GPS precision

[andrew124C41]

Edit: A couple days later I flew near my home. I have no way to explain this. The RTH worked just like it is supposed to. Consistently flew right back on the H!

Yaw handling and ability to do a manual orbit were better!

So, I am going to keep it!

My V2 upon hitting RTH consistently landed right back on the H on my landing pad. My V2 was lost during a smart orbit and rather than letting Autel honor the warranty and get another V2, I elected for a discount to get the V3 E2P RTK so I could get the large Smart Controller. The drone is 10 to 20 feet or more off after pressing RTH.

In addition, the flight control, especially the Yaw is really jerky making manual orbit almost impossible. I tried using the settings I had on the V2 and they did not work.

No matter what settings I tried it is as if they have no effect!

How accurate is the RTH on the V1?

 

[pedals2paddles]

My v1 can land within +/- 6" on a piece of unpainted wood sticking off the side of my deck railing. But that level of precision is from the visual landing correction, not from the GPS alone. Do you have the visual navigation and landing systems enabled?

 

[andrew124C41]

My v1 can land within +/- 6" on a piece of unpainted wood sticking off the side of my deck railing. But that level of precision is from the visual landing correction, not from the GPS alone. Do you have the visual navigation and landing systems enabled?

Yes!
Even if I didn't have them enabled, it shouldn't be 20 feet off. Additionally, handling is terrible, especially yaw. I could do a manual orbit with the V2. No matter what settings I use for sensitivity and expo I can't get it to handle correctly. I am trying to return it and just get a V2 under the original warranty which is what I should have done. The upgrade just to get the SC and RID is just not worth it.

 

[pedals2paddles]

I agree, the performance you're seeing does not sound right. My usual advice when flight performance sucks is as follows:

• Redo the controller stick calibrations
• Redo the compass calibration
• Redo the IMU calibration
• Flight test.

If it still isn't flight right, proceed with warranty process if Autel is answering the phone this month.

 

[andrew124C41]

I agree, the performance you're seeing does not sound right. My usual advice when flight performance sucks is as follows:

• Redo the controller stick calibrations
• Redo the compass calibration
• Redo the IMU calibration
• Flight test.

If it still isn't flight right, proceed with warranty process if Autel is answering the phone this month.

I did all that. At this point, I just want to return it, get my original V2 back, and use the money to buy a DJI. I would rather put up with geofencing at this point. The V3 is just not worth paying for over the V2!

 

[MNT DRONE SOLUTIONS]

Yes!
Even if I didn't have them enabled, it shouldn't be 20 feet off. Additionally, handling is terrible, especially yaw. I could do a manual orbit with the V2. No matter what settings I use for sensitivity and expo I can't get it to handle correctly. I am trying to return it and just get a V2 under the original warranty which is what I should have done. The upgrade just to get the SC and RID is just not worth it.

So I own a RTK V3 as well and have not had any issues with the RTH accuracy. It will land on a dime with 9 cents change everytime. There are other variables that might offset the landing accuracy, but nothing that would make it off by more than a few feet at most. It sounds like you might have some faulty hardware. (GPS Module on the drone main board) I would suggest speaking with Autel about having it serviced.
I'm sorry to hear a fellow pilot having these issues. It just plain sucks! I purchased the RTK V3 and the 640T and I understand your frustrations with the V3 models. Especially the lack of automated flight modes. I would like to believe that they will get those back up to par with a software/firmware update sometime soon.

I wanted the RTK and was just going to purchase the 640T sensor only to swap imaging packages back and forth as needed, but for just a few hundred dollars more I was able to get the whole rugged bundle which was on sale at the time I purchased back in February. That was a no brainer, because for the price difference at the time, I got another airframe and another 3 batteries and an additional 7" smart controller for the difference, which if purchased separately would have been way more than just the $300 difference for the whole bundle.

I hope you are able to get a positive resolution in a timely manner.

 

[andrew124C41]

So I own a RTK V3 as well and have not had any issues with the RTH accuracy. It will land on a dime with 9 cents change everytime. There are other variables that might offset the landing accuracy, but nothing that would make it off by more than a few feet at most. It sounds like you might have some faulty hardware. (GPS Module on the drone main board) I would suggest speaking with Autel about having it serviced.
I'm sorry to hear a fellow pilot having these issues. It just plain sucks! I purchased the RTK V3 and the 640T and I understand your frustrations with the V3 models. Especially the lack of automated flight modes. I would like to believe that they will get those back up to par with a software/firmware update sometime soon.

I wanted the RTK and was just going to purchase the 640T sensor only to swap imaging packages back and forth as needed, but for just a few hundred dollars more I was able to get the whole rugged bundle which was on sale at the time I purchased back in February. That was a no brainer, because for the price difference at the time, I got another airframe and another 3 batteries and an additional 7" smart controller for the difference, which if purchased separately would have been way more than just the $300 difference for the whole bundle.

I hope you are able to get a positive resolution in a timely manner.

My V2 E2P flew off and it was under warranty. I should have just let them replace it. But, stupid me, I wanted the larger smart controller and got a 30 percent discount. I have no need for the RTK. I don't like geofencing. I also got this directly from Autel.

