I have yet to calibrate my compass

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Anyone know why mine just worked right out of the box without calibration? I've always had accurate telemetry and green flashing lights after the 6 sats are locked. What is the purpose of calibrating if everything is green and north is north?
 
dkatz42 said:
North isn't north. (Google "magnetic declination".)

"The magnetic declination in a given area may (most likely will) change slowly over time, possibly as little as 2–2.5 degrees every hundred years or so"

I won't live that long but I guess I should go ahead and calibrate for my area and when I take the P2V to other areas.

What I meant is north on the telemetry is pointing north as it should. It flys great and comes home and lands where it lifted off on command. Not sure why everybody is doing the calibration dance so much.

If you wait until you have 6 blue sats the green lights will start flashing and it's go time. No need to calibrate every flight unless the light indicators are telling you to do so.
 
gfredrone said:
dkatz42 said:
North isn't north. (Google "magnetic declination".)

What I meant is north on the telemetry is pointing north as it should. It flys great and comes home and lands where it lifted off on command. Not sure why everybody is doing the calibration dance so much.

If you wait until you have 6 blue sats the green lights will start flashing and it's go time. No need to calibrate every flight unless the light indicators are telling you to do so.

I agree, to an extent. I had a situation where all lights said "go" but I let her hover around 10 feet up and she was sliding all over the place. I took her down, did the compass cha cha and she was right back in sync. Before the dance it looked like she was in the midst of a low altitude death spiral.

I don't do the dance unless she misbehaves during her low altitude test routine.

-slinger
 
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gfredrone said:
"The magnetic declination in a given area may (most likely will) change slowly over time, possibly as little as 2–2.5 degrees every hundred years or so"

I won't live that long but I guess I should go ahead and calibrate for my area and when I take the P2V to other areas.
Yep. And presumably when it came out of the box the compass was calibrated to *some* declination; perhaps you were lucky enough so that that happened to be close to yours.

It can change by a degree over 100 miles or less, depending on where you are.
 
gunslinger said:
gfredrone said:
dkatz42 said:
North isn't north. (Google "magnetic declination".)

What I meant is north on the telemetry is pointing north as it should. It flys great and comes home and lands where it lifted off on command. Not sure why everybody is doing the calibration dance so much.

If you wait until you have 6 blue sats the green lights will start flashing and it's go time. No need to calibrate every flight unless the light indicators are telling you to do so.

I agree, to an extent. I had a situation where all lights said "go" but I let her hover around 10 feet up and she was sliding all over the place. I took her down, did the compass cha cha and she was right back in sync. Before the dance it looked like she was in the midst of a low altitude death spiral.

I don't do the dance unless she misbehaves during her low altitude test routine.

-slinger

Good info, I noticed some sliding just after lift off today but then it quit. I usually let it hover about 20 feet up for 30 seconds or so before ripping up the sky. I'll calibrate before my next flight.
 
Good info, I noticed some sliding just after lift off today but then it quit. I usually let it hover about 20 feet up for 30 seconds or so before ripping up the sky. I'll calibrate before my next flight.


Yup... 6 feet, 10 feet, 20 feet, it's all pretty much the same. It's just a really good idea to do a "post liftoff" - "pre-flight" check before slamming the left stick full up... I found this out the hard way (though I got SO lucky that it ended well)

Strolling around this forum is the best thing you can possibly do to insure your $1,200 investment. There are some very experienced, very reliable people involved in this place. In other words... You came to the right place, bro.. :D :D
 
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Perhaps I'm just overly cautious, but I calibrate my compass EVERY TIME before my first flight. What's 30 seconds of battery time, if it'll save a $1000 investment? (And YES, I realize it is no longer $1000 investment. Just trying to stress my point.)
Just my $0.02 worth...
 
Some say it's not wise to calibrate your compass when you already have a compass that you know has a good calibration because you risk getting a bad calibration when you re-calibrate.
 
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Some say it's not wise to calibrate your compass when you already have a compass that you know has a good calibration because you risk getting a bad calibration when you re-calibrate.

Perhaps, but by following this logic, you would NEVER calibrate your compass (unless changing locations). Perhaps it's merely a personal preference. I know I like calibrating before my first take-off. I transport my drone back and forth to the park, and the bumps and jostling it gets while on the way MIGHT have some effect.

To each his own... It's only money, right?? Hehehehe
 
I think it's a multi-step process:

1) Decide to fly.

2) Decide whether to calibrate or not.

3) Launch and hover. If the craft doesn't hover correctly, land and calibrate.

Yes - to each his own. Absolutely. ;)
 
I think that is a very reasonable approach. I always do that first little take-off hover. even AFTER calibrating, i always take a look to see if everything appears to be working correctly, and THEN I fly...

The funny thing is, i almost always fly in the same place, so perhaps I don't even need to calibrate ONCE, but I figure I'd rather err on the side of caution. :)
 

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