DJI mini 4 pro active track torture test - followed for miles and then it flew away.

[@pgVeritas]

Thanks for this massively important piece of information!

[@drone_tech_review]

Glad it was helpful!

[@LyelCampanatti]

excellent vídeo !!! the return to home update is a must. thanks for the video.

[@drone_tech_review]

Definitely. Lesson learned as 'home' is a key point in all these drones.

[@rodel2.056]

nice sharing drone video interesting full watching and full support frend 😊

[@drone_tech_review]

Thanks for coming

[@rodel2.056]

@@drone_tech_review welcome stay connected

[@Hinapulan]

Lesson learned. Thank you 👌

[@drone_tech_review]

Makes sense but not immediately obvious. And when Return To Home triggers, there's only a few seconds to react.

[@joeflyer1]

If you couldn't see your drone because of the clouds, you were flying beyond visual line of sight. But you did learn a valuable lesson about updating the RTH point.

[@drone_tech_review]

Yes, on visual line of sight. Lesson learned and won't happen again. Appreciate your comment very much. I just read up on section 107 www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/chapter-I/subchapter-F/part-107#107.31

[@psoon04286]

It didn’t take long for me to realize that this new hobby of mine is similar to, yet very different from racing Rc cars and flying Rc planes. I’m actually getting a whole lot more satisfaction with my new drone because of its highly capable camera(photography is another hobby of mine). Fortunately, I got into this hobby when a tiny little drone is jammed packed with so many advanced features and automation. Thanks for sharing your experiences. There’s so much to learn👍😄

[@RCReviewChannel]

So much to learn, and so exciting! It complements other outdoor activities and is fun on its own. It also helps that this 249-gram is a true marvel of modern engineering. It is insane how much tech is packed in it.

[@psoon04286]

@@RCReviewChannel I got the flying bug as a teenager flying control line and then into rc, later into cars and trucks as they were not as restrictive as flying models. Eventually getting into drones shortly after turning 70 and am now taking an initial interest into FPV🤪😄

[@drone_tech_review]

I would do FPV if they first-person didn't make me so dizzy. Perhaps I will try again.

[@fitotorrens]

Al colocar el control en la mochila como evitas que se muevan las palancas accidentalmente?? Saludos!

[@drone_tech_review]

I unscrew and remove the sticks from the controller.

[@terryrccrazy6993]

Great information and a good reminder about rth

[@RCReviewChannel]

Yeah, I knew the concepts of RTH but nothing like an experience like this to make that knowledge stick.

[@drone_tech_review]

Glad it was helpful!

[@ItsLindaMillerTime]

Glad you found it unharmed! and yes I did learn something! I don't have this drone yet, I have an original DJI Mini, but, maybe one day, and I will remember this tip thanks!

[@drone_tech_review]

Hello and thank you for the comment. Original DJI Mini huh? That is so cool! How old is that now? I did play with a Mini 2 and it is very capable. But it is harder to fly than a Mini 4 which is a mini computer, basically.

[@ItsLindaMillerTime]

@@drone_tech_review Here is a link where I was just learning kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z6O5lZKoj5WihNEsi=Ym0ZVch1qHqvElWm I think it came out in 2018? 2019? pretty sure before covid. DJI did the right thing by improving this little drone the way they've done. I started with the MavicAir, but, sold it when FFA was changing the rules requiring license. Mini came out and DJI has improved it so much, I would def. have another look at the newest one. I only had wifi connection with the mini and was afraid to push it too much. I really haven't used it that much. I would love to have the new one with the controller. At the time though it was really an amazing little drone to have and stay under the weight limit.

[@Bdzynes]

Sweet adventure. Looks like a nice place to ride. Be nice if you shared the location. Have a great day!

[@drone_tech_review]

That is Black Mountain Trail above Montebello Road in Cupertino, CA. Do you live in the area?

[@Peakabike]

Whatever happened to the MP1/Spark's "dynamic home point" ?!

[@drone_tech_review]

Long gone it seems. They do have an option to 'update the home point' but it is a little hard to navigate too, when in a rush.

[@joaoguilhermetavaresmarchi6132]

Is there a default to keep the homepoint continuously uptaded to where the RC is?

