Table of Contents


FAA Small UAS Registry

Read Requirements for commercial UAV use: https://www.faa.gov/uas/commercial_operators

Create an account to Register with the FAA:https://www.faa.gov/uas/commercial_operators


Aircraft


Assembly

Videos regarding assembly of the Ranger Pro can be found:

https://wisprsystems.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CS/pages/53084161/First+Flight+Quickstart+for+Ranger+Pro#Unboxing-and-Assembling-the-Ranger-Pro


How should my propellers be attached to the drone?

The drone uses 2 pairs of counterclockwise (ccw) and clockwise (cw) propeller propellers. The cw propeller has a L marked on the propeller and the ccw propeller has a R marked on it so you can easily tell the difference in the cw and ccw propellers. The picture below shows how they should be positioned. If for any reason they are not positioned like this, the drone will take off and crash, causing damage to the propellers and possibly the motors or the entire drone.


When attaching the landing gear, which way should the bracket for the antennas face?

The bracket on the landing gear should always face outwards when attaching the landing gear.


My leg bracket connectors are coming loose frequently, what should I do?

Check the O-Ring (inclusws) inside the bracket connector and make sure the O-Right is not stretched nor worn down or broken. The O-Ring is to ensure the connector stays tight and does not cause vibration. Please contact Wispr to replace if needed. Be sure to check the threads on the connector also for any worn places or breaks which would be causing the connector to not screw on tight and stay tight.


Operations


What should I do If my drone won’t arm?

Check the color of your blinking GPS LED lights. They should be blinking green, indicating you have GPS lock. You can also check GPS lock by selecting the satellite icon in Fly View to confirm you have GPS lock. You can not take off in loiter if you do not have GPS lock. If your GPS LED indicator light is not blinking green, you can check your smart controller on the megaphone icon for any error messages that may be preventing this.

The megaphone icon located in fly view in Wispr Ground Control (picture on the left) will switch to a red triangle icon with and exclamation point inside (picture on the right), letting you know there is a pre flight error that needs to be taken care of before arming and taking off.

Below are possible errors and why they occur


What is RTK and when should I use it?


How do I set up my RTK system to work with the drone?

To connect your RTK system to your drone, you will need to first make sure you have the Portable WiFi hotspot enabled which you can find in the Wireless & Networks section. After that is turned on, swipe down from the top of the screen and select the icon on the far right to activate tethering.

For more information including a walkthrough video visit this link: RTK with WISPRGroundControl Quick Start Video


How do I connect my Here+ RTK to the WISPR Drone through QGroundControl?

Please read this manual for a walkthrough of connecting your Here+ RTK to your Drone through QGroundControl -

Using Here+ RTK With Wispr Ground Control

Can I fly in Altitude Hold mode?

Altitude Hold mode is only acceptable for emergencies. When flying in Altitude Hold, this mode does not hold position, it only holds altitude. If there is an emergency with GPS failure and the drone is needed to be in Altitude Hold, the barometer will be used to hold altitude. You should always fly in loiter!


What if I re-calibrate my compass and get a compass inconsistent error in WisprGroundControl?

You should not have to recalibrate your compass often if at all. If the compass is bumped or knocked off you would recalibrate the compass.

If you are getting a compass inconsistent error, this doesn’t always mean you need to calibrate. There could be low satellites due to clouds or it may just need to be moved to a spot away from any interference. If this does not work, try rebooting the drone and see if the error has gone away.

When calibrating make sure not to be near any metal buildings, concrete parking lot (rebar can throw the calibration off) under trees or any kind of overhead cover. If the calibration fails multiple times, move to a different area, preferably an area that is very wide open with nothing that could interfere with the calibration.


How much power is supplied on the front XT60 power output port?

24 Volts. Although it is unregulated 6S voltage which is 26.1-21 volts.


When should I get my drone tuned up?

Your drone should be tuned every 200 hours of flight time.


If one of the cooling fans under the bottom plate goes out is it ok to fly the drone?

No. If a fan goes out, you should contact customer support to have a fan sent to be replaced. The Drone needs all 4 fans to cool the inside of the drone. DO NOT fly if you are aware a fan is not working. This could lead to overheating and the drone malfunctioning.


