I tried out course lock and home lock today but honestly I couldn't tell the difference.  They both seemed to do the same thing.  Both modes allows you to move side to side which kind of suprised me.  I thought both modes would lock the drone into one direction only.   I may try Tap Fly tomorrow and test RTH.  BTW should RTH be reserved for emergencies only?  

I have never used the other modes, but RTH is something you should practice in a nice open field until you understand how it works. While it is intended for emergencies, you don't want to find out what it does during an emergency only. It is very handy if you get the aircraft a long way away and are not sure where home is.

Make sure your RTH height is well above any surrounding trees or other obstructions.

Read all about the intelligent flight modes, before attempting to see how they perform... ;-)

Good luck.


RedHotPoker

While at first glance Course Lock and Home Lock may seem similar they are different.

Course lock:  Establishes a straight line path.  Point the bird in any direction away from you.  Enable Course Lock.  Push the right stick forward and then add in the left stick to the left or right to spin the bird.  Notice that it is still flying in a straight line while spinning on its axis.  Point the bird so it faces you, push the right stick forward and the bird moves away from you.    Using course lock causes forward stick to always be forward and backwards stick to be backwards, no matter the orientation.   You can push the right stick to either side to offset the straight line one way or the other.

Home Lock simply allows pulling the right stick back to cause the bird to return towards the recorded home location no matter what orientation in is in.

Hope this was not too confusing.  

should RTH be reserved for emergencies only?
RTH can be a useful tool under some circumstances and a dronesaver in others.
RTH is one of the most important aspects of flying for the pilot to understand.
Failure to understand what RTH does and how it does it has been the cause of quite a few crashes and lost phantoms.
The day you need RTH is the worst time to try to learn how it works.

EdM Posted at 2018-7-28 18:48
While at first glance Course Lock and Home Lock may seem similar they are different.

Course lock:  Establishes a straight line path.  Point the bird in any direction away from you.  Enable Course Lock.  Push the right stick forward and then add in the left stick to the left or right to spin the bird.  Notice that it is still flying in a straight line while spinning on its axis.  Point the bird so it faces you, push the right stick forward and the bird moves away from you.    Using course lock causes forward stick to always be forward and backwards stick to be backwards, no matter the orientation.   You can push the right stick to either side to offset the straight line one way or the other.

Ok that makes sense.  But in home lock will the drone stop once it reaches the home point even if I keep the right stick pulled back?  Other wise you could pass the home point if you don't have sight on the drone.

Christine96 Posted at 2018-7-28 19:52
Ok that makes sense.  But in home lock will the drone stop once it reaches the home point even if I keep the right stick pulled back?  Other wise you could pass the home point if you don't have sight on the drone.

Aloha Christine,

     Actually, I think HomeLock will bring the aircraft home but when it gets near home (I forget the distance), it will start circling the HomePoint.  That is another reason why you need to have the aircraft at an altitude that will clear all obstacles as RHP noted.

     As Geebax says it is good to practice in a nice open field so you can see how all these special modes work.  You have to admit though, practicing with these aircraft is the most fun you will have for quite a while!

Aloha and Drone On!

Labroides Posted at 2018-7-28 19:40
should RTH be reserved for emergencies only?
RTH can be a useful tool under some circumstances and a dronesaver in others.
RTH is one of the most important aspects of flying for the pilot to understand.

I've been studying it and I think I'm ready to try it out.  My RTH altitude is 60 meters and set to return to the home point.  

Home lock ignores the orientation of the AC.

Home lock doesn't work within 10 meters of the home point.  So upon launch, it will behave as if it's in course lock, even if it's in home lock.  You probably won't even notice this initially.

Assuming mode 2 and assuming you've flown at least 10 meters away from home point:

Right stick forward will push the AC away from home point, regardless of where it is.

Right stick back will push the AC towards home point, regardless of where it is.

Right stick to the left will cause the AC to circle the home point counter clockwise

Right stick to the right will cause the AC to circle the home point clockwise.

Home lock doesn't work within 10 meters of home point.  So if you fly into home point while in Home lock, your system will suddenly behave as if it was in course lock.  You'll likely see the AC "jerk" a little at the 10 meter radius and then move in an unexpected direction as it reverts into course lock.  

