What's going on with RTH

[tonneau]

Dear all, greetings for all.

this is my first post and i need some clarification on a strange thing that happened today.

I'm using solution to stay in fcc mode using dji app 3.1.8
so, during flight at more or less 400 meters i lost my camera connection and app asked me to RTH.
after pushing the confirmation message another message pop up "RTH disconnected"
panic, my AC did not return to home
panic
fortunately after a little walking i saw again my AC and I tryed to use S2 switch to start RTH.
nothing happened
panic again. WHY?
at this point using trasmitter i started to go back.
i closed and opened again the app and S2 switch worked again moving AC to home
WHY?

whats'wrong?

Someone have an explenation?

S2 switch should work also without app. is it?

Thanks to all

 

[MotorCycle-Man]

Hummmmmmmmmmmmmmm Good Question...I'm watching this thread just like you are for the same scary thing that could happen...hope it never will ! OK :

• The S2 switch can be used to trigger Return to Home. When flying, simply toggle this switch up and down > "several times" < to tell your Phantom 3 Standard to return to the Home Point and land.

 

[Fly Dawg]

i lost my camera connection and app asked me to RTH.

If nothing happened, did you also lose RC connection as well as video? If so, the buttons and switches are useless. It should have "Auto RTH" after disconnect, unless you had it set to hover.

 

[tonneau]

yes exactly, and it worked only after I opened again app, not during real need.
I'm an aircraft pilot and today my worst nightmare became reality.

 

[tonneau]

If nothing happened, did you also lose RC connection as well as video? If so, the buttons and switches are useless. It should have "Auto RTH" after disconnect, unless you had it set to hover.

fortunately after a little walking i saw again my AC and I tryed to use S2 switch to start RTH.
nothing happened
panic again. WHY?
at this point using trasmitter i started to go back.

trasmitter worked without problem

 

[PhantomFlyer3SE]

Dear all, greetings for all.

this is my first post and i need some clarification on a strange thing that happened today.

I'm using solution to stay in fcc mode using dji app 3.1.8
so, during flight at more or less 400 meters i lost my camera connection and app asked me to RTH.
after pushing the confirmation message another message pop up "RTH disconnected"
panic, my AC did not return to home
panic
fortunately after a little walking i saw again my AC and I tryed to use S2 switch to start RTH.
nothing happened
panic again. WHY?
at this point using trasmitter i started to go back.
i closed and opened again the app and S2 switch worked again moving AC to home
WHY?

whats'wrong?

Someone have an explenation?

S2 switch should work also without app. is it?

Thanks to all

Hi,

For one moments of this story can't be a good answer: you saw the AC, but it didn't reacted to S2 command.
As it was hidden from you, it would be possible, that the connection was not broken continously for 3 sec, but at the moment of RTH command the connection was always unusable.

But if you had visual contact, it is unacceptable that S2 command doesn't start RTH.

It would be worth to send flight log to DJI to ask them, what happened. May be there is a dangerous bug behind this.

 

[tonneau]

Hi,

For one moments of this story can't be a good answer: you saw the AC, but it didn't reacted to S2 command.
As it was hidden from you, it would be possible, that the connection was not broken continously for 3 sec, but at the moment of RTH command the connection was always unusable.

But if you had visual contact, it is unacceptable that S2 command doesn't start RTH.

It would be worth to send flight log to DJI to ask them, what happened. May be there is a dangerous bug behind this.

Yes you right, but i'm using app version 3.1.8, so i think that Dji support, looking logs, will reply to me to use last app version to avoid any problems.

anyway do you know some software to analyze by myself logs to understand if there are some problems?

do you know if inside logs is reported also app version?

 

[Mark The Droner]

Dear all, greetings for all.

this is my first post and i need some clarification on a strange thing that happened today.

I'm using solution to stay in fcc mode using dji app 3.1.8

So apparently you are outside the USA and you're using a trick to fool the AC into thinking it's in the USA so that FCC is enabled. Is that right?

I know nothing about this trick, but it seems to me there could easily be an issue with RTH, since the homepoint may be seen as in USA - especially when you are on the edge of range, or you lose connection, or you reload the flight app. Or whatever. It seems to me there is a lot of opportunities for something to go wrong.

I would be very nervous forcing FCC outside of the USA while at the same time flying to the edge of range...

 

[tonneau]

So apparently you are outside the USA and you're using a trick to fool the AC into thinking it's in the USA so that FCC is enabled. Is that right?

I know nothing about this trick, but it seems to me there could easily be an issue with RTH, since the homepoint may be seen as in USA - especially when you are on the edge of range, or you lose connection, or you reload the flight app. Or whatever. It seems to me there is a lot of opportunities for something to go wrong.

I would be very nervous forcing FCC outside of the USA while at the same time flying to the edge of range...

yes it is possible.

in the while i would like to analyze log just to understand what is wrote inside.

so if someone knows some software please let me have some advice.

 

[Mark The Droner]

You could upload your log here and paste the link: DJI Flight Log Viewer

 

[PhantomFlyer3SE]

So apparently you are outside the USA and you're using a trick to fool the AC into thinking it's in the USA so that FCC is enabled. Is that right?

I know nothing about this trick, but it seems to me there could easily be an issue with RTH, since the homepoint may be seen as in USA - especially when you are on the edge of range, or you lose connection, or you reload the flight app. Or whatever. It seems to me there is a lot of opportunities for something to go wrong.

