I did run into some bugs along the way myself, although to be fair I believe I was having the same issues on MP Business.
1) No big deal, easy work around, but I like to lift off manually, get the drone 6-8' above ground to confirm flight controls react properly and move clear of overhead obstructions if needed, and then execute the mission. If I lift off manually and then upload the mission with terrain aware, the app crashes.
That was one of my biggest complaints with MapPilot; that missions can't be uploaded while in flight. They said it was a "safety" thing, but every other app on the planet allows it. So I don't know what they're talking about.
I also use AutoPilot, which does allow missions to be uploaded while the bird is aloft. So I essentially manually fly to the first waypoint, upload the mission, and then go. I honestly wish I could do this with MapPilot because the old version flew out to the first waypoint at mission speed (haven't tested this with the new version yet). So if I'm flying a low mission with a high GSD (say < 200'), mission speed might be hamstringed to 10 mph. I would prefer to fly out at top speed and THEN upload the mission. I could see where this *might* mess with the SRTM data, but not if the app knows that the launch point is also the home point, and adjusts accordingly.
NOTE: RTH always brings the bird home at max speed (which is around 33 mph).
Case in point; If I fly a 200' AGL mission in AutoPilot, and upload the mission while the bird is at 150' AGL, she doesn't jump up to 350' AGL. The home point is established as soon as the bird is fired up. I don't see why MP can't do the same. That said...
In high winds I HAVE been able to launch the bird about 6' in the air and SOMETIMES am able to upload the mission (as you eluded to). But I like your idea of UPLOADING while on the ground and then EXECUTING while aloft. I will give this a shot!
To get around high-wind launch issues I've been simply placing the launch pad on the downwind side of my vehicle. This has actually worked quite well.
My guess is the app is trying to match current terrain aware elevation with flight level -0-. If the drone is already X' above ground it doesn't match & crashes. Easy fix, upload on the ground, lift off manually, then execute.
Bingo. Gonna try that.
2) I have had issues running connectionless where every once in a while a photo or two on the flight line gets skipped/missed. I haven't figured out why.
Well...I've noticed the same. The thing is that the photo(s) IS/ARE being taken. It's/they're just not being logged in the app due to connection issues. I've gone well over a minute with zero telemetry. It can be daunting, but following the 6 P's (Prior Planning Prevents Piss-Poor Performance), we KNOW that there's plenty of battery left to bring the bird back into range. On one job, it turned out that there was massive WiFi interference where the drone made a right turn. So for a little over a minute we had zero telemetry. But that's the great advantage of Connectionless flight. And we utilize that advantage on some jobs.
Usually I catch it while the mission is running and manually fly back to the missed location at the end of auto-flight before bringing it back down. I confirmed too that it is in fact not taking the picture as opposed to just not reporting it back to the app while in flight.
Interesting. My experience was different. Just curious; What were your parameters? Depending on what I'm shooting, Corridor (AKA; "Linear") missions are usually about 250' AGL with 70/70 overlap. If the purpose of the mission is to shoot asphalt or water, we tilt the camera @ 15° and shoot 70/80 (or is it 80/70???). Anyway, we haven't noticed any mission photos with Connectionless missions. That said, with "Connected" missions, the missing dots DO correspond with missing photos.
Just curious; Do you fly your Linear missions Connectionless? I always do because they are usually farther out than usual (up to 2 miles) and have only a few waypoints (20 or 30 tops). So I figure, why not just send the bird out there with all the waypoint data in the FC and let him do his thing.
I guess this is what I'm stuck with for now though...
For me, if I'm being honest, one advantage of subscription will be I can process my own terrain data if needed without costing any extra.
True. But I work with a survey crew and GCP's (Ground Control Points) for very tight tolerances. I'm not sure if GCP data can be imported into a MapPilot rendering. We use Pix4D for that (which is very expensive).
In the past I've had a few jobs for flight after construction where the existing ground has been cut or filled as much as 60'. I was able to merge proposed site grading + existing survey topo + locally available LIDAR or other DEM terrain source. The resulting terrain aware flight was spot-on. That won't (shouldn't) cost me any extra now. So if I get enough of those types of jobs the subscription cost might be a wash overall.
Good for you, man. That sounds like a great work flow. Other than the occasionall survey marker, we don't use any outside data sources.
I'll update you on whatever else I learn along the way...
Ditto. I'll do the same. I'm busy doing other things today, but plan on doing some test flights tomorrow.
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