problem about 10 times and I just can't comprehend it. It's about the s1 &s2 switch. So let's say my phantom starts to run away on me or I lose sight of it other than shutting off the controller and just hoping it will return home could someone explain to me what they would do to bring it home. Please specify which switch you would flip (s1 I'm assuming) and what would happen. Thank you so much for any help for this newbie!

Just my .02
If I wanted the ultimate in Control and was familiar with NAZA-M, which I am confident I am now and if I had enabled NAZA-M through the Phantom Assistant, which I have done, then I would probably do one of a couple of things to bring her back should I feel concerned that she might be lost.

Firstly, as I demonstrated to a friend last night,
I flew my Phantom out of sight,
I knew I had enough height and everything would be alright,
I then put S2 in Position 3, which is HomeLock for me,
I then I pulled back on the right stick and there she came back so I was not sick.
There really is no trick, just pulling back on the stick.
And note that I leff S1 in position 1 or otherwise I might be done!.

Alternately, I n NAZA-M, you can put S1 in position 3 which is Failsafe for me and she will return to home as well.
Just make sure you have your Return To Home Height (RTH) set accordingly as you may otherwise be running into something on your trip home.
If all else fails, just shut off the controller and home you had calibrated your compass!

i would highly recommend reviewing the attached, it really is a must review for anyone new to flying these birds!

http://forum.dji.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=681

I would suggest you watch this first it shows the difference between Naza mode and phantom mode.  This will help

As it stands "stock" your best bet at first is to move the right hand switch to the middle position - that disables most of the GPS...which is really the only thing that would cause it to fly away (well, at least the 99% thing)....

At that point you will then have control of your Phantom.

Another good hint is that "altitude is your friend" - if you are losing sight of it behind some obstacles, just hit the throttle and take it up - that will clear you from trees and buildings and allow more time to recover it.

I think the main thing is not to panic. If you move the right switch to the middle that should give you time because at that point it's only the wind which will move the Phantom - it will maintain height.

How you save the Phantom depends on the situation you are in. In real emergencies, you can shut down the motors and let it drop like a rock - the results may not be bad if you are over certain soft surfaces.

You should practice these moves to some degree while the bird is close by. Switch into the ATTI mode and notice how it will act.....it will maintain height but drift with the wind.

Once you understand ATTI mode and basic control, then you can add another weapon to your arsenal by learning about the Home Lock Function. This is used when the Phantom gets too far away and you don't know what direction you are going!

Return to Home can also be programmed into the right switch bottom. If you do this, you'll want to test it out a couple times in a large open field just to make sure it's working. Then you will have lots of various ways to retrieve the Phantom.

Keep in mind that Home Lock and Return to Home are both reliant on GPS...so if the problem is a GPS one, the solutions are ATTI and/or cutting the motors.

What the heck are yall talking about I'm more confused now than when I started

skimcohut, which part didn't you understand?

skimcohut@yahoo Posted at 2015-3-9 12:34
What the heck are yall talking about I'm more confused now than when I started

skim,
Are you flying in GPS or NAZA.
1) Either way, with the latest update of 3.12, just switch the RC off for a couple of seconds and on again, the Phantom will come back and once the Phantom is overhead you can direct it left or right and even control it on the descent...just make sure your RTH (return to home height) will clear any obstacles on its way back to you.
2) I am flying in NAZA mode, you can select this in the Phantom 2 Vision Assistant software,
When in this mode, if you think the Phantom has gone astray..flip S2 all the way down (position 3) and pull back on the right stick and it will come straight back to you..again, make sure you are high enough to clear any obstacles on the return journey...as a rule, if I think the Phantom is lost or I cannot see it I raise it with the left stick by going up and I can see that it is going up because I can see the altitude on my phone changing and then proceed with flipping S2 all the way down and then pulling back on the right stick...
If all else fails, follow 1) above, it works, I tried it several times this weekend...just make sure you have your return to home height set to clear any obstacles en route home...
Watch the video as Savannah has said and as Droneflyer said and I reiterated...height is your friend, when it doubt..go up and then come home.

droneflyers.com Posted at 2015-2-17 11:08
As it stands "stock" your best bet at first is to move the right hand switch to the middle position  ...

droneflyers.com,  That was a very good post.

skim,  I would be very worried for you if you flew with the knowledge you presently have. Review Youtube videos and read these forum posts before you fly.  It might take a little while to feel comfortable with the operation and control of the Phantom.

Good advice by all.  I would also advise to try and avoid situations that could cause a loss of control.  Make sure you calibrate the IMU and the compass where you are going to fly.  Don't fly around areas of potential interference, cell phones towers, microwave towers, high tension power lines.  Avoid flying when there is high solar activity.  A K index above 4 can cause a loss of GPS signal.  Learn to fly in ATTI mode incase you loose GPS.  Learn to identify orientation at a distance.  Start out close by and then increase distance.  It takes time but is worth the effort.

