loading maps for waypoint use

[Erick]

Anybody know how to load maps before going out to fly? I fly in areas that don't have cell service or wifi, so it won't load maps at the location I fly. Obviously I need to pre-load them, but I have no idea how to do it and there's nothing in the manual about it.

 

[DanKearney]

Erick,

Firstly, you have to enable caching in the settings interface in the StarLink application.

While I am still at home and have an active WiFi connection to my android tablet, I launch the StarLink app and I bring the map view to the fore. I then scroll around in the map interface to the place where I intend to fly. Just the act of viewing those areas causes the map to cache. Additionally, I will switch to satellite view and do the same thing, so both map and satellite images are cached.

Sometimes I will scroll around at one zoom level, and the zoom in and scroll around again in order to cache the maps and photos at different zoom levels. Then I turn off the WiFi conenction and head out to fly.

I have read somewhere that the cached maps "expire" after 30 days and also that if you forget to shut off the WiFi connection on your tablet and the tablet picks up a WiFi signal somewhere random while you're travelling to your flight location, that it can cause the cached maps to be over-written as the StarLink app will refresh the active map when it finds a new WiFi connection. I can't be certain if either of these two scenarios are true as I've not tested or experienced them.

Cheers,

Dan K.

 

[Erick]

Erick,

Firstly, you have to enable caching in the settings interface in the StarLink application.

While I am still at home and have an active WiFi connection to my android tablet, I launch the StarLink app and I bring the map view to the fore. I then scroll around in the map interface to the place where I intend to fly. Just the act of viewing those areas causes the map to cache. Additionally, I will switch to satellite view and do the same thing, so both map and satellite images are cached.

Sometimes I will scroll around at one zoom level, and the zoom in and scroll around again in order to cache the maps and photos at different zoom levels. Then I turn off the WiFi conenction and head out to fly.

I have read somewhere that the cached maps "expire" after 30 days and also that if you forget to shut off the WiFi connection on your tablet and the tablet picks up a WiFi signal somewhere random while you're travelling to your flight location, that it can cause the cached maps to be over-written as the StarLink app will refresh the active map when it finds a new WiFi connection. I can't be certain if either of these two scenarios are true as I've not tested or experienced them.

Cheers,

Dan K.

Thanks for the advice! I'll try it tomorrow if the weather holds out.

 

[Erick]

Erick,

Firstly, you have to enable caching in the settings interface in the StarLink application.

While I am still at home and have an active WiFi connection to my android tablet, I launch the StarLink app and I bring the map view to the fore. I then scroll around in the map interface to the place where I intend to fly. Just the act of viewing those areas causes the map to cache. Additionally, I will switch to satellite view and do the same thing, so both map and satellite images are cached.

Sometimes I will scroll around at one zoom level, and the zoom in and scroll around again in order to cache the maps and photos at different zoom levels. Then I turn off the WiFi conenction and head out to fly.

I have read somewhere that the cached maps "expire" after 30 days and also that if you forget to shut off the WiFi connection on your tablet and the tablet picks up a WiFi signal somewhere random while you're travelling to your flight location, that it can cause the cached maps to be over-written as the StarLink app will refresh the active map when it finds a new WiFi connection. I can't be certain if either of these two scenarios are true as I've not tested or experienced them.

Cheers,

Dan K.

Also, do you have the Xstar here in the UK? If so, what range are you getting out of the video before it starts glitching?

 

[Delta Blue]

Though it has been too cold to fly here since I got my X-Star on Christmas, I did briefly take it to the park for testing last week. On Starlink, the Google satellite view map did not appear as it had at home. Since then I found that Google Maps on my tablet had an update available. I activated the update, and after loading Google Maps along with Starlink on my home WIFI, then turning off WIFI, after several days both apps still hold the Google Maps satellite maps just fine. I am hoping the update fixed the problem. Monday it will be warm enough to be able to fly the X-Star the first time in acceptable weather, so I will be able to confirm this then. I read somewhere that the cache usually remains for about a month in memory.

 

[Tommy Molnar]

Erick,

Firstly, you have to enable caching in the settings interface in the StarLink application.

.

Just exactly where to I find this "enable caching" selection?

 

[DanKearney]

Launch StarLink.

Click on "Start".

Click on the "Settings" icon (A little gear) located in the lower left-hand corner of the screen, just to the right of the little map display window.

There are 6 tabs at the top of the Settings dialog box. Click the rightmost tab. Under the "Map" section there is a on/off slider for background caching.

Cheers,

Dan K.

 

[Tommy Molnar]

Thanks Dan. I just did this and found that I'd already set Background Caching to "ON".

I recall downloading a map of the area I was going to fly in (only about five miles as the crow flies, because it's over a mountain from my house), and when I got there it was gone. Luckily I have fair cell and web access over there so I was able to WiFi the map to the Galaxy pad I use.

 

[Delta Blue]

Thanks Dan. I just did this and found that I'd already set Background Caching to "ON".

I recall downloading a map of the area I was going to fly in (only about five miles as the crow flies, because it's over a mountain from my house), and when I got there it was gone. Luckily I have fair cell and web access over there so I was able to WiFi the map to the Galaxy pad I use.

I had the same problem with the Google Maps getting lost when getting to the field a week ago. The Autel rep I spoke with told me there was no real reason the X-Star would erase the maps so I looked outside the system at Google Maps and that seems to have been the solution. Since then I checked my tablet's apps for updates, there was one on it for Google Maps, and since I did that the maps on both Google and Starlink have remained on my tablet without any WIFI connection. When the weather warms tomorrow I will take the drone out and make sure it works in practice.

 

[DanKearney]

You have to place the device in airplane mode or turn off wifi after you cache the maps of the place you want to fly.

If you don't and the device catches a random wifi access point on your journey from home to your flight area, the cached maps will get overwritten by the device.

Cheers,

Dan K.

 

[Erick]

This is all great info....I hope Autel updates their manual or makes a tutorial vid explaining this so everybody is on the same page.

 

[Tommy Molnar]

You have to place the device in airplane mode or turn off wifi after you cache the maps of the place you want to fly.

If you don't and the device catches a random wifi access point on your journey from home to your flight area, the cached maps will get overwritten by the device.
.

I'm always in airplane mode . . . I just called up Google Maps are read exactly what you just said. If I travel somewhere and don't put it in airplane mode, it will pick up whatever the WiFi shows. And even if I do download a map, it will likely expire in 30 days. Interesting.

 

[DanKearney]

This is all great info....I hope Autel updates their manual or makes a tutorial vid explaining this so everybody is on the same page.

Refer to the user manual. Pages 55 & 56.

Cheers,

Dan K.

 

[DanKearney]

I'm always in airplane mode . . . I just called up Google Maps are read exactly what you just said. If I travel somewhere and don't put it in airplane mode, it will pick up whatever the WiFi shows. And even if I do download a map, it will likely expire in 30 days. Interesting.

I don't know anything about Google maps' interaction with StarLink. I just access the maps via the StarLink window. I suppose StarLink is funneling Google maps, but I don't know.

I have read elsewhere that the maps that are cached expire in 30 days.

Cheers,

Dan K.