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Whoops! There It Went! One H Gone on a Flash!

Sorry to heart that you lost your H. I hope you get a positive experience with Yuneec Customer Service. They have been great to me. Be glad you are not dealing with DJI. Their standard answer for everything is "pilot error."
 
Sorry to heart that you lost your H. I hope you get a positive experience with Yuneec Customer Service. They have been great to me. Be glad you are not dealing with DJI. Their standard answer for everything is "pilot error."
Thanks for that, would you suggest bothering them everyday?
 
I'll have to research the Mavic a little more. I thought it just had a front facing camera and therefore eliminated that drone as an option fir real estate photography.

I believe the Mavic video camera does face forward. Although it can flip from horizontal to vertical, you must rotate the craft to rotate the camera; you can control tilt. The other cams are part of the obstacle avoidance system. Impressive little drone, grab and go.
 
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CC - I've been thinking about your incident quite a bit and from what I've read, I don't think the issue was with the H. If the screen on your ST16 went blank, then the issue rests with the radio. Even if the H loses video or radio control, the ST16 should remain powered on and you should therefore still be able to see what is on the screen.
I wonder whether one of the power connectors inside the radio have come loose? Have you checked the battery connector plug? A cold solder may be one of the potential causes.
 
I believe the Mavic video camera does face forward. Although it can flip from horizontal to vertical, you must rotate the craft to rotate the camera; you can control tilt. The other cams are part of the obstacle avoidance system. Impressive little drone, grab and go.

Exactly correct, Rayray, as usual. Slight confusion in the transmission of information I was targeting and conveying, which was about the Mavic's camera-based obstacle avoidance system that you mentioned. The Mavic's lone video camera does face forward and will pan up and down only but not left or right or in 360, as the Typhoon H can do and does well. All lateral panning with the Mavic or 360-degree panorama shots or filming must be done by rotating the entire aircraft itself.
 
CC - I've been thinking about your incident quite a bit and from what I've read, I don't think the issue was with the H. If the screen on your ST16 went blank, then the issue rests with the radio. Even if the H loses video or radio control, the ST16 should remain powered on and you should therefore still be able to see what is on the screen.
I wonder whether one of the power connectors inside the radio have come loose? Have you checked the battery connector plug? A cold solder may be one of the potential causes.

No, I have not checked out that possibility, however now I will, including the battery plug. Thanks for the suggestions.

I agree that the trouble was not with the H, but lies within the ST16 instead.

What happened exactly is the ST16 display blinked momentarily, went black, then came back online instantly again on its own, showing an ST16 sat count and its normal grid layout but with NO telemetry data or video feed whatsoever coming from the H. All fields were just blank, totally empty, and the display was blank. The display DID NOT come back on showing the Yuneec logo as it does when initially powering up the ST16, so it was not coming back online from a "dead" state. There simply was no connection with the H. Then the "RC connecting" message came up and progress wheel as well as the same for the "reconnecting to camera" message and progress wheel, both unable to connect.

That was that. Not much recourse left to me to try to reconnect or rebind the aircraft and camera except to power down the ST16 or exit telemetry data mode, which I did not want to do for many reasons, including that I had hit the RTH switch ASAFP and hoped beyond hope that somehow that signal got through, which it didn't because it couldn't. The broken connection - which occurred with the H only being about 1,500' out and about 70' up totally within line of sight over open marshland and water - was never reestablished.

I'll see what I see in the ST16 and let you know if I find anything. Thanks, again, for your interest, support, and advice. I truly appreciate each of them.
 
Wow, CC, I thought I kept a good sense of humor with my health issues, (like yours) and my crappy luck, (like yours), but I don't know that I could be so humorous that fresh off such a terrible loss. I'm sorry to hear that, but after all I've read over the months, and the help you've offered me, my guess is, No Pilot Error. I saw a lot of good ideas as to what could have caused it, from a bird strike to a gun shot, but neither would explain the instant blackout on the St-16.
Now, if your luck is truly like mine, you may want to look for a bullet hole, or bird poop on your ST-16. Ya, I understand you were holding it at the time, but it could totally happen to me while holding it. ..Ok, sorry. I agree, you gotta laugh or you'll cry. One of my favorite lines from one of my favorite movies, " Don't ever lose your sense of humor, Dan... Don't Ever lose your sense of humor." James Belushi, "About Last Night."
On a serious note, I'm sorry to hear about your loss. You've put in a good amount of time and advice, offering me help with my H issues, along with many others, so it really sucks to hear that you've lost yours. I sure hope the 76 successful flights will stay fresh in your mind, and not the one unsuccessful flight that you clearly couldn't control. Definitely looking forward to hearing an update when you hear back from Yuneec. I wasn't impressed with their turnaround time on mine, but that is about the only complaint I could come up with about them, especially, through all the research I did with many others before landing on the H as my choice. Good luck to you, and I'm glad to hear that you will still be owning the H whether it's replaced by Yuneec or not. This forum would certainly miss your knowledge, helpfulness, and your humor.
 
