Need some help please! Drone would not return home.

returntohongkong · Jul 17, 2017

No.. no pictures or video unfortunately.

captainmilehigh · Jul 17, 2017

returntohongkong said:
No.. no pictures or video unfortunately.

I have to admit I know zero about DroneDeploy. I guess it doesn't work like the GoApp and allow video recording back to the iPad?

returntohongkong · Jul 17, 2017

Not to my knowledge.

captainmilehigh · Jul 17, 2017

Ok, well round up a bunch of friends, put the beer on ice, and start the hike. The last recorded point was 4311 feet out from the HP. I think I'd start there. Good luck!

returntohongkong · Jul 17, 2017

captainmilehigh said:
Ok, well round up a bunch of friends, put the beer on ice, and start the hike. The last recorded point was 4311 feet out from the HP. I think I'd start there. Good luck!

That's the plan. Wish us luck!

returntohongkong · Jul 17, 2017

What's the odds it just took off and landed miles away?

Meta4 · Jul 17, 2017

returntohongkong said:
I was using dronedeploy today and the drone seemed to have lost connection to the link so I initiated an RTH (returntohongkong) yet the P4P did nothing and would not return. (yes I did hold down the button until it started beeping
Attached are my flight logs. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.

I'm confused by your story. You haven't given much in the way of details.
I'm wondering if that flight record you've linked is from the flight in question or from an unrelated flight?
Have you used DD previously or was this a first experience?
It would be interesting to see what you had programmed DD to do.
Can you post a screenshot of the DD mission screen?

DanMan32 · Jul 17, 2017

Finished the mission?
That suggests to me you had a waypoint mission in progress in which case RTH on signal loss is inhibited so it can complete the mission. Waypoint missions are uploaded to the AC where the AC handles the program, not the RC or app. I believe it will return on low battery however. If during the mission it hit an obstacle, then of course it won't return at all.

captainmilehigh · Jul 17, 2017

returntohongkong said:
What's the odds it just took off and landed miles away?

Don't know. As I said, I'm unfamiliar with DD. But in cases like this is why I have a tracker on my bird. But that's another story.

So, please let us know the outcome of today's search. And try to answer Meta4's questions above. We are all trying to help you locate your wayward bird.

returntohongkong · Jul 19, 2017

Meta4 said:
I'm confused by your story. You haven't given much in the way of details.
I'm wondering if that flight record you've linked is from the flight in question or from an unrelated flight?
Have you used DD previously or was this a first experience?
It would be interesting to see what you had programmed DD to do.
Can you post a screenshot of the DD mission screen?

All this is from the flight in question. I would not post another unrelated flight

I use DD on a weekly basis. I can't post a screenshot of my DD mission due to the confidentiality of the mission and exact location. What I can say is after a day of hiking in the P4P was recovered. NOW I just need to figure out what caused this issue.

Meta4 · Jul 19, 2017

returntohongkong said:
All this is from the flight in question. I would not post another unrelated flight I use DD on a weekly basis. I can't post a screenshot of my DD mission due to the confidentiality of the mission and exact location. What I can say is after a day of hiking in the P4P was recovered. NOW I just need to figure out what caused this issue.

Without giving any details to work with, you're going to have to work it out yourself.

captainmilehigh · Jul 19, 2017

Good to hear you found the lost bird. Please share with us when you figure out why it went out exploring on its own.

returntohongkong · Jul 19, 2017

Meta4 said:
Without giving any details to work with, you're going to have to work it out yourself.

Good thing I already found it then

It was not easy and just so everyone knows for the future DJI uses an odd horizontal datum that is extremely inaccurate. The P4P was nearly 100M away from the lat/long provided.

returntohongkong · Jul 19, 2017

captainmilehigh said:
Good to hear you found the lost bird. Please share with us when you figure out why it went out exploring on its own.

Will do! Thanks for all your help and suggestions. There is actually a new DJI shop opening down the street from me so I am going to bring it in to them to take a look at

Meta4 · Jul 19, 2017

returntohongkong said:
just so everyone knows for the future DJI uses an odd horizontal datum that is extremely inaccurate. The P4P was nearly 100M away from the lat/long provided.

Can you give any further details of that?
Do you mean it was more than 100m away from the last point in the flight record ?
If so it's not surprising as when the Phantom was at that point, it was 138 feet higher than launch point and moving south at 18 mph.
It would be expected to have continued southwards after signal was lost.

Meta4 · Jul 19, 2017

So are you saying that DJI uses an unusual datum or were you just expecting the Phantom to be at the last recorded position?

returntohongkong · Jul 19, 2017

Meta4 said:
So are you saying that DJI uses an unusual datum or were you just expecting the Phantom to be at the last recorded position?

Sorry, should have been more specific. The P4P was hovering for 15 mins in the same spot according to the logs. If you PM me I will send you what I am referring to

It was 100M away from that spot.

flaviove · Jul 20, 2017

Didn't you set to hovering insted of RTH?

Russ43Phantom · Jul 22, 2017

Sounds like you not only lost your drone, but that you had lost your VLOS well before your drone went down. If your setting was to RTH if the controller/drone signal connection is lost and your altitude to return was above all obstacles, it should have returned. If it was within your VLOS, you would have recovered it by now. It it had crashed, you would have seen exactly where.