Yeah, my replacement is here.

B Scott · Feb 24, 2018

After a bit of nail-biting, my replacement TH arrived this afternoon. Nail biting because the app I use for the Dutch Postal Service always tells you the expected time of delivery. I guess they got their wires crossed because for the last 12 hours it only listed the time as "Today" and the package as "Underway". The last time this happened the delivery was moved up a day.

But all went well and I had a great time unpacking the drone. I do notice some subtle change compared with the TH I bought a year ago. The ST 16 seems to be more of a matt black compared to the last one. The boxes are different, having a hatchback lid rather than opening on the ends as my old boxes did.

Finally, I noticed the patch antenna was replaced with a mushroom antenna. But digging through the boxes, what do I find but a patch antenna as well. So now, what do I do? Do I keep the mushroom antenna or swap out for the patch antenna? I suppose it comes down to how you wish to fly. I assume the patch antenna gives a bit more range but you must keep it pointed at the drone whereas the mushroom antenna will allow you to turn about as you fly but with a bit less range.

What do you all think?

Steve Carr · Feb 24, 2018

B Scott said:
I assume the patch antenna gives a bit more range but you must keep it pointed at the drone whereas the mushroom antenna will allow you to turn about as you fly but with a bit less range.

You answered your own question......and you got it 100% right.

Now, when you take it out to fly, remember to leave it sit for 13 minutes until the GPS is fully updated. Don't believe the sat count on the display. Just wait.

B Scott · Feb 24, 2018

Thanks Steve.
I'm going to take my time, do the updates and pair it all up tomorrow morning and then take it to the beach for a 1st flight in the afternoon once my Mrs. gets home from work provided the wind isn't too strong. In that case, we will just let the dog have a run.

Rubik · Feb 24, 2018

Steve Carr said:
Now, when you take it out to fly, remember to leave it sit for 13 minutes until the GPS is fully updated. Don't believe the sat count on the display. Just wait.

The 13 minute wait for GPS almanac to rebuild is only on your first flight in a new venue (over 100 miles?) or after a long (month?) since the last flight. If you fly at the same location frequently, the TH will be ready to go as soon as the GPS window says READY. Even so, immediately after takeoff, I hover about 10 feet above ground to make sure there is no drifting before heading out.
Don't forget to start the camera at the beginning of the flight and stop the camera before powering down the TH.

rdonson · Feb 24, 2018

Rubik said:
The 13 minute wait for GPS almanac to rebuild is only on your first flight in a new venue (over 100 miles?) or after a long (month?) since the last flight. If you fly at the same location frequently, the TH will be ready to go as soon as the GPS window says READY. Even so, immediately after takeoff, I hover about 10 feet above ground to make sure there is no drifting before heading out.
Don't forget to start the camera at the beginning of the flight and stop the camera before powering down the TH.

I don't have any definitive answer for the 13 minute wait recommendation for the GPS almanac. Some pilots have claimed the need exists if not flown for a week. Others say they've flown successfully 500 miles away from where it was performed. Some say they've only performed the 13 min wait once and never again. I've not found any Yuneec documentation on it. Perhaps others will chime in.

I have no definitive answer on the GPS window READY. I alway wait but that's just me probably based on something someone said. I've also seen contradictions between the GPS reported on the left of the ST16 UI and the upper right and not found a great answer for that either.

I tend to error on the side of caution. Falling to earth is such a bummer.

Yes, turning on the video at the beginning of the flight was something I routinely missed when I first started flying an H. I finally put a BIG LABEL on the controller so I wouldn't forget it. Now it's just muscle memory to turn it on when the H connects and turn it off when I land. Forgetting to turn it off before the ST16 is turned off can also be an awwww sh*t moment!

Rubik · Feb 25, 2018

rdonson said:
Yes, turning on the video at the beginning of the flight was something I routinely missed when I first started flying an H. I finally put a BIG LABEL on the controller so I wouldn't forget it. Now it's just muscle memory to turn it on when the H connects and turn it off when I land. Forgetting to turn it off before the ST16 is turned off can also be an awwww sh*t moment!