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Thank you, greatly, for your empathy. I really appreciate it.

You've posed some very good questions here, my friend. The display definitely blinked out momentarily and then came back on in a dead state. Software crash is seeming more likely to me.

I remained calm throughout the ordeal, knowing I had just launched with a fully charged battery and had about a 15-minute window to think the problem through and respond accordingly before it fell from the sky out of juice. So I flipped on RTH immediately - the first time I have EVER used that function, as I always land manually - and then thought "What next?" No good answers to this particular problem came rushing to me. The thoughts of attempting to rebind the two units passed through my mind as did turning off and re-starting the ST16; however, neither rang true with me, as I believe the protocol of powering on the ST16 first and then the Typhoon H is in place for a reason. I've never started a flight in reverse order before and didn't think then was the time to try it and see what happens if I do.

So all I had left was patience and a bit of prayer going for me, as I hoped it would just return to me. I did lower the landing gear switch - for some dumb reason since there was no communication whatsoever between my H and ST16 and I knew it - other than that I kinda just stood there trying NOT to look like a guy who just lost his drone! After 5 minutes passed I knew my goose was fully cooked, but I stayed onsite for another 15 minutes or so, just in case. However, my usual Charlie Brown luck proved to come into play once again, but trust me I said much more than just, "Rats!" as that Charlie would have.

I'll have to see what Yuneec has to say. They will either make me very happy for the weekend or very not so happy through next month.

Sorry for your loss!! You're taking this like a champ - I would be crushed. I've had a couple of scares lately and reading your post is going to have me a little on edge. Hopefully, Yuneec will come back with good news.
 
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Well, since you asked, and I must be honest, I have to say I absolutely love it. It's not my Typhoon H by no means, but it is clearly a quality drone in its own right. It's a neat, well-designed incredible little flying machine with lots of automated features that make great filming and image capturing a real breeze. More importantly, it is a pleasure to pilot. Totally rock solid in winds in excess of 22 mph and very maneuverable.

The Mavic's compactness is unbelievable (takes up the space that a bottle of water does when folded up, props included) making it incredibly easy to just toss in your car or carry along with you anywhere, on a motorcycle, on a bicycle or on foot. It weighs nothing, 1.6 lbs with a battery. I take mine with me wherever I go just in case I come upon anything worth capturing. It stays secure in the small handbag that comes with it designed to carry the drone, its controller, extra props and up to 4 batteries, all of which takes up a space I measured to be only about 8.5" x 8.5" x 6.5". (The storage bag has solid belt loops and shoulder straps to accomodate a variety of needs. Everything is well thought out in the Mavic's design.)

Yet, the Mavic has an incredible stock RC/video transmission range of 4.7 miles in any terrain with no trouble whatsoever; an incredibly excellent 4K camera and extremely stable gimbal assembly that yield perfect image results; an average flight range per battery of more than 8 miles and with flight times in cold weather of at least 20-22 minutes by my tests this past winter, sometimes even more (and that's with a remaining 30% battery power I stick to when it's time for me to bring it back in safely); speeds of up to 43 mph; redundant and intelligent forward and bottom facing sensors and cameras that avoid objects not only in front of it it but also beneath it, ensuring safe RTH functions as the Mavic will find alternative routes and avoid obstacles - tiny tree branches or whatever- to find its own way back to you, utilizing both cameras and sensors as part of its OA systems, thereby able to literally land itself in RTH mode on almost the exact same spot it photographed and recorded during takeoff, just to name a few capabilities that stick out to me.

It also comes designed with several failsafe systems to protect the aircraft in the event of in-air problems and even pilot oversight. For example, the Mavic warns you of high winds it's encountering in realtime; can return to you if you have exceeded the battery power needed to safely return the aircraft to its homepoint; comes back to you in the event of a signal loss using both GPS coordinates and also the takeoff images I just mentioned, and much more than I need share here.

The Mavic has carved out its own niche in the drone world. Like the Typhoon H, it well-serves its customers. But also like the H it, too, fills its own certain purpose and comes with its own limitations and downsides. However, I need to stress that nothing replaces my Typhoon H; that's why I have another one coming my way in a matter of a few days to replace the one I lost yesterday.

Would I get a Mavic if I were you, Chad? Well, yes. I'd consider it. Especially being in your particular field of work (manufacturer DJI claims the Mavic can be safely flown indoors to capture unique interior shots; there's even a flight mode for that in the App). They are affordable. Right now they're cheaper than our Typhoons but are hard to get.due to an ongoing high demand for them worldwide.

