One of many coolest new options in Betaflight Model 2025.12 would most likely be GPS Place Maintain and Altitude Maintain. Flip a change and your FPV drone can hover in place hands-off—extraordinarily helpful for emergency conditions, in addition to for cinematic and long-range flying.
Think about somebody approaches you when you’re flying: now you can cease immediately to speak to them. Or for those who really feel drained mid-flight, you may take your goggles off and seize a sip of water earlier than persevering with. It’s a tremendous characteristic, nevertheless it requires correct setup and needs to be used with warning. On this tutorial, I’ll present you how you can set it up and share what I’ve discovered from testing it.
Earlier than establishing Place Maintain, I strongly suggest establishing GPS Rescue Mode as nicely. I’ve a devoted tutorial right here: https://oscarliang.com/setup-gps-rescue-mode-betaflight/
Demo Footage
Take a look at some footage how nicely place maintain works in Betaflight:
Official Documentation
I’ll attempt to hold this information concise, however you must also try the official documentation written by the Betaflight builders: https://www.betaflight.com/docs/wiki/guides/present/Place-Maintain-2025-12
{Hardware} Required
For Altitude Maintain and Place Maintain to work, all you want is a GPS module (with or with no magnetometer).
Many flight controllers nowadays additionally embrace a barometer. If yours doesn’t, that’s not finish of the world—Place Maintain will nonetheless work, as altitude could be estimated from GPS knowledge. Nonetheless, a barometer is really helpful as a result of it improves altitude accuracy.
GPS Suggestions
See my GPS testing right here:Â https://oscarliang.com/gps-review/
Prime Performer: GEPRC M1025Q (With Compass)
Prime Performer: HGLRC M100 5883 (With Compass)
Smallest Value Having: GOKU GM10 Nano V3 (With Compass)
Smallest Value Having: FlyFishRC M10 Mini
Smallest Value Having: HGLRC M100 Mini
Do You Actually Want a Magnetometer?
Some GPS modules include a magnetometer (also called a compass). Whereas it may possibly enhance place maintain accuracy, it’s not obligatory.
I examined Place Maintain each with and with no compass, and the distinction in efficiency wasn’t as dramatic as I initially anticipated.
The primary benefit of getting a compass is you can activate Place Maintain instantly after takeoff, and it typically holds heading extra precisely all through the entire flight.
And not using a compass, you can not activate Place Maintain straight away—you have to fly in a straight line for a couple of seconds first, in any other case you’ll get a “Place Maintain Fail” error. It is because Betaflight wants ahead movement to estimate the heading course. It additionally makes use of the gyro to trace heading. Since gyros can drift over time, heading accuracy can slowly degrade, inflicting the drone to float.
That mentioned, in my testing, the quad held place and heading surprisingly nicely for nearly 8 minutes even with no compass. Realistically, that’s greater than sufficient for most individuals, because it’s longer than a typical battery will final anyway.
Organising and calibrating a compass isn’t straightforward, to say the least. If it’s accomplished incorrectly, it may possibly really make Place Maintain much less dependable. There’s additionally further upkeep concerned—you ideally must recalibrate the compass when flying in a special location to get essentially the most correct readings.
So sure, it’s a good quantity of labor. If you will get away with no compass, I most likely wouldn’t trouble. Nonetheless, for those who plan to make use of Place Maintain often and wish the very best efficiency, then a compass can positively be helpful.
I’m at present writing a put up to cowl how you can arrange and calibrate a magnetometer—coming quickly.
The place to Mount GPS
You need to place the GPS as distant as doable from the next sources of interference:
- VTX antennas
- ESC, motors, and motor wires
- Energy cables (e.g. XT60)
- Motion cameras (akin to a GoPro)
Good areas for mounting a GPS module embrace:
- Above the FPV digicam
- On the rear of the drone (so long as it’s not too near the VTX antennas)
- On the battery strap
Find out how to Join GPS to FC
Connecting a GPS module to an FC is pretty easy. Merely join it to an out there UART on the FC (TX to RX, RX to TX), and energy it with 5V. In case you have a compass, you additionally want to attach the i2c port (SDA and SCL wires):
- GPS RX → FC TX
- GPS TX → FC RX
- GPS 5V → FC 5V
- GPS GND → FC GND
- GPS SDA → FC SDA (if the GPS has a compass)
- GPS SCL → FC SCL (if the GPS has a compass)
Reminder: Keep away from utilizing SoftSerial for GPS connections. SoftSerial is proscribed to a 19200 baud fee, which is just too sluggish and may compromise GPS reliability—particularly for options like Rescue Mode and Place Maintain. All the time use a {hardware} UART for essentially the most secure and dependable efficiency.
