Probably another stupid question!
I am using UAV forecast, its saying that its not good to fly as the current KP Index is 6 (I know that I can adjust the threshold in settings). It says that a KP index above 3 means disruption to GPS, is this true.
In well over 5 years of flying drones, yet to experience anything related to the Kp Index … other than the Northern Lights … and these things …
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Excellent answer, thank you
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Like Dave said I’ve never bothered with KP index.
Personally think it’s a load of bollocks where drones are concerned.
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When it is an issue for drones will be the same day you see the pilot of a low flying A380 leaning out of the window asking for directions.
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Only relevant when you fly in say Spitsbergen, when you are fairly close to the Pole, which I have.
I encountered High Magnetic Interference when on Svalbard and had to re-calibrate the compass on my Mavic Pro more times than I can mention.
And I was in the middle of freakin’ nowhere !.
The FP Index was at the time very high.
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What wind speed and gusts limits would you set for a MP?
25 mph, gusts 28
An MP will do 22mph max with OA enabled. That means if you lose signal it’s going to RTH at that speed. If the winds over 22mph it’s going to struggle to make headway unless you switch to sport mode.
So if you have OA enabled I’d set max for around 20-22mph and not stray too far towards the high end.
Good answer Dave…lol.
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I am aware that solar activity can have a negative impact on drone flying and that one should not fly in periods of high activity. This is measured in kp numbers from 1 to 10, 10 being the highest activitiy level. I don’t know what a kp is and probably don’t need to, but I would like to know what kp level I should consider not flying at? I’ve set it to 3 as a limit on the app, but this is pure guesswork.
AIUI, higher levels of solar activity such as those associated with Aurora displays can disrupt signal between RC and drone, affection control, and in extreme cases damage the drone’s electronics! All to do with solar winds, Van Allen, and radiation, don’t really understand it, but want to keep my drone safe from it!
As per:
I don’t think I can recall anyone ever having had a drone flight affected by a KP index value.
More likely to be struck by lightning
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Topic moved here by mods. I searched for ‘kp’ but nothing came up, so apologies if I should have come here in the first place.
Doesn’t look like I’m going to get an answer just yet, as it seems you all ignore the kp and fly anyway. Not sure that’s wise, given that a good chunk of Canada and New York State was taken off-grid by a solar storm a few years back. I can see that the problem could be more prominent nearer the poles, but given that Auroras have been visible in Southern Britain recently, it may be something to look out for!
As for ‘more likely to be struck by lightning’, a drone at any sort of altitude above the surroundings in a thunderstorm is pretty likely to attract the odd bolt or two, and I can’t imagine that what comes back down is much more than a lump of melted plastic with some bits of wire sticking out…
Your making it up
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Let’s try again 
Moving on:
Yes, many (many) millions of people around the world fly drones without ever looking at a KP index number and have yet to report a single issue.
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this
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And with over half a million posts on this forum, that might also indicate just how irrelevant a KP index value is to you flying your drone
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