I would be very nervous forcing FCC outside of the USA while at the same time flying to the edge of range...

No, it can not be the reason of the problem. At the start app use real GPS data, and AC record real GPS data as well. There is no one element in the system which would get, or store fake lokation during the flight, nothing is manipulated. App 3.1.8 is the original DJI software which was published in juli of 2017. Only difference is, that this version doesn't check the radio signal level, and doesn't force to decrease it from 30 dBm to 14 dBm. It wasn't designed to decrease the radio signal. And RTH function has nothing to do with the App. This is a standard command which is sent from controller to AC, and AC will go to location stored in his own memory at the start of flight. You can fly even witheout mobile device, or you can use third party App, the RTH function will work on the same way, it is controlled by the firmware, wich is the newest version 1.5.40, even if you fly in FCC mode.

 

[tonneau]

No, it can not be the reason of the problem. At the start app use real GPS data, and AC record real GPS data as well. There is no one element in the system which would get, or store fake lokation during the flight, nothing is manipulated. App 3.1.8 is the original DJI software which was published in juli of 2017. Only difference is, that this version doesn't check the radio signal level, and doesn't force to decrease it from 30 dBm to 14 dBm. It wasn't designed to decrease the radio signal. And RTH function has nothing to do with the App. This is a standard command which is sent from controller to AC, and AC will go to location stored in his own memory at the start of flight. You can fly even witheout mobile device, or you can use third party App, the RTH function will work on the same way, it is controlled by the firmware, wich is the newest version 1.5.40, even if you fly in FCC mode.

So as per your reply, test i can do, is to fly without mobile device and check if s2 switch works?
right?

 

[PhantomFlyer3SE]

So as per your reply, test i can do, is to fly without mobile device and check if s2 switch works?
right?

Yes, as you say. Pay attention, that if you are inside 20 meters drone will land where it is. Test it on longer distance.

 

[MotorCycle-Man]

Dear all, greetings for all.

this is my first post and i need some clarification on a strange thing that happened today.

I'm using solution to stay in fcc mode using dji app 3.1.8
so, during flight at more or less 400 meters i lost my camera connection and app asked me to RTH.
after pushing the confirmation message another message pop up "RTH disconnected"
panic, my AC did not return to home
panic
fortunately after a little walking i saw again my AC and I tryed to use S2 switch to start RTH.
nothing happened
panic again. WHY?
at this point using trasmitter i started to go back.
i closed and opened again the app and S2 switch worked again moving AC to home
WHY?

whats'wrong?

Someone have an explenation?

S2 switch should work also without app. is it?

Thanks to all

You used the S2 switch....But did you cycle the S2 switch thru " SEVERAL TIMES " ! Or ONLY one throw up and back ?????

 

[chatikib]

So apparently you are outside the USA and you're using a trick to fool the AC into thinking it's in the USA so that FCC is enabled. Is that right?

I know nothing about this trick, but it seems to me there could easily be an issue with RTH, since the homepoint may be seen as in USA - especially when you are on the edge of range, or you lose connection, or you reload the flight app. Or whatever. It seems to me there is a lot of opportunities for something to go wrong.

I would be very nervous forcing FCC outside of the USA while at the same time flying to the edge of range...

Believe me, I'm so happy with my firmware 1.3.20. It keeps me (without any trick) in FCC mode.

But... when the homepoint is correct set with the 'FCC-trick' then the RTH function works well. My advice would be to try again, but in a different place. There may have been a signal failure but there may also be something technical about the drone. When I got my first drone, I often thought something was wrong. But afterwards it turned out to be my mistakes as a beginner.

Like forgetting to set the RTH point and then circling around a power pole. And then look surprising because I have a fly-away. And then had to walk almost two kilometers through a muddy field to pick up the drone again. I never did it again.

 

[tonneau]

You used the S2 switch....But did you cycle the S2 switch thru " SEVERAL TIMES " ! Or ONLY one throw up and back ?????

mmmm, i don't remember well, but i'm sure that after open again app on my phone using s2 switch just one time drone started immediately to go home.

anyway tomorrow i'll be on my airfield for more test.

whis me good luck

 

[PhantomFlyer3SE]

mmmm, i don't remember well, but i'm sure that after open again app on my phone using s2 switch just one time drone started immediately to go home.

anyway tomorrow i'll be on my airfield for more test.

whis me good luck

P3SE manual says that one switch is enough

 

[VonMacher]

Please check and double check your RTH settings in DJIGo application. Confirm it is set to "Return to Home" mode.
After booting up, application should prompt you "Your home point has been changed, please confirm it on the map". So confirm your position on the map, and double check it just to be sure.
With those two facts confirmed, you should have no problem what so ever. RTH behavior is stored in drone and it should behave like programmed in your app regardless is it running or not.
If your problem still exists, you are dealing with some kind of bug within the drone firmware.

P.S. I hope FakeGPS app is not running and "Mock location" is disabled in your phone settings. You MUST see your (drone) real position on the map before take off and your Home Point should be marked with green flag.

 

[Mark The Droner]

mmmm, i don't remember well, but i'm sure that after open again app on my phone using s2 switch just one time drone started immediately to go home.

...

P3SE manual says that one switch is enough

I think toggling back and forth is a good idea because if the signal is interrupted for some reason - any reason - there is a risk that the AC doesn't get the RTH command. By toggling several times, the risk of not getting the command is greatly diminished. Besides that, it doesn't hurt anything to toggle the S2. All it can do is help.