Questions from a newbie..

[Rodee34]

Is it ok to paint the underside of the front two blades so I could tell where the "front" is?

Where is a good place to buy spare batteries?

Will the drone lose signal when it goes behind a building or behind trees if it isn't flying high enough?

I've read where some lose signal (or something) over water, is that an issue?

If I'm understanding correctly, I only need to calibrate the compass if it asks me to, right?

I just put the new SanDisk 64GB Extreme Plus card in today. I'm hoping it will ask me to format it when I turn it on. I guess I'll see in a few minutes - going outside to sit in the middle of my yard and practice crazy eights.

Thanks for all your help! Sorry about all the questions.

 

[msinger]

Painting the blades will change the balance -- making your Phantom work harder to maintain its position. And you likely won't be able to see the color of the blades unless you're flying low and close.

 

[Fly Dawg]

Will the drone lose signal when it goes behind a building or behind trees if it isn't flying high enough?

Possibly.....depends on the distance and other factors.

I've read where some lose signal (or something) over water, is that an issue?
Only if you do not have your fail safe settings correct.

If I'm understanding correctly, I only need to calibrate the compass if it asks me to, right?
Yes, and at times it is not necessary then. Calibrating often, without any indication of any issues will do nothing for you.

 

[Rodee34]

Thank you! That was fun! Hopefully, I have some pictures. The app kept telling me I was in an aircraft zone, or something like that. I put a 4x4 piece of cardboard down in the middle of the yard to take off and land on. The 1st landing went perfectly. The second one, "Rosie" tipped over about 5 feet from the landing pad. I have to see if any pictures came out!

I will have to check on the fail safe settings, FD. I did set the RTH correctly, but I'm not sure about the other settings. I can't get the dang battery out to charge it up. I guess you have to pinch it just right.

 

[Starz]

Go through the whole group of settings one by one. Make sure you set everything the way you want them. Take your time.

Red lights front
Green in the back!

 

[FL_Mike]

Is it ok to paint the underside of the front two blades so I could tell where the "front" is?

Where is a good place to buy spare batteries?

Will the drone lose signal when it goes behind a building or behind trees if it isn't flying high enough?

I've read where some lose signal (or something) over water, is that an issue?

If I'm understanding correctly, I only need to calibrate the compass if it asks me to, right?

I just put the new SanDisk 64GB Extreme Plus card in today. I'm hoping it will ask me to format it when I turn it on. I guess I'll see in a few minutes - going outside to sit in the middle of my yard and practice crazy eights.

Thanks for all your help! Sorry about all the questions.

It really reads like you need to spend some time with the manual. Personally, I was really disappointed in the manual at first, but a lot of your initial queations get answered there.

I will however bestow my personal experience and thinking on a few things.

I would not paint the props. It will effect airflow and performance. Additionally it wont do anything for your visability at any meaningful distance. From my use it really doesn't matter what color you apply to the aircraft after about 1000 yards. It will still just be a speck out in the sky. Lighting can help, but even that is minimal when flying in a bright sunny sky.

When it comes to calibration I always try to avoid it. Once correctly calibrated you should rarely need to do so again, especially if you handle your equipment properly during transport. When go4 recommends calibration it also says "or change location". The vast majority of the time moving your launch point will fix compass calibration issues. Rebar unseen in a sidewalk, a magnet on a cell phone case, or underground irrigation pipes can all effect your compass. By simply moving your take off platform you can often correct the warning.

Calibrating the compass in a location that has magnetic interference can lead to devastating consequences like a fly away or a crash. If you calibrate the compass within interference once you clear that area the compass can go crazy. Get a solid calibration in an known area without interference. If you get a warning about the compass your first reaction should be looking around to see what could be wrong with the area, not what is wrong with the aircraft.

Finally, as a Florida resident I fly over water all the time. I have yet to have any errors caused by doing so. In fact, I get some of my best distances and signals when flying over water as there are no obstructions. Just make sure you have your return to home settings correct, you have a home point established that shows on the map properly and be aware of the wind, especially if flying out over the ocean as it can be stronger on the coast. Fly against the wind on the way out and ride the wind back home.

Good luck and blue skies.

 

[Fly Dawg]

When go4 recommends calibration it also says or change location.

