RTC Vs RTH

[Meta4]

I have the same view of RTC being static from the time you select RTC, but @Capt KO is positive it works for him. I won't say for sure until I get out there and test it myself.

There is some confusion here between resetting the home point and using Active Track or Follow-Me.
I haven't flown with tracking or Follow-Me but I think Active Track may have a dynamic home point feature?
But if you reset your home point to the controller's location, the screen message makes it pretty clear that it is not a dynamic feature and only resets to the current location of the controller, not where it might be in the future.
The Phantom 2 series had a true dynamic home point feature which never made it the later Phantoms.

 

[PhantomFandom]

There is some confusion here between resetting the home point and using Active Track or Follow-Me.
I haven't flown with tracking or Follow-Me but I think Active Track may have a dynamic home point feature?
But if you reset your home point to the controller's location, the screen message makes it pretty clear that it is not a dynamic feature and only resets to the current location of the controller, not where it might be in the future.
The Phantom 2 series had a true dynamic home point feature which never made it the later Phantoms.

Well that is exactly what I thought but @Capt KO swears that it is dynamic even without Follow Me. I really don't think that is the case but I wanted to get out and test it to confirm.

 

[bsartist]

"Follow Me" and RTC require your device to be GPS enabled. You will be warned if not enough satellites to function. No need to reset location as you move as it is now following your remote. It's a MUST when flying from a boat.

What model(s) are you using that have an RTC feature?

 

[Capt KO]

What model(s) are you using that have an RTC feature?

P4, P4P with iPad mini 4 (Bluetooth Garmin GPS). Just got in from test flights. Took a while but finally got RC GPS to function but at weak strength. Glad I wasn't on a boat. Follow worked fine but RTC results were strange. It would start to land at the new RC location but returned to takeoff point (30 ft possibly too close?). Trying to get RTC to track me to a new moving home location looked good until at 30ft, it flew the opposite direction while continuing auto landing. Nowhere near any previous locations entered. Also, IPad overheated and shutdown during this RTH adding to the fun. Thankfully the sensors did there job and I landed it safely. Whether or not a moving RTH works, RC (weak) GPS errors like this would be a potential nightmare, especially over water.
Will need more tests before giving myself a "Pants on Fire" or "Fake News" LOL. The Truth is Out There, just hard to find. ? Stay safe

 

[bsartist]

P4, P4P with iPad mini 4 (Bluetooth Garmin GPS). Just got in from test flights. Took a while but finally got RC GPS to function but at weak strength. Glad I wasn't on a boat. Follow worked fine but RTC results were strange. It would start to land at the new RC location but returned to takeoff point (30 ft possibly too close?). Trying to get RTC to track me to a new moving home location looked good until at 30ft, it flew the opposite direction while continuing auto landing. Nowhere near any previous locations entered. Also, IPad overheated and shutdown during this RTH adding to the fun. Thankfully the sensors did there job and I landed it safely. Whether or not a moving RTH works, RC (weak) GPS errors like this would be a potential nightmare, especially over water.
Will need more tests before giving myself a "Pants on Fire" or "Fake News" LOL. The Truth is Out There, just hard to find. ? Stay safe

Thanks for all the effort. It will be good to know.

I would think out on the open water gps coverage would be stellar (pun intended LOL). But I had “Weak GPS” with my crystal sky in the middle of the lake when trying to reset home point. Frustrating.

 

[furthertofly]

How does follow me update the home point such as driving in a car?

Follow Me works optically based on the appearance and motion of the designated object. That's why the feature will often lose track if the object changes appearance or motion suddently. The aircraft has no information if the object it is following includes the controller or not.

To achieve what you want, the controller would have to have independent GPS capability and a way to communicate that to the aircraft in real time. It has no such feature.

 

[Capt KO]

Follow Me works optically based on the appearance and motion of the designated object. That's why the feature will often lose track if the object changes appearance or motion suddently. The aircraft has no information if the object it is following includes the controller or not.

To achieve what you want, the controller would have to have independent GPS capability and a way to communicate that to the aircraft in real time. It has no such feature.