There's a easy fix for that. When you shut down the TH without stopping the video, it leaves a file without and End-of-File mark. To fix that, reinsert the card in the TH, start it up, start a video and then stop the video. Voila, the problem video file is now readable.

rdonson · Feb 25, 2018

Rubik said:
There's a easy fix for that. When you shut down the TH without stopping the video, it leaves a file without and End-of-File mark. To fix that, reinsert the card in the TH, start it up, start a video and then stop the video. Voila, the problem video file is now readable.

I think you mentioned that before and that’s exactly what I did after my flyaway where the battery drained to zero before the H was recovered. It worked like a charm. I now have 4K video of my H trying to munch on a pine tree.

Rubik · Feb 25, 2018

rdonson said:
I think you mentioned that before and that’s exactly what I did after my flyaway where the battery drained to zero before the H was recovered. It worked like a charm. I now have 4K video of my H trying to munch on a pine tree.

What? I'm repeating my selt? My wife and kids are tired of hearing my old jokes. But, hey, the grandkids haven't heard them yet!!
Have you posted the tree munching video?

rdonson · Feb 25, 2018

I did post it. Post #90 in the "Another Thought" thread. To save you looking for that here it is. There is no post processing on this video other than shortening the clip.

Dr Delta · Feb 26, 2018

rdonson said:
I did post it. Post #90 in the "Another Thought" thread. To save you looking for that here it is. There is no post processing on this video other than shortening the clip.

Saw an odd flash @ '35...

Fingerlakes · Feb 26, 2018

rdonson said:
I don't have any definitive answer for the 13 minute wait recommendation for the GPS almanac. Some pilots have claimed the need exists if not flown for a week. Others say they've flown successfully 500 miles away from where it was performed. Some say they've only performed the 13 min wait once and never again. I've not found any Yuneec documentation on it. Perhaps others will chime in.

I have no definitive answer on the GPS window READY. I alway wait but that's just me probably based on something someone said. I've also seen contradictions between the GPS reported on the left of the ST16 UI and the upper right and not found a great answer for that either.

I tend to error on the side of caution. Falling to earth is such a bummer.

Yes, turning on the video at the beginning of the flight was something I routinely missed when I first started flying an H. I finally put a BIG LABEL on the controller so I wouldn't forget it. Now it's just muscle memory to turn it on when the H connects and turn it off when I land. Forgetting to turn it off before the ST16 is turned off can also be an awwww sh*t moment!

I have had a VERY long wait with the GPS on a couple occasions.. I found that when I powered down the H and powered it back up it acquired and was ready in about 60-90 seconds..

rdonson · Feb 26, 2018

I've experienced that as well. Along with camera errors booting up the H.

Kind of like rebooting your computer when it loses its mind.

There are no fault free electronic components or error free code. At some point every product manager makes the call to say "ready to ship" with bugs they think are inconsequential or can be fixed later in an update.

One thing I always keep in the back of my mind is this quote.

“As I hurtled through space, one thought kept crossing my mind - every part of this rocket was supplied by the lowest bidder.”
― John Glenn

Rubik · Feb 26, 2018

Dr Delta said:
Saw an odd flash @ '35...

Yes, I get that sometimes also. I can't always edit that out if it's in the middle of a flowing scene. Annoying but it doesn't destroy the video. Most people won't even notice.

Crazy Crow · Feb 28, 2018

Rubik said:
Yes, I get that sometimes also. I can't always edit that out if it's in the middle of a flowing scene. Annoying but it doesn't destroy the video. Most people won't even notice.

I guess thats part of the CGO3. I frequently get those flashes in my videos but I haven’t heard any complaints yet. They are still annoying though.

rdonson · Feb 28, 2018

If you use a pro or close to a pro video editor/processor it's not that difficult to make the glitches disappear. In that class of software is DaVinci Resolve, Adobe Premiere Pro, Apple Final Cut Pro X, etc.

Rubik · Feb 28, 2018

rdonson said:
If you use a pro or close to a pro video editor/processor it's not that difficult to make the glitches disappear. In that class of software is DaVinci Resolve, Adobe Premiere Pro, Apple Final Cut Pro X, etc.

How would you go about doing that? Copy an adjacent frame or two and paste in place of the glitch?