Hi.....have flown Phantom 4 a dozen times or so from more or less the same location in open fields with no interferance nearby ...and each time the Dji go app shows the  "compass calibration" message......not a big problem as probably good practice to calibrate  each time anyway.....but just wondered if this is normal?  

......my previous Phantom 1 & 2 didn't constantly tell me that I should calibrate the compass every time....

Just to mention that there are no other issues with the Phantom 4 at all and firmware is up to date.....

Don't (yet) know about the P4 but the last time I calibrated my P3P compass was around 7months ago!!!
The furthest location I have flown from the original calibration point is around 500 km away. No issues, or message to calibrate so far. (Btw I'm good at flying ATTI. And have reasonable flying spatial skills. I.e. can easly fly my 3D aerobatic helis upside down etc...mow the lawn with them etc...   so I figure if I ever have a compass problem, I can bring the bird in on ATTI. )

I'm no expert or compass dance guru, but I firmly believe in - "If it ain't Broken then Don't Fix It" so I'm not planning to recalibrate the compass unless there is a good reason to do so..

The P4 may reqire compass calibration more often (I.e. You get the message to calibrate compass) because it has dual compass, and a small variance between the two may be triggering the message to calibrate. But being forced to do it on every flight doesn't sound right.

Question: Do you get a message to calibrate on the same day and location when doing multiple flights. I.e. If you fly for say 10 minutes then bring the bird in, land. Switch off for say 5 mins or after battery change and start up again?

Thanks for reply... and good question....I haven't flown switched off and flown again on the same day yet... will try it as now  have a second battery... will post result

Same issues here, have flown about 8 times with 3 batteries each time, I get the same compass warning, I just leave it a few minutes and problem goes away, I have only done the calibration dance once, perhaps I should do it again ?

FWIW I have over 50 flights and have never seen a compass calibration warning.  The only time I ever calibrated the compass was when I first took it out of the box.  

"have flown Phantom 4 a dozen times or so from more or less the same location in open fields with no interferance nearby ...and each time the Dji go app shows the  "compass calibration" message.."

It is not normal to  get a compass error every flight or to have to calibrate every time.
If you are getting a red compass error message, you have the Phantom too close to some steel.
Make sure you are nowhere near cars, structural steel, buried pipes or cables and {most commonly) reinforced concrete.
Read this to get an understanding of what compass calibration is all about and when it is necessary: http://www.phantompilots.com/thr ... plete-primer.32829/

Thanks for replies......sounds like it is definitely not normal.   Took a look at the compass calibration link and then only possible thing is that I don`t have phone, controller, spare battery, etc more than 10 ft away......the rest is all covered.....I`ll give it another go and see what happens.....

...and meant to say that my original post says ".....no other issues with Phantom..."....that is apart from the altitude dropping thing that everyone seems to have.......not sure if this is an issue or a feature..?!

The P4 has two compasses therefore much more sensitive to metal yet a more accurate Phantom. The least bit of metal around while the IMU is warming up can give you an error. I had the same issue when I first received mine. I was on a small stair landing and I was receiving the error. It was the nails on the landing. I moved it out into an open area and did the calibration and it was and still is fine. Once done you are good to go and will only have to recalibrate if you travel a great distance. Your smart device will let you know when it is necessary.

I do not get a compass calibration message every time I fly. Heck, i've only gotten it three times out of 72 flights. So I would say this is not normal, maybe you keep flying near a bunch of magnets or steel structures (under or on top of the ground).

All looks now sorted....I  realised that although I was calibrating in an open field, I had got there on my bike which was nearby when calibrating which was causing interference.......moved the bike away......re-calibrated and message gone on a subsequent flight.......thanks for replies....very helpful...