What mode should be used to land the drone if not in loiter?

LAND mode should be used to land the drone. The land command ( C button on the smart controller unless changed by the end user) should be issued 6-10 ft from the ground. The user should always use the Land command to land the drone unless that is not an option. If this is the case, the drone may be brought down manually using the joysticks and landed, then unarmed by holding the left joystick down and to the left. This is for emergency cases only. If the land command is available or if the RTL (home button) is available, these should always be used before a manual landing as it is for very skilled pilots only.


Missions

This section is still under contruction as of 9/27/22. Please contact support if immediate help is required.

Planning a Photogrammetry Mission through WISPRGroundControl


Battery

How do I change my battery charger settings to LiHV to charge high voltage batteries and what is the process of charging the battery?

You should now see the volts changing as the battery is now charging. If you would like to change a setting such as balance charge to fast charge, simply press the start button once to scroll through items that can be changed. To change them use the up and down arrows. Once you have the setting as you want it press start again to lock the changes in.


When inserting the battery into the battery tray on the drone, should I have the positive and negative wires on the right or left?

The positive and negative wires (red and black wires attached to the XT90 battery connector) should be on the right side when inserting into the battery tray.

The battery strap should be -

An example is below :


Battery instructional videos can be found:

https://wisprsystems.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CS/pages/53084161/First+Flight+Quickstart+for+Ranger+Pro#Charge-Batteries-for-Ranger-Pro

https://wisprsystems.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CS/pages/53084161/First+Flight+Quickstart+for+Ranger+Pro#Insert-Batteries-in-Ranger-Pro


What volts should my battery read to ensure it is completely charged?

26.11 volts to confirm it is fully charged. Once full charged, the battery charger will also blink finished on the charger LCD screen and cut itself off from charging, giving a beeping sound indicating the battery is fully charged.


What is the different between fast charge, balance charge and storage charge on my charger?

If I plug my battery in and the charger beeps instantly with an error and will not begin charging what should I do?


What setting should my charger be set on when charging my 25,000 mAh battery?

You should always charge Lithium High Voltage batteries on the LiHV setting on your battery charger. Failure to charge a High Voltage battery on the LiHV setting can cause damage to the battery and also cause a fire hazard.


Should I still fly if one of my batteries is damaged?

NEVER fly with a damaged battery. Even if it is minimal damage. This can cause your drone to fly unsafely and crash. Replace the battery and safely dispose of the damaged battery.


Smart Controller


I cannot install WGC using the install file. The script to install shows but stops and does not install WGC.

Enable "Developer Mode" on the DataLink by navigating to Settings -> About Phone -> Build Number and tap at least 7 times on "Build Number."


When the WGC script runs, I get an error message that says USB debugging is not allowing the script to run.

Go into settings and scroll down to developer options. Once in developer options, you will see USB debugging with a toggle switch to the right of it. Toggle the switch on. You may now run the script.


What should you do if your smart controller is not staying charged for long enough?

We suggest buying an portable charger to extend the battery life throughout the day. Below are links to examples, but you can purchase any brand, size, price, etc. that will fit your needs.


What should you do if the LED light is flashing red/solid red on your Smart Controller?

This means the battery is critically low and the smart controller should be charged before any further use. Safely bring the drone back and ground it. Use of the controller while having a low battery could result in a dangerous flight and damage to the drone.


If the controller doesn’t load parameters when opening QGroundControl, what could be wrong?

First, check you have the correct smart controller that corresponds to that drone. If so, go into Settings under the settings icon. Check to see if the smart controller is paired under pair state. If not, you can remove the two silver bolts on the side of the drone to get to the air unit. Use a small tool to press and hold the pair/reset button until the LED light is flashing. Once flashing, you can pair to the smart controller by pressing the pair button under Radio in Herelink Settings. If this does not fix the issue please contact customer support for more help.


My smart controller will not connect to my 5 GHz network, what should I do?


If the smart controller is dropped or any damage is noticed, what should I do?

