Controller angle

Uxodas · Jul 5, 2019

What angle is the SC3 supposed to be at in relation to the aircraft?
What part of the antenna is supposed to face the aircraft?

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StIwY · Jul 6, 2019

I join to the discussion.

I also have a question about the signal. What would happen for example, if i go to a mountain peak and send the drone far and below my position. For example to fly over a little village. Will the signal be all right?

CraigCam · Jul 6, 2019

The video transmission needs one of sight for reliable viewing. The thick part above the phone has the antennas. When you hold the controller at the angle that allows you to view your phone, you are typically pointing the antenna at about 45 degrees up. That gives you a good angle for up and out flights. The map can help keep you pointed in the right direction. This video is a good one for explanation.

As for your over the hill scenario, can you maintain height for connection then use the zoom to get the shot?

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Rocky the FS · Jul 6, 2019

He means line of sight.

In the scenario where you are flying well below your location, it may help to point the antenna further and further down towards the drone.

Uxodas · Jul 6, 2019

Ok, I know where the antenna is. I'm wondering about the angle relative to the bird.
Top dead center pointing towards it?

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Dirk_ANAFI · Jul 6, 2019

Perhaps this Parrot blog helps?

Newsroom

Newsroom Parrot

blog.parrot.com

Rocky the FS · Jul 6, 2019

Yes, this blog should be reviewed once in a while. It is quite interesting. One thing it does not tell us about is the vertical emission pattern, which is important in StlwY's situation. From practical experience, it seems the drones vertical down pattern is good, because I and others have flown the Anafi straight up to 500 feet without changing how we are holding the controller and still get good signal strength. I have not and may never send the drone off a mountain to the valley 300 meters below. If I did, I would certainly not try 300 meters below at first!! My guess is that the designers never anticipated this type of flight and didn't worry much about the emission pattern above the drone. The controller's emission pattern can be altered by pointing the controller down so that the antenna is pointing level or lower. If the pattern is like the picture 5 and 6 in the blog this would make sense.

Realistically, I would only trust experimental evidence that this can be achieved safely. I would start at about 50 meters below and 100 meters out over the valley, see what the altitude is reading, do a RTH and watch the behavior, then add 25 meters at a time to the vertical position below and do a RTH. Who knows? We only know that the vertical limit above is 150 meters. Has anyone tested the vertical limit below? It might be 500 meters! I hope we can hear from other members about this rather unusual scenario.

I would be pretty nervous about RTH in this scenario until it had been proven that the drone goes straight up from where it is below you to the set RTH altitude before coming back. Make sure it won't fly right into the cliff on the way back!

Rocky the FS · Jul 18, 2019

I had a chance to test this yesterday. I was on a ridge about 200 feet above a flat grassy valley with perfect line of sight to the Anafi. I began to get a "poor wifi" message when the drone was only about 300 meters away and just 50 meters below me. As I flew the drone up the gentle valley the signal got better as it came abeam me, climbing slowly. I stopped the flight when it was beyond me about 100 meters as I was nervous about LOS. The drone did rise vertically to my set RTH altitude of about 30 meters above my position (40 meters above the drone, or 70 total from the drone altitude) before it came back. I was using the SC3 controller, pointed a bit down toward the drone.

I believe this experience of almost losing the wifi link when the drone was that close (I've flown it up to 1.6 km before), is indicative of the poor antenna pattern directly above the drone. Based on this experience I would NEVER attempt to fly the drone more than 50 meters below my position in a similar scenario. Perhaps I'm too conservative but I LOVE my Anafi and won't risk it like this. I could have walked down into the valley and done a perfectly routine flight up the whole thing.

Hopefully someone else with a more risky attitude will prove me wrong!

StIwY · Jul 19, 2019

Thanks for sharing your experience. So if i put the drone, for example, 20 meters above my position and i hit RTH, he will go up +20 meters + meters i selected in the FF6 app (for example 30) ?

Rocky the FS · Jul 19, 2019

Not exactly. If you select 30 meters as your RTH value, and fly the drone 20 meters above you then hit RTH the drone will climb the remaining 10 meters and return. However, there is a minimum distance away from your position the drone has to be at before RTH will work. I think it is something like 50 meters.....easy to test. If the drone is above your RTH value it will stay at that altitude until overhead, then descend. As I found above, if the drone is below your position, it will climb all the way up to the RTH altitude before heading back. No worries about cliffs! I would still want it at least 20 meters from a vertical cliff just for an extra margin of safety.

I hope we can see the results of your idea soon!

Landbo · Jul 19, 2019

Rocky the FS said:
Not exactly. If you select 30 meters as your RTH value, and fly the drone 20 meters above you then hit RTH the drone will climb the remaining 10 meters and return. However, there is a minimum distance away from your position the drone has to be at before RTH will work. I think it is something like 50 meters.....easy to test. If the drone is above your RTH value it will stay at that altitude until overhead, then descend. As I found above, if the drone is below your position, it will climb all the way up to the RTH altitude before heading back. No worries about cliffs! I would still want it at least 20 meters from a vertical cliff just for an extra margin of safety.

I hope we can see the results of your idea soon!

Its 25 meters from your takeoff place.

Regards Leif.

StIwY · Jul 19, 2019

Rocky the FS said:
As I found above, if the drone is below your position, it will climb all the way up to the RTH altitude before heading back. No worries about cliffs! I would still want it at least 20 meters from a vertical cliff just for an extra margin of safety.

I hope we can see the results of your idea soon!

Sorry i meant BELOW my position not above. English i snot my primary language x). Glad to hear that the RTH will take care of the original altitude, so losing the signal eventually should be no a death sentence and a crash into a wall due to altitude.