DJI Phantom Boating & Water Video Reviews
Using the DJI Phantom in a boat
DJI Phantom Boat review
Boating tips for the DJI Phantom
Setting a home position in the water
Setting a home position in a boat
Bikini model takes DJI Phantom boating
Many of us want to use our Phantoms over water which can be great fun and the shots can be stunning. However, once out in open seas or on large lakes, marking a home position that you can reference or stay near can be near impossible.
Especially if you have been racing along at 20 knots for 15 minutes with the Phantom close behind and then something goes wrong and she decides to head for home.....wherever that might have been!?
Needless to say, you are now 27 kms or 24 miles from your home position!
What happens when you lose sight of the Phantom or something goes wrong?
Unlike land, there is absolutely no reference point for the unit over water,
making it extremely hard to see, sun glare, birds, waves etc. Suddenly every seagull looks likes your lost phantom!
Or worse, the day is going great and then all of a sudden your batteries goes flat on the controller, your Iphone craps itself or worse a wave knocks the controller overboard and into the Water.
What now? Where is your Phantom going to go to?
You cant set a mid flight manual home position now!
If you didn't record a home position say goodbye to your baby, as it will likely race back to wherever it started and land nicely in the water somewhere to become shark bait,
but will more likely run out of battery first!
Even if you can still see your phantom, if its heading down wind or the sea is a little rough..... you wont believe how fast you will lose sight of it and just start following seagulls ....
Even if you were clever enough to set a manual "in flight" home position, you will not be able to take control and land it, if your control station is not functioning
Ok so heres a few things we have found useful and hope helps!
Two, always put in new batteries before a boating adventure and keep some spares
Three, make sure your Iphone is completely charged and or you have an on-board charger for it just in case ...
Four, See the video!
Five, The most reliable method to save your phantom from a watery end is to see this video!
But here's the thing... once the satellites have been found and all the lights are happy, you need to actually fly the phantom into the air a short way ?
See video! THIS IS CRITICAL!
Then you can jump in the boat and play until your hearts content.
OK but what if you want to work further away offshore or you are doing fast or long runs at speed that may move you to far away from your home position.
Here's what we do!
Get to where you want to start playing and either set a manual in air home point as per the recommended DJI instruction or set your normal automatic home point by the standard procedure.
Be warned that If in a metal boat, you need to get it right away from the boat as it will likely be incorrect.
At the same time you set home, also watch this video!!!
I cant stress enough, this is not an instruction video, nor is it a suggestion on what you should do, it is just a review of some procedures and activities we undertake with our phantom.
A reverse version of this is to actually mount a GPS tracker on the Phantom, but assuming you lost control for some reason... your phone may be gone as well and its just another set of equipment and batteries to monitor!
The final comment is to try and pick a boat without a canopy, it will make your day a whole lot easier!
So there it is ....
Taking your phantom out in the water can be a bit nerve racking, but can also be great fun as well!
Please check out our channel for other tips and tricks or our web site for more information and our blog.
OK so that's it guys!
Happy flying !
DJI Phantom goes boating
DJI Phantom in a boat
DJI Phantom setting a home position in a boat
DJI Phantom boat tips
DJI Phantom boat review
DJI Phantom Beginner tips
DJI Phantom, Phantom 2, Phantom Vision