Reading Compass in Go 4 app

[dhaymil]

I'm trying to figure out what settings/options to use to help me get the best sense of what direction my drone is in relative to my position as well as what its own orientation is. (Just added LEDs, which I hope will help in bright daylight) Can anyone point me to a good video tutorial on using the radar and map and what settings and options would be best to help me figure out what direct the bird is in as I change position or move around? Should I use compass lock, for example? The manual says nothing at all about this type of issue so I have been reviewing lots of threads here, but any sort of tutorials or thorough descriptions would be helpful. I think I really need help with the radar display and the options it provides...
Thanks in advance.

 

[Bakersfield Quad]

Professional - How is the Radar in the lower left corner of Go App used?

Read this thread.
BQ

 

[alokbhargava]

Radar is a very useful and handy tool. It shows you the direction of your drone with respect to the home point and not where you are standing. It also takes care of your directions.

Best way to learn is by experimenting it. Once you get used to it, you would love it.

PS: ensure that the compass on your tablet is calibrated for accurate readings.

 

[dhaymil]

Thanks for the replies. Is there any way to get the orientation to be relative to the current RC position, as I constantly move around while flying my drone and lose my own orientation to the home point. So showing me the direction of the drone relative to the home point doesn't really help me much,
Related - do I need GPS in my device (iPad Air 2 - non cellular - non GPS module) if I want the drone to be able to update the RTH position to my controller? I will be on a boat in Greenland next week and will need to set the RTH to the RC position and I believe I have to continuously update that as the boat moves.

 

[Meta4]

Thanks for the replies. Is there any way to get the orientation to be relative to the current RC position, as I constantly move around while flying my drone and lose my own orientation to the home point. So showing me the direction of the drone relative to the home point doesn't really help me much,
Related - do I need GPS in my device (iPad Air 2 - non cellular - non GPS module) if I want the drone to be able to update the RTH position to my controller? I will be on a boat in Greenland next week and will need to set the RTH to the RC position and I believe I have to continuously update that as the boat moves.

If you want to be able to reset your homepoint to the current location of the controller, you must have a GPS enabled tablet - so the app has a current location.
Apple leave out the GPS module on non-cellular iPads.
If you get a GPS enabled tablet, and reset the home point, it just resets once to the current location - it does not continuously update.
You can also update homepoint without GPS in your tablet - update to the current location of the Phantom rather than the controller.
If you are flying out of sight, you would want to reset to the controller's location, but if you were only flying relatively close to the boat as the boat is moving, you could simply reset to the location of the Phantom and so avoid the situation where the Phantom believes it is miles from home and has to RTH as the battery level is only enough to get all the way back there.

If you are intending to fly from a boat, you need to have practised all the things you will be doing ... hand catching, resetting home etc.
Out at sea is a bad place to be learning and an unforgiving environment.
Never launch from a steel surface or close to steel objects - you may have to hand launch as well.
Never calibrate the compass close to steel.
And be aware of potential compass problems in far northern latitudes as well.

 

[dhaymil]

Thanks for the info. Been practicing hand catch and flying w/o GPS (ATTI) for weeks and feeling pretty good. The unknowns are what I am worried about - compass issues that far north, lack of VPS (will disable) over water...
But planning to buy the
Dual Electronics XGPS150A Multipurpose Universal Bluetooth GPS Receiver
and hoping for the best.
Quick question - but how do you reset to the current location of the Phantom = do you mean reset the home point? I'm going to plan on resetting to controller position once I get the GPS receiver but mostly planning to fly LOS. (Was also advised to launch from. a bucket or anything that would get me above the boat's surface- it is a 19th wooden schooner so hope there won't be a lot of metal...

If you want to be able to reset your homepoint to the current location of the controller, you must have a GPS enabled tablet - so the app has a current location.
Apple leave out the GPS module on non-cellular iPads.
If you get a GPS enabled tablet, and reset the home point, it just resets once to the current location - it does not continuously update.
You can also update homepoint without GPS in your tablet - update to the current location of the Phantom rather than the controller.
If you are flying out of sight, you would want to reset to the controller's location, but if you were only flying relatively close to the boat as the boat is moving, you could simply reset to the location of the Phantom and so avoid the situation where the Phantom believes it is miles from home and has to RTH as the battery level is only enough to get all the way back there.

