, you can see the lights a couple miles away if not further, doesn't mean you're in range, but you can see the drone

What is it with some people and their super eyesight? Another user visually seeing the drone at 9500' away and 500' plus up? Couple of miles away if not further? Average person would be lucky to visually see those lights at at 2K feet let alone 2 miles even at night. Especially as they are on the bottom of the craft pointing down, not out at the pilot.


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[fastfed]

What is it with some people and their super eyesight? Another user visually seeing the drone at 9500' away and 500' plus up? Couple of miles away if not further? Average person would be lucky to visually see those lights at at 2K feet let alone 2 miles even at night. Especially as they are on the bottom of the craft pointing down, not out at the pilot.


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If you have visual LOS but no connection then you have bigger problems than worrying about Litchi.

yea its called living in a very populated city, If I stay focused on the red dot, I can catch the flashing too, but if I'm not aimed perfectly at the drone I will lose signal, I can be out 2 miles and still see the dot.
I can also see planes far out with their flashers.