Ed, given the advice here I'm (going to be!) diligent about calibrating the compass every time out. As noted, takes but a few seconds and green lights make me feel good.... However, are you suggesting that we should do the same with the IMU? So far (admittedly just a grand total of four flights & two connections to the computer!) it's told me the the IMU does not need calibrating?
As for "losing" GPS lock, I find that a little hard to believe!.... I've used many different forms of GPS receivers (in cars & boats) and thus far at least (admittedly very limited experience) I'm getting 10-12 sats before take off; I find it inconceivable that then going up into the air, with a beautiful view of the sky,  there is any way that all (or even more than a few) sats can suddenly go AWOL.....

Cheers,
Ian

Good luck, Ian.

oakspi Posted at 2015-3-9 23:11
skim,  I would be very worried for you if you flew with the knowledge you presently have. Review You ...

+1

I did much research and learnt to fly with a little SymaX5 before laying down the big bucks here. Then I read the manual, got overwhelmed, slept on it, re-read the manual, connected to the PT2 & RC apps, studied the data. Re-read the manual and posts here (lost all confidence!) Then ran it up (without props) in the back yard and carried it around and tested the Vision App to be sure I understood what it was telling me and so on. Re-read the manual. While desperate to get it in the air, I wanted to be sure I didn't panic if things went awry.

Thus far anyway, admittedly with very limited experience, it's behaved exactly as advertised. This includes (mistakenly) running out of battery and having  it RTH to within a foot or so of my take off point. (as noted in my thread, I didn't hear the low battery warning or see the lights turn red on my maiden, and she took off upwards - I almost had a heart attack as she accelerated up and away - figured best bet was to turn off the TX ("what have I got to lose at this point?!") and was delighted as she quietly settled where she should......
Did I mention reading (and understanding!) the manual?

oakspi Posted at 2015-3-10 01:04
Good luck, Ian.

Thanks, I think..... Are you implying GPS lock can really be lost in the 20  or so minutes we're in the air? Or are you just being nice?

I'm not trying to be funny, but I almost detect a note of sarcasm there!.....

Cheers,
Ian

Be careful when it comes to home lock. I almost lost a phantom because I didnt quite understand how it fully works. I fly my phantom high because there are numerous tall trees in my area. Whenever I would lose sight of the Phantom I would put the switch in Home lock and it would fly straight back to me. It saved me numerous times especially when flying my phantom 1.  One time my phantom was so high that when I put it into home lock it flew right past me and I didn't even notice. Once it reaches home point  it will continue to fly away and reverts to course lock and continues flying away from the home point if you keep holding down on the stick. As a last ditch effort I turned off the transmitter to initiate RTH and a few minutes later I was so relieved when I looked up and spotted my Phantom hovering up high directly above me. I had the FC40 camera rolling and went back to watch the flight and was shocked at how far I flew away and noticed it was flying in a straight line away from me. Landed it with hardly any battery left. Initially I thought  I had a fly away until doing some research and watching the video.

I would suggest you watch this first it shows the difference between Naza mode and phantom mode.  This will help



Regarding the method of compass calibration recommended in the video. I'm a bit confused that in NAZA mode he says toggle S2 between GPS and ATTI (the top two positions). I've been swinging it all the way down through all three positions. Can anyone just put me straight on the correct method of compass calibration in NAZA mode please?
For what its worth I've not had any problems, but forwarned is forarmed.

rdc44444@hotmai Posted at 2015-3-10 01:25
Be careful when it comes to home lock. I almost lost a phantom because I didnt quite understand how  ...

One time my phantom was so high that when I put it into home lock it flew right past me and I didn't even notice

This is why you always pay attention to your radar gauge and your distance from home indicators.  

Gerry1124 Posted at 2015-3-10 01:30
One time my phantom was so high that when I put it into home lock it flew right past me and I didn ...

I was flying a phantom 1 fc40...Unfortunately it doesnt have any radar or telemetry data. Phantom 2 it really shouldnt be an issue unless your phone battery dies during flight because you do have radar and camera. Understading home lock is critical when flying by line of sight only with no other data...

rdc44444@hotmai Posted at 2015-3-10 01:31
I was flying a phantom 1 fc40...No radar or telemetry data.

