I"ve read about these but don't see them in ActiveTrack. How do I get Spark to follow me in FRONT of me (flying backwards)? ONLY from the side? Thanks in advance!
ActiveTrack - Can't find Trace or Profile options?
- Thread starter Casey Sloan
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Hover the drone in the the orientation, height and distance relative to the subject as you desire. Switch to Active Track mode. Use your finger to trace around subject. Green box will appear and now subject is locked.
It is confusing because the pop up instruction about drawing the box only appears the very first time you engage Active Track. Not very intuitive
It is confusing because the pop up instruction about drawing the box only appears the very first time you engage Active Track. Not very intuitive
I understand and have successfully traced a box and hit GO; what I don’t understand is how to make it follow me in front of me or off to the side- “profile” mode
nilanjan118
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Once you have entered Active Track mode, you will see an icon of a man on the left side of the screen. By default, the man will be in standing position. This is Trace Mode, which means the drone will trace the path of the selected object and follow, usually from behind. Tap on that icon again and you will switch to Profile Mode (the icon turns into a running man) - the drone will now maintain the direction it was initially facing and follow the object you select. Point to note in Profile Mode is that the drone maintains the direction it was initially facing in absolute terms. For example: If the drone was facing you straight, it will move backward when you walk or run forward. If it was facing you sideways, it will move either move right or left depending on which direction you start walking or running. If you want to orient the drone in some other direction, you have to use the RC.
Chrislaf
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Another alternative to DJI GO4 is AutoPilot (iOS only). I have used GO, Litchi and AutoPilot for tracking. From my experience, I have found AutoPilot to be the most reliable. Both GO and Litchi often loose track especially in cluttered areas (lots of trees or other objects).
Just today I was out snowmobiling on a local lake and used AutoPilot to follow me. It has an option to ‘Use Device Heading’ so I just point my controller where I want the AC to follow me from and engage the mission. It worked like a charm and if I want, I can change the heading on the fly. I used my Phantom 3 Standard instead of my Spark because it has a longer lasting battery.
The only drawback to AutoPilot is it uses a non-Standard interface and has so many options/customizations that it has a steeper learning curve.
Chris
Just today I was out snowmobiling on a local lake and used AutoPilot to follow me. It has an option to ‘Use Device Heading’ so I just point my controller where I want the AC to follow me from and engage the mission. It worked like a charm and if I want, I can change the heading on the fly. I used my Phantom 3 Standard instead of my Spark because it has a longer lasting battery.
The only drawback to AutoPilot is it uses a non-Standard interface and has so many options/customizations that it has a steeper learning curve.
Chris
Thanks for the info, but we must know that using third party apps, voids warranty and Care Refresh insurance.
Chrislaf
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No it doesn’t.
For a warranty issue - only if the 3rd party app is determined to cause the crash.
For Care Refresh - warranty is extended and accidental damage is covered as well (user error).
I have never read a post on this or the Phantom forum where flight software was the cause of the crash. It is usually user error.
Chris
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nilanjan118
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But why endorse a 3rd party app when the official app itself can do most of things we want. A fellow forum member has very nicely demonstrated the capabilities of Active Track with DJI Go4 app. Moreover, the question asked was about how to switch between Trace Mode and Profile Mode in Active Track of Go4. Having seen how DJI Support responds to users' issues, I don't think it is advisable to use a 3rd party app within warranty period.
Chrislaf
Well-Known Member
If DJI GO4 does everything you need, then yes I agree - why use a third party app. I prefer to use GO on my Spark to do 360 spherical Panos rather than Litchi or AutoPilot, but if I am doing a Waypoint mission and want to have a 360 spherical pano at a specific waypoint, then I will use AutoPilot since neither GO or Litchi can do this.
Also, I have seen the video above by the other forum member and it does show the capabilities of Active Track well in a wide open space tracking a large object -his vehicle.
My point above in my reply to the OP is that there are other options available that do the same thing but better. I use DJI GO, Litchi, and AutoPilot depending on what I am doing. For tracking, I prefer AutoPilot because I have complete control over how I want to track. If I want to do a quick track in a wide open space, that I haven’t preplanned then I might use GO’s Active Track.
Chris
Also, I have seen the video above by the other forum member and it does show the capabilities of Active Track well in a wide open space tracking a large object -his vehicle.
My point above in my reply to the OP is that there are other options available that do the same thing but better. I use DJI GO, Litchi, and AutoPilot depending on what I am doing. For tracking, I prefer AutoPilot because I have complete control over how I want to track. If I want to do a quick track in a wide open space, that I haven’t preplanned then I might use GO’s Active Track.
Chris
nilanjan118
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Fair point. But I still wouldn't recommend a 3rd party app to a beginner as we can't tell for sure how DJI will respond to a situation which doesn't go exactly as planned.
You're right, use of third party apps, doesn't void warranty generally, but in a software issue (every software issue), DJI will not cover the crash or fly away.
DJI forum is full of reports, about DJI refusing to cover flights made with third party software.
Also, most third party apps produce limited flight logs, without detailed hardware telemetry, and this is bad when a hardware issue occurs.
I use Litchi sometimes with my Mavics, but i know that it will be difficult to deal with DJI, if there's a malfunction (software or hardware).
Chrislaf
Well-Known Member
I agree, that if DJI assesses a crash or flyaway to be due to third party software then you are out of luck with regard to original warranty coverage. With regard to the Care Refresh as long as you can recover the AC and send it back to them then it won't matter whether it was caused by third party software or not they will replace it for the small fee.
If the OP is a new drone pilot (profile says 'new member' but could be an experienced pilot), then I would err on the side of caution and use the GO4 app until comfortable with all of the features. If it provides everything you need then stick with it. When I started doing the tracking missions, I used the GO4 Active Track first and then Litchi but found both had a hard time keeping a lock on me as I was using them in a cluttered environment. Larger objects like a vehicle in a wide open space may have yielded better results.
Both of my drones are out of the original warranty. I have the Care Refresh Plus (which extends Care Refresh a second year) on my Spark so any problems due to software do not apply anymore to my drones.
My intention when I mentioned AutoPilot was just to make the OP aware of alternatives to running tracking missions and to point out some of the experiences I have had in using GO4 and Litchi. Third party software is often criticized or discounted but often adds more features that are not available with original GO software (e.g., Litchi on a P3S), and sometimes causes DJI to add more features in future releases.
Chris
Chrislaf
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Unless you have a way of mounting the RC and/or phone ActiveTrack is really hard to use since DJI do not offer a way of locking the screen in ActiveTrack mode like Parrot do so putting it in your pocket is pretty much out of the question. Has anyone found a workaround for Android phones with a third party app maybe ?
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