what does line #1 mean?

[engravosaurus]

In the manual on Smart RTH I find the 2 comments below.
1) “Use the remote controller to control the aircraft’s speed or altitude to avoid a collision during the Smart RTH process.”
2) "Aircraft automatically descends and lands if RTH is triggered when the aircraft is within a 65 feet (20 meters) radius of the Home Point."

Queries please

#1 Since Smart RTH is rather automatic, what does #1 mean?

#2 Why should the AC automatically descend if RTH triggered and AC within 65' radius?

 

[Meta4]

#1 Since Smart RTH is rather automatic, what does #1 mean?
#2 Why should the AC automatically descend if RTH triggered and AC within 65' radius?

1. You can still control the Phantom when it is in RTH.
Left stick up or down will climb or descend.
2. Hundreds have asked but no-one has ever come up with an answer.
That's just the way it's programmed.

 

[John Locke]

1. The craft will return at your assigned RTH altitude, at ~22mph. If you have VLOS or FPV connection, and you discover you forgot to adjust the RTH altitude to the appropriate height for your flight area, (such as 60' RTH height and trees in the area are 125' high), during RTH, if you have radio control, you can increase your altitude and speed up the flight speed with your sticks. In other words, you have options and some control to avoid obstacles during RTH, even though RTH is automatic.
2. Inherent to the design of the craft, you must be more than 65' away from take-off point for RTH to actually return to the take-off point. If closer, it lands where it is, and it doesn't go up first. If it's 75' away, it will rise to the prescribed RTH altitude, then fly 75' directly over you (take-off point), then descend down and land at the take-off point. Why does was it designed like that? Well, we can guess about that, but if the craft is only 60' away, why do you need to use RTH to bring it home? You can see it! It's so close! Simply fly it back manually! If you're that close and you need to use RTH, you've got other problems. It may be how DJI convinces people that it's worthy to RTFM, scaring them to figure out what went wrong when it lands unexpectedly in the middle of the street and gets run over. Don't forget, if you launch at a lake edge, don't press RTH 50' away over the water!. That's a pilot error because you were warned in the manual. You'll have a wet drone worth nothing in seconds.

You should used RTH a lot in the beginning to get used to what it does, how it does it, how to retake control, and when you can retake control, etc. Play with RTH because when you really need it, you need to know how it works without thinking about it.

 

[supercaliber]

You should used RTH a lot in the beginning to get used to what it does, how it does it, how t o retake control, and when you can retake control, etc. Play with RTH because when you really need it, you need to know how it works without thinking about it.

If I was in that situation (60’ RTH with 125’ trees) I would first climb to 130’ and then initiate RTH. No? Plus trying to climb to 130’ while the AC is in RTH and moving forward towards the trees, might not get me above them in time before hitting them..I never use RTH before quickly thinking of the scenario..of course there’s many situations that arise when flying, but I never rely on RTH before engaging. I know flyers who fly around and once done, push RTH to lazily come home once at the correct altitude..my point? I only use RTH in emergency’s.

 

[engravosaurus]

1. The craft will return at your assigned RTH altitude, at ~22mph. If you have VLOS or FPV connection, and you discover you forgot to adjust the RTH altitude to the appropriate height for your flight area, (such as 60' RTH height and trees in the area are 125' high), during RTH, if you have radio control, you can increase your altitude and speed up the flight speed with your sticks. In other words, you have options and some control to avoid obstacles during RTH, even though RTH is automatic.

So if I hit RTH and AC is climbing, I can use L stick to stop climb and descend and/or speed up rate of climb / descend, true?

And if I hit RTH I can also use R stick for forward / backward, true?

2. Inherent to the design of the craft, you must be more than 65' away from take-off point for RTH to actually return to the take-off point. If closer, it lands where it is, and it doesn't go up first. If it's 75' away, it will rise to the prescribed RTH altitude, then fly 75' directly over you (take-off point), then descend down and land at the take-off point. Why does was it designed like that? Well, we can guess about that, but if the craft is only 60' away, why do you need to use RTH to bring it home? You can see it! It's so close! Simply fly it back manually! If you're that close and you need to use RTH, you've got other problems. It may be how DJI convinces people that it's worthy to RTFM, scaring them to figure out what went wrong when it lands unexpectedly in the middle of the street and gets run over. Don't forget, if you launch at a lake edge, don't press RTH 50' away over the water!. That's a pilot error because you were warned in the manual. You'll have a wet drone worth nothing in seconds.

Thanks, got it.

You should used RTH a lot in the beginning to get used to what it does, how it does it, how to retake control, and when you can retake control, etc. Play with RTH because when you really need it, you need to know how it works without thinking about it.

Am doing that. My first project, after learning to configure the AC, is to understand Smart RTH.

Thanks for helpful answers.

 

[John Locke]

Am doing that. My first project, after learning to configure the AC, is to understand Smart RTH.

There are two types of Smart RTH.

1. The craft automatically enters RTH and returns when the battery wears down to the point that you need to return with the battery power left, based on your location. This decision point in the app to RTH is conservative, in case you're down wind. Sometimes you'll return with 35% left and wish RTH hadn't kicked in so soon.
2. When you lose connection with the craft, the craft will auto return and backtrack it's original outgoing path for up to a minute, typically until it reconnects with your controller. At that point, if you don't take control of the craft, it will make a beeline back to you at the prescribed RTH altitude. Testing this is a little risky, but flying over and behind a mountain top might be a good way to test, but make sure your RTH height is set to an altitude higher than the mountain.