Just to point out the P3SE does not use GO4....For the most part the remainder is correct.

 

[FL_Mike]

Just to point out the P3SE does not use GO4....For the most part the remainder is correct.

I noticed this was in the SE section after my reply. I'm a p4p pilot, so..... Does the rest of what I said still hold true? If not I need to correct it.

Thanks.

 

[Fly Dawg]

Does the rest of what I said still hold true?

You are fine with the rest. As I said you were. All good!

 

[Meta4]

Is it ok to paint the underside of the front two blades so I could tell where the "front" is?

The darar display shows you which way your drone is facing even if you can't see the drone.

Will the drone lose signal when it goes behind a building or behind trees if it isn't flying high enough?

You need to maintain a clear, unobstructed line of sight between the controller and the Phantom.
Don't fly behind obstacles.

I've read where some lose signal (or something) over water, is that an issue?

Over water is one of the safest places to fly.
No interference and no obstacles. It's the last place you would lose signal.

If I'm understanding correctly, I only need to calibrate the compass if it asks me to, right?

Even if you think the app is telling you to calibrate the compass, it probably isn't.
Read the message carefully and you'll probably see that it says: Magnetic Field Interference - move aircraft of calibrate compass.
calibrating the compass is not the correct action. Moving away from the problem that the compass is warning about is.
If your Phantom flies straight and hovers without slowly spiraling, the compass is perfect.
I still haven't calibrated anything on my main Phantom and it's just over two years old now.

I just put the new SanDisk 64GB Extreme Plus card in today. I'm hoping it will ask me to format it when I turn it on.

It probably won't because most SD cards are pre-formatted.

 

[Blade4]

Possibly.....depends on the distance and other factors.

I've read where some lose signal (or something) over water, is that an issue?
Only if you do not have your fail safe settings correct.

If I'm understanding correctly, I only need to calibrate the compass if it asks me to, right?
Yes, and at times it is not necessary then. Calibrating often, without any indication of any issues will do nothing for you.

Hey Fly Dog how are you doing?

I’ll I would add to this is at least in the case of a phantom 4 P or A, is to consider going into the sensor page as part of a preflight and double check the IMU and Compass.

That actually has worked very well for me.

1. It can alert you to something throwing off the Compass you might be unaware of nearby.

2. It can also show you a trend as to your IMU and compass calibrations.

What are your thoughts?

.

 

[Fly Dawg]

What are your thoughts?

The easiest method is to observe the aircraft orientation icon and the actual direction your aircraft is facing prior to takeoff. If you notice that this is off and not actually the direction the aircraft is facing, that is your first clue before doing anything else.

 

[Blade4]

The easiest method is to observe the aircraft orientation icon and the actual direction your aircraft is facing prior to takeoff. If you notice that this is off and not actually the direction the aircraft is facing, that is your first clue before doing anything else.

Good point and thank you!

 

[Rodee34]

Go through the whole group of settings one by one. Make sure you set everything the way you want them. Take your time.

Red lights front
Green in the back!

I will do that for sure. Thank you!

 

[Rodee34]

It really reads like you need to spend some time with the manual. Personally, I was really disappointed in the manual at first, but a lot of your initial queations get answered there.

I will however bestow my personal experience and thinking on a few things.

I would not paint the props. It will effect airflow and performance. Additionally it wont do anything for your visability at any meaningful distance. From my use it really doesn't matter what color you apply to the aircraft after about 1000 yards. It will still just be a speck out in the sky. Lighting can help, but even that is minimal when flying in a bright sunny sky.

When it comes to calibration I always try to avoid it. Once correctly calibrated you should rarely need to do so again, especially if you handle your equipment properly during transport. When go4 recommends calibration it also says "or change location". The vast majority of the time moving your launch point will fix compass calibration issues. Rebar unseen in a sidewalk, a magnet on a cell phone case, or underground irrigation pipes can all effect your compass. By simply moving your take off platform you can often correct the warning.

Calibrating the compass in a location that has magnetic interference can lead to devastating consequences like a fly away or a crash. If you calibrate the compass within interference once you clear that area the compass can go crazy. Get a solid calibration in an known area without interference. If you get a warning about the compass your first reaction should be looking around to see what could be wrong with the area, not what is wrong with the aircraft.

