Drone lost connection to st-16 twice

[ChadCloses]

Yesterday i was shooting some video for a tv commercial. I was trying to get just benid this mountain/hill to get a reveal shot but my st-16 had to reestablish connection twice. Luckily i didnt panic and just left the controls alone. Since i coulnd see the drone behind the hill i wasnt sure if was still in the air. Never had this issue before and i wasnt more than 500 ft away from the drone:

Dropbox - YUN00005.mp4

 

[Steve Carr]

The video signal is line of sight so if you can't see the H then it can't send the video signal back to the controller.
The control signal will generally stay connected even when the video feed is lost. If you lose the control connection the H will initiate RTH until the signal is regained.

If you wish to get the reveal shot you're looking for it would be better to do so by flying that part of the flight from near the top of the hill.

 

[ChadCloses]

It appeared to be more than just a video signal issue. I did try to increase altitude but the drone wasn’t responding until a connection was re established.

 

[Steve Carr]

If that is the case then the control signal was lost and the H was climbing to the RTH altitude you have set on the ST16.

 

[AeroJ]

Yep, never descend the other side of a mountain, even if it's a tiny one like this ! That should be on page 1 of every remote flying guide for crafts like these. Video signal is at risk if there are so much as just a few trees between you and the craft, but both video and control signal are highly likely to fail if there is ever solid ground or mounds of earth / rock between you and them... but on the plus side, great that you got it back - the people that try this on actual mountains are rarely so lucky, especially if they launched from near the base, and RTH altitude is calculated from there...

 

[ChadCloses]

Yep, never descend the other side of a mountain, even if it's a tiny one like this ! That should be on page 1 of every remote flying guide for crafts like these. Video signal is at risk if there are so much as just a few trees between you and the craft, but both video and control signal are highly likely to fail if there is ever solid ground or mounds of earth / rock between you and them... but on the plus side, great that you got it back - the people that try this on actual mountains are rarely so lucky, especially if they launched from near the base, and RTH altitude is calculated from there...

I was thinking the same thing. If RTH had initiated it probably would flown right into the top of that mountain. I was lucky it stayed in hover mode.

 

[PatR]

Sorry, but what part of Line of Sight is hard to understand? If we can’t see the aircraft it’s probable neither can the ST-16. Signal will be lost and lost comm protocols will activate.

 

[Steve Carr]

If it stayed in hover the control signal was not lost. It only takes a few seconds for the flight controller to initiate RTH. If you couldn't see it how do you know it wasn't responding to the throttle up command? There are 3 signals: video, telemetry and control. The most robust is control. When you pushed the left stick up, the H started climbing and regained the telemetry and video signal. There are only 2 possible ways for the H to climb; from controller command or from RTH. If you didn't set the RTH altitude before the flight, consider yourself lucky.

You have simply misinterpreted what happened. There have been many posts on this forum where a pilot thought he lost control because the video and telemetry were lost. If you don't know how to get the aircraft back home in that situation you have to select Home. If you didn't set the RTH altitude and you lose the aircraft, then it's pilot error. BTW, the rule of thumb before selecting Home is to gain altitude first. It will not descend by selecting Home.

 

[FlushVision]

Drone 101. An object between you and the aircraft will generally result in loss of video and control signal. If RTH has been set up for a sufficient height to clear the obstacle then you should get it back in one piece. If not, then a trip to the repairer's is likely.

 

[AH-1G]

Yesterday i was shooting some video for a tv commercial. I was trying to get just benid this mountain/hill to get a reveal shot but my st-16 had to reestablish connection twice. Luckily i didnt panic and just left the controls alone. Since i coulnd see the drone behind the hill i wasnt sure if was still in the air. Never had this issue before and i wasnt more than 500 ft away from the drone:

Dropbox - YUN00005.mp4

Trying to get behind the hill out of VLS is an attempt nobody should do, 1st you loose visual sight and 2nd it's against FAA Rules.
It is better to be safe rather than trying to impress others or even yourself.