It does have such feature. The GPS is located in the device used. Follow uses GPS (works behind objects). Active track is optical camera, can be blocked by objects.

 

[Harleydude]

I did testing today settin my Phantom 4 Pro to Return to Controller. Then, I walked around a path to determine if the drone would return to me and the controller. No matter what I did, Low level flying. Pressing the RTH or letting the battery die. The drone always returned to the launch site.

What am I missing here?

Jim

I see there are a ton of comments here that I simply don't have time to read, so I'll give you the quick answer.

For this to work, your iPad has to have GPS or Location capabilities. Otherwise, how does the app or the AC know your new location? If you're connected to the Internet via WiFi, your iPad will net a VERY rough location (accurate to within 30'????). If you use an iPhone, it has built in GPS, which will be more accurate than WiFi location.

If I'm doing work were my location is very dynamic (like following the drone in a car), I use a GPS device called a SkyPro™ GPS Receiver. I use the "Dual" model.

This beast is easy to use, extremely powerful and is balls-on accurate. It links to my iPad via BlueTooth and is amazing in every way.

Keep in mind that the GPS pinpoint is at the SkyPro device, not the iPad. So if I'm standing 10 feet away from the SkyPro, the drone will RTC to the SkyPro, not the iPad. Fortunately, this is a battery device. So, in theory, I could carry it with me.

For grins, this morning I placed the SkyPro in my GF's back yard, turned it on, and checked to see if it linked to my iPad in the house 30' with a wall between the two. It instantly linked;

Within 30 seconds, the beast had full satellite telemetry:

So then I decided to bring it inside and place it on the kitchen table:

I've had this beast on the dash of my car IN the garage, and it still sent full telemetry data to my iPad in the house. As an added bonus, I'm able to use a mapping app and remain completely offline. I don't depend on cell service or, god forbid, WiFi service (via a hotspot or whatever).

It's pretty useful. So, anyway... Get one of these; connect it to your iPad via BlueTooth, and your RTC should work. If memory serves, I paid about 160 bucks for mine on eBay. Best investment of the year.

As an off-topic side note, the mapping software I use is Sygic, which downloads your given state(s) and STORES them on the iPad so you can remain completely off-line. This even works with my iPad Air 1 16GB WiFi version (my weakest iPad). Sygic allows 3 updates/year. So far the map of my state has been VERY accurate. I've been using it to get to remote job locations hundreds of miles away from my home.

D

 

[Osmosis]

I did testing today settin my Phantom 4 Pro to Return to Controller. Then, I walked around a path to determine if the drone would return to me and the controller. No matter what I did, Low level flying. Pressing the RTH or letting the battery die. The drone always returned to the launch site.

What am I missing here?

Jim

Heres a great video on this feature:

 

[Capt KO]

I use the Garmin Bluetooth GPS module.

 

[Earls Court]

Looking forward to the definitive results of the tests to clarify the RTC question - as being a static or dynamic return point! I assume the AC make/model (mine P3S) and the software (DJI GO/DGI 4 GO) will have bearing on the question?

 

[PhantomFandom]

I see there are a ton of comments here that I simply don't have time to read, so I'll give you the quick answer.

For this to work, your iPad has to have GPS or Location capabilities. Otherwise, how does the app or the AC know your new location? If you're connected to the Internet via WiFi, your iPad will net a VERY rough location (accurate to within 30'????). If you use an iPhone, it has built in GPS, which will be more accurate than WiFi location.

If I'm doing work were my location is very dynamic (like following the drone in a car), I use a GPS device called a SkyPro™ GPS Receiver. I use the "Dual" model.

View attachment 119309

This beast is easy to use, extremely powerful and is balls-on accurate. It links to my iPad via BlueTooth and is amazing in every way.

Keep in mind that the GPS pinpoint is at the SkyPro device, not the iPad. So if I'm standing 10 feet away from the SkyPro, the drone will RTC to the SkyPro, not the iPad. Fortunately, this is a battery device. So, in theory, I could carry it with me.