It has taken a month and a half after my drone loss to go this far. I am done with Autel. I should have listened to Ken Booth. At this point, I just want my money back and thd original V2. I will even settle for getting my money back and I will get a DJI M3P or M3 and just deal with the geofencing.

If I send this drone back for repair it will take another month and a half. I am sorry that there are no good prosumer drone manufacturers in the US. I already spoke with my Credit Card company. But, I will give Autel until the end of the day to work this out.

 

[MNT DRONE SOLUTIONS]

Hope you get a positive resolve to all of this. It's always disheartening to hear a fellow pilot have the depth of issues you are having.

 

[andrew124C41]

Hope you get a positive resolve to all of this. It's always disheartening to hear a fellow pilot have the depth of issues you are having.j

Just out of curiosity, and this may not be something you do.. are you able to do reliable, stable, manual orbits with your V3 RTK? That is the most difficult maneuver but one necessary for good video and indicative of flight controlability. The yaw on my V3 is really jerky, more so than the V2 was.

 

[MNT DRONE SOLUTIONS]

Yes. I had to adjust the sensitivity and get the feel for it, but after a few short "warm up" rounds, I can usually get an acceptable orbit. I have never owned the V2 only the V1 and the V3 so I cannot speak to the difference between the V2 and the V3 but I do notice a slight difference between the V1 and the V3 in that the V3 is a little more difficult

 

[MNT DRONE SOLUTIONS]

I always try to do a few partial runs of the maneuvers I would be recording

 

[andrew124C41]

Yes. I had to adjust the sensitivity and get the feel for it, but after a few short "warm up" rounds, I can usually get an acceptable orbit. I have never owned the V2 only the V1 and the V3 so I cannot speak to the difference between the V2 and the V3 but I do notice a slight difference between the V1 and the V3 in that the V3 is a little more difficult

That is interesting. As I said, the handling of the V3 is more difficult than the V2. I suspect it doesn't matter to you because you are doing missions. I am interested in photography and video so the ability to control the drone is important.

Do you think I am wrong for wanting to return it for a refund and just get my V2 under the warranty?

 

[MNT DRONE SOLUTIONS]

I have done video and photography for real estate, as well as music videos and other various projects where stability is important and it does matter to me as well. I have spoken with pilots on both sides of the aisle as far as the controllability and stability during flights. In the end I believe it is just a matter of personal preference.

As far as a refund and going back to the V2 that would be a decision that only you can make. From all I have read from what you have posted it seems as though you are unhappy with the V3 and so, if possible, try and get your money back or another V2 or some other acceptable resolve. I did speak with someone at Autel and those additional automated flight features have been requested by many pilots and the engineering team might possibly come out with a software update. I was told that the "guts" of the V3 series is very similar to the light and light + hardware and so it was not just an easy transfer to the V3 because of the different programming. The engineers have to build a bridge between the automated features from the V1 V2 and the new hardware that is in the V3's. One of the main reasons I am choosing to stay with Autel is because of its Mission ready capability compared to other brands that have to rely on third party softwares to fly missions. That and of course geofencing.

 

[andrew124C41]

I also noticed that I can't create a mission from home using my wifi connection to the internet. I have to tether the drone using WiFi... Weird. But, I have only done some mapping missions for fun. I am not in business as you are. I do appreciate your input.

 

[pedals2paddles]

If you have redone all of those calibrations correctly, and the drone flight characteristics are still as you describe, then I think you have a defective piece of hardware. You should take that up with Autel to swap it out under warranty. This has nothing to do with v1 versus V2 versus V3. This is just you having a defective piece of hardware due to probably just bad luck.

You will need to decide what the right model is for you. You said you bought the RTK package but don't need RTK and we're going to sell the RTK GPS. I really don't know why you would have spent your money on that if you didn't need it. So if you're going to return this under warranty, I recommend using this opportunity to spend your money wisely. Don't buy something you don't need.

 

[andrew124C41]

The reason for purchasing the RTK is because it is cheaper to get it than to get the E2P with the SE and then pay for the larger SC. The SE is only 800 nits.

Is there a way to plan missions without turning on the aircraft. As I recall, with the V2 using my phone Explorer App, I didn't have to turn on the phone.

 

[andrew124C41]

If you have redone all of those calibrations correctly, and the drone flight characteristics are still as you describe, then I think you have a defective piece of hardware. You should take that up with Autel to swap it out under warranty. This has nothing to do with v1 versus V2 versus V3. This is just you having a defective piece of hardware due to probably just bad luck.

You will need to decide what the right model is for you. You said you bought the RTK package but don't need RTK and we're going to sell the RTK GPS. I really don't know why you would have spent your money on that if you didn't need it. So if you're going to return this under warranty, I recommend using this opportunity to spend your money wisely. Don't buy something you don't need.

Weirdest thing. Flew the drone near my place today and the GPS worked just fine... Consistently and flight control was better. I have no idea what happened the past two days out at my RC field.

Good thing to become Autel wad going to give me a hard time about returning it. I am going to keep it and probably get a DJI as well.