DJI Mavic Discussion

I expect when app freezes the homepoint will not be recorded?

Not really sure. After all the home point info is stored in the bird, not the app/controller. Try it. Turn on controller, but don't connect smartphone. Power on bird, outside so you know it would get gps. See if the green lights flash after a short interval.

Had a 3000m flight today and returned because controller had only 20% left. Would like to know what happens if controller power runs off to early. If hp is really stored in the bird, will he find back without controller connection?

That one is easy ... RTH is designed first to fulfill that function .. Return to Home, specifically if the controller loses signal, craps out, or is out of range. So yes, Home is in bird.

It will also RTH if batt power drops too low.

It can be handy to understand how it work .. there is a function (I think) that allows home point to by dynamically updated, for instance if you are in a car or boat, it will go to the controller (in case of low battery) but if the controller dies in that mode I think it just goes to the last known controller location.

Of course, as in Rekindle's case, the brains of the whole operation were FUBAR. So it apparently was confused, likely by Nougat.

I'm glad you guys mentioned this, by the way .. my phone tried to update. I would not let it.

Just in from doing a little test. It wasn't a real test proper, and it wasn't a Mavic, it was P4P.

Anyway, I turned it on, fired up the controller, but didn't plug the device in. Without the controller on, it had just sat there blinking the "I am sad cuz there's no controller lights" so I turned on controller, and after about 30-40 seconds the rear lights flashed green meaning "home point recorded"

Here's where I botched the test: Even though I armed and spun up the motors, I did not take off (I could have) nor did I take off then initiate RTH by turning off the controller. What SHOULD have happened is that it would fly straight up to my set RTH altitude, then lower itself to exact spot. But I do not like relinquishing control, even for a test.

What is interesting is that I thn connected the device, adn started the App, and when I took off, the green lights flashed again, and the nice lady in the app said "Home Point Has Been recorded"

Did it record it again? Was the first green flashing indicator a bogus home point? Would it have worked to fly without the APP and RTH?

I dunno. Mebbe I'll try the full test sometime in a wide open area with less wind and trees.

Such tests in secure conditions have great value!
This controller signal loss RTH i had at one flight yesterday, but in that moment wasn't sure if i hadn't accidentaly pushed the home button at the controller. Cool that Mavic puts his nose in the flight direction by RTH for obstacle avoidance (Y)
By my last 3000m flight yesterday i was flying backwards meaningly the same way i was flying forwards before (to catch the sunset while flying). But by pulling the right control stick backwards it moved minimal to side. This i noted only because the flight route lines on the map were not straight, so i correcte the route to HP. Last not least Mavic came home from a very different direction as i mentioned and ............ uuuuuaaaahhhhh, ............. passed a radio tower very very near because before i've lowered the flight altitude in case of poor controller power and strong wind warnings which i didn't feel at the ground.
All together belonging Nougat:
Seems to have any AI build in, but an AI from a little stubborn child. Problems are not constant, but various and change.
Yesterdays 1st flight not possible by "disconnected in case of interferences". In the mountain range 3km far away of the city. 2nd flight other location need some shutdowns before i got app connection, then Auto-mode (exposure etc) not working, only M. In flight app freezed and got no connection again. 3rd flight on a mountain some km far away from a village, totally free sight in one direction, again no app connection possible (interferences, radio signal, bla bla bla). Oh i was pissed off, was hurrying before 40min to the mountain forest location to catch a steam locomotive. 4th flight othe location over mountain lake i forgot to loose the gimbal locking and had to land again. After the next start all was fine and also A-Mode was working ??? In flight lost app connection, but came up again from itself very quick. 5th and 6th flight again another location very near a big radio tower where i didn't believe to have no problems all went fine !!!!
Result: Videos top, photos schrott (means trash and noisy)! Who will understand this?

Btw.: In a german FB group they say
a) flying in smartphone Flight-Mode shall prevent app-disconections or
b) using the usb connection by usb cable downside the controller shall be better than the mini cable at the side of the controller.

If you accidentally push Home button it will ask you to confirm (failsafe) so you would have to swipe to initiate RTH.

Flying out in straight line (no other input) and then returning by pulling back on cyclic to reverse, if there is even a slight angular shift the lines will not be straight. The craft is subject to wind and pressure, and is always twitching a little to compensate. You don't see this because of 3 axis gimbal, but I saw it a lot on my 2 axis gimbal on another bird. Also this is a good time to look at your flight log and make sure you did not induce a slight lateral input ... even small one will change the route on return. Is there not a special mode where it WILL retrace precisely the route, but in reverse? I'd have to look that up .. pretty sure there is on the Phantom 4 Pro, just cannot remember for Mavic.

I've heard other mentions of Android 7 Nougat being bad for DJI Go 4. If you cannot roll back to previous, recommend finding another device to use until DJI can update the App, or ground the bird.

Wind will generally be stronger aloft than on ground. If on very far flights (3000m is pretty darn far!) definitely learn aviation weather.

If you are close to an antenna tower, but below the actual antennae, you are likely farther from interference .. unless wideband, but even then ... when close you are more likely to be in the shadow of any transmissions. (Were you in record when you passed antenna? - Hope so!)

"Hurry" is bad form, and unsafe, as is anger "pissed off". I have chided myself for that too, more than once .. (I am no angel!), and not being attentive. "Cool, calm, collected, precise, attentive, safe, aware, etc." = good.

Not sure what smartphone Flight mode you refer to .. is this in WiFi mode? I have heard opposite is true.

Usb connection, micro on side is dominant (bypasses the bottom one) underneath connection is secondary (only works if top one is unplugged). Both "should" work identically, but, possibly, the lower connection is more solid, less conducive to dodgy connection, bad cable. My Mavic is arriving back home perhaps Wednesday. I will be trying out the iPad Mini 2, but also the S7 .. using both connections. Will report findings.

Yes of course, i was recording when passing the antenna backwards. Cool shot! ;)

Smartphone "flight mode" is this one you can use for your smartphone in aeroplanes while flight, that's the meaning. They wrote in this mode the smartphone doesn't try nonstopp to find another antenna signal. That sound logic.
Today i read at mavicpilots.com that problems with disconnection happens quite often and not only with Nougat, also with iPad and others. So maybe my problems were not really caused total by the update, but more by the locations where i flyed after the update. Especially the area Harz mountain range is well filled with radio antenna towers. Maybe this is the reason for so called interfrences? Didn't know this term/word before.

Glad you got the shot!

Oh .. gotcha .. "Airplane Mode" Yes ... this is good. However, if you use maps, look up how to cache maps for your flying area. I don't, so generally ignore that, especially as I am often flying in places where there is no reception, but for some people it is a thing.

Yes .. .many towers and interference ... there was something I read, with a chart .. I cannot find it now, but it is not so much the individual towers but where the transmissions meet, at certain frequencies and intensities .. makes a sort of "jamming" ... could be exacerbating your connectivity issues.

True .. everyone, all the time, forever, has connection problems, with every device. Some people have many issues, but others have none .. same devices, software, apps, and drones. However, this thing with Nougat is pretty clear. It could be whatever combination of situation too ..