For grins, this morning I placed the SkyPro in my GF's back yard, turned it on, and checked to see if it linked to my iPad in the house 30' with a wall between the two. It instantly linked;

View attachment 119310


Within 30 seconds, the beast had full satellite telemetry:

View attachment 119311



So then I decided to bring it inside and place it on the kitchen table:

View attachment 119312



I've had this beast on the dash of my car IN the garage, and it still sent full telemetry data to my iPad in the house. As an added bonus, I'm able to use a mapping app and remain completely offline. I don't depend on cell service or, god forbid, WiFi service (via a hotspot or whatever).

View attachment 119313


It's pretty useful. So, anyway... Get one of these; connect it to your iPad via BlueTooth, and your RTC should work. If memory serves, I paid about 160 bucks for mine on eBay. Best investment of the year.

As an off-topic side note, the mapping software I use is Sygic, which downloads your given state(s) and STORES them on the iPad so you can remain completely off-line. This even works with my iPad Air 1 16GB WiFi version (my weakest iPad). Sygic allows 3 updates/year. So far the map of my state has been VERY accurate. I've been using it to get to remote job locations hundreds of miles away from my home.

D

Excellent review of the device and GPS coverage but that is not the question for this thread. The question is about the Return to Controller feature and whether it is dynamic or static. I am 99% sure it is static but @Capt KO states that it is dynamic. I have not had the opportunity to go out and test it yet.

 

[PhantomFandom]

Heres a great video on this feature:

Good video on dynamic home point but that is not the same thing we are discussing with RTC. The dynamic home point in that video works only in Active Track and only updates the home point to where the drone was, not to where the remote controller is.

 

[Stanzp4p]

I see there are a ton of comments here that I simply don't have time to read, so I'll give you the quick answer.

For this to work, your iPad has to have GPS or Location capabilities. Otherwise, how does the app or the AC know your new location? If you're connected to the Internet via WiFi, your iPad will net a VERY rough location (accurate to within 30'????). If you use an iPhone, it has built in GPS, which will be more accurate than WiFi location.

If I'm doing work were my location is very dynamic (like following the drone in a car), I use a GPS device called a SkyPro™ GPS Receiver. I use the "Dual" model.

View attachment 119309

This beast is easy to use, extremely powerful and is balls-on accurate. It links to my iPad via BlueTooth and is amazing in every way.

Keep in mind that the GPS pinpoint is at the SkyPro device, not the iPad. So if I'm standing 10 feet away from the SkyPro, the drone will RTC to the SkyPro, not the iPad. Fortunately, this is a battery device. So, in theory, I could carry it with me.

For grins, this morning I placed the SkyPro in my GF's back yard, turned it on, and checked to see if it linked to my iPad in the house 30' with a wall between the two. It instantly linked;

View attachment 119310


Within 30 seconds, the beast had full satellite telemetry:

View attachment 119311



So then I decided to bring it inside and place it on the kitchen table:

View attachment 119312



I've had this beast on the dash of my car IN the garage, and it still sent full telemetry data to my iPad in the house. As an added bonus, I'm able to use a mapping app and remain completely offline. I don't depend on cell service or, god forbid, WiFi service (via a hotspot or whatever).

View attachment 119313


It's pretty useful. So, anyway... Get one of these; connect it to your iPad via BlueTooth, and your RTC should work. If memory serves, I paid about 160 bucks for mine on eBay. Best investment of the year.

As an off-topic side note, the mapping software I use is Sygic, which downloads your given state(s) and STORES them on the iPad so you can remain completely off-line. This even works with my iPad Air 1 16GB WiFi version (my weakest iPad). Sygic allows 3 updates/year. So far the map of my state has been VERY accurate. I've been using it to get to remote job locations hundreds of miles away from my home.

D

Good article, but I thought the GPS built into the drone was the one that acquired the Satellites.

 

[Harleydude]

Good article, but I thought the GPS built into the drone was the one that acquired the Satellites.

Yes, the drone acquires satellites. But that's not what this thread is about. Read the OP.

D