6 Tips & Tricks for your Phantom 3

The Phantom 3 has been our most popular drone by a landslide. We have compiled a list of 6 common questions along with some tips and tricks based on some recent customer feedback. Let us know in the comments below if you would like explanation on any other features of the Phantom 3.

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1. I receive the occasional "Compass Error" on my tablet or smartphone along with a slight drift. What do I do? The compass on the Phantom 3 is different from the older Phantom models in that it is much more sensitive. This is intended so that it has highly accurate flight characteristics when calibrated properly. It is very important that the Phantom 3 be calibrated away from any metal (even keys in your pocket can affect the calibration). We recommend doing your calibration at least 10 paces away from any metal (vehicles, keys, the remote controller etc).

Concrete pads also typically have a lot of metal which can also skew the calibration...

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This does not mean you can not fly around metal objects, that is no problem at all. It is only important that you do the calibration away from any metal objects. We also recommend that you redo your compass calibration at every new location that you fly, this will give you a more accurate and reliable flight. 

2. Did you know you can upgrade your Phantom 3 remote control so that you can plug in an HDMI cable? This allows you to hook up to both your tablet and second large screen (TV screen or monitor) or to a pair of video goggles for a more immersive flight experience. The small module replaces the cable pod on the back of your Phantom 3 controller and adds the HDMI functionality. Follow the link above to view the HDMI module and the corresponding install video on our site.

3. Did you know tapping and holding your shutter button (on your tablet or smartphone) brings up several other photo options? Tapping and holding your shutter button will bring up some advanced shooting options, such as HDR imaging, burst shooting, bracketing, and more. Anyone with some photography background will be able to appreciate these options. Not sure what they all mean? Visit the excellent tips and tutorials website Digital Photography School for further information on these photography terms...

 4. Did you know you can easily check wind, temperature, GPS count and KP Index prior to flying your drone? Simply go to www.UAVForecast.com and quickly check all of the above on one handy page. Not sure what KP Index is or why it matters when flying your drone? Follow this link for more info!

5. What causes the "Gimbal Motor Overload" Message and how do you fix it? The "Gimbal Motor Overload" message is typically caused by 1 of 2 things. Often it is due to taking off from long grass which prevents the gimbal from rotating and auto calibrating. This will cause it to go limp and throw the "Gimbal Motor Overload" message. If this occurs, simply move the Phantom to a new location (or take off from your case), restart it and you should be good to go. 

The other culprit is often the white rubber dampers that sit between the top plate and the gimbal. If one of these comes out of the mounting hole and the gimbal hangs crooked it will trigger this message as well. Simply pop the damper back in, restart the Phantom and you should have no further issues.

6. When I download the video file onto my computer it shows "corrupt file" and will not open. What do I do? This is almost always due to users not turning off their video recording prior to turning off their drone. Turning the drone off first does not allow the file to close, and the computer will not recognize it when you go to open it. To fix this, simply turn your drone back on, record a short clip, turn the video recording off and then turn off your Phantom. This should "heal" your corrupt file and allow you to open it. 

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