[@drone_tech_review]

Yes, there is a setting to keep the home point 'at the location of the remote'. Very handy for tracking for sure!!! DJI only.

[@Diantane]

You need to be careful flying your drone in the fog or clouds. The humidity is very high and the moisture can affect the electronics moving through the cooling ports. If you feel water droplets on the outside, you can be sure they are inside as well. I don’t fly unless the outside humidity is below 75%.

[@RCReviewChannel]

Thank you for that. I had a bad experience already at the Merced River, and now it makes sense. During last year's rainpocalypse, the Merced river coming out of Yosemite was 4x its standard size. I wanted to capture its flow, so I hovered 6-12 feet above the rapids and followed it upstream. It was fine for 2 minutes, then it went nuts and crash-landed on the other side of the river. I thought it was a geofencing issue right next to a no-take-off zone. But in retrospect, it is most likely the drone got too wet from the spray. And thinking about what you're saying about cooling ports, it makes so much sense. Thank you.

[@Diantane]

@@RCReviewChannel You can look it up. Ask on google if you can fly a drone in the rain (or fog). Both will say that it is very bad for them. One explanation said: Generally, it's not recommended to fly drones in rain, mist, high humidity, or over water bodies with strong winds. Many drones have venting holes that can expose the electronics inside to moisture. Once the water gets inside, short circuits can occur and possibly damage your drone.

[@drone_tech_review]

Thank you. DJI has quite a bit of resistance to light moisture. Other brands, not as much

[@Diantane]

That’s good to know. So one day you’re flying your DJI drone through the mist and the drone freezes and falls from the sky. Yeah, but DJI has more resistance to moisture

[@clark7894]

I had a similar experience with a Mavic 3 following my car on a mountain road. I was able to get the drone back to me instead of the original home point. I believe I paused the RTH sequence when I noticed what happened and then manually flew the drone back to me just before the battery died.

[@drone_tech_review]

Exactly man. It’s so dramatic when it happens because it’s so unexpected and you really don’t have minutes to spare But once you know the background it is really helpful and one can take precautions against it. Goes to show that our supplying time is really what’s needed to become a better pilot.

[@normanji]

When the drone is in active track, dji should allow 1 of the c buttons to be programmed to the update home. I had this problem twice now. I use a lanyard while out on my bike, and it would make it much better to allow update home point with the press of a single button

[@drone_tech_review]

That would be a great addition for sure. When one is is active like biking, running, driving with the drone following, there really is no time to scroll through menus and find the 'update home point' option. I believe there is also an option to have the drone 'stay in place' instead of 'return to home' on low battery situations.

[@DroseMr]

I have aswell🎉Thank You

[@drone_tech_review]

Right on, I appreciate the share.

[@roninr8199]

I am new to drone. Is there no option that drone detects rc controller and lands where controller is?

[@drone_tech_review]

On DJI drones, there is now an option to do it. 'Hope point is same as controller location.'

[@vedesh6907]

Good lesson learned

[@drone_tech_review]

Yes indeed

[@Opa_Andre]

After the rth function kicked in, you could have pressed the big pause / rth button on your rc. This would have cancelled the automatic rth while the drone is still in your close area. Then fly and land it manually...

[@drone_tech_review]

Correct. I tried to do that but I couldn't see the drone as it had flown itself for a bit outside my view. And now battery was running out as it claimed.

[@pierro91bis]

How do you get 44 minutes? It's listed for 34 minutes

[@conceri]

Extended battery

[@roninr8199]

Fly more plus kit comes with bigger battery. Even I was confused. There is minimum price difference.

[@drone_tech_review]

Yes, extended battery. It's a must-have since the real flight times of these drones is much shorter. Around 22 minutes for the standard battery and 32 minutes for the Extended battery

[@fernandomorales2226]

I did have an experience like this while mounting biking. My problem was that I panicked and cancelled return home that it was 5 miles away. I tried to manually get the drone back to me but not knowing where exactly I was I run out of battery and drone had a force landing. With google maps I was able to put in the last location where drone was flying and I was able to find it next to a trail .. No damage but gave me a hard time 😢.. That’s the problem of putting the controller in a backpack. Unable to keep watching battery life.. DJI Needs a Beacon for us Mountain Bikers .. control is too heavy on handle bars

