Red arrow and true direction in Go app

marzipana · Jan 28, 2016

Wondering if someone can help...I understand that when looking at the Go app, the red arrow in the map section represents your Phantom, and the narrower end represents the Phantom's nose...so, you can tell which way your Phantom is facing according to the arrow. However, I'm curious about this particular clip below - the pilot is often flying straight, yet the nose of his P3 appears to be facing side on...so instead of pointing in the direction the P3 is flying, it's sometimes at a 90 degree angle...

Is this normal, or is there likely something wrong with the calibration of the compass either in his phone, or the P3 itself?

Thanks,
Tamara

Meta4 · Jan 28, 2016

In the top left of his map view window, there's a small icon which toggles north up or course up modes.
The icon looks like a map needle and in the video above it shows a yellow padlock over the compass needle.
Easier to see later in the video when he makes the mapview full screen.

marzipana · Jan 28, 2016

Meta4 said:
In the top left of his map view window, there's a small icon which toggles north up or course up modes.
The icon looks like a map needle and in the video above it shows a yellow padlock over the compass needle.
Easier to see later in the video when he makes the mapview full screen.

So...okay, I'm not sure what north up and course up modes mean...do you mean that padlock locks the map in a particular direction? I'm not sure that explains why his P3 is facing sideways on the map though, when he's actually flying directly in front...sorry if I'm not making sense.

TheRealNick · Jan 28, 2016

I am watching the video again, but I think it is depicting a compass error. You can set the map for two modes, in one mode the map is fixed with north up, this is what I usually use. In another mode the map uses the compass in your phone so that up is the same direction you are facing. Regardless, the phantom icon should depict the true orientation of the phantom and if you are flying forward it should be going forward.

Richard W · Jan 28, 2016

Meta4 said:
In the top left of his map view window, there's a small icon which toggles north up or course up modes. ...

I think Tamara is talking about drone orientation in relation to its course, and not about course/bearing relation to a chart/map (course up vs north up).

Indeed, it appears in the video that the drone/camera is facing more less ahead of its course, while the drone icon is facing to the right side ... nearly 90 degree off course.

Could be a problem with drone's compass and/or IMU calibration.

TheRealNick · Jan 28, 2016

If you read in the comments of the video the poster addresses it. It was an issue in the firmware that has been corrected...good eyes Tamara....he also says it was a live stream, I wonder if there is a setting to get the screen to look like that, when I did a live stream only the video could be seen.

marzipana · Jan 28, 2016

Okay, thanks everyone, that answered my question...I guess I want to be sure that the red arrow is accurately telling me which way my Phantom is facing...I did have a small issue recently where I was practicing my flying and steering (still new to all this, and bad weather for two weeks has meant hardly any flight time...) and my red arrow wasn't exactly pointing in the same direction as my P3...but after a few minutes, it seemed to right itself and was okay after that. I did notice when I switched on the Go app, (after RC, then Phantom), that the app asked for a phone compass calibration, and I started to do that while it was attached to the RC, and it let me calibrate about half a circle and then the calibration screen disappeared, so it didn't seem to let me finish a full circle calibration, and then I was back to the Go app. So I'm not sure if I should calibrate the phone compass before attaching it to the RC right before a flight...??

marzipana · Jan 28, 2016

TheRealNick said:
If you read in the comments of the video the poster addresses it. It was an issue in the firmware that has been corrected...good eyes Tamara....he also says it was a live stream, I wonder if there is a setting to get the screen to look like that, when I did a live stream only the video could be seen.

He does mention something called CE mode, but I've no idea what that is, or what FCC mode is...I can't find either of these in the online manual.

marzipana · Jan 28, 2016

TheRealNick said:
I am watching the video again, but I think it is depicting a compass error. You can set the map for two modes, in one mode the map is fixed with north up, this is what I usually use. In another mode the map uses the compass in your phone so that up is the same direction you are facing. Regardless, the phantom icon should depict the true orientation of the phantom and if you are flying forward it should be going forward.

How do I tell which is which mode? Is the padlock the setting which locks the map with north up?

TheRealNick · Jan 28, 2016

marzipana said:
He does mention something called CE mode, but I've no idea what that is, or what FCC mode is...I can't find either of these in the online manual.

