HOW TO: Setup and use Home Lock

msinger

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Follow the steps below to setup and use the Home Lock feature in the DJI GO app. If you have additional tips or information below, please comment below.



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Launch the Home Lock feature.
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1) Your Phantom needs to be started and in the air before you'll be able to access the Home Lock feature in the DJI GO app. Start your Phantom, take off, and fly out a few hundred feet to a location that is above all obstacles.

Important: If you need to use home lock in a scenario where you cannot physically see your Phantom, it's a good idea to push the left stick up to raise it to an altitude that you are sure will be above all obstacles that will be passed as your Phantom returns to the home point.


2) Flip the PAF switch to the "F" position to access the IOC features. If Multiple Flight Mode is not enabled, you're going to see the following prompt:

Phantom-3-IOC-MultipleFlightMode.jpg


If you see the above prompt, click the "OK" button to enable Multiple Flight Mode.


3) Select "Home Lock" from the IOC menu.

Phantom-3-HomeLock-1.jpg




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Engage the Home Lock feature.
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4) Click the "Apply" button to engage the Home Lock feature.


Phantom-3-HomeLock-2.jpg




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Bring your Phantom home.
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5) At this point, Home Lock is enabled and your Phantom is waiting for your command. Pull down on the right stick to start moving your Phantom toward the home point.

Note: It does not matter which direction your Phantom is facing -- it'll move toward the home point.

Phantom-3-HomeLock-3.jpg



6) Click the "Exit" button to disable the home lock function and allow your Phantom to start traveling in the direction it's facing. You can also exit by flipping the PAF switch back to the "P" position.
 
Worthless dji stupidity. This should be enabled on the radio via a button or c1 c2 link. In the app is BS as the freaking app crashes! Then what? Let's hope a third party program kills this dji nonsense once and for all........
 
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Worthless dji stupidity. This should be enabled on the radio via a button or c1 c2 link. In the app is BS as the freaking app crashes! Then what? Let's hope a third party program kills this dji nonsense once and for all........

When 3rd party app crashes, then what? You have RTH from the controller. Having this function is an added functionality I appreciate and might come handy in some situations. Unless the sky is falling......
 
Your missing the point guys. What happens if the app crashes FIRST!?!? You cant get in to engage home lock! it was on the phantom 2 on a switch and served many well. It cant be hard to add it to the RC. There are many times where RTH isn't practical where HL would be especially if your low on battery. Its a stupid omission but this is to be expected with a clueless company (when it comes to common sense) And the app crashes enough to make an on the radio solution practical. Just read a little about both IOS and Android app crashes. They happen.
 
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Utterly USELESS if you have to set it that way.

Home Lock is a great alternative to RTH because RTH is slow, and basically autonomous. Using HL was much faster, and you felt like you had some control in the situation.
If you lose video when you're not 100% sure of your exact orientation, flick her into HL give a burst of altitude just in case if you think it was safe to do so, and then just pull back on the stick. She came back at normal speed. RTH comes back so slowly it's painful.
I've twice needed HL to get my bird back, and never once was I actually flying in HL mode at the time.

It was really the only feature I was looking forward to in the new update, but if you can only set it as you need it, and only via the app, then it's utterly pointless, because it will be when the app crashes that I'll be wanting to use it to get home. Do DJI actually USE their drones and know the needs of a flyer? Or are they just making them with no clue as to how they're actually used in real life? It's starting to feel like the latter.
 
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Thanks for your explanations regarding the home lock mode. Does the Phantom 3 hold its position and altitude with no stick input in the home lock or course lock mode as this is the case for the P-Mode?
 
Worthless dji stupidity. This should be enabled on the radio via a button or c1 c2 link. In the app is BS as the freaking app crashes! Then what? Let's hope a third party program kills this dji nonsense once and for all........

Ok but if the app crashes you won't have any feedback to know if it's in home lock or not. So you click C1, did it take, didn't it, did you click it 3 or 4 times? Does that mean it's on or off. Problem now is, pulling the stick down, is that moving your P3 closer to you or just backwards?
 
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Utterly USELESS if you have to set it that way.

