Hi pilots,

My mavic is displaying its flying height but only from its starting point, if I fly up a hill and am meters off the ground it displays the height from its starting point.

May I ask how I can calobarate and set the craft to display the actual height of the mavic in regards to its current position?

Many thanks,

Edward

on the bottom right, middle right on the bottom line VPS should tell you how far you are above ground.
Regards,
-d.

above the ground or obstacle as bunny too posts, up to 43 feet (13 meters):

Hi there,

May I ask what VPS stand for? Is this the height of the drone form the ground or the height of the drone in relation to me?

flyringsquirrel Posted at 2017-3-28 23:53
Hi there,

May I ask what VPS stand for? Is this the height of the drone form the ground or the height of the drone in relation to me?

Vertical Positioning System

flyringsquirrel, VPS stands for Vision Positioning System. When enabled: It is a measurement taken ultrasonically by the sensors on the bottom of the Mavic. It sends sound waves down to the ground and measures how long it takes to receive the soundwave back to the Mavic and uses that information to calculate the height of the Mavic from the ground . Safety First! Ken

Sweet cheers

How can I turn this on and does it only allow for low levels?

For example, if I fly up a hill and fly above the tree line - Will I be able to see my height from the ground/the trees/or will it only work when landing?

Actually, to be more accurate, the Vision Positioning System comprises the two cameras + two ultrasonic sensors on the bottom of the Mavic. The primary function of the VPS is to provide extra accuracy for positioning of the aircraft. When the Mavic is close enough to the ground below, it uses the cameras to "see" the ground below and uses that information to maintain a stable position, and the ultrasonics to measure its height from the ground. This allows it to hover more accurately than with GPS alone, when the ground is close enough for the VPS to work.

"For example, if I fly up a hill and fly above the tree line - Will I be able to see my height from the ground/the trees/or will it only work when landing?"

The VPS height is displayed on the screen automatically whenever something is within range of the ultrasonic sensors (13m). But also note that it won't necessarily pick up the branches and treetops accurately.

flyringsquirrel Posted at 2017-3-29 00:30
Sweet cheers

How can I turn this on and does it only allow for low levels?

How can I turn this on

It's on by default and your Mavic will fly (and land) very differently when it's off, so I'm guessing it's already enabled on your Mavic.

does it only allow for low levels?

Yes, as Daroga and Jason mentioned it's only effective up to a certain height.

For example, if I fly up a hill and fly above the tree line - Will I be able to see my height from the ground/the trees/or will it only work when landing?

It's displayed when you're flying no more than about 13m above the ground.

The Mavic only reads AGL from Takeoff ----- Do Not Use VSP as an accurate AGL to Mavic reading never ever
Due to the facts that were stated from others to your post ---- Other ground conditions that will give a False
reading not mentioned are , Snow , Tall or Wet Grass , Water, Low light and I'm sure there are more .   

Many thanks,

If I turn on VPS this would allow me to have a vague idea of the crafts height or would this only be when its close to the ground?

Which area is this setting found on?

Highasakite Posted at 2017-3-29 00:17
flyringsquirrel, VPS stands for Vision Positioning System. When enabled: It is a measurement taken ultrasonically by the sensors on the bottom of the Mavic. It sends sound waves down to the ground and measures how long it takes to receive the soundwave back to the Mavic and uses that information to calculate the height of the Mavic from the ground . Safety First! Ken

As a side note, the VPS has a limited range of only a few 10s of feet (~30 -50 depending on terrain ) and may not be that accurate at it's range limit.  It's mostly intended for soft landing.
EDIT: Sorry, I see Jason Lane has already covered that very well.

Highasakite Posted at 2017-3-29 00:17
flyringsquirrel, VPS stands for Vision Positioning System. When enabled: It is a measurement taken ultrasonically by the sensors on the bottom of the Mavic. It sends sound waves down to the ground and measures how long it takes to receive the soundwave back to the Mavic and uses that information to calculate the height of the Mavic from the ground . Safety First! Ken

The Mavic combines dual forward and downward vision sensors, so what kind of distance it shows?

simis Posted at 2017-4-2 11:16
The Mavic combines dual forward and downward vision sensors, so what kind of distance it shows?

It includes both forward and downward sensors, but I'm not aware of any way in which they're "combined". The distance discussed here is the aircraft's estimated height above the ground.