If the smart controller is dropped, bumped or damaged in any way, the controller should be replaced. If you suspect any damage, DO NOT use the controller. This can cause your drone to crash. Also, always check your smart controller before each flight for any damage. DO NOT fly the drone if the smart controller is damaged in anyway. It must be replaced before you fly your drone.


What should my smart controller be charged to before flight.

We recommend you charge your smart controller to 100 percent before beginning any flight. This will help prevent mishaps mid flight and will also keep the flight safe, as a fully charged controller is always best.


If my drone is not flying smoothly, what should I do?

First, check that props, payloads, screws and landing gear are all secure. Next, recalibrate the compass through QGroundControl. If no errors are being thrown in QGroundControl after this and the flight hasn’t improved, contact customer support.


Telemetry data is not showing correctly or at all during flight.

QGroundControl should be closed completely then reopened before each flight. By not doing so this could cause telemetry data to be incorrect or not show any data at all which would cause an unsafe flight.


What should I do If I try to arm my drone with the joy stick and the “Calibration still running” error comes up, not allowing the drone to arm.

Open Herelink settings and check that the Y axis has been reversed under the joystick tab. If not reversed, the controller will try to put the drone into calibration mode instead of arming the drone when pulling the joystick down and to the right. See picture below:


What if my smart controller will not connect or show my WiFi SSID?


Missions


How do I plan a mission using WisprGroundControl?


How Low/ High should I run my a mission?

A missions should not be run below 164 feet. This is for the safety of you, anyone else there and the drone its self. The only exception is if you are running a bathymetry payload over open water. If not, you should be flying above 164 feet in a mission.


If I need to stop a mission while a mission is running and bring the drone back to the launch, do I have to start the mission over completely on the next launch?

No, the mission does not need to be restarted over. You may pause the mission and resume it by following the steps below. This allows you to stop the mission, land the drone, power it down and then repower and resume the mission where it was paused.

  1. Select the pause button on the left toolbar to pause your mission (typically try to pause it at a waypoint in your mission)

  2. Return the drone back to where you launched from and land the drone

  3. Once landed an options screen will appear on the right side of the screen. You will see several options, one being “ Would you like to start the mission from the last waypoint?” Select that option.

  4. The plan will be re-written once you select this, so do not power the drone off immediately.

  5. You may now power your drone off do what you need to i.e. swap a battery

  6. Close out of QGroundControl

  7. Power the drone back on and open QGroundControl up again. Let parameters load as you normally would.

  8. You may now resume you mission and it will start at the last waypoint you were at


Can you change mission speed while a mission is already in progress?

Yes. Mission speed can be changed but the mission should be paused using the left tool bar and pressing the pause button during the mission. Once the pause (Break) button has been selected you may go into General Settings and change the speed of the mission of m/s. If the mission is not paused, and the speed is changed, the speed of the mission will not change.

Payloads


General


My gimbal will not point to a specific pitch angle. What is the problem?

A wire is possibly loose or unplugged and you would need to contact customer support to check this over to see where the wire could be loose at.

What is the max wind speed to fly in and still have a steady payload?

With WISPR Drones, you can fly in 45MPH wind gust and your payload will stay steady and capture reliable data and photos.


What should I do if the lever on my dove tail mount for payloads feels loose?

This can be fixed by tightening the nut on the lever. If this can not be accomplished contact Wispr to have this replaced. Having a loose dove tail mount could lead to erratic flight, bad streaming from the payload or even loss of the payload.


Camera Payloads


An older picture is showing on the screen, what should I do to bring up the live stream?

Click the Auto Focus (AF) button, which will take the old pic off, focus the camera and bring the live stream up. You may also take a picture and the live stream will be brought up but the Auto Focus button should be tried first.


If the camera feed is not coming up, what should I do?


After taking off and the camera shows it is going into geotagging mode and also shows it dumping the data once the flight is over but images aren’t being geotagged, What should I check?


Sony A7r


What if the the feed shows the camera going in and out of mass data storage mode?

Unplug the multi port cable (top USB-C cable plugged in the side of the camera) while powering on the drone and once powered on and QGroundControl has loaded, plug the multi port cable back into the port.

Camera takes multiple pictures when sent a camera trigger command from the controller.

