Distant landing just to watch video

[netfolks2000]

I would like to know if I can land my Phantom 3 Standard at a reasonable distance from launch, still in radio contact, just to use the video return. An example would be to watch for the rural mail carrier near my mailbox which is some distance from the house. Would it then be necessary to return to home base manually? In other words, would the drone then think, taking off again from another location, that the second launch spot is then home? Will my battery last longer since the drone is not flying? Thanks.

 

[Fly Dawg]

If you are still well within range and VLOS, it shouldn't make any difference what it considers the "home" point. Not sure what you are trying to accomplish here but just a note, if you do land, shut off the props. Not a good idea to leave the bird idling.

 

[macoman]

You most likely lose connection when you trying to land from a far distance. The P3 is WiFi based and these have limited connectivity based in distance.

 

[dirkclod]

Is doable as I have done it But as the others have said if you
ever lose LOS then your'e gonna be walking to get it .

 

[alokbhargava]

I have done it but I was standing at higher altitudes and line of sight was very clear.

 

[RodPad]

So,
As long as the Phantom is not powered off. We just shut the props off. We restart the props a new home point will not be created?
If yes.
We land at mail box view. What if we turn the remote off or the Phantom looses remote signal, we reestablish a signal to the Phantom.
We start the motors, the Phantom home point will still be at the original point?

Rod

 

[dirkclod]

In my test I didn't try checking your what if's Rod . I had just sat a pad down a few hundred yards away to practice landing at a distance with FPV and so I tried the kill motors and restart and it worked . Now if your weather permits how bout you trying that for us so we will know .
My HP never changed as I didn't power off .
I be-leave for it to change you would have to walk out and power down everything then restart then it would be at the spot you landed at .
Might be wrong but you can report back later

 

[RodPad]

So your saying the home point is saved on GPS lock after power up, not when you start the motors. or restart the motors.
Didn't have time to try it, nor even sign back on since Saturday.
I will when I can.

Rod

 

[Phantom100flyer]

If you are still well within range and VLOS, it shouldn't make any difference what it considers the "home" point. Not sure what you are trying to accomplish here but just a note, if you do land, shut off the props. Not a good idea to leave the bird idling.

 

[dirkclod]

So your saying the home point is saved on GPS lock after power up, not when you start the motors. or restart the motors.
Didn't have time to try it, nor even sign back on since Saturday.
I will when I can.

Rod

Late to da party again eh Rod
Correct .

 

[Paul Schulze]

If you cannot see the landing point, you may end up on an uneven surface or grass and have the drone tip with the props going and have a mess on your hands. The video does not always give you a true representation of what the ground is like at the landing point. For example, if the grass is a little taller than you think, it won't really show up in the video and the props will catch the grass and flip the drone.

 

[dirkclod]

That is true But it's still not going to change your HP by landing and shutting off the motors and restarting them .
Well I guess if it did flip that would be your new HP

 

[dirkclod]

OK guy's I will have to retract what I said .I hadn't flown ether of my P3's in awhile since I got this mavic so I decided to recheck what I had posted . Now the first thing I saw before I left out was I was behind on upgrading so I did . Charged everything up and went to a straight piece of road and flew down it say 600' and sat it down and killed the motors .
Started em back up and it said HP set . Thought ok so I flew off about 100' to the right and hit RTH and saw this now and really don't remember seeing it before.
Well I hit the grey and unless my eyes are getting really bad it went up and was heading to where I had just landed and took off from so I cancelled it and flew back and did it again from where I was .
Same thing I fired up the motors and lifted up and it said HP saved and flew out again and landed and went through the same thing except this time I hit the button on the right and it went up and then did come back to me .Now it was hot and had a 2 year old with me screaming so I just packed up and came home .
Now I will test this again this evening or in the morning but something
has seemed to change on me so what I had said earlier was wrong or it has just changed during these upgrades I have done this morning . I did check the P3 4K and it was up todate which surprised me but will post back as soon as I can test and tell you for sure .
I need to fly my P3 more . Sorry for misinforming guy's .

 

[captainmilehigh]

Thanks Dirk. I didn't know it did that......mainly 'cause I never tried it. Thanks for doing a couple test flights to see what it does.

I thought you would have to power down the bird (battery) to set a 'new' additional home point away from the original. This new info is great. Now, don't ya wish the 2 year old had a mute button? Gonna have to pack a small cooler with you with some popsicles for the youngster. Hard to pitch a fit when they are munching on those. [emoji106]

 

[dirkclod]

lol Yea he's a handful for a 62 year old to handle but he goes with me every time I fly . Loves it .
I also was pretty sure you had to but today's 2 test showed me different.
I had done the off landing and restarting before and I just must have missed it saying it had a new HP or it didn't say it before .Seem's trying to learn this Go4 app has me buggered . Going to mess with it some more tomorrow with doing the RTH . To many birds to fly with what little time to fly now . This mavic has me spoiled now .

 

[dirkclod]

Guys I tryed again this morning and I beleave I have a spook in my Standard .
Yesterday after I updated to 1.9.20 and tried I got this as in the post above
but just now trying again I got this that
is what I normally see . Now I just went out about 200' and sat it down ,powered down then back up it said the same thing about HP set and I went off abit and when I did hit RTH it went back to the location I had just left from .
So now I don't know what to think .

 

[captainmilehigh]

I wonder if it has something to do with the distance between the two home points? I tried it this morning also at about 300' feet out, but it did not set a new home point when I landed, shutdown, and powered back up. It DID however set a new home point at that distant location after I walked over to it and powered down the a/c battery.

I am however on "oldie-but-goody" 1.5.70 firmware (which I love), and 3.0.0 GoApp.

It's too darn hot outside now to experiment any further today. Time for a cold adult beverage.

 

[dirkclod]

I think it might as I was way closer this morning than yesterday .
We get it figured out but this is something I really don't do but what the OP asked just got me wanting to try and see just what it did do for sure
in this scenario . And we will find out but like ya said it's hot .
Still think mine has a bugger in it or mad cause I just don't fly it like I used to .

 

[captainmilehigh]

Yep, either a gremlin or it's PO'ed at you for ignoring it so long. Well, I figure that if my bird sets down on the way back I'll just have to hoof it out there and find it. ( I have a tracker). But, I'll keep experimenting with it some when it cools off a bit. Will advise.[emoji106]

 

[RodPad]

Wow, thanks guys, mp P3S isn't flyable right now. Right now I'm using P3A and a lot of Litchi.

I just had it stuck in my head that the DJI-Go app when it does speak , it always says home point updated instantly after you start the motors.

I guess just starting and stopping the motors at the same location would confirm the theory.

Rod