Finally, as a Florida resident I fly over water all the time. I have yet to have any errors caused by doing so. In fact, I get some of my best distances and signals when flying over water as there are no obstructions. Just make sure you have your return to home settings correct, you have a home point established that shows on the map properly and be aware of the wind, especially if flying out over the ocean as it can be stronger on the coast. Fly against the wind on the way out and ride the wind back home.

Good luck and blue skies.

Thank you! I didn’t think about the rebar. . That makes sense. I thought I would calibrate it before the first flight, so it didn’t think “home” was at the previous owners house.

Thank you for sharing your experiences.. the manual is great, but experience is priceless. I printed the manual to read hoping to learn more each time.

Not fussing with the camera too much at the moment.. although my pics and movies did come out ok. I have a lot to learn on that too! LOL! Thanks again!

 

[Rodee34]

The darar display shows you which way your drone is facing even if you can't see the drone.


You need to maintain a clear, unobstructed line of sight between the controller and the Phantom.
Don't fly behind obstacles.

Over water is one of the safest places to fly.
No interference and no obstacles. It's the last place you would lose signal.


Even if you think the app is telling you to calibrate the compass, it probably isn't.
Read the message carefully and you'll probably see that it says: Magnetic Field Interference - move aircraft of calibrate compass.
calibrating the compass is not the correct action. Moving away from the problem that the compass is warning about is.
If your Phantom flies straight and hovers without slowly spiraling, the compass is perfect.
I still haven't calibrated anything on my main Phantom and it's just over two years old now.


It probably won't because most SD cards are pre-formatted.

I’m guessing the darar is the arrow on the screen? I have to say the drone stays perfectly level when I don’t touch the levers, doesn’t wobble or venture off.

I found myself watching the drone more than the screen. I know this because I got dizzy spinning around so much. Ended up getting a bar stool to sit on. I was flying rather low and was watching for trees, etc. I suppose when you go up higher, there’s less to worry about. The average altitude was about 60 ft. I was trying to practice crazy eights. It actually flew 30 minutes with 11% left on the battery. I had it set to warn me at 30%, and it did. It was returning home at a slow pace, I thought... so I canceled the auto return and manually brought it in. I just didn’t want it to drop in the pool.

Thanks again!!

 

[Meta4]

I’m guessing the darar is the arrow on the screen?

Sorry ... that was fat fingers typing.
I meant the radar display .. down in the lower left in this screenshot:
The red paper plane icon represents your drone and in this shot it's pointing back toward home (in the centre)

 

[Rodee34]

Sorry ... that was fat fingers typing.
I meant the radar display .. down in the lower left in this screenshot:
The red paper plane icon represents your drone and in this shot it's pointing back toward home (in the centre)

There is new terminology in this new hobby of mine, I was all in on dadar ! . I’m on my phone so I do fat finger all the time. I don’t have that radar map on my app. I downloaded two apps, one is DJI go and the other one is Litchi. I am only using DJI at this time. But will try the other when I have my settings where I need them. NOTE: DJI GO might have that screen available to me, I just may not have explored it enough too. Just sayin’.

Thank you for your reply!!

 

[Meta4]

DJI GO might have that screen available to me, I just may not have explored it enough too.

Tap the map window and it will swap to the radar.

 

[chatikib]

...
Calibrating the compass in a location that has magnetic interference can lead to devastating consequences like a fly away or a crash. If you calibrate the compass within interference once you clear that area the compass can go crazy. Get a solid calibration in an known area without interference. If you get a warning about the compass your first reaction should be looking around to see what could be wrong with the area, not what is wrong with the aircraft.

Finally, as a Florida resident I fly over water all the time. I have yet to have any errors caused by doing so. In fact, I get some of my best distances and signals when flying over water as there are no obstructions. Just make sure you have your return to home settings correct, you have a home point established that shows on the map properly and be aware of the wind, especially if flying out over the ocean as it can be stronger on the coast. Fly against the wind on the way out and ride the wind back home.

Your experience as a Go4 pilot corresponds to my experience as a Go3 pilot. A water surface can act like a mirror and deliver a better signal. With the P3SE, distances of a few kilometers have been reached above water. However, when there are trees or buildings on your route, your distance is limited.