Hi All,
I am just coming up on Mission Planner/PixHawk. I'm not in the air yet but working in bench mode with USB telem. I have to walk to the nearby park to get GPS lock but there is no wifi there. I want to prefetch a local map but I cannot find the prefetch button.
Furthermore, Google Earth mostly won't zoom in, it just gets fuzzy.
Attached is a screen shot of my Flight Plan display.
What am I missing?
Replies
Read the MP Wiki. Your answers are all there in plain sight.
Thank you Steven. But I guess my plain sight is lacking.
I have read the MP Wiki and indeed went back to it at your inspiration.
I know I can prefetch by right-clicking. But I have never had any lower screen portion but the waypoint list I am certainly looking for something "in plain sight" and in detail to tell me how to switch to a different lower portion that includes the prefetch button. Also, I do not how to get Mission Planner to reference a saved prefetched map.
I do know how to zoom the map in and out but when I zoom in, MP does not capture a more zoomed version from Google but simply zeros in on the larger picture, fuzzying completely out. As you can see by my example screen shot, the far left of the map is indeed a clear zoomed-in picture but the rest of the screen is an over-zoomed fuzzed out version from a larger area view. This is typical of what I get when I zoom in. I have never been able to get a full screen of details. I often get tiles of "Exception: The remote server returned an error: (503) Server unavailable. We are sorry but we don't have imagery at this zoom level for this region" If I go directly to Google maps or Google Earth they certainly do have imagery at the zoom level for this region.
I do sincerely appreciate your suggestion but at this point a few specific instructions from one who knows would help me progress and be greatly appreciated. Thank You.
Ok. I admit I do get a bit irritated with people that don't read the "instructions". Yep, we techies are all guilty of this infraction.
Anyway, the easiest way I can recommend is to plot your Way Points and do Pre-fetch WP. This is in the Flight Plan tab under map tools. You need to give it some time to down load the data. If you cut it off too soon you will get the fuzzies you mention. You don't need to "call up" different maps MP will do it for you. Just make sure you actually download the pre-fetch. I can tell you I've had a few oh sheet moments when I get to a flying site and have forgotten to do the pre-fetch the night before. If that doesn't do it, you probably have another problem at which point I can give you the standard IT Support advice, uninstall, install and try again....
BTW what area of the planet are you trying download?
Hope that helps.
Thanks again Steven.
[Brief Note: I am a retired electronic engineer w/ 43yrs chasing electrons. I designed ICs at Intel, worked as an IC product engineer and mostly as an ATE architect; a techie to the max and proud of it. I am an RC enthusiast but this is my first venture into autopilot/FPV flying. I have not flown yet. I am now wringing out the system and my head playing on the bench. I appreciate your perspective and have long learned to be patient with our type. 3DR represents a major strategic inflection in technology. As such I am now suffering from the "everything I know is wrong" syndrome. I am on an extremely steep learning curve right now both loving it and at times getting frustrated. I hope you understand :D]
My fuzzy map problem is not (necessarily) with prefetched maps but plagues me in real-time wifi connected operation. Under no circumstance have I ever been able to get a clear and complete close up map.
I am in Lima, Peru.
Thank you for your time my friend.
Hi Eugene, We have similar backgrounds. The learning curve is steep but a fun trip. Looks like Bill, above, already gave you my next suggestion, based on your location. Good luck and have fun! Steven
Thank you Bill and Steven!
Bing works but I do like Google's clarity better. In studying this problem, I have noticed many people on DIYD with the same complaint.
Thanx Again!
Eugene,
You are not doing anything wrong, I get the same result on my MP when I go to your location. What is happening when you use actual Google Earth on the internet is that it is merging many sources, but MP picks them up seperately. If you look under the "action" window, you see your drop-down that shows "Google Satellite" in your screen grab? Select the drop down and pick other choices until you see one you like. Here, I attached one using "Bing Satellite" to the racetrack near your home location.
peru.JPG