Hi there...I'm a newbie with my phantom and the other day I got myself into a bit of trouble during a flight. I had flown about 200 meters away from myself when I decided to return. Unfortunately,  I couldn't work out what direction the nose was pointing so I became quite disoriented.  My usual procedure is to point the rear of the craft towards me and then make the return in reverse. Is there a way to quickly determine the direction the nose is pointing in ?

The map at the bottom left on your screen, press it and it'll go full screen. The arrow points the direction the P4 is facing
Test it with rotors off indoors, once calibrated turn it around to face different directions, you'll see Pointing the nose towards your take off point and pushing forward will get the craft above you so you can see better

Play with the radar display and you'll see exactly how it does just what you wanted.
Or use the map display.
Or use Return to Home

Learning how RTH works is one of the most important things you can do if you want to bring your Phantom home every time.

In case of compass error, it's worth learning how to do it without the app or GPS.  First, don't panic.  Then, push the right stick forward & see what happens. It might move left or right, showing you which way it's pointing.  If after a second or two nothing appears to happen, it's either flying towards you or away from you, so you then need to move the right stick left or right.  If the aircraft moves left after a right move on the stick, it's facing you, otherwise it's facing away from you.
If you're near anything you might crash into, gain height first to clear any obstacles.

The main thing is to remain calm & make one movement at a time for a couple of seconds, then stop & try the next, rather than wiggling the sticks all over the place.

I'm going to assume that you're flying without the use of a smart phone or tablet.....   Otherwise it would be readily apparent how to figure out where the drone is pointing.

But even without a smart device, all is not lost.  As pointed out above, you have a 'return home' button on controller. (It's the one with the H and the arrow next to the power button).  If you completely lose orientation, pushing the button will bring it home.  If you leave it in return home mode, it will land either where it took off from or nearby.  Once you have the orientation again, you can cancel that by pressing the button on the top right hand side with the two dashes on it.

You should really go over the manual thoroughly

Thank you all for those very helpful comments

nigelw's  advice above is a very simple way to regain orientation.  I use it when ever I am not sure of my orientation.

So I did a test to try out the advice I've been given but still couldn't quite work out what going on in terms of craft orientation.  I went to one location switched on controller and then plane and noticed that the nose of the plane on the map was pointing back at me when in fact the nose was pointing directly away from me. These experiences don't give much confidence with the app.

dpcam1 Posted at 2016-5-8 10:22
So I did a test to try out the advice I've been given but still couldn't quite work out what going o ...

The map view can be locked or it can rotate freely so it is facing wherever you are facing.
Sometimes users get confused by this.
If you consistently have the map or radar display orientation wrong, it would pay to calibrate the compass in your phone or tablet so it displays properly.
Google will find the method for your device.

I've tried rotating the map and that didn't make any difference. ..have just tried calibrating the compass so will see if that makes a difference

Once you have sorted out the tablet's compass calibration issue, I agree that it's a good idea to practice Nigel's comment. Flying back to yourself by sight is very easy. In fact it can be a simple reflex, there's no way to make a mistake (if you are above obstacles). Try it at first with the bird not too far away. While flying forward, if you see it moving to the right, move the rudder stick right, and if you see it moving to the left, move the rudder stick left. It's really a "no brainer".
Have fun & good flying!

Hello dpcam1, hope this video could help you :

DJI-Paladin Posted at 2016-5-9 15:58
Hello dpcam1, hope this video could help you :
https://youtu.be/Gf9PGfLXEsI

I think there must be some kind of incompatibility between the craft and my samsung tab 4 device as it rarely shows the correct direction of the nose. Is it a issue that the samsung doesn't have an internal compass and no cellular connection?

dpcam1 Posted at 2016-5-12 14:02
I think there must be some kind of incompatibility between the craft and my samsung tab 4 device a ...

The position of the red triangle is based on the drone's compass data, IMU data as well as the compass data of mobile device. So if your device doesn't have an internal compass ,the position will go wrong.

I'm the tabelt doesn't have a compass because I downloaded a compass app to the tablet and it said it couldn't find an internal compass

dpcam1 Posted at 2016-5-8 08:22
So I did a test to try out the advice I've been given but still couldn't quite work out what going o ...

Do what labroides said, use the radar with the red plane icon. Go some where without any obstacles around you, choose a big field in middle of no where, nothing in a 1000 feet radius if you can. Make sure you are in p-gps mode, Take off to a safe height directly ABOVE YOU, then move it out away IN A STRAIGHT LINE forward and away from you 100 feet (if that is a safe distance). Then let go of the sticks and look at the radar. The noise of the plane should be pointing away from you and about one line away from the middle of the radar in a straight line.
Now without touching the sticks turn your body holding the remote against your chest in a normal way you hold the remote in 90 degree segments and look at what happens on the radar. Now, with your back to the craft and without looking at the craft itself and using the radar try to bring back directly above your head. If you have to, turn your head and take a look at the craft to ease your mind, every time you want to look at the craft, first let go of the sticks.
Please please, make sure you do this in middle of no where without any obstacles around you and go very easy on the sticks. Keep practicing this and within a few tries I am sure you will get the hang of it. The radar looking icon it's a very useful tool which is often forgotten about and not used.
Good luck

rayrokni Posted at 2016-5-13 13:14
Do what labroides said, use the radar with the red plane icon. Go some where without any obstacles ...

Also, make sure that in the full screen map or satellite view the little compass icon is clicked to unlock. No slash through, I think, not with it in front of me currently. If it is unlocked the arrow will correctly reflect the nose direction

joachimb Posted at 2016-5-13 15:25
Also, make sure that in the full screen map or satellite view the little compass icon is clicked t ...

There is a lock on it for always North and no lock for unlocked. But that has no bearing on the radar, it's only for the map.

As a follow up to my problems with my compass on the Dji go app always pointing in the wrong direction it would appear to be a problem with the Samsung tab 4. I went out today and bought an iPad mini and suddenly the app compass works perfectly and there's no lag...massive improvement!!!

If you have a compass error, RTH will not work and may even make your Phantom fly away never to be seen again. You will need to fly home using the FPV only!

//Tom