Replace Betaflight
Flash Betaflight to model 2025.12 or newer.
Essential: To flash and configure the newest firmware, you have to use the Betaflight net app, not the standalone desktop software:
https://app.betaflight.com/
When deciding on construct choices, ensure that the next options are enabled:
- Altitude Maintain
- Place Maintain
- GPS
- Magnetometer (in case you are utilizing a compass)
Unsure how you can flash Betaflight? Take a look at this information:Â https://oscarliang.com/flash-update-betaflight/
Betaflight Setup
Ports Tab
Allow GPS on the UART to which the GPS module is linked.
Configuration Tab
Allow the next choices:
- Accelerometer (MUST be enabled)
- Barometer (in case your have one)
- Magnetometer (when you’ve got one)
In case you are not utilizing a magnetometer, enter the next command within the CLI:
set pos_hold_without_mag = ONsave
GPS Tab
These are my settings for GPS module.
Modes Tab
It’s really helpful to make use of Altitude Maintain and Place Maintain collectively, so I assign them to the identical change.
- Altitude Maintain: ALTHOLD
- Place Maintain: POS HOLD
I exploit a 3-position change:
- Place 1: Each modes OFF
- Place 2: Altitude Maintain ON
- Place 3: Altitude Maintain + Place Maintain ON
This setup permits you to check or use Altitude Maintain independently if wanted.
OSD Tab
Allow “Fly Mode” so you may clearly see which mode is energetic.
The “House Course” arrow can be very helpful for validating heading—particularly for those who’re flying with no compass.
Hover Throttle
Lastly, go to the CLI tab, and set the hover throttle worth (this is identical worth used for GPS Rescue mode btw):
set ap_hover_throttle = 1275save
Exchange 1275 with your personal hover throttle worth primarily based on testing.
Accelerometer Calibration
Identical to Rescue Mode, each Place Maintain and Altitude Maintain depend on Angle Mode, which makes use of the accelerometer. Subsequently, you must calibrate the accelerometer earlier than utilizing these modes to attenuate drifting.
Place your quad on a degree floor, then go to the Setup tab and click on Calibrate Accelerometer.
To check Angle Mode, attempt hovering the drone and see if it self-levels as anticipated. Needless to say Angle Mode makes use of solely the accelerometer and gyro, so it received’t maintain place completely like a DJI drone. That’s precisely why we’re establishing Place Maintain.
A small quantity of drift attributable to sensor error, weight distribution, or wind is regular. You possibly can reduce this by trimming the accelerometer utilizing stick instructions after touchdown, trim in the wrong way of the drift, for example:
- If the drone drifts left, use Trim ACC Proper
- If it drifts backward, use Trim ACC Ahead
It’s unlikely you’ll get rid of drift fully. The objective is to attenuate it—so long as the drift isn’t extreme, it needs to be effective.
Magnetometer Calibration
You possibly can skip this part in case you are not utilizing a magnetometer.
Magnetometer setup and calibration is a reasonably complicated matter and actually deserves its personal devoted information. I’ll be publishing a separate put up on this quickly.
For now, right here’s the official Betaflight documentation that explains the method intimately: https://www.betaflight.com/docs/wiki/guides/present/magnetometer
Find out how to Use Altitude Maintain
Now we’re able to attempt these flight modes.
Altitude Maintain could be activated independently of Place Maintain.
As soon as activated, Altitude Maintain behaves equally to Angle Mode (self-leveling), however with computerized throttle management. When your throttle stick is centered, the drone will try to keep up a hard and fast altitude. You too can decrease the throttle stick all the way in which to 0%, it does the identical factor.
In the event you elevate or decrease the throttle from middle, the drone will climb or descend.
Nonetheless, similar to Angle Mode, the drone will nonetheless drift, and also you’ll must appropriate that drift utilizing the pitch and roll sticks. That is regular and anticipated.
Essential: Getting the hover throttle worth proper is vital. If the worth is just too low, the quad will instantly drop when Altitude Maintain is activated. If the worth is just too excessive, the quad will instantly climb. You possibly can alter the hover throttle within the OSD menu below GPS Rescue, or through the CLI utilizing the ap_hover_throttle setting.