ok then            

skimcohut.To answer your question.Toggle the S1(Small Silver Switch On Right Side Above Control Joystick) up and down 2- 3 times.I push my bird until battery failsafe almost every flight.I stay close to it.Most of the time I am closer than the homepoint.I quickly toggle back and forth until I regain control.I hand land and all is well in the jungle.I have ecountered a failsafe trigger due to signal interference a couple of times.The bird stopped in it's tracks,tail leds turned yellow,and she began her return to home(RTH).After the bird gets within 50' or so of me, I toggle the s1 switch a couple of times until I see the tail leds turn green.After that,I am in control again.I have over 90 flights with this machine.This technic has worked every time.As far as the bird being out of sight.I know that it gos against every instinct in a mans body but just turn off the controller.Try it in an open field and with the bird around 40' feet high.After the tail leds turn yellow,watch what she does.You'll love it.You should also perform the procedure above...40' high in a field a second time, but this time,after the tail leds turn yellow,turn the controller back on and toggle the s1 back and forth until the tail leds turn green.At that point you will have full controlThat should help you build confidence in your new product.I remember how foriegn and exciting it is at first.No intetions of condescension during this post.Just trying to be clear.Welcome to the world of aerial photograpghy!You'll laugh!..You'll cry!..You'll even shit your pants!!.......just...don't tell anybody. Oh and scower the hell out of you tube for any and all info related to phantom 2s.There are tons of good videos with invaluable info.Look for any video from Simon Newton.(On The Kitchen Table).Very informative and rather funny.

Gerry1124 Posted at 2015-3-10 01:30
One time my phantom was so high that when I put it into home lock it flew right past me and I didn ...

I agree Gerry, it is right there in front of your face..Hopefully....
Use it or lose the Phantom!

i_anderson@iclo Posted at 2015-3-10 01:00
Ed, given the advice here I'm (going to be!) diligent about calibrating the compass every time out.  ...

Ian,

I have asked until I am blue in the face why when it takes only 3-4 satellites to get triangulation (although not very accurate) does the Phantom lose all control with less than 6 (I have also read it requires 7). Surely it can at least hover when the accuracy is poor rather than go exploring!! To this day I have not had an answer.

Regards

Guy

Guy Posted at 2015-3-10 06:48
Ian,

I have asked until I am blue in the face why when it takes only 3-4 satellites to get triang ...

guy, my guess is that if you have any 'bad data', with 6+ you can 'throw out' suspect data points and still be left with usable 3 or 4.  if you start with 3 or 4 (and dont or cant throw out at that point) and you get an erroneous data point, you could 'cause' abhorrent behavior (flyaway or just odd course corrections that cause crashes into things).  that is totally a guess but i can see how taking 6-7 and sometimes taking the 'best 4' out of that could be a method to ensure more consistent accuracy.  thats my only guess.

gnixon2015 Posted at 2015-3-10 07:58
guy, my guess is that if you have any 'bad data', with 6+ you can 'throw out' suspect data points  ...

Thanks. That does make sense to me except for the reaction the Phantom has when it loses the required number. Even with say 4 it should at least know where home compass bearing is and not go haywire. It seems to me the firmware is written in such a way that it is all or nothing!

Regards

Guy

droneflyers.com Posted at 2015-2-17 11:08
As it stands "stock" your best bet at first is to move the right hand switch to the middle position  ...

Actually, in "stock" Phantom Working Mode moving S1 to the middle position will do nothing other than allow resumption of control when transmitter signal has been lost, the craft has entered Failsafe, and signal is subsequently reestablished.

I don't believe the original poster has enabled NAZA-M Working Mode, or understands what it is.

Northofthe49th Posted at 2015-3-10 05:44
I agree Gerry, it is right there in front of your face..Hopefully....
Use it or lose the Phantom!

I agree to but sometimes the connection to phantom breaks and all hell breaks lose with no radar data. It's always good to prepare for the worst case scenario and know how to bring the phantom back safely in one piece without panicking!! Just the other day the app froze on me however it was in Los and thank god I was able to manually bring it home. I agree with mike. Flying the phantom will make you laughs, cry and especially crap your pants.  look at the air France crash that crashed in the
Ocean off Brazil. The pilots lost vital radar and telemetry data and weren't prepared for manual flight. Prepare for scenarios were all data is lost and you have to fly manually. I'm glad I purchased a phantom 1 first as a trainer as it taught me how to fly manually.without relying on fpv or radar data. Welcome to the world of dji drones!!!

Gerry1124 Posted at 2015-3-10 01:30
One time my phantom was so high that when I put it into home lock it flew right past me and I didn ...

Second that. The radar is the way to go when lost visual or not sure you tracking your drone or a real bird instead - happened to me once before the sun set when flying far from my position

Naza-PA Posted at 2015-3-10 10:24
Second that. The radar is the way to go when lost visual or not sure you tracking your drone or a r ...

maybe that's my problem. I've never used the dji vision app radar and only the camera. I actually prefer FPV booster camer app. It allows both FPV camera view and on the the side a gps map with the direction your phantom is facing. The only problem is the app crashed on me during flight and I had to use my manual Los and home lock skills to bring it back home safely. It. It Was like flying a phantom one with no telemetry data, battery data, or FPV.