[@drone_tech_review]

Thank you, thank you for the share. Yes, indeed. Couldn't watch the battery life. Also, it's calculating battery life for the 'return to home' far away, not to you, close by. Yes, definitely moments of panic since it really doesn't give you much time before it takes off into Neverland! But it's experiences like this that make sure we learn and never forget. :)

[@ttchao]

Me too had the same experience - forgot to update RTH and cancelled return home. I was on a hiking trail and RTH was initiated due to low battery (I also have the plus battery which is supposed to have 45 minutes fly time - NOT!) fortunately it wasn't that far away where the drone was forced to land. To me the problem is that I can't see the drone when is up high and circling even on a good day, so when it's going to land somewhere other than my current position, I'm not able to see where it is and where it's going.

[@amigoucsf2009able]

Happen to me 4 years ago Air 2

[@drone_tech_review]

The first time it happens is a moment of panic for sure. It feels like you're losing the drone forever!

[@S.A.S.Q]

Your lucky your drone is also lucky

[@RCReviewChannel]

Rrright? It dodged those trees at full speed! Now that I see the video, any hit on those trees could have hung it up on those branches. And recovery would have been very difficult. Very windy too!!!

[@drone_tech_review]

lucky for sure!

[@driewiel]

DJI makes the best drones. But they don't have the faintest clue how a hiker/biker drone should look like. Now let me get this straight. I love the active-track and what it can do. The problem is nobody uses it in real life. Ask any cyclist going around the world. They all fly it manually. You just won't have the time to set it up, wait if it loses you, and race back like an idiot if the RTH kicks in. I won't even mention the fact the obstacle avoidance works 99%. Which mean in 100 minutes of flying, it will crash a full minute. That's a lot of money and not worth the risk. And obstacle avoidance will never respond fast enough to avoid moving objects like cyclists, cars, trucks. I have seen people along busy roads with the drone missing car just by pure luck. One second later and it would have flown right into someone's windscreen. What you would use is follow-me if it worked exactly as on my €130 drone. It stays nicely in compass position at any height or distance. The flight is much more predictable. The controller is nice and small and you can use the sticks any time to steer it around obstacles or do cool shots. And it automatically updates homepoint to where you are in follow-me mode, or to were you stopped follow-me. Unfortunately a €130 drone does not have a good camera or smooth gimbal. I wish it had. Very few drones have the follow-me programmed correctly. Maybe that is why people who only know DJI's active-track think follow-me is inferior? And isn't it funny that DJI refuses to 'uncripple' their product by providing follow-me as well? It is safer, more user friendly, and often the shots loo more professional too. Active-track goes all over the place. And after a short while people forget about it because it is annoying having to stop all the time. Try use the touchscreen while riding a bike. Impossible. So they added auto-360 'active-crash'. Again I'm not against active-track. But a $1000 drone should also have follow-me. So if I were you I would get Maven, Litchi or Dronelink as soon they are compatible with the Mini 4 Pro. BTW I love those low clouds and the hills. Great shots. Maybe fly it in a plastic bag so it won't get wet?

[@drone_tech_review]

This is one of the best comments I've ever read. Thank you. You have so much insight and knowledge about the biggest limitation of active tracking. It is finally usable now but barely. Conditions have to be perfect and 'tailor-made' for filming. The alternative of having a second person, drone-pilot is not practical either. What's really missing is a beacon (remote) the subject for the drone to follow. Why DJI doesn't offer that is a mystery. Without doing this, following a fast subject is almost impossible and becomes impractical. For the last couple years, I've been using a $1000 Skydio drone that follows a beacon and has great obstacle avoidance. But, with all the problems consumers encounter, they abandoned the consumer market and are now only selling to industry at $3k per drone. Sigh. But... I'll still follow this category closely cause we NEEDS it. :)

[@charlesspidell1447]

N see ed skydio

[@drone_tech_review]

Skydio abandoned the consumer drone market. They are now lobbying hard to get DJI banned in the USA so they can own the market.

[@bionic4368]

Your bike seat is too far forward.

[@drone_tech_review]

Disagree, my good man. This is just a commuter bike and my knee pedal location is perfect for the size of this frame and stem.