Feels a little weird to tout the Mavic's abilities in this Forum dedicated to the Yuneec Typhoon H, but I decided the truth is the truth, we are all big people here, and knowing what is out there should only be a good thing, not heresy. So please take what I have written in the spirit in which it was meant: to answer a fellow Forum member's question.

Excellent post!
Do you find it difficult to switch between the two models? I love my Typhoon H but sometimes I want something that is a bit more portable with more range. Hopefully, Yuneec will add the "I'm returning to home because my battery is low feature". I usually start making my way back home as soon as I get the very first warning. I start my stopwatch as soon as I start my motors just to make sure I stay within the average of my typical battery's flight time.
 
I can imagine how you felt.
As for all the afore mentioned it is strange the aircraft didn't return home as it lost connection to ground station.
I would expect the H to keep it's position loitering upon a broken link trying to regain it. As in your case, if the link isn't regained the battery to drains and the aircraft enter return mode, going to return home altitude and taking it's way to the start point from there.
Now, if it finds an obstacle in the returning path, which is a straight line, say a tree, it might got stuck if it had obstacle avoidance on, or it could just crashed into the tree if it didn't.
But if there was no obstacles why didn't basic fail-safe measures didn't work? Could it have been a bird attack or some other kind of attack that killed your H all of sudden?
I would be extra cautious upon flying on that place again.
 
Not ignoring the importance of your message Jester.... but read the title of thread... or the first article of thread... Or maybe you mean the crocodiles and fish with 'they'...? :)

Cheers!
Excuse the mental issues I suffer. I don't know how I did that. My internet locked up and for some reason came back to this post I read and already responded to way earlier. This originally started out as a reply to the guy who's first one dropped into a pond from 400' and now had trouble with the replacement. How that came back with the quote from this older post after such a quick glitch is beyond me. It literally just froze, minimized and came back up, and somehow it's not even the post I was reading when I asked this question.
But, ya, I meant the fish. My computer and I were apparently made for each other. I always tell people, I'm as surprised as you are at what comes out of my mouth. Now my computers has jumped on board my crazy train with me. Sorry.
 
I'm going to go ahead and delete that, and go find the post I meant to quote and ask about. Probably save me a lot of future explaining. ;)
 
Excuse the mental issues I suffer. I don't know how I did that. My internet locked up and for some reason came back to this post I read and already responded to way earlier. This originally started out as a reply to the guy who's first one dropped into a pond from 400' and now had trouble with the replacement. How that came back with the quote from this older post after such a quick glitch is beyond me. It literally just froze, minimized and came back up, and somehow it's not even the post I was reading when I asked this question.
But, ya, I meant the fish. My computer and I were apparently made for each other. I always tell people, I'm as surprised as you are at what comes out of my mouth. Now my computers has jumped on board my crazy train with me. Sorry.

lol... no prolem, mate... :)
 
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UPDATE ON MY CASE WITH YUNEEC: I contacted Yuneec again early this morning their time since their response time they quoted to me had expired. I had already sent my telemetry file to Yuneec on 3/9/17 when the broken ST16/TYphoon H connection incident occurred, while a tech was on the phone with me, received the file and gave it a quick review, said everything was in order, and then issued me a case number.

When I called Yuneec today, I was informed that the tech had not processed the event properly last Thursday and therefore nothing further had proceeded with my case. No biggie, these kind of things happen in offices. I was instructed to re-send my telemetry file to Yuneec again, which I immediately did, and was promptly emailed a new case number to work with. The representative today told me it usually takes them up to 24 hours to review the telemetry file in a case such as mine in which, she stated, a replacement may be issued, which I was happy to hear and was buoyed with even more hope that Yuneec will take good care of me.

So the process is still in its infancy. However, the other Typhoon H I ordered to replace my downed one is supposed to be delivered today. Already charging up my LiPos and am ready to update the firmware, do my calibrations, and hopefully get in the sky before it gets too dark on me. (Gotta love Daylight Savings Time!) I haven't yet contacted my insurance agent yet since I'm hoping Yuneec sees things my way, but I may just report it anyhow without yet filing a claim just in case things DO work out the way I hope they do.

I'll keep you posted when something new and worth noting pops up. Safe flying to you all.
 
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Called Yuneec support this morning but they're closed/not taking calls until 1:00 for company meeting. Probably discussing what's happening to all these drones!! Lmao
I got the same message at 3PM PST on Friday
 
I finally got thru to them today. My case has not been looked at yet. I was told that the flight logs that I sent to them last Monday somehow didn't get attached to my case file. They did apologize profusely saying it was their fault.
It's been seven days since I uploaded the flight logs. I was once again promised 24-48 hours for the review and a determination. My advice to anyone with an open case is to keep checking and stay on top of it. I should have called them back after I sent the flight logs to make sure everything was in order. Still hoping for a positive outcome.
 
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