NFZ and 1.6.4 possible new discovery??

Wolfiesden · Jan 27, 2016

Again, what firmware, what GO version, etc. When testing things like this, FW and app versions are important data to include along with them.

bbfpv · Jan 27, 2016

Wolfiesden said:
Its not the cached map that I was asking about. It was the NFZ cache I was asking about.

I was referring to the posts directly before mine referring to the map cache and whether clearing it would allow flight in NFZs.

Wolfiesden · Jan 27, 2016

Oh, sorry. My bad. Your verbiage seemed directed at my comment.

Gsujeff55 · Jan 27, 2016

Wolfiesden said:
Again, what firmware, what GO version, etc. When testing things like this, FW and app versions are important data to include along with them.

Look up. I took screenshot of it in original post.

Gsujeff55 · Jan 27, 2016

bbfpv said:
I was referring to the posts directly before mine referring to the map cache and whether clearing it would allow flight in NFZs.

I know how GPS works. However, I DO NOT know exactly how the phantom gets where the GPS zoned NFZs are. I didn't know if it's loaded into the maps in the app, or on the bird itself. Seems to me if you fly with no way to get map data(wifi only iPad without cached maps) you could get around it, unless the app knows not to let you fly in certain gps "fields" whether it has a map or not. Make sense?

Wolfiesden · Jan 27, 2016

Gsujeff55 said:
Look up. I took screenshot of it in original post.

Hmm. Odd. When I first went ot that page, I only had 1 image in your OP. Now there are three. So, um, nevermind

Wolfiesden · Jan 27, 2016

Gsujeff55 said:
I know how GPS works. However, I DO NOT know exactly how the phantom gets where the GPS zoned NFZs are. I didn't know if it's loaded into the maps in the app, or on the bird itself. Seems to me if you fly with no way to get map data(wifi only iPad without cached maps) you could get around it, unless the app knows not to let you fly in certain gps "fields" whether it has a map or not. Make sense?

This is a total guess, but I believe that GO downloads vector based (node+radius or possibly polygonal shapes) NFZ data when connected to the internet. I believe it queries the local position (device) and acquires nearby NFZ data.

What it does after that, I don't think anyone has determined yet. I have, personally, wiped every piece of data I can find off my phone from GO. I went so far as to recovery boot and reformat the cache partition on the S5. I did it in an effort to solve the crash/lockup issues not to flush NFZ data. However, when I powered my P3A on after re-installing 4.3 GO app which was not allowed internet access, the bird immediately recognized it was near an airfield. So how did it know. Either I missed hidden data, GO stored it in the RC, GO stored it in the P3A. It stored it somewhere. Maybe all three, maybe a combination of 2. Who knows. But its in the hardware somewhere, I am sure of it.

Gsujeff55 · Jan 27, 2016

I can tell you this, I updated the phantom but left GO at 2.3 and controller at 1.4 and as soon as I connected it all together to fly there were NFZs but GO was connected to LTE. Map caching is off, so I wonder if I take a wifi only iPad and restore it from the backup of the one with 2.3 GO and never connect it to the Internet how it will react.

Wolfiesden · Jan 27, 2016

I believe it would still know about the NFZ. I think once it gets nearby NFZ data, its cached in the RC or in the P3 or both.

Gsujeff55 · Jan 27, 2016

Wolfiesden said:
I believe it would still know about the NFZ. I think once it gets nearby NFZ data, its cached in the RC or in the P3 or both.

Gotcha

Wolfiesden · Jan 27, 2016

The question then comes to mind. What is local? Does it get 100mi, all of the state? All of the country? Unless someone slaps a packet sniffer on the app, we won't know.

alokbhargava · Jan 27, 2016

My tests showed that RC caches last map and NFZs and loads onto Go app when you start without internet. Not sure if any data is passed on to P3. This cached map covers about 75 miles.

Next time when you fly with no internet, same data from RC is displayed on Go app and your GPS location read by P3 is compared on Go app and warning messages or blocking is initiated. P3 and RC do not have processing power to initiate such messages. It's all done currently on Go App.

Check if this matches with your findings on site.

Monte Olsen · Jan 27, 2016

alirz said:
Funny i was in mexico last week, the island of "Isla mujeres". Im running FW 1.4 and DJI app 2.4.3 on Android. Now im not fully aware but this is what happened.
One day when i was there, i got the warning that i was in restricted area, i dont remeber seeing and red zones on my map and it flew fine. No height restriction at all. i ascended to max height and back down quickly with no issues. Note my cell phone had not data connection while i was at that location...
When i went back to my hotel, like 30 kms away, i did open the DJI app while my phone was connected to wifi...but not connected to the bird.

