UgCS as an Alternative to DJI Ground Station

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Worried about losing possibility of flight planning for DJI on PC? At the beginning of this year DJI will discontinue their PC mission planning software Ground Station due to Google discontinuing their Google Earth API. Along with that, there has been a recall of DJI 900 MHz radio links.

UgCS does not rely on Google Earth API, we have our own map engine and you will still be able to use desktop mission planning for your DJI drone using UgCS in the comfort of office prior to the trip to a field. That’s right, with UgCS the drone does not need to be connected and turned on to plan the route. Just turn your drone on, upload the flight plan you have created and take off.

Both – 900 MHz and 2.4 GHz datalinks work just fine with UgCS, no worries about your equipment becoming obsolete.

Currently the following DJI drones are supported in UgCS – Phantom 2, Phantom 2 Vision+, Naza-M V2, A2, Wookong-M. By using our Android app “UgCS for DJI”, available on Google Play, you are able to use desktop mission planning for DJI Inspire 1 and Phantom 3 as well.

With UgCS you are able to control multiple drones simultaneously and even save your pre-set missions for later use. UgCS features a 3D map, user-friendly interface, waypoint actions, area scan and circle mission types and click & go functionality as well.

For map making and surveying there are many camera presets, which can be selected, and then the camera parameters are automatically used for calculating area scan missions. UgCS also comes with an in-built image geotagging tool. To help with map precision feel free to use your own map sources in UgCS or cache maps to go out where there is no connection.

UgCS allows the import of custom 3D buildings and terrain elevation models. It has in-built no-fly zones and the possibility of adding your own custom no-fly zones. UgCS works on Windows, Mac OS X and Ubuntu.

UgCS covers most of functionality of DJI PC Ground Control Station and adds a lot of useful functionality on top of that making it a wise choice once Google Earth API stops functioning.

Download UgCS here: www.ugcs.com

For a quick overview you can check out the video of UgCS features:

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Safe flights,
UgCS Team
 
The picture above looks to be of the Matrice 600. We are looking at purchasing one. Does UgCS support the A3, A3Pro and D-RTK?
Cheers
 
The picture above looks to be of the Matrice 600. We are looking at purchasing one. Does UgCS support the A3, A3Pro and D-RTK?
Cheers

Hi, the picture used above is DJI S900 with A2.

Currently A3 support is in development and it will be possible to use it with D-RTK.

If you have any ideas how we could help you, please contact us at [email protected]
 
In simple terms I would like to know how it works for me.
I have a p2 non vision
I am in the U.K. On 2.4 gHz radio 5.8ghz video link I think
I have Mac laptop
I can solder and have replaced my own motherboard
Thanks



Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots mobile app
 
In simple terms I would like to know how it works for me.
I have a p2 non vision
I am in the U.K. On 2.4 gHz radio 5.8ghz video link I think
I have Mac laptop
I can solder and have replaced my own motherboard
Thanks



Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots mobile app

Hi! To connect DJI Phantom 2 to UgCS you need to have the DJI 2.4 GHz Datalink. This one:

Buy 2.4G Bluetooth Datalink | DJI Store

Once you have that installed on your Phantom 2 and UgCS installed on your Mac, you just open UgCS and plug in the Datalink into the USB port. If your Phantom 2 is turned on, it will instantly be recognised in UgCS and you will be able to upload missions and fly.

Let us know if you have any other questions, cheers!
 
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I suppose it is still illegal to operate if you cannot see the craft ?

And as it is on the same frequency as the transmitter it does the auto finding a clear channel/path so there is no interfearance like flying at a club..

Is there a power limit in the receiver aerial the one on the dji site looks large. I understand power can affect range but we have to stay within 250mw I think here in the uk.
 
I suppose it is still illegal to operate if you cannot see the craft ?

And as it is on the same frequency as the transmitter it does the auto finding a clear channel/path so there is no interfearance like flying at a club..

Is there a power limit in the receiver aerial the one on the dji site looks large. I understand power can affect range but we have to stay within 250mw I think here in the uk.

To see whether it is legal to operate when you cannot see the craft you have to refer to your local laws. In some cases it might still be considered legal if you can see the video feed from the craft.

We've been using our DJI Phantom 2 with the 2.4 GHz Datalink and you do get the occasional interference, but it's quite rare.

Regarding power - usually, if the device is sold in the country, it complies with the frequency and power requirements. As far as I am aware, the DJI 2.4 GHz Datalink is sold in the UK so you should have no problems with using it.
 
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Hi,
My team has been using UgCS with the Naza M V2 and it is a blast watching the F550 fly the waypoint and other geometric route patterns. I especially enjoy the redundancy of having control of the hex with UgCS, an iPad, and master controller being the radio transmitter. I can make simple waypoint patterns including one circle or one area scan or perimeter scan, and the route uploads and the hex performs as expected. There have been some hiccups though. I've ran into issues with a bit bigger flight plans, for example including waypoints, circles, and area scans. The issue is the loss of telemetry. The route finds all of the points correctly, but during upload to the hex, the telemetry falls from 100% to 0% and fails. Trying a similar style route with the Quadcopter Emulator, it works just fine.

I have a question regarding your following statement.
Currently A3 support is in development and it will be possible to use it with D-RTK.

When could I expect full A3/A3 Pro support in UgCS? My team's next tier involves a bit bigger payloads, thus we're looking at the Matrice M600 to be the most suitable platform. The A3 Pro redundancy with flight sensors and the precision of the D-RTK GNSS seems almost too good to be true. It would be most helpful to know more details and when A3/A3 Pro support would be available in UgCS. Thanks! :)
 
Hi,
My team has been using UgCS with the Naza M V2 and it is a blast watching the F550 fly the waypoint and other geometric route patterns. I especially enjoy the redundancy of having control of the hex with UgCS, an iPad,...

How are you using an iPad to link with UgCS? From the website, it looks like only android devices are supported
 
I am having troubles getting my Galaxy Tab A to work with my Matrice 100 (same connectivity procedure as Phantom 3 Pro). When I connect the controller to the tablet, a message appears asking which App I want to open. This message disappears and reappears rapidly for several minutes before I can pick one of the options. DJI and Samsung reps both provided equally useless answers stating that they haven't tested each other's products.

What model of tablets are people using?
 
We use Galaxy Tab S for tests, I personally use my phone Galaxy A5 2016.

It seems that Galaxy Tab A does not have USB OTG connector. If so it will not work.
 
We use Galaxy Tab S for tests, I personally use my phone Galaxy A5 2016.

It seems that Galaxy Tab A does not have USB OTG connector. If so it will not work.

Thanks for the info Anton,

The Tab A has a micro USB port and it will work eventually, but I wasted a lot of time in the field. I tried three different Samsung tablets in the store and they all had the issue of that window appearing and disappearing. I ended up buying an Insignia tablet for $69. It works, but there is often a delay after touching the screen. Someone recommended the Nvidia tablet, but it wasn't available for testing.

Paul
 
I have a Phantom 3 Standard and i want to know what i need to connect this software with it.​
 

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