P4P New RTH Features

Joined
Jun 16, 2016
Messages
1,370
Reaction score
311
Age
63
Location
New Jersey
Was wondering what happens with the RTH features of if you weren't flying with Collision Avoidance on? Will it activate the CA when the RTH activates?
 
No.
 
My understanding is that CA is automatically turned on by any auto-RTH, and possibly manual RTH but not certain about the latter. What possible reason would there be for CA to not be automatically activated under those conditions?
 
Obstacle avoidance is never automatically enabled. You must enable it in the "Main Controller Settings" section of the DJI GO app if you'd like to use it.
 
The new RTH returns on the path it flew to it's turn around point, instead of a beeline to home as before. No need for CA.
Using the recorded path out as a return path for RTH may be very handy in certain situations, but if RTH is triggered by a low battery then it seems that you'd want to fly a beeline back since if you flew a very circuitous route out then the return along that route could take much longer than necessary. It will be interesting to see how the P4P implements this, as in is it selectable? Does the unit decide based on available battery power? etc. A beeline return using CA to avoid obstacles (as is done with the P4 if CA is turned on) may be a much better choice if battery is very low.
 
The return to home description from the store splash page says: "... can automatically choose the best route to return home depending on environmental conditions." I think depending on the conditions like low battery, it may go to the return to home altitude and come directly back.


Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots
 
The return to home description from the store splash page says: "... can automatically choose the best route to return home depending on environmental conditions." I think depending on the conditions like low battery, it may go to the return to home altitude and come directly back.
Yes. I just wonder what the logic is and whether it will also be user selectable. I guess we'll know soon... if they ever put up a manual.
 
Yes. I just wonder what the logic is and whether it will also be user selectable. I guess we'll know soon... if they ever put up a manual.
It's certainly user selectable. You always get a verbal warning and a screen warning for RTH for battery reasons, giving you 10 seconds to cancel out of RTH. You can easily select to cancel out of it and return to home manually, which is what everyone should do, if they have half a brain. You can then choose to ascend and return on a beeline course, or manually fly another route within reason of your battery reserve.

If the craft loses signal, it hasn't lost signal for very long when the craft ceases to continue and enables RTH. It's usually 3 seconds typically when RTH is triggered. If it turns around to backtrack the course, the control signal will soon return and you can select to cancel RTH at that time and carry on with your mission, or return. This scenario is the primary benefit if you unknowingly go behind a building, mountain or other interference that disconnects the RC from the craft. Backtracking is the most efficient and least risk method to regain control. You should have no more worries about RTH height settings, specific to each location.

Where this really helps out is if you are way out beyond VLOS (shame on me) and I accidentally drop behind something and lose signal, the craft will come out of the area safely (assuming it's got a good GPS signal) on a known clear path so I can regain control. This also helps if radio interference a mile away disables the craft from communicating with the RC.

I like this backtrack feature. I see little downside.

Some pilot use RTH as a crutch. I'm unsure why, but when they are done flying the mission, they click and hold RTH and let the craft fly itself back. I never do this, so if the beeline option isn't there, I won't miss it.
 
The new RTH returns on the path it flew to it's turn around point, instead of a beeline to home as before. No need for CA.
I recall reading the RTH backtrack along course flown was limited to within 350m, or some other largely useless maximum distance from the home point.
 
Some pilot use RTH as a crutch.

As a newbie to drones I am doing a lot of reading and gettin' ma learn on. So I found this interesting as I had not thought too much yet about RTH in general. While I certainly see the sense in re-taking control of the craft manually to avoid any software "mistakes" downing the precious bird, I wonder when that view will become outdated. It comes down to trust in the software and hardware that is doing the thinking. People with a lot of drone experience have learned that trust may not be well placed, but as both the hardware and software advance one day (not too far off) drones will be better at flying themselves than any human being. Perhaps the thrill will be gone then. In any case as someone not yet burned I will be tempted to trust the drone at first.
 
As a newbie to drones I am doing a lot of reading and gettin' ma learn on. So I found this interesting as I had not thought too much yet about RTH in general. While I certainly see the sense in re-taking control of the craft manually to avoid any software "mistakes" downing the precious bird, I wonder when that view will become outdated. It comes down to trust in the software and hardware that is doing the thinking. People with a lot of drone experience have learned that trust may not be well placed, but as both the hardware and software advance one day (not too far off) drones will be better at flying themselves than any human being. Perhaps the thrill will be gone then. In any case as someone not yet burned I will be tempted to trust the drone at first.
The RTH, even on the P3, works very well. I know some who use it by default to bring the AC home.

There are also some that fly almost exclusively with the autonomous mission features of
litchi and other software.