I was back on the island of isla mujeres two days later, at the same location, perhaps 300 feet away. I noticed that now the DJI app showed a NFZ with a smaller dark red circle and a lighter red circle with a bigger radius. I was in the lighter red zone. I got the same warning as before telling me that i was in a restricted area. However the bird refused to take off this time.
It kept blinking red lights and the DJI app showed error message "IMU is calibrating" with some something else saying that i was "near or inside a NFZ".

That was it, i couldnt fly the P3 there. Strange thing is that my previous day's location was much much closer to the air strip. I still dont know why i was able to fly on the first day and not the second day.
On another note. From what im told, that air strip was not in use and was for emergencies or something only. I was safe with the flying and always kept an eye on planes if one was to come by. Infact there was more danger of hitting sea gulls there than a plane.

I wonder if you did a compass calibration? Perhaps if the compass wasn't calibrated you were allowed to fly. Just taking a wild guess.

Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots mobile app

Gsujeff55 · Jan 27, 2016

alokbhargava said:
My tests showed that RC caches last map and NFZs and loads onto Go app when you start without internet. Not sure if any data is passed on to P3. This cached map covers about 75 miles.

Next time when you fly with no internet, same data from RC is displayed on Go app and your GPS location read by P3 is compared on Go app and warning messages or blocking is initiated. P3 and RC do not have processing power to initiate such messages. It's all done currently on Go App.

Check if this matches with your findings on site.

If that's true, then why did me only updating the phantom(not RC or GO) give me NFZs?

alirz · Jan 27, 2016

bbfpv said:
I was referring to the posts directly before mine referring to the map cache and whether clearing it would allow flight in NFZs.

ok so it was directed at me

so if the cache was not the problem then why would i be able to fly at the same location one day but not the next.. Thats what i had found puzzling.

Meta4 · Jan 27, 2016

Monte Olsen said:
I wonder if you did a compass calibration? Perhaps if the compass wasn't calibrated you were allowed to fly. Just taking a wild guess.

This has nothing to do with compass calibration.

alirz · Jan 27, 2016

Wolfiesden said:
This is a total guess, but I believe that GO downloads vector based (node+radius or possibly polygonal shapes) NFZ data when connected to the internet. I believe it queries the local position (device) and acquires nearby NFZ data.

What it does after that, I don't think anyone has determined yet. I have, personally, wiped every piece of data I can find off my phone from GO. I went so far as to recovery boot and reformat the cache partition on the S5. I did it in an effort to solve the crash/lockup issues not to flush NFZ data. However, when I powered my P3A on after re-installing 4.3 GO app which was not allowed internet access, the bird immediately recognized it was near an airfield. So how did it know. Either I missed hidden data, GO stored it in the RC, GO stored it in the P3A. It stored it somewhere. Maybe all three, maybe a combination of 2. Who knows. But its in the hardware somewhere, I am sure of it.

So lets say you've never been to a NFZ area before and you have not even come close to browsing it on the DJI's app ever before. Now lets say you simply show up at the location, fire up the P3 and the DJI app with you phone having no cellular data. As the app, the RC and the P3 has no map information about that location, however it does know the GPS coords which it would still need to check agains the app's database?? and if the app knows nothing at at point about NFZ, i see no reason why the p3 wont fly.... does that make sense?

Im loving these discussions.

Meta4 · Jan 27, 2016

Gsujeff55 said:
When I powered it all on I see I'm in a NFZ because there's a small regional airport about 2 miles away. Crap! So I click the warning to get it off of the screen and proceed to let the home point update then do a CSC to see if it will allow me to take off. To my pleasant surprise it does! Is this normal?

How is what you observed different from what is described in the manual?

Gsujeff55 · Jan 27, 2016

Meta4 said:
How is what you observed different from what is described in the manual?

I'd say it is not different at all lol. I wonder if the wall I was hitting at the inner red circle was because I was too high and if I had been at 65 ft I could have flown into it......

Wolfiesden · Jan 27, 2016

Gsujeff55 said:
I'd say it is not different at all lol. I wonder if the wall I was hitting at the inner red circle was because I was too high and if I had been at 65 ft I could have flown into it......

Uh, no.