Inside of the menu settings-->Shoot Mode-->Drive Mode--> Change to single shooting.

The following message appears on the camera screen: “The Operation and Safetey of this Battery cannot be guaranteed”

When this message appears, it suggests the Dummy Battery in your camera is degrading. While this should have no effect on the operation of the camera, it does pop up an annoying window that must be closed out before use. Contact support for a replacement dummy battery.

Pictures are not being saved on the SD card in your A7r correctly.

Format the SD card through the camera settings. To do this, go to media in your camera menu. You will see the option to format. Turn the roll wheel and select enter by pressing the center button of the roll wheel to begin formatting. You will receive a message that the card has been successfully formatted when it is complete


WIRIS


What should I do if my Wiris camerea does not have camera control?

Lidar


How to plan a Lidar Mission using WISPRGroundControl


How do I run a lidar mission using my AA450 on my Ranger Pro?

For more details visit our AA450 manual : AA450 LiDAR Quick Start and Best Practices Guide


How do I run a lidar mission using my Tridar Lidar on my Ranger Pro?


How do I set GPS antenna offset on lidar for Wispr Drones?


What should my Lidar offsets be set at?


When surveying with lidar what coordinate datum should you use if using a PPK base?

When surveying with Lidar, WGS84 must be used on the PPK base. After you are done processing the lidar data it can be converted to NAD83 or any other state plane for review.


What speed will the drone RTL at after completing a lidar mission?

If Lidar payload is selected in WISPRGroundControl, once the mission is complete the drone will RTL at a set speed of 10m/s.


Can any Operating System be used when processing your lidar data?

Windows 11 should not be used. Windows 11 can throw off the time of your data as well as the data itself. Avoid using this when you process your data. Windows 10 is suggested.


Companion Computer


What if I cannot connect to the Prism but I am able to connect to the OS and Flight Controller?

Check to see If you have the DHCP fallback in settings, in the OS, changed to 192.168.3.9 and Antenna Scraping is selected. You must reboot after making these changes. Once this is done, you will be able to log into the Prism’s web page at 192.168.3.1.


How can I update my companion computer?

To update your companion computer, power up your drone and you will go to the Wispr Air OS at 172.16.1.1. Once there select the hamburger tab and then Wi-Fi and put in your Wi-Fi credentials and connect. You will receive a connected to “your wifi name” confirmation. After connected to Wi-Fi, select update under the hamburger tab and in the dialogue box select update again. It could take up to a few minutes for the update to complete. Once updated you will get a successfully updated message. Now you can reboot your drone. Your companion computer should be updated and this can be checked by going to 172.16.1.1 and checking that the version at the top has updated.


I cannot access my CPE’s webapp when connected to my Companion Computer. How can I fix this?


I have the prism hooked up to my companion computer and the USB connected to the companion computer is not collecting data while I run a survey. What is wrong?


Wispr Ground Control


The Wispr Ground Control Update Tool crashes when I try to run it and will not install the app. How can I fix this?

Confirm you followed all steps correctly in the manual: Updating Wispr Ground Control .


Can the volume of the smart controller be muted/unmuted while inside of WisprGroundControl?

Yes. You can mute all audio output if needed by navigating to the settings button on the toolbar, going to general, scroll down and click the “Mute all audio output” option as seen below. To unmute the volume, simply click to uncheck the option box.


What should I do If I try to upload a new version of WGC Flight Firmware through Mission Planner and it says “Can Not Read Board”? How can this be fixed?

If you try to load the Custom Flight Firmware onto the drone and you have confirmed everything is hooked up correctly and you still get the error message of “cannot read board”, you should check in the top right and make sure the COM port is set to Auto. If it is set to anything else you will not be able to load the Custom Flight Firmware and will get an error message. Change to Auto on the COM port.


How do I use the Offline Maps feature and what is its use?

Offline maps are good to create if you are going to be flying at a later time in a spot without WiFi access but still need the maps while flying. Without WiFi you will not be able to download the maps of the area you are in. Here is a guide on how to use them and how to download them on your smart controller : Downloading Maps While Offline and Setting Terrain Follow