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Possible Magnetic Interference?

Joined
May 27, 2020
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Location
Washington DC
I have an I2 and and a Mavic with the same issue. I've been flying just outside of DC, all over the Eastern Shore, and a few other places in PA and upstate NY with nary an equipment problem. Recently I took both drones up to my cabin in WV where I intended to do some recreational flying and practice some camera work. I have a few dozen acres, and it's miles away from any restricted fly zones so I thought it a perfect place to play around as long as I could avoid the locals using the drones for target practice!

Anyway, first I tried to take out the Mavic...did all the pre-flight checks, GPS signal was good, compass calibrated fine. Then I took off, I tried to do my safety checks, but the aircraft kept jumping around...wouldn't maintain altitude (I was only about 15 feet up and 10 feet away) and it would wander substantially (several feet). I was able to control it, but whenever I took my hands off the sticks, it just wouldn't stay put. The weather was not a factor...clear day and almost no wind. I didn't like the behavior so I decided to land and check it out before attempting to fly further. When I tried landing, I got it a couple feet off the ground where in all my previously flights, the aircraft slows and wait for me to pull down the stick to complete the landing. Not this time...it just kept coming down. Fortunately, I was able to correct and just barely kept it from slamming into my pool deck. From there I tried to land again, and this time, once I got within a few feet, it stopped the decent but it wouldn't respond to the controller at all and just hovered...until I pulled the stick all the way down at which point it just came down too fast for me to react and it hit and bounced but stayed down long enough for me to cut the motors. No damage that I could tell...shut it down, rebooted everything, moved to the grass field, and tried again...same behaviors. So I put the Mavic away thinking I might have an equipment problem and took out the I2. Long story short, effectively the same problems. So I packed everything up and figured I'd go back home and see if I have the same issues there. Not a one. Everything worked perfectly, no drift, landings were perfect, aircraft completely responsive.

So the question is obvious...is it possible I'm getting THAT much magnetic interference on a mountain in in the middle of WV? I can certainly live without flying there, but it just strikes me as odd so I thought I'd query the class for any thoughts. Thanks in advance for your input
 
I would check the logs in airdata as well if there are any errors reported in dji go.
There are magnetometer apps you can use on your phone to examine the area. After that you should have at least some info to make your guess.
 
I would check the logs in airdata as well if there are any errors reported in dji go.
There are magnetometer apps you can use on your phone to examine the area. After that you should have at least some info to make your guess.
Appreciate the input. I did check the logs...nothing unusual that I could tell. Had not considered that there would magnetometer apps, but that's a great suggestion. Thanks again!
 
That is a very interesting dilemma for sure. My first thought was magnetic issues in the surrounding rock (mountain), but your calibration would have picked that up (I think). Are there any microwave towers around? One thing that can really cause issues is if the collision sensor(s) are not working right. But you would have got an error message if that was the case. Indeed very strange.....Good luck on this one.
 
I use GPS Status before takeoff if the satellite count is low or I see an anomaly I use extreme caution. I live about 400 yards from a 400ft tower with over 100 antenae on it. and have seen random issues.
 
That is a very interesting dilemma for sure. My first thought was magnetic issues in the surrounding rock (mountain), but your calibration would have picked that up (I think). Are there any microwave towers around? One thing that can really cause issues is if the collision sensor(s) are not working right. But you would have got an error message if that was the case. Indeed very strange.....Good luck on this one.
Thanks! No microwave towers in the vicinity...In fact I don't even get cell service on about 60% of the property...gonna check out the EMI this weekend and see what I can find out. Thanks for your thoughts!
 
I use GPS Status before takeoff if the satellite count is low or I see an anomaly I use extreme caution. I live about 400 yards from a 400ft tower with over 100 antenae on it. and have seen random issues.
Thanks for your thoughts. I wish there was a tower or something in proximity...wouldn't be as much of a head scratcher. Cheers!
 
I have an I2 and and a Mavic with the same issue. I've been flying just outside of DC, all over the Eastern Shore, and a few other places in PA and upstate NY with nary an equipment problem. Recently I took both drones up to my cabin in WV where I intended to do some recreational flying and practice some camera work. I have a few dozen acres, and it's miles away from any restricted fly zones so I thought it a perfect place to play around as long as I could avoid the locals using the drones for target practice!

Anyway, first I tried to take out the Mavic...did all the pre-flight checks, GPS signal was good, compass calibrated fine. Then I took off, I tried to do my safety checks, but the aircraft kept jumping around...wouldn't maintain altitude (I was only about 15 feet up and 10 feet away) and it would wander substantially (several feet). I was able to control it, but whenever I took my hands off the sticks, it just wouldn't stay put. The weather was not a factor...clear day and almost no wind. I didn't like the behavior so I decided to land and check it out before attempting to fly further. When I tried landing, I got it a couple feet off the ground where in all my previously flights, the aircraft slows and wait for me to pull down the stick to complete the landing. Not this time...it just kept coming down. Fortunately, I was able to correct and just barely kept it from slamming into my pool deck. From there I tried to land again, and this time, once I got within a few feet, it stopped the decent but it wouldn't respond to the controller at all and just hovered...until I pulled the stick all the way down at which point it just came down too fast for me to react and it hit and bounced but stayed down long enough for me to cut the motors. No damage that I could tell...shut it down, rebooted everything, moved to the grass field, and tried again...same behaviors. So I put the Mavic away thinking I might have an equipment problem and took out the I2. Long story short, effectively the same problems. So I packed everything up and figured I'd go back home and see if I have the same issues there. Not a one. Everything worked perfectly, no drift, landings were perfect, aircraft completely responsive.

So the question is obvious...is it possible I'm getting THAT much magnetic interference on a mountain in in the middle of WV? I can certainly live without flying there, but it just strikes me as odd so I thought I'd query the class for any thoughts. Thanks in advance for your input
The .DAT log file created by the Go App will probably have the info needed to see the cause. The .txt isn't enough because it doesn't contain magnetometer data. To see how to retrieve the .DAT look here
Mavic Flight Log Retrieval and Analysis Guide
Section 3, Mobile device DAT files (DJI GO 4 & DJI Fly)
I'll take a look if you attach the .DAT to a post.
 

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