Then there is standard RTH, which occurs when you push the RTH physical button on the controller, or the icon button in the app. This triggers the craft to ascend to the prescribed RTH altitude and then it makes a beeline to the launch point to land. If the craft is higher than the prescribed RTH altitude, it maintains that altitude for the duration of the flight to the launch point. This is a problem if you have climbed a mountain, going up 1500' while maintaining your moral guideline of 400' AGL level, because the craft will maintain that 1500' level for the entire RTH trip back to launch point, unless you intervene and tell it to descend during the trip back, using the left stick. That's the purpose of having some control during RTH.

 

[Meta4]

If I was in that situation (60’ RTH with 125’ trees) I would first climb to 130’ and then initiate RTH. No? Plus trying to climb to 130’ while the AC is in RTH and moving forward towards the trees, might not get me above them in time before hitting them..I never use RTH before quickly thinking of the scenario..of course there’s many situations that arise when flying, but I never rely on RTH before engaging. I know flyers who fly around and once done, push RTH to lazily come home once at the correct altitude..my point? I only use RTH in emergency’s.

The whole point of being able to set an RTH height in the app is to choose a height that will clear any obstacles between you and where the Phantom might fly.
There's no point leaving RTH set at 60 ft and flying behind 125 ft trees.
If you lose signal behind an obstacle, you also lose the luxury of being able to control the Phantom and you just have to hope your RTH height setting is appropriate.
Don't depend on being able to change things during RTH.

 

[Slickvolt]

In the manual on Smart RTH I find the 2 comments below.
1) “Use the remote controller to control the aircraft’s speed or altitude to avoid a collision during the Smart RTH process.”
2) "Aircraft automatically descends and lands if RTH is triggered when the aircraft is within a 65 feet (20 meters) radius of the Home Point."

Queries please

#1 Since Smart RTH is rather automatic, what does #1 mean?

#2 Why should the AC automatically descend if RTH triggered and AC within 65' radius?

An interesting note on #2 from real experience...I lost comms with my drone when it was about 3/4 of a mile away...about 3600 ft lateral distance, at about 200 ft altitude.
I freaked, I started to get ready to drive out as close to the location I last saw through camera before aircraft disconnected...as I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off...I suddenly heard that too familiar sound of her spinning props...I looked at controller she was auto RTH for lost comms, AS DESIGNED.

That’s why I think #2 is just garbage or a typo.

 

[Meta4]

An interesting note on #2 from real experience...I lost comms with my drone when it was about 3/4 of a mile away...about 3600 ft lateral distance, at about 200 ft altitude.
I freaked, I started to get ready to drive out as close to the location I last saw through camera before aircraft disconnected...as I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off...I suddenly heard that too familiar sound of her spinning props...I looked at controller she was auto RTH for lost comms, AS DESIGNED.

That’s why I think #2 is just garbage or a typo.

What you describe is unrelated to #2 which is neither garbage or a typo.
As the manual says .. Aircraft automatically descends and lands if RTH is triggered when the aircraft is within a 65 feet (20 meters) radius of the Home Point.
This is how the Phantom is programmed and is exactly what happens.

 

[Slickvolt]

What you describe is unrelated to #2 which is neither garbage or a typo.
As the manual says .. Aircraft automatically descends and lands if RTH is triggered when the aircraft is within a 65 feet (20 meters) radius of the Home Point.
This is how the Phantom is programmed and is exactly what happens.

Well oddly enough, I was within 15 of my designated Home location, did an RTH and it just came straight down and landed 15’ away from the home location...that’s what fed my opinion when flavored with the lost comms auto RTH experience

 

[Meta4]

Well oddly enough, I was within 15 of my designated Home location, did an RTH and it just came straight down and landed 15’ away from the home location...that’s what fed my opinion when flavored with the lost comms auto RTH experience

Sorry but you've completely confused me.
First you said #2 is just garbage or a typo and related that to .. I lost comms with my drone when it was about 3/4 of a mile away...about 3600 ft lateral distance.

But now you are confirming that the manual is correct and that your Phantom just landed when you initiated RTH within 20 metres.

 

[Slickvolt]

Sorry but you've completely confused me.
First you said #2 is just garbage or a typo and related that to .. I lost comms with my drone when it was about 3/4 of a mile away...about 3600 ft lateral distance.

But now you are confirming that the manual is correct and that your Phantom just landed when you initiated RTH within 20 metres.

No I’m saying the opposite, to me it seems like RTH works when it’s far away, but when it’s in close, it just seems like it says...good enough or close enough and lands...sorry for confusion, ur right I got tired of writing original response.

 

[Meta4]

No I’m saying the opposite, to me it seems like RTH works when it’s far away, but when it’s in close, it just seems like it says...good enough or close enough and lands...sorry for confusion, ur right I got tired of writing original response.

So there's no garbage or typo.
RTH works just as the manual says and as thousands of flyers have confirmed for themselves.

RTH does not RTH if initiated within 20 metres of home.
It simply lands where it is.

 

[Slickvolt]

So there's no garbage or typo.
RTH works just as the manual says and as thousands of flyers have confirmed for themselves.

Well the auto RTH landed right on my landing pad, The In close manual activated RTH landed several feet away...consistently for the handful of times I’ve done it.

 

[Meta4]

Well the auto RTH landed right on my landing pad, The In close manual activated RTH landed several feet away...consistently for the handful of times I’ve done it.

Outside 20 metres, RTH will activate ... which means the Phantom climbs vertically to the RTH height and comes home and lands pretty close to home.
Inside 20 metres, RTH does not activate at all. It just lands right where it is.

 

[Slickvolt]

Outside 20 metres, RTH will activate ... which means the Phantom climbs vertically to the RTH height and comes home and lands pretty close to home.
Inside 20 metres, RTH does not activate at all. It just lands right where it is.

Now that squares with what I experienced, except the long range holy crud Lost comms auto RTH , which I never want to replicate again, landed near bullseye on the landing pad