It's all smiles and giggles untill something goes wrong and then it often ends in tears when they realise they can't pilot the AC home manually.

Learning how to fly on the sticks is a good skill to get comfortable with before getting too reliant on the AC smarts.

The suggestion I would make to you is fly well within the limits of your battery if relying on RTH to get home. The RTH speed is well below optimum to get max distance so you may find you are faced with an autoland before you get home.
 
It's certainly user selectable. You always get a verbal warning and a screen warning for RTH for battery reasons, giving you 10 seconds to cancel out of RTH. You can easily select to cancel out of it and return to home manually, which is what everyone should do, if they have half a brain. You can then choose to ascend and return on a beeline course, or manually fly another route within reason of your battery reserve.

If the craft loses signal, it hasn't lost signal for very long when the craft ceases to continue and enables RTH. It's usually 3 seconds typically when RTH is triggered. If it turns around to backtrack the course, the control signal will soon return and you can select to cancel RTH at that time and carry on with your mission, or return. This scenario is the primary benefit if you unknowingly go behind a building, mountain or other interference that disconnects the RC from the craft. Backtracking is the most efficient and least risk method to regain control. You should have no more worries about RTH height settings, specific to each location.

Where this really helps out is if you are way out beyond VLOS (shame on me) and I accidentally drop behind something and lose signal, the craft will come out of the area safely (assuming it's got a good GPS signal) on a known clear path so I can regain control. This also helps if radio interference a mile away disables the craft from communicating with the RC.

I like this backtrack feature. I see little downside.

Some pilot use RTH as a crutch. I'm unsure why, but when they are done flying the mission, they click and hold RTH and let the craft fly itself back. I never do this, so if the beeline option isn't there, I won't miss it.
Frankly, I prefer elevation as the best way to restore a lost signal from flying behind an object or being too low too far away. The only time that won't help is if you are at the fringe of LOS range and go a bit too far away and completely lose signal, where elevating actually increases the distance away, where you have to wait for it to reach the RTH set elevation first, before it flies back within signal control range. I always set my RTH to something like 750 feet, which covers ascending a nearby hill that is 650 feet above me. The goal of the RTH setting for me is not to return home, but only to restore signal, so I can sally forth, and that means elevating! :cool:
 
  • Like
Reactions: With The Birds
Frankly, I prefer elevation as the best way to restore a lost signal from flying behind an object or being too low too far away. The only time that won't help is if you are at the fringe of LOS range and go a bit too far away and completely lose signal, where elevating actually increases the distance away, where you have to wait for it to reach the RTH set elevation first, before it flies back within signal control range. I always set my RTH to something like 750 feet, which covers ascending a nearby hill that is 650 feet above me. The goal of the RTH setting for me is not to return home, but only to restore signal, so I can sally forth, and that means elevating! :cool:
Yep.... 9/10 (probably more) it's reconnect during the RTH ascent phase and more happy flying.
 
As a newbie to drones I am doing a lot of reading and gettin' ma learn on. So I found this interesting as I had not thought too much yet about RTH in general. While I certainly see the sense in re-taking control of the craft manually to avoid any software "mistakes" downing the precious bird, I wonder when that view will become outdated. It comes down to trust in the software and hardware that is doing the thinking. People with a lot of drone experience have learned that trust may not be well placed, but as both the hardware and software advance one day (not too far off) drones will be better at flying themselves than any human being. Perhaps the thrill will be gone then. In any case as someone not yet burned I will be tempted to trust the drone at first.
Until DJI gives us complete setting control over these autonomous features, the pilot will remain smarter than the software set for an idiot who just bought it today, and needs to be protected from himself! Fighting forced Autoland at 10% battery when over water and trying to make to dry land is not helpful! Shutting off "smart" batteries when in flight when any cell momentarily drops below 3.0V is plain stupid. Need I go on? :rolleyes:
 
Until DJI gives us complete setting control over these autonomous features, the pilot will remain smarter than the software set for an idiot who just bought it today, and needs to be protected from himself! Fighting forced Autoland at 10% battery when over water and trying to make to dry land is not helpful! Shutting off "smart" batteries when in flight when any cell momentarily drops below 3.0V is plain stupid. Need I go on? :rolleyes:

I didn't say that was possible (or smart) with today's drones. But I will bet that pilotless drones will exist before driverless cars and we are not too far out (technologically) from those. And I bet that driverless cars will be far safer than human (prone to distraction) drivers. How long will it be until we easily trust autonomous vehicles is a different story. But if you've seen a baby with an iPhone you know that new generations don't come with the same baggage as previous ones.
 

Recent Posts

Members online

No members online now.

Forum statistics

Threads
143,066
Messages
1,467,357
Members
104,935
Latest member
Pauos31