Home Lock is a great alternative to RTH because RTH is slow, and basically autonomous. Using HL was much faster, and you felt like you had some control in the situation.
If you lose video when you're not 100% sure of your exact orientation, flick her into HL give a burst of altitude just in case if you think it was safe to do so, and then just pull back on the stick. She came back at normal speed. RTH comes back so slowly it's painful.
I've twice needed HL to get my bird back, and never once was I actually flying in HL mode at the time.

It was really the only feature I was looking forward to in the new update, but if you can only set it as you need it, and only via the app, then it's utterly pointless, because it will be when the app crashes that I'll be wanting to use it to get home. Do DJI actually USE their drones and know the needs of a flyer? Or are they just making them with no clue as to how they're actually used in real life? It's starting to feel like the latter.

I use HL 99% with my P2. I like to be in control at all times. I don't trust skynet flying my bird home.
I'm glad Inspire and P3 now have it. However, it just doesn't feel same when its software driven. I think its designed more for cinematic use than a contingency return to base.

And excellent tutorial Msinger. You're my new Yoda.
 
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Ok but if the app crashes you won't have any feedback to know if it's in home lock or not. So you click C1, did it take, didn't it, did you click it 3 or 4 times? Does that mean it's on or off. Problem now is, pulling the stick down, is that moving your P3 closer to you or just backwards?

Valid point.
I have to admit though, the additional Glonnas sats are a godsend. RTH feels more assuring in the P3. The only thing I don't trust is obstacles :) DJI should introduce an additional RTH option - reverse flight path. The GO app is smart enough to predict remaining battery (excluding wind tolerance), it can then warn you and when RTH is triggered, it can follow its flight path back like a reversed mission.

TIP: if your app crashes and you cannot restore FPV, get some elevation first and then trigger RTH.
 
So today I was trying out the Follow Me function and it was doing just fine following along when it says on the screen it has reached it's Home and stopped following me. It was simply hovering at about the altitude I set the Follow Me function. So what happen there?
 
Utterly USELESS if you have to set it that way.

Home Lock is a great alternative to RTH because RTH is slow, and basically autonomous. Using HL was much faster, and you felt like you had some control in the situation.
If you lose video when you're not 100% sure of your exact orientation, flick her into HL give a burst of altitude just in case if you think it was safe to do so, and then just pull back on the stick. She came back at normal speed. RTH comes back so slowly it's painful.
I've twice needed HL to get my bird back, and never once was I actually flying in HL mode at the time.

It was really the only feature I was looking forward to in the new update, but if you can only set it as you need it, and only via the app, then it's utterly pointless, because it will be when the app crashes that I'll be wanting to use it to get home. Do DJI actually USE their drones and know the needs of a flyer? Or are they just making them with no clue as to how they're actually used in real life? It's starting to feel like the latter.
If the app crashes, and you still have transmitter control, but don't know the aircraft orientation, initiating RTH on the RC will turn the craft nose directly back to you. Then, you already have the equivalent of transmitter HL, by simply canceling the RTH, and resuming manual control, reversing the HL stick directions, using forward to bring it home, and able to also switch to ATTI for an even faster return, until the app reboots, or FPV returns. If the transmitter signal itself is lost, it automatically engages RTH. Just wait for signal connection to be restored, cancel RTH, and take over. No need for transmitter HL. Would be a nice feature though.:cool:
 
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So today I was trying out the Follow Me function and it was doing just fine following along when it says on the screen it has reached it's Home and stopped following me. It was simply hovering at about the altitude I set the Follow Me function. So what happen there?
You have to be a minimum distance from the Home Point for Follow Me to start working, as I recall. I don't remember the distance, though. However, if it stops, as it did, as you continue to move farther away from the aircraft, it should start following you again, once you exceed the minimum distance.
 
So when flying back from altitude using Home Point and the downward right stick only, does it fly directly to you while descending at the same time, OR only at the current elevation, until directly above you, and then it descends, or you bring it down from directly above you? Critical difference. From the picture, it looks like it flies back on the radius of a sphere, descending as it flies towards you, so that it will fly in a straight line intersecting with the home point on the ground. Is this true?
 
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My understanding is that It should maintain the altitude it was at when activated. That's how HL works on the P2 range.


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