Lastly, don’t count on DJI-level altitude stability. Altitude Maintain in Betaflight makes use of solely the barometer to estimate altitude, so going up and down barely is regular.
Find out how to Use Place Maintain
To make use of Place Maintain, it’s really helpful to activate Altitude Maintain on the similar time, ideally utilizing the identical change.
Earlier than testing Place Maintain, you must first check Altitude Maintain by itself. Be sure that there’s no sudden drop or climb in altitude while you interact it. If the quad instantly climbs or sinks, alter the hover throttle first.
As soon as Altitude Maintain is working easily, you may transfer on to testing Place Maintain.
When Place Maintain is energetic, the OSD flight mode will show POSH.
Utilizing Place Maintain With a Compass
In case you are utilizing a magnetometer (compass), you may activate Place Maintain at any time throughout flight, so long as you may have a superb GPS lock (a minimum of 8 satellites) earlier than takeoff.
When engaged, the quad ought to maintain its place robotically. A small quantity of drift—sometimes inside 1m—is regular based on the Betaflight builders.
You possibly can nonetheless transfer the quad utilizing pitch, roll, and yaw, much like Angle Mode, however stick responsiveness is considerably decreased in comparison with regular Angle Mode.
Utilizing Place Maintain And not using a Compass
In case you are not utilizing a compass, Place Maintain isn’t instantly out there after takeoff.
In the event you attempt to activate it too early, you’ll see a “POSHOLD FAIL” warning within the OSD. You could first fly in a straight line for a couple of seconds (or roughly 100 meters) so Betaflight can estimate the heading from GPS knowledge.
To confirm you’re prepared, verify the house arrow within the OSD—if it factors within the appropriate course, Place Maintain ought to work.
In my testing, Place Maintain labored surprisingly nicely with no compass. The quad held each place and heading for over 7 minutes, till the battery ran out (most likely might have gone on for longer). Nonetheless, if drifting begins to happen, it’s possible you’ll must disengage Place Maintain, fly straight once more briefly to refresh the heading estimate, after which re-engage it. That is the principle draw back of not having a compass.
Is This the Identical as DJI’s Panic Button?
Not fairly.
On the DJI Avata 2, urgent the panic button instantly brakes and stops the drone virtually immediately. Place Maintain behaves equally, nevertheless it’s not as aggressive, particularly for those who’re flying quick.
If you would like stronger braking, you may enhance the ap_max_angle worth (default is 50°, most is 70°). Greater values end in extra aggressive braking habits.
Potential Points and Troubleshooting
My Quad Gained’t Arm
You can not arm the quad whereas Place Maintain or Altitude Maintain is already engaged. Be sure that each modes are disengaged earlier than arming.
Altitude Wavering
Based on the Betaflight documentation, altitude stability inside about 1 meter is regular. It received’t be as secure as DJI drones, which use LiDAR and different digicam sensors. Betaflight depends solely on barometer.
Wind and excessive airspeed also can trigger errors, as airflow over the barometer impacts air strain and readings. You possibly can cut back this by protecting the barometer with a small piece of open-cell foam, permitting strain adjustments however limiting airflow.
“POSHOLD FAIL” Warning in OSD
This often occurs when:
- You don’t have a compass and haven’t flown straight lengthy sufficient to determine heading, or
- There aren’t sufficient GPS satellites locked
Quad Flies Off at a Dangerous Angle or Circles
If the quad instantly flies off at an odd angle or begins circling, the heading data (from GPS or magnetometer) is probably going incorrect.
In the event you’re not utilizing a magnetometer, disengage Place Maintain and fly straight for 50–100 meters at a gentle velocity with minimal roll or yaw enter, then attempt once more.
Conclusion: Place Maintain Is Helpful, however Not Foolproof (But)
In my expertise, when Place Maintain works, it really works very well. Nonetheless, there have been instances it was doing bizarre stuff like pulsating, wandering, or was simply wobbly—and on a few events, it simply didn’t work.
It is a highly effective and genuinely helpful characteristic, nevertheless it’s not foolproof but. You need to check it totally earlier than counting on it in real-world conditions.
Personally, I’ll primarily use it for emergency situations—when you have to take your goggles off or put the radio down briefly. That alone generally is a lifesaver. Nonetheless, I’d not belief it to hover over individuals with out actively controlling the quad. Use widespread sense.