Are these functions/modes used very often or can you easily get by without them. I plan on using my P4P for a mixture of pictures/video, aerial mapping/surveying.

Any info gratefully appreciated

Flymo

I've never used either!

I do use ActiveTrack to keep the camera pointing towards the subject, and follow if the subject is moving.
Don't trust resetting the home point, get it wrong and the aircraft will fly off to wherever you sent it!

Seems an odd question, what is the reason for asking?

Why would you be resetting your home point anyway?

ALABAMA Posted at 2017-10-20 08:35
Why would you be resetting your home point anyway?

I reset mine all the time.  I step outside just a few feet outside my door and put the aircraft on the ground ready for takeoff.  Then I go back inside where there's a nice large HDMI color TV set with my FPV video.  I take off, but the problem is there's trees everywhere around my house, and if the aircraft did a RTH to that point, it would crash when it descended.  So I usually reset the home point once the aircraft flies out to a more open location.

Same would apply when taking off from a hotel balcony and many other situations that I can think of.

Nigel_ Posted at 2017-10-20 07:27
I've never used either!

I do use ActiveTrack to keep the camera pointing towards the subject, and follow if the subject is moving.

Thanks for the replies!

I considering the P4P and looking to use it with an iPad with WiFi only so no GPS as I understand these functions are not available.

Flymo Posted at 2017-10-20 09:30
Thanks for the replies!

I considering the P4P and looking to use it with an iPad with WiFi only so no GPS as I understand these functions are not available.

Follow-me is only for selfie videos and most don't use that.
It's been superceded to a degree by Active tracking that uses optical tracking and can follow anything - not just the person holding the controller.

Without a separate GPS receiver in the iPad, you are still able to reset the home point to wherever the Phantom happens to be (which is what is described in post#4 above).  
But you can't fly the Phantom while you are in a moving vehicle and reset home to where you are.

Both are very seldom used features for most flyers.

it might be very useful when you take off from a boat ...
the boat changes position..

I used this feature when I shot a car running a road ...

but to avoid problems, I've set the RTH whenever there was a good area on the way ...
the video shooting was done by piloting the drone, inside a second car that followed the first ... for a travel of 10km total about ...

obviously not resetting the RTH the drone wanted to land or RTH when the state of the battery needed it.

resetting the RTH on the way ... the drone landed after a 10km  with even more than 30% of the battery, thus avoiding an RTH that would take long before the middle of the travel

AlexVideoShark

AlexVideoShark  Posted at 2017-10-20 15:44
it might be very useful when you take off from a boat ...
the boat changes position..

That can also be achieved by resetting the HP to the current location of the Phantom anywhere close to the vehicle/vessel.
The exact location isn't important because you are moving.
And the tablet doesn't need a GPS receiver to simply reset HP to the current location of the drone.

Irate Retro Posted at 2017-10-20 08:45
I reset mine all the time.  I step outside just a few feet outside my door and put the aircraft on the ground ready for takeoff.  Then I go back inside where there's a nice large HDMI color TV set with my FPV video.  I take off, but the problem is there's trees everywhere around my house, and if the aircraft did a RTH to that point, it would crash when it descended.  So I usually reset the home point once the aircraft flies out to a more open location.

Same would apply when taking off from a hotel balcony and many other situations that I can think of.

So, please step me through how you go about that?
Yeah yeah I can read it in my manual, I want to hear a first person account of what you actually do and how it works, please.
Have you ever tested this new HP to see if the bird actually goes there?
Thanks

Genghis9 Posted at 2017-10-20 16:48
So, please step me through how you go about that?
Yeah yeah I can read it in my manual, I want to hear a first person account of what you actually do and how it works, please.
Have you ever tested this new HP to see if the bird actually goes there?

Sure, the button is under the main "MC Settings" and it looks like this (proper screenshots below):

Take off from your height-obstructed location, such as under a canopy/awning or from inside your bunker or whatever.  Fly to an open location making sure the aircraft has an open/safe path to ground at all times, so don't fly over your swimming pool or herd of llamas on the way to your desired new home point.  There's no danger of a signal loss RTH causing an ascent and canopy collision within the 20m 'descend-only' radius, but after that you need to be out from under the canopy.  Hover the aircraft at your desired new home point, even 400' up if you want.