CE and FCC are different ways to reference compliance with government regulations on the radio signals sent between the Phantom and the transmitter. I am told they are set my your GPS location. FCC is U.S. and CE is Europe I believe, but I am not sure since I am in the US. I am under the impression that FCC allows higher output so range is expected to be farther when in FCC mode.

marzipana · Jan 28, 2016

TheRealNick said:
CE and FCC are different ways to reference compliance with government regulations on the radio signals sent between the Phantom and the transmitter. I am told they are set my your GPS location. FCC is U.S. and CE is Europe I believe, but I am not sure since I am in the US. I am under the impression that FCC allows higher output so range is expected to be farther when in FCC mode.

Okay, so nothing I have to manually fiddle with to fly...good news

TheRealNick · Jan 28, 2016

marzipana said:
How do I tell which is which mode? Is the padlock the setting which locks the map with north up?

Padlock locks north as up.

TheRealNick · Jan 28, 2016

marzipana said:
Okay, thanks everyone, that answered my question...I guess I want to be sure that the red arrow is accurately telling me which way my Phantom is facing...I did have a small issue recently where I was practicing my flying and steering (still new to all this, and bad weather for two weeks has meant hardly any flight time...) and my red arrow wasn't exactly pointing in the same direction as my P3...but after a few minutes, it seemed to right itself and was okay after that. I did notice when I switched on the Go app, (after RC, then Phantom), that the app asked for a phone compass calibration, and I started to do that while it was attached to the RC, and it let me calibrate about half a circle and then the calibration screen disappeared, so it didn't seem to let me finish a full circle calibration, and then I was back to the Go app. So I'm not sure if I should calibrate the phone compass before attaching it to the RC right before a flight...??

The compass calibration that sometimes pops up on your phone is not related at all to how your Phantom flies. As far as I can tell, it is only used for map orientation if you go out of map locked north mode. It pops up for me sometimes and I usually just do it with my phone on the controller. I think it just stops once it has enough information....

marzipana · Jan 28, 2016

TheRealNick said:
Padlock locks north as up.

So if I use that setting, the compass in my phone won't be used?

marzipana · Jan 28, 2016

TheRealNick said:
The compass calibration that sometimes pops up on your phone is not related at all to how your Phantom flies. As far as I can tell, it is only used for map orientation if you go out of map locked north mode. It pops up for me sometimes and I usually just do it with my phone on the controller. I think it just stops once it has enough information....

Okay, good to know, thank you for your help

TheRealNick · Jan 28, 2016

marzipana said:
So if I use that setting, the compass in my phone won't be used?

correct, but I only use this setting and the compass calibration still pops up sometimes, I have not figured out what causes it...although it seems to happen more often when I turn off my phone just before flying.

marzipana · Jan 28, 2016

TheRealNick said:
correct, but I only use this setting and the compass calibration still pops up sometimes, I have not figured out what causes it...although it seems to happen more often when I turn off my phone just before flying.

Hmm, okay...may I ask ask, you mention you only use the north up mode...why is that your preference, and is it better to use it that way?

TheRealNick · Jan 28, 2016

marzipana said:
Hmm, okay...may I ask ask, you mention you only use the north up mode...why is that your preference, and is it better to use it that way?

That is just my preference, nothing wrong with the other mode.

Richard W · Jan 28, 2016

marzipana said:
So if I use that setting, the compass in my phone won't be used?

Sorry I might have missed something in the discussion, but ... the phone/tablet compass is not used to navigate the drone, drone's own compass is responsible for what you see on your phone/tablet. Also, the north up vs course up setting has nothing to do the phone/tablet compass.

marzipana · Jan 28, 2016

Richard W said:
Sorry I might have missed something in the discussion, but ... the phone/tablet compass is not used to navigate the drone, drone's own compass is responsible for what you see on your phone/tablet. Also, the north up vs course up setting has nothing to do the phone/tablet compass.

Thanks Richard...why does the Go app request a phone compass calibration though?

If the red arrow on the map isn't facing the same direction as the Phantom, is that likely then meaning you need to calibrate the compass on the P3?