First flight

[Ghostnotes]

All went well.

Did not take it above 100ft. Operated it in smart/angle mode, GPS disabled etc. Out to about 200 yards. One issue i did have was towards the end. I has 2 compass errors. This was after my low battery warning and wonder if it starts regulating power more aggressively in that state. It was also near a metal light pole about 3 ft off the ground both times.

From what i understood, losing gps is workable, losing compass is not...

I have flown a dji once for a few minutes, this is a whole new ball game but i was comfortable with it.

After a few more flights, I plan on flying IFR....lol. Meaning, at least to me i should be able to navigate by camera view if i am out so far as to not being totally sure of orientation.

 

[Steve Carr]

not being totally sure of orientation.

You can see the orientation on the screen if you look at the green arrow (with GPS on). When the arrow is pointing up, the H is facing you. Moving the right stick in the same direction as the green arrow is pointing will bring the H back to you. If you loss video feed this is extremely helpful.

 

[Ghostnotes]

Here is a short video of my landing. This was at the very end. Not an optimal location. There is an open fiels at about 2 o'clock but was hesitant to fly to it since even 2.4 does not like going through obstructions.

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[Ghostnotes]

You can see the orientation on the screen if you look at the green arrow (with GPS on). When the arrow is pointing up, the H is facing you. Moving the right stick in the same direction as the green arrow is pointing will bring the H back to you. If you loss video feed this is extremely helpful.

Ok so if i lose video the arrow remains?

Also during my flight, there were some sort of other info displayed on the screen in an arc type fasion.
What was that.

 

[Steve Carr]

Ok so if i lose video the arrow remains?

Also during my flight, there were some sort of other info displayed on the screen in an arc type fasion.
What was that.

Yes, the green arrow will still be on the screen. If a message about loosing video is blocking the view, use the return arrow under the screen to clear the message.
The arc display is active when you have RealSense turned on.
Please review videos on Youtube to get a better understanding of the H. You will save yourself much frustration and the H from damage.
Click this link: Jeff Sibelius

 

[Ghostnotes]

Have already bookmarked him prior to this, very good tutorials.

I have flown by instruments in the past at night, so one of my main tasks is to be able to do IFR/VFR and switch between the 2 as needed. Unfortunately the original instructions are not very indepth.
For example it does not cover anything in regards to the ability to change rates and curves

I also found the improved manuals here.

The compass errors kind of worries me though. Unless it had something to do with battery level or altitude.

 

[Steve Carr]

Low altitude and getting near metal will generate compass errors.
You will find very little info on changing rate curves. It's very easy to make a critical mistake when doing so that could create unintended flight characteristics. Even pilots with much experience fying the H avoid making changes. If you are so tempted, I suggest you post a question regarding what you feel needs modified before making any change. In addition, making changes voids the warranty.

 

[Ghostnotes]

Strange, voiding a warranty on a available adjustment that requires no extra tools or equipment.
I looked through briefly it and understand it. Similar to the work i do as an instrumentation engineer when setting calibration limits in some respects. Gain and sensitivity, offsets. Is it possible to remap the stick controls?

 

[AH-1G]

Compass errors could have been because you were next to the tree, I've have this experience also. As Steve mentioned getting to close to metal such as the light pole can cause interference also.

 

[Ghostnotes]

Compass errors could have been because you were next to the tree, I've have this experience also. As Steve mentioned getting to close to metal such as the light pole can cause interference also.

I'm really hoping so.
However if that is the case i would say they are over sensitive. If it correlates to GPS as some people have said, it makes no sense because GPS is position and compass is orientation until you start to move that is. But getting back to being stationary, if you are 15-20ft away and a tree or light pole causes this, that's NASA or satellite instrument sensitivity.

 

[PatR]

A compass uses magnetism to function and any given power pole or street light fixture has the capability to radiate EMI, or electro-magnetic interference. Most time the H will not be affected by anything when flying 15'-20' from a power line/pole but there's no way of knowing if components on the power pole or street light have broken down and leaking energy. What is pretty well established is the H compass can be affected when flying very close to a chain link fence, automobile, metal bridge, steel hulled boat/ship, or rail road tracks. i think that's due more to signal bounce between the metal object and the H when the orientation of the H, object, and controller are just right.

Your situation was pretty well saturated with metal objects that might have contributed. Sitting on the tail gate by itself is not a problem but sitting on the tail gate while flying next to a metal light pole that's closely associated with another car in a cul-de-sac with a lot of other cars (and WiFi) is an environment rich in conflict. I seriously doubt the trees were any factor at all.

The components used in our multirotors are nowhere close to the level of quality employed by NASA, aerospace, or the military and as such are more susceptible to interference. What we have are made using the cheapest materials and labor that can be found and there are zero industry manufacturing/inspection certification or quality standards for them to meet. Regardless of who makes it, always be ready to hand fly the aircraft.

 

[Ghostnotes]

I would be more inclined to believe WiFi issues or conflict when the controller and H are in close proximity to one another, but a 480v light pole or single car not so sure,very low EMI there. Chain link fence,definitely especially if close to power lines of 7.5kV or more. Now if you get close to the light itself then for sure due to the high frequency and voltage increase while its lit. Some cheap mag sensors can be extremely sensitive. It's just their rejection is not good or associated shielding.

 

[Ghostnotes]

To be fair though, I am taking it to a good area later to see what happens. I read the entire thread about compass errors last night and am quite worried. IF i can make it go into error by my close proximity, i will be very relieved. However i do expect it to do it from time to time regardless.

 

[AH-1G]

I was thinking of trees interfering with GPS, thank you for the correction PatR.

 

[PatR]

The H would need to be under a pretty dense canopy for GPS interference to become an issue. If it was tight between/under buildings or other structures GPS satellite reception could get blocked, limited only to what’s directly overhead/in view. That actually happens a lot with any of them.

 

[AH-1G]

Last month when I was doing an event for YMCA and Lockheed Martin I was under very dense canopy of trees. It was difficult to maintain position, constantly fighting to keep it from drifting where ever it wanted to go. These pictures are from video

 

[rdonson]

Were there any WiFi signals in the area? I've always been concerned that our drones use 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz which are public radio bands used by a LOT of devices.

 

[Ghostnotes]

Just out of pure curiosity, I'm going to scan with a network monitor to see where this resides in the spectrum.

 

[PatR]

Last month when I was doing an event for YMCA and Lockheed Martin I was under very dense canopy of trees. It was difficult to maintain position, constantly fighting to keep it from drifting where ever it wanted to go. These pictures are from video

I've shot in a similar condition and also experienced a little more positional drift than usual. That's some hard work to get done. Finding the angle that has the needed height without running into a tree branch either laterally or vertically, or getting too close to the people. The people is often the hardest part since as soon as they become aware of the H they want to get under it.

 

[AH-1G]

Fortunately PatR the area I was flying was taped off. On top of that is was very windy. Funny, the LHM people weren't that curious, I guess since mine is a toy compared to what they develop its humdrum.