Go to the approprate settings page on the app and tap the appropriate button indicated in the screenshot.  It will ask you for confirmation (also pictured) and all you need to do is tap OK.  It will tell you the home point has been updated and you can double-check it on the map.  Done.

This does take a few taps and I can see how it would kinda be a pain every time you took off.  But I use Litchi and you can assign it to a long-press on one of your C buttons so you don't have to mess with any of that.  Very handy when flying with the goggles.

Have I tested this with an actual RTH?  Hmmm I don't remember.  It's certainly possible that I have not.  But the home point on the map gets updated, so I don't see how that could be lying.  But I suppose if there's a way to screw it up, DJI would have found it.  I may test it in the morning when there's some daylight.

One other thing:  Next to the button for setting the home point to the current aircraft location there's the button for setting the home point to the controller's location.  I would never ever use this.  That location comes from the tablet (obviously), the tablet is free to calculate that location however it wishes, and due to layering of software services I don't think DJI's software has any way of knowing exactly where that location came from.  The tablet could use wifi access points which could place you 10 miles away and cause a flyaway.  In beginner mode you are instantly screwed.  (This is the main reason to never use beginner mode.)  I've heard they recently changed "something" with respect to that, but I don't see how you could ever be safe when the tablet is free to send whatever coordinates it wants.  

Screenshots...

Irate Retro Posted at 2017-10-21 00:18
Sure, the button is under the main "MC Settings" and it looks like this (proper screenshots below): [/img]

Take off from your height-obstructed location, such as under a canopy/awning or from inside your bunker or whatever.  Fly to an open location making sure the aircraft has an open/safe path to ground at all times, so don't fly over your swimming pool or herd of llamas on the way to your desired new home point.  There's no danger of a signal loss RTH causing an ascent and canopy collision within the 20m 'descend-only' radius, but after that you need to be out from under the canopy.  Hover the aircraft at your desired new home point, even 400' up if you want.

yes , your explanation, look like very good ...

I've used this , but setting my RC position

on the screen map  you can see your actually position of your RC
(but must be use a tablet/device with active gps,)

is my personal opinion ...  now a normal phone/iphone or Ipad with active GPS can be very accurate,  becouse they can use normal GPS and  plus ,GPRS line and WI-FI sistem , all together ...
but we have to pay attenction and have a double check on map screen before to confirm position for RTH as you have explained on screen shot image..

it's even true that when we use a device without active GPS the position reading could be 20 miles away ... so to be careful when we using this function ...

anyway ... I've used this and after double checks done , the RTH was update correctly time by time during the travel ...
the changes done was evident on the map screen and on line battery life,
that's way I was able to travel for 10km,  following and filming a car along a road  and at end of travel ,the drone landed in safe into last Home Point put on the DJI GO App...

yes of course ... with other application , like litchi , maybe should be more easy ...
but in any case, I spended more time for double checks everythigs and planning it  than click a button ...
AlexVideoShark

AlexVideoShark  Posted at 2017-10-21 14:33
yes , your explanation, look like very good ...

I've used this , but setting my RC position

'it's even true that when we use a device without active GPS the position reading could be 20 miles away ... so to be careful when we using this function ...'

That is extremely unlikely. Any form of GPS device will have sufficient accuracy and certainly not plus or minus 20 miles. In fact, the GPS receiver in the DJI aircraft are typically several orders more accurate than any phone or tablet.

Geebax Posted at 2017-10-21 14:38
That is extremely unlikely. Any form of GPS device will have sufficient accuracy and certainly not plus or minus 20 miles. In fact, the GPS receiver in the DJI aircraft are typically several orders more accurate than any phone or tablet.

That's just it, the tablet may not be a GPS device at all, or the GPS may be disabled by the user, etc.  It is still capable of handing out location info to running applications that request it... and those coordinates may be way off.

Irate Retro Posted at 2017-10-21 14:48
That's just it, the tablet may not be a GPS device at all, or the GPS may be disabled by the user, etc.  It is still capable of handing out location info to running applications that request it... and those coordinates may be way off.

Any cell phone device can get a rough position fix by using triangulation from known cell tower positions, but it will not be as accurate as the GPS on the aircraft, but at the same time, it will not be out by 20 miles.

