gnirtS Posted at 2018-8-19 04:32
The simplest solution is prior to take off that everything is OK - the home point is correct, the RC distance is correct, distance from HP is correct and orientation regards to the map is correct surely?
I've seen the drone GPS set itself with a fairly inaccurate HDOP on the GPS meaning 30m+ or so error before now.  I've also seen magnetic interference that wasn't warned about causing the drone to think it was pointed 45 degrees from where it actually was.
Checks need to pick this up before launching.

"(especially if the RC is moving at speed like on a boat)."

That wouldn't work well in those circumstances as the distance to RC would constantly be changing, the only measure available is the distance from aircraft to the set 'home point'. If you want that home point to be accurate then you would need good GNSS reception on your display and you would continually have to update your home position in DJI Go 4. The distance will be set by your ability to see the aircraft surely ?

No because you fly off a moving boat (or even walking) using the distance to RC (home point is irrelevant, its never going back there, often it wont have the juice TO get back there).  What you're after is maintaining an acceptable distance from the RC not the home point.  Also the radar display is unable to tell you the direction to the RC if the RC position is reported incorrectly.
What often happens is the RC starts up inaccurately from the device then self corrects as it gets more satellites or helpers.  Sometimes however it doesnt happen which is why its really important to be aware of the accuracy of it.  If the readings don't make sense or changing wildly then get it back and land otherwise you risk losing the drone.

Dynamic home point would be nice but DJI implemented it to the point its absolutely useless and only works in active track.

gnirtS Posted at 2018-8-19 04:56
No because you fly off a moving boat (or even walking) using the distance to RC (home point is irrelevant, its never going back there, often it wont have the juice TO get back there).  What you're after is maintaining an acceptable distance from the RC not the home point.  Also the radar display is unable to tell you the direction to the RC if the RC position is reported incorrectly.
What often happens is the RC starts up inaccurately from the device then self corrects as it gets more satellites or helpers.  Sometimes however it doesnt happen which is why its really important to be aware of the accuracy of it.  If the readings don't make sense or changing wildly then get it back and land otherwise you risk losing the drone.

"What often happens is the RC starts up inaccurately from the device then self corrects as it gets more satellites or helpers.  Sometimes however it doesnt happen which is why its really important to be aware of the accuracy of it.  If the readings don't make sense or changing wildly then get it back and land otherwise you risk losing the drone."
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And that takes me back to my previous point, if it is inaccurate then don't use it.

"What you're after is maintaining an acceptable distance from the RC not the home point."

Another way to set home point closer to you would be to reset it to aircrafts current position, if not too far away from speeding boat. The GPS/GLONASS on the aircraft is very accurate.

Aardvark Posted at 2018-8-19 05:14
"What often happens is the RC starts up inaccurately from the device then self corrects as it gets more satellites or helpers.  Sometimes however it doesnt happen which is why its really important to be aware of the accuracy of it.  If the readings don't make sense or changing wildly then get it back and land otherwise you risk losing the drone."
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The point is to see if it IS inaccurate or not.  If it is then you know not to use it or cancel the flight.  If it is and can be verified by other data then use it.

As for constantly updating the home point, its an utter pain in the neck to go through numerous button presses to constantly update a home point (and means you have to stop taking photos, filming or whatever).

The aircraft GPS is no more accurate than a mobile device - it uses the same chips.  In open air it can get better *reception* but thats about it.  If its in a forest it might even be less accurate.

Ultimately any sort of moving home point you really need immediate feedback of the direction to and distance from you and the RC to get it back safely.

Even in normal, every day use i find the radar far far more useful than the map for telling me which direction to face for best reception of the drone, the ability to quickly and easily point it at where i am and so on.  This also requires the RC gps to be accurate (and the knowledge it IS accurate).

gnirtS Posted at 2018-8-19 05:21
The point is to see if it IS inaccurate or not.  If it is then you know not to use it or cancel the flight.  If it is and can be verified by other data then use it.

As for constantly updating the home point, its an utter pain in the neck to go through numerous button presses to constantly update a home point (and means you have to stop taking photos, filming or whatever).

"Even in normal, every day use i find the radar far far more useful than the map for telling me which direction to face for best reception of the drone, the ability to quickly and easily point it at where i am and so on.  This also requires the RC gps to be accurate (and the knowledge it IS accurate)."

I would agree with your comment on the radar being very useful. And in every day use I am usually close to 'home point' as set by the aircraft. I would trust the GPS & GLONASS receivers on the aircraft over and above those on a mobile device, simply because it has better reception.

I will keep my answer simple.  YES I always wait for enough satellites and the words "Home point has been set check it on the map" Best to be safe then sorry.

DerekYoung Posted at 2018-8-15 18:17
odd, I thought that too because I wait for the H but for some reason it flew above random houses almost on someone else's roof when trying to land at the home point. I think I'm going to manually set it every time to be safe like previous said.

Even with the home point set. It could be anywhere within a 3meter to 10meter radius.

gnirtS Posted at 2018-8-19 02:36
Im talking about the RC not the drone.  As i said:

"The RC does".

I don't think the RC gets its information from the smart device it is connected to. For instance, you can fly the Mavic Pro just using the RC not connected to a smart device. The RC will provide telemetry that it's reading from the drone, when the RC loses connection to the drone then no telemetry information is broadcast onto the RC. The RC sends out a powerful signal that reaches for more than 4.3 miles, it's the video feed called OcuSync that has a range of up to 4.3 miles.

The RC is sending off signals that the Mavic Pro is receiving and as it does it sends telemetry data back to the RC which is then interpreted onto the screen and/or smart device. The video feed is being send opposite from the Mavic Pro to the RC, in which case the RC acts as receiver whereas the drone acts as a transmitter. Video comes in and directional signal goes out.

By the time preflight checks are completed the audio has already spoken "the lowpoint home point has been recorded"
But you should still check that twentyone satellites are engaged and affirmed "gps flight mode"
Consider your environment wrt satellite count, more interferes by infrastructure & terrain & airborne obstacles is graced better with more satellites.

Well . . .compared to others here, I haven't flown much, but - each time I set the HOME myself, and then after getting the drone up in the air about 10 or 15 feet, I move it over one way or the other and press the RTH button on the Remote Controller, it maneuvers some, goes up, then comes over close to me standing on the home spot - I get out of the way - it lands very nicely.  All at the push of a button.  Hope this helps.