Compass calibration

Who calibrates compass before every flight?

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Yet to calibrate my MP after 2 yrs 8 mnths. Not even when I got it.
Never found a need. :man_shrugging:

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I don’t want to but I’d have to say that on the majority of flights I make I get ‘forced’ to do so. With my little Mavic Air, it seems that it won’t take off unless it is calibrated.

When I had the P3SE I calibrated it once in the 6mths I had it right at the start and it never asked for it again and neither did I try.

Not really an answer to your question I guess.

just wondered as during my PFCO exam, examiner said he calibrates his before every flight,

I did for a while but only now if there is an obvious reason, cliffs or similar

More in depth thoughts and reasoning that I’ve expressed previously on this … Tale of woe - #12 by OzoneVibe

I only ever did it once with my MP. But now I find I’m forced to do it almost every flight with the MP2 due to ‘compass error’ showing on the screen. There doesn’t seem to be any pattern to it except that if I don’t fly for a week or so, it needs doing.

doesn’t sound right, that’s never (touch wood) come up on mine.

have you updated/reset settings or looked into why it’s doing it

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To be honest I haven’t updated or reset the settings. It’s a minor inconvenience, but thanks for the heads up, I’ll update it tonight. It does seem to coincide with the message that the fly data needs updating…I think!!!

Once (I think) out of the box for my MP.

370km and 5 countries later never bothered.

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Did my Mavic when I first bought it, and the second-hand Inspire when I got that too (along with IMU, Gimbal, RC etc calibrations).

Not touched any of them since :+1:t2:

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I recalibrate both my drones at every new location just to be safe

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Im pretty sure as long as it gets a home lock all is good.

I’ve seen lots of chaps dancing with their Phantoms on the beach, makes for an amusing sight ;o)

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Back in the Phantom 2 days, when “fly aways” were …. the thing, I made one simple note about each one where that info was available.

Had they done a compass recal before the flight. 94% had done so.

I still maintain it’s easier to introduce an “issue” if you change anything in a system that’s working perfectly well. Mine (both P2 and MP) fly … “perfectly well”. Therefore I leave well alone.

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So I don’t need to calibrate my pantom or spark everytime I go to different locations as I was told if I didn’t my drones wouldn’t no where to come back to if I lost connection guess I was miss informed

As above as long as you hear ‘The home point has been recorded’ you is ok

But listen when she says check it on the map

Ok thanks for that

The calibration would have to be dramatically wayward for it not to be able to find its way back to the home point.

On the rare occasions I’ve had a re-calibrate compass message, I’ve moved 20ft and tried again and it’s been fine.
I maintain that if a location has a magnetic anomaly, and you recalibrate, once it’s flown 20ft or so it’s no longer influenced by the anomaly to which you’ve just calibrated it. Your drone is now flying with a compass with a bad calibration.

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Another thing that is confusing, to say the least, is starting up / taking off from metal objects.

One would expect the drone to throw either a “recalibrate” message, or just refuse (which can happen).

This came up in a conversation over a year ago, so I tested taking off from a very thick manhole cover.

There was no issue. :man_shrugging:

My posts that relate to this are here and seven posts below - and the general conversation thereabouts.

Agreed, that’s really important.

And that, is even more important :blush:

Except - I rarely have maps loaded. I just make sure it’s near where the “blank map” says I am.

Gawd! Litchi scared the bejezus out of me once, when I first started using it… It auto-zoomed the map in so far I thought everything had vanished! LOL!