This vid explains home lock better than any video on the internet:



He's got a P2 but the principles are the same.  You'll notice he's flying in bright sunshine without a mobile device.  He doesn't need it since all the important info he needs to fly safely is sent to him via the rear lamps.  

Good luck

Mark The Droner Posted at 2018-7-29 03:32
Home lock ignores the orientation of the AC.

Home lock doesn't work within 10 meters of the home point.  So upon launch, it will behave as if it's in course lock, even if it's in home lock.  You probably won't even notice this initially.

Must be an old video because he had to download the functions.  Anyway it was a good video.  Thanks for posting it.  

I normally land using RTH, why fly it back manually when you can press one button and it lands perfectly back on the launch pad?

If you are flying for the fun of flying then doing it manually may be preferable, but if you are flying to take photos or video then easier to use RTH.

Of course it is not that simple and there are things to learn including how to choose a launch point suitable for landing, how to bring it back in high wind speeds and how to get the precision landing to work, but it is much better to learn these things by using it frequently than have to learn the whole lot on the one occasion that you actually need it to work because for example your controller battery went flat unexpectedly and you no longer have control.

Nigel_ Posted at 2018-7-29 04:40
I normally land using RTH, why fly it back manually when you can press one button and it lands perfectly back on the launch pad?

If you are flying for the fun of flying then doing it manually may be preferable, but if you are flying to take photos or video then easier to use RTH.

I normally land using RTH, why fly it back manually when you can press one button and it lands perfectly back on the launch pad?
One good reason for flying back manually is that in headwind conditions, RTH may be too slow.
RTH only flies at 22mph in still air (less when fighting a headwind).
You can fly at 36 mph (if you disable obstacle avoidance).
Phantoms have been lost by owners that left RTH to drive home slowly while fighting a headwind.
Even in those conditions RTH is handy to turn the Phantom around and start it in the right direction before you cancel and resume control.

Labroides Posted at 2018-7-29 05:43
I normally land using RTH, why fly it back manually when you can press one button and it lands perfectly back on the launch pad?
One good reason for flying back manually is that in headwind conditions, RTH may be too slow.
RTH only flies at 22mph in still air (less when fighting a headwind).

If you don't use RTH regularly then you never learn what conditions it can manage.  If you fly in conditions that it can't manage and the unexpected happens and you actually need RTH then it wont work.  Also teaches you not to set the RTH height up in the strong winds where it frequently will fail to bring the aircraft back and also not to fly downwind in strong wind conditions.

Nigel_ Posted at 2018-7-29 05:58
If you don't use RTH regularly then you never learn what conditions it can manage.  If you fly in conditions that it can't manage and the unexpected happens and you actually need RTH then it wont work.  Also teaches you not to set the RTH height up in the strong winds where it frequently will fail to bring the aircraft back and also not to fly downwind in strong wind conditions.

I have my RTH set at 60 meters.  Is that too high?  

Christine96 Posted at 2018-7-29 09:01
I have my RTH set at 60 meters.  Is that too high?

I have my RTH set at 60 meters.  Is that too high?

That depends on what obstacles might be between where the Phantom could be and where you are.
If you fly on a treeless grassland, it's much too high.
If you fly behind a 300 ft hill, it's much too low.

Labroides Posted at 2018-7-29 09:05
I have my RTH set at 60 meters.  Is that too high?  

That depends on what obstacles might be between where the Phantom could be and where you are.

I live in an area where there are always trees.  I think someone recommended 60 meters but I can't remember where I heard that.  The tallest trees in the US are about 110 feet so I guess as long as the RTH is set higher than 110 feet and no other taller structures around 40 meters should be enough.  

Christine96 Posted at 2018-7-29 09:01
I have my RTH set at 60 meters.  Is that too high?

If it is really windy and there are no trees then you might want it lower, but if you only fly in calm conditions then higher might be safer.    If you are flying over the sea then 20m might be more appropriate since strong sea winds can appear unexpectedly and suddenly and the wind is always much slower down at 10 or 20m.

Remember that you do have some control during RTH, you can adjust the height, and you can cancel the climb.

Great point...!