Irate Retro Posted at 2017-10-21 14:48
That's just it, the tablet may not be a GPS device at all, or the GPS may be disabled by the user, etc.  It is still capable of handing out location info to running applications that request it... and those coordinates may be way off.

fortunately you understood what I meant...
20 miles are so many ... too many ... i know ...
but sometimes I turn off  gps (even it’s very accurate) of my tablet  to avoid interference.
so when I need after starting dji go app ... disable line, wi-fi - and gps ...
especially when I try to go a little further or further away for explorative needs ..
That’s why I think it’s better pay actention when set up Home Point from device ....
And even when gps are working ... from my personal point of view ..... it’s better do a double checks...
That’s all ... just to avoid any dramatic RTH over a roof ;-)
I’m not the number one for sure ... I already wrong plenty times...
but I try to learn from my errors ... and I’m sharing with you ...
and then ... everyone it’s free and able to do...

AlexVideoShark

Irate Retro Posted at 2017-10-21 00:18
Sure, the button is under the main "MC Settings" and it looks like this (proper screenshots below): [/img]

Take off from your height-obstructed location, such as under a canopy/awning or from inside your bunker or whatever.  Fly to an open location making sure the aircraft has an open/safe path to ground at all times, so don't fly over your swimming pool or herd of llamas on the way to your desired new home point.  There's no danger of a signal loss RTH causing an ascent and canopy collision within the 20m 'descend-only' radius, but after that you need to be out from under the canopy.  Hover the aircraft at your desired new home point, even 400' up if you want.

UH!  Thank you...
Very interesting...So, after you test this please come back and tell us so and how it went.  I agree it should test good, but still it is nice to have that warm fuzzy.
I never knew that info about setting controller as HP or even beginner mode...THAT sure would be VERY nice to know, ya think!
Sometimes I just get aggravated with these little pit falls DJI has out there with this stuff!

Genghis9 Posted at 2017-10-22 11:47
So, after you test this please come back and tell us so and how it went.

I just went outside and tried it with a real RTH, and it worked perfectly fine.  I also ran a bunch of other tests to look for anything that might have been surprising, but found no surprises:  Everything on the aircraft behaved exactly as if I had taken off from the new home point in the first place.  20m descend-only radius was calculated from the new home point, ADF "needle" in the Goggles pointed to the new location, etc.  

Of course you don't get precision landing since it never took off from there.  But auto precision landing is for girly men and lazy photographers!

By the way, I can't stand the fact that the artificial horizon in the Goggles reads backwards.  That damn thing is going to make me crash a real plane some day.

Irate Retro Posted at 2017-10-22 12:37
I just went outside and tried it with a real RTH, and it worked perfectly fine.  I also ran a bunch of other tests to look for anything that might have been surprising, but found no surprises:  Everything on the aircraft behaved exactly as if I had taken off from the new home point in the first place.  20m descend-only radius was calculated from the new home point, ADF "needle" in the Goggles pointed to the new location, etc.  

Of course you don't get precision landing since it never took off from there.  But auto precision landing is for girly men and lazy photographers!

Cool!
Thanks for the test feedback...all good to know stuff

Yeah, I've played little with the goggles to date so I can't say, but i'll be looking out for that...I've been more enamored with the picture than anything thus far.  So thanks for the warning...

Meant to ask, you set HP as high as 400' or that you could, doesn't that end up effecting the feedback data you get on the app or goggles i.e. your altitude readout is off by the amount of the distance the new HP was done at?

Genghis9 Posted at 2017-10-22 12:54
i.e. your altitude readout is off by the amount of the distance the new HP was done at

Naw, resetting the home point shouldn't have anything to do with the barometer, as they aren't related. (?)   When you land at your new home point it won't read anywhere close to zero unless it happens to be at the same MSL.

I didn't do any testing with that, but I would be absolutely floored if it worked any other way.  Otherwise all these wannabe airspace violators would have to do is keep climbing 1600' at a time and hitting the reset button along the way.

Irate Retro Posted at 2017-10-22 13:28
Naw, resetting the home point shouldn't have anything to do with the barometer, as they aren't related. (?)   When you land at your new home point it won't read anywhere close to zero unless it happens to be at the same MSL.

I didn't do any testing with that, but I would be absolutely floored if it worked any other way.  Otherwise all these wannabe airspace violators would have to do is keep climbing 1600' at a time and hitting the reset button along the way.

uhmmmm good point, did not think of that...

The above discussion make sense. ActiveTrack and Follow Me are complementary. Personally, I'd like to update the home point regularly, just for reference.