GPS capable drones and Return Home

ArmyVet

ArmyVet

Well-Known Member
I am still not ready to upgrade but performing my due diligence haha.

My question is: On a GPS capable Quad when activating "Return to Home". At what altitude does that normally happen? What does it depend on and does this apply to "low on battery/return to home"?

My home is surrounded by lots of trees in the country and a low level return would be a disaster!

I have downloaded several manuals of interest and could not find anything, probably my old eyes haha.

Thanks

Bill
 
Depends on the flight controller. On the Naza-M you can set at what height you want it to return, with a minimum height of 20 metres. Same with the ZYX-M, although it doesn't have a minimum height. So basically, when you activate RTH (or as I call it, the oh crap switch) the quad will immediately stop for 3 seconds to get it's bearings and then go directly up to it's preset height and return there until it gets directly above it's home point. Then you can let it come down and land or flip it back into att and land yourself. There are other settings that you have to set up as well to activate RTH such as low battery voltage and loss of radio signal. Keep in mind I call it the oh crap switch for a reason. It's just that, for when you get into trouble. It's not meant to be something you use every time you're done flying and want to land, there are inherent risks.
 
Ok, Great info. I have not convinced my self to build one yet. My skills with small parts are declining. The last time I repaired a Ham Radio, a 10 minute job took 45 minutes ughh

Any info on RTF like Phantom or others??? Or are these controllers you mention ubiquitous across brands???

Thanks Again

Bill
 
Yes, whether it's DJI, Tarot or APM, the RTH function is similar across the board. However, depending on the company, they make different use of the actual GPS capability which needs to be taken into consideration when buying. For instance, the Tarot has point of interest, APM has mission planner. As for your comment on things getting harder to work on, I'm in the same situation. BUT I've made a great discovery! I went to Lenscrafters and bought a $5 pair of 2X magnification reading glasses and the difference is amazing. Even tiny circuit boards and boards with soldering pads very close together look like a 50 inch TV now!
 
Thanks again. I will look for information on those flight controllers. Dig a little deeper.

My eyes are not too bad close up with sufficient lighting. My problem is small part coordination and getting frustrated.
Probably why yanking and banking a quad in the air is so therapeutic.
Have fun
 
Wow amazing ability to control parameters. Of course I have nothing for comparison. But still very cool.
I am seriously considering my own build now. Just have to figure out how to fit it in all my other projects and honey-do list haha
Will work on a $ comparison.

Have fun
 
I am flying the DJI Phantom 3 Pro, you can set your altitude to compensate for terrain obstacles ( such as trees, ect..) for the ride home.
DJI Go App also incorporates changing altitude from one way point to another, ( up to 4 waypoints ) Many Fly apps on your smart drones to the same. Remember even if you drone is 30 meters away at 50' altitude when you hit the RTH button don't get the jitters it will climb to the preset altitude ( say 150' ) stay there for 5 seconds the fly the 30 meters back to it's Home GPS wait another 5 seconds then start landing.
So for mine has been accurate to a meter or so. :)
 
Thanks! The more I thought about it the more sense it makes. Better than crashing into things on your way home.
haha

I am going to assume this is probably similar across all DJI lines?
 
My last quad had a zyxm but I went so high in fpv I got disoriented and it drifted so far that even on gps mode i lost battery power and it went down. Spent days looking for it. Got so mad I built a bigger badder quad. The one i have now can pick up a small dog lol.( no I didnt do it) but losing that quad killed me! But I learned a lesson. Return to home only works if you have enough charge. My fault I was in the clouds. The zyxm can be programmed to return at your desired height. But its a bee-line cant avoid obstacles.(fyi a bee line is called that because when a bee returns to its hive its always in a straight line). You can also set height restrictions and no-go zones. Great fc! Ok thumbs are tired.....
 
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RENOV8R said:
So you're talking about preset heights, not actual obstacle avoidance, correct?
Click to expand...
If you are asking me? I assumed preset heights, I just could not verify that was the method in my research. . I did not think there was an "obstacle avoidance" that would work in a forest haha

Thanks everyone!
 
DJI incorporates a "Failsafe" parameter you can manually set in the app, you always want to set this altitude at least 50' higher than any obstacle you may encounter.
 
The Phantom 3 classic has dropped to cca 500€ for the X-mas in my local shop a very tempting price even with Phantom 3 pro and Phantom 4 around...
I mean, I know that the 3 Professional, Phantom 4 or Mavic are better but for the price I find this 3 Classic very appealing......
 
Lots to choose from:cool: ! Just remember every Quad has its purpose whether Fun, Racing, Videography, Commercial ect...
Choose what's best for you, just remember starting out you will crash it, fix it, loose it, curse it, but at the end of the day you will love it!
 
Hi.

I have a rather naive question.I am in position to buy a Phantom III standard.Or to say it better I have around 500€ so my question is (I love to fly as well to do aerial photo and footage..maybe even more photo then video)...will I make a mistake by buying it, is there in that price range something better.Are there any big, big shortcomings between the 3 standard vs the pro-am not refering to camera....I am bloody near buying it, then I start thinking should I buy the pro..then the mavic pro which is my dream but I have not enough for that drone...guess I am just seeking any info so thx in advance for yr. time..

yes and also guessing how is the live feed with 720p?...but I really count to take much more pictures then video production (who knows, maybe that'll change with the phantome lol)

happy flying....
 
I guess you just have to decide if you want a great quad (standard) or one with more power and range, better camera Wifi and all the bells and whistles. (at twice the price) Multirotors are just like boats, a week after you buy one, you wish you'd have bought the 20 footer instead of the sixteen
 
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