jrm11
 lvl.3
Flight distance : 224577 ft
United States
Offline
|
I very much like the "Waypoints" features of the DJI Go app. However, there are some limitations that come with it which make it difficult to work with.
Many have discussed the ability to name waypoints. This is an absolute must. The system saves the three most recent waypoints and names them by date. This makes it very difficult to figure out which mission is the "right" one when you want to save it... expecially considering the other limitations of the software.
It can be difficult to get to previous waypoint missions. In order to do so, one must start up the Phantom and RC. Then, the Phantom must be airborne to access the waypoint list. There really needs to be a way to access and manage waypoint missions when "offline" (or at least on the ground).
There _may_ be a way to see some missions from the ground - if so, it is still hampered by another limitation which should be corrected. If you power up and go into the flight simulator, you can access waypoint mode and see saved missions. However, to mark as a "favorite" you still need to be within 5000m from the actual home point of the mission. If not, you cannot view the mission on a map or mark/un-mark it as a favorite. The flight limitation is an obvious one, but really shouldn't exist in the simulator.
Management of waypoint missions - renaming, save as favorite, remove as favorite, view points on a map - are all basic and necessary functions. These features have no bearing on any height/distance limitations DJI may feel the need to impose.
That said, there are some other limitation that should be looked at:
- Basic waypoint editing: Often, the video of the mission doesn't work out how you thought. Even though you carefullly set up 15-20 waypoints, one of them just isn't right on video. Problem is that you now need to re-create the entire thing from scratch. With the inability to name/manage waypoints, the problem is amplified. It is likely that DJI set up the waypoint creation system this way for a reason - I get it. However, there really should be SOME way to tweak things after the fact. Even the ability to simply adjust orientation at a waypoint so the camera points where you want (I have created missions where the "camera position at record" didn't turn out as expected. The ability to move or delete waypoints (even within limits) would be even better.
- Total distance of 5000m: This really isn't long enough. IMO it should be at least doubled. I have been running missions around my property and have run into the 5000m limit a few times. This is all flying LOS and within the 500m from homepoint restriction. It can be a challenge doing a "perimiter" flight. This limit makes little sense when the mission is already limited to a 500m home point radius. Battery is not an issue. I have created missions of just under 5000m in length and then run them on the same battery with plenty of power to spare.
- 500m raduis: I understand the reasoning behind this limit. I still think there are plenty of situations where is it an uncessary burden. Again, it can be a challenge when trying to create a simple perimiter flight on a relatively small piece of rural property. In the country, LOS is considerably more than 500m, even with my old eyes.
I can see how last two points may be asking too much. The rest, however, has no impact on any perceived "safety" issues and should be put on the list for future versions of the software.
|
|
Captain
lvl.1
New
lvl.4
