Phantom 4 Pro RTH

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This might be a fast and easy fix. We use Pix4D to fly our job sites. We recently purchased an IPad Mini to fly with it. Since we started using the ipad, once it is ready to return home for a battery or the job is complete. The drone wants to go up to its max altitude set at 400 feet before returning home. Anyone know a fix on this? If we are flying a site at 150ft, it wants to go to 400ft feet before coming back..
Thank you
 
The drone wants to go up to its max altitude set at 400 feet before returning home. Anyone know a fix on this? If we are flying a site at 150ft, it wants to go to 400ft feet before coming back..
Best guess is to turn off your VPS. I have seen this before with VPS issues. Also if you have a gimbal guard, that will cause the VPS to do that as well.
 
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This might be a fast and easy fix. We use Pix4D to fly our job sites. We recently purchased an IPad Mini to fly with it. Since we started using the ipad, once it is ready to return home for a battery or the job is complete. The drone wants to go up to its max altitude set at 400 feet before returning home. Anyone know a fix on this? If we are flying a site at 150ft, it wants to go to 400ft feet before coming back..
Have you checked to see what RTH height is saved in the Phantom?
If it's 400 ft, it's a simple matter to change that.

Another little known RTH trick that you might find useful is on p18 of the manual:
If you move the left stick after the aircraft rises above 65 feet (20 meters) but below the pre-set Failsafe RTH altitude, the aircraft will stop ascending and immediately return to the Home Point.
 
Have you checked to see what RTH height is saved in the Phantom?
If it's 400 ft, it's a simple matter to change that.

Another little known RTH trick that you might find useful is on p18 of the manual:
If you move the left stick after the aircraft rises above 65 feet (20 meters) but below the pre-set Failsafe RTH altitude, the aircraft will stop ascending and immediately return to the Home Point.
Return to home is still untouched at 0 or factory in the DJI go app. Pix4D I don’t see anyplace to adjust it.
 
I will try this. We have a gimble guard for transport.
A guard for transport? Are you sure you don't mean a gimble lock? And agreed with @Meta4 on his suggestions as well. If it is a gimbal guard, that might fix the issue if it is not settings related.
 
Return to home is still untouched at 0 or factory in the DJI go app. Pix4D I don’t see anyplace to adjust it.
Because the RTH height is stored in the drone, you have to have it connected to the GO app to see what it is set at.
Pix4D will just use what is set in the drone.
I will try this. We have a gimble guard for transport.
He was talking about flying with a fixed plate below the VPS sensors - not the kind you put on after flying.
 
Upper Right....Gimbal Lock with Lens Cover
Larger Image...Gimbal Guard

Just for reference example

Guard vs Lock.png
 
Because the RTH height is stored in the drone, you have to have it connected to the GO app to see what it is set at.
Pix4D will just use what is set in the drone.

He was talking about flying with a fixed plate below the VPS sensors - not the kind you put on after flying.
No fixed plate sorry. New to all of this. Thanks for all the help
 
Set RTH to 40 meters in the Go 4 app.

D
I don't think that it's prudent to just arbitrarily set the RTH to 40 Meters. Where I live in New Hampshire, there are many trees taller than that. The tallest tree in the state is 50 Meters. Mine is set at 60 Meters, and so far it has always come home to Papa!
 
I don't think that it's prudent to just arbitrarily set the RTH to 40 Meters. Where I live in New Hampshire, there are many trees taller than that. The tallest tree in the state is 50 Meters. Mine is set at 60 Meters, and so far it has always come home to Papa!

With all due respect, then you don't understand how your RTH works. 40 meters is the MINIMUM RTH. The second you fly your bird ABOVE 40 meters, the RTH gets reset to that new height. So...if you're out flying over those 60 meter trees, your RTH will get reset to 60+ meters.

D
 
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With all due respect, then you don't understand how your RTH works. 40 meters is the MINIMUM RTH. The second you fly your bird ABOVE 40 meters, the RTH gets reset to that new height. So...if you're out flying over those 60 meter trees, your RTH will get reset to 60+ meters.

D
So I'm learning something here, which is why I'm a member. Are you saying that if I happen to go up to 120 meters to take a high altitude shot, and then go lower for other shots, no matter what, it will go to 120 meters on RTH, no matter what the setting is in GO4? That seems like a terrible waste of battery power. Just asking...
 
So I'm learning something here, which is why I'm a member. Are you saying that if I happen to go up to 120 meters to take a high altitude shot, and then go lower for other shots, no matter what, it will go to 120 meters on RTH, no matter what the setting is in GO4?

Correct.

That seems like a terrible waste of battery power. Just asking...

It is. But RTH is easily defeated by throwing your bird into ATTI or Sport mode.

"Wasted battery" is a much better scenario than crashing into a tree or building. And now that you know how RTH behaves, and that it's a DYNAMIC function, you can plan accordingly.

And some DJI trivia... RTH has been resetting itself to the highest flown altitude since the Phantom 1. I speak from great experience.

Good luck!

D
 
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Correct.



It is. But RTH is easily defeated by throwing your bird into ATTI or Sport mode.

"Wasted battery" is a much better scenario than crashing into a tree or building. And now that you know how RTH behaves, and that it's a DYNAMIC function, you can plan accordingly.

And some DJI trivia... RTH has been resetting itself to the highest flown altitude since the Phantom 1. I speak from great experience.

Good luck!

D
@Harleydude Well, I learned something today, thank you!
 
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There have been times where I have reached altitudes that I won't disclose, for short periods of time and then descended to approx 200'. From there, when I use RTH, the craft does not return to my highest elevation before going horizontal to the home point.
 
There have been times where I have reached altitudes that I won't disclose, for short periods of time and then descended to approx 200'. From there, when I use RTH, the craft does not return to my highest elevation before going horizontal to the home point.

I would guess there may be an RTH ceiling. I will conduct some experimental flights tomorrow to confirm what I have purported here.

D
 
With all due respect, then you don't understand how your RTH works. 40 meters is the MINIMUM RTH. The second you fly your bird ABOVE 40 meters, the RTH gets reset to that new height. So...if you're out flying over those 60 meter trees, your RTH will get reset to 60+ meters.

D
Saying it gets reset is misleading. if your RTH is 40 and you rise to 60 it will return at 60 if you descend to 30 and RTH it will climb to 40 first then return
 
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Saying it gets reset is misleading. if your RTH is 40 and you rise to 60 it will return at 60 if you descend to 30 and RTH it will climb to 40 first then return

Correct. I checked my old Phantom 1 notes. According to my notes, the P1 would retain the highest altitude during any given flight and would RTH at that altitude. The same is not true for the modern DJI offerings. I tested this in my P4P and Mavic Pro. Both behave as you describe.

D
 
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