If you are intending to fly from a boat, you need to have practised all the things you will be doing ... hand catching, resetting home etc.
Out at sea is a bad place to be learning and an unforgiving environment.
Never launch from a steel surface or close to steel objects - you may have to hand launch as well.
Never calibrate the compass close to steel.
And be aware of potential compass problems in far northern latitudes as well.

 

[Meta4]

Quick question - but how do you reset to the current location of the Phantom = do you mean reset the home point? I'm going to plan on resetting to controller position once I get the GPS receiver but mostly planning to fly LOS. (Was also advised to launch from. a bucket or anything that would get me above the boat's surface- it is a 19th wooden schooner so hope there won't be a lot of metal...

When you reset the home point, you get two choices
1. Reset home to the current location of the controller
2. Reset home to the current location of the Phantom

Just check the deck area where you launch (and underneath too) for steel frames, bolts or power cables.
Bronze is OK - iron and steel aren't
You may be lucky and have a good deck launch spot.
You'll have to find one that is clear of the rigging etc so you have a clear shot at the sky.
Otherwise, hand launching might be required - probably best with an assistant.

 

[dhaymil]

Got it. But how exactly do you you <reset> the home point? I know how to choose between those two options at start up, but once I choose RC as the home point, how do I reset it to my current location as the boat moves?
And isn't that option for the RTH point, not the home point? The radar works relative to the home point, so I do want to be clear on how to reset the home point as the boat moves, not just the return to home point ( or are they essentially the same?)
Also, how do you unlock the compass, or disable compass lock? Can't find that one in the manual...
If there is a way to have the radar be relative to the current location of the RC, I would love the know that as well..I want that so I can see exactly where the drone is from my (dynamically changing ) current location.

 

[msinger]

I know how to choose between those two options at start up, but once I choose RC as the home point, how do I reset it to my current location as the boat moves?

The home point is reset as soon as you choose either of those options. When you move the boat again, you need to go back and select one of those options if you'd like to reset the home point again. Otherwise, the home point will still be located at the last location where you reset it.

If there is a way to have the radar be relative to the current location of the RC

No.

 

[dhaymil]

So if I have first selected the RC as the return to home point and the boat moves, should I just toggle the option over to the original RTH point then back to using the RC in order to reset the position? Just want be clear about the resetting method.

"The home point is reset as soon as you choose either of those options."

 

[msinger]

So if I have first selected the RC as the return to home point and the boat moves, should I just toggle the option over to the original RTH point then back to using the RC in order to reset the position?

That's not a toggle. It allows you to reset the home point to your Phantom's current location or the mobile device's current location. As soon as you select either option, the home point will be reset. It'll then remain at the new location until you reset it again.

You can test it out over land before you head out to fly on a boat. Each time you reset the home point, you should see the home point change on the map in DJI GO.

 

[dhaymil]

OK - got it. Will test for sure.
Thanks again

 

[dhaymil]

Btw- elsewhere you mentioned that I should calibrate the compass before I take off from the schooner in a bay in Greenland, where I will be next week. I've had the drone for over a month and flown about 10 hours and every time I start up, it says the compass is normal. So do you recommend calibrating even if there is no known problem? I've read elsewhere that I should;t calibrate anything unless I get some type of warning message or have an issues.. No issues so far (fingers crossed).

The home point is reset as soon as you choose either of those options. When you move the boat again, you need to go back and select one of those options if you'd like to reset the home point again. Otherwise, the home point will still be located at the last location where you reset it.


No.

 

[msinger]

elsewhere you mentioned that I should calibrate the compass before I take off from the schooner in a bay in Greenland, where I will be next week

I wouldn't personally calibrate the compass on any kind of boat. If you want to calibrate the compass, do it on a nearby shore.

 

[dhaymil]

Thanks. but is there any reason to calibrate at all if I am not having any problems?
dm

I wouldn't personally calibrate the compass on any kind of boat. If you want to calibrate the compass, do it on a nearby shore.

 

[msinger]

is there any reason to calibrate at all if I am not having any problems?

No.

 

[dhaymil]

Ok thanks.