diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 7c81df1..f064de5 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ Information received from the drone will be published to the `ardrone/navdata` t
 * `altd`: Estimated altitude (mm)
 * `vx`, `vy`, `vz`: Linear velocity (mm/s) [TBA: Convention]
 * `ax`, `ay`, `az`: Linear acceleration (g) [TBA: Convention]
-* `tm`: Timestamp of the data returned by the Drone
+* `tm`: Timestamp of the data returned by the Drone returned as a packed uint32 (sec:11; usec:21)
 
 ### IMU data
 
diff --git a/launch/ardrone.launch b/launch/ardrone.launch
index 75cf918..9e2d547 100644
--- a/launch/ardrone.launch
+++ b/launch/ardrone.launch
@@ -5,23 +5,22 @@
 	    <param name="max_bitrate" value="4000" />
 	    <param name="bitrate" value="4000" />
 	    <param name="navdata_demo" value="0" />
-	    <param name="flight_without_shell" value="1" />
-	    <param name="altitude_max" value="4000" />
-            <param name="altitude_min" value="150" />
-            <param name="euler_angle_max" value="0.5" />
-            <param name="control_vz_max" value="2000" />
-	    <param name="control_yaw" value="350" />
+	    <param name="flight_without_shell" value="0" />
+	    <param name="altitude_max" value="3000" />
+        <param name="altitude_min" value="50" />
+        <param name="euler_angle_max" value="0.21" />
+        <param name="control_vz_max" value="700" />
+	    <param name="control_yaw" value="1.75" />
 	    <param name="detect_type" value="10" />
 	    <param name="enemy_colors" value="3" />
-	    <param name="groundstripe_colors" value="8" />
 	    <param name="detections_select_h" value="32" />
 	    <param name="detections_select_v_hsync" value="128" />
 	    <param name="enemy_without_shell" value="0" />
 	    <param name="do_imu_caliberation" value="false" />
 	    <param name="tf_prefix" value="mydrone" />
-            <!-- Covariance Values (3x3 matrices reshaped to 1x9)-->
-            <rosparam param="cov/imu_la">[0.1, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.1, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.1]</rosparam>
-            <rosparam param="cov/imu_av">[1.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 1.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 1.0]</rosparam>
-            <rosparam param="cov/imu_or">[1.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 1.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 100000.0]</rosparam>
+        <!-- Covariance Values (3x3 matrices reshaped to 1x9)-->
+        <rosparam param="cov/imu_la">[0.1, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.1, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.1]</rosparam>
+        <rosparam param="cov/imu_av">[1.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 1.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 1.0]</rosparam>
+        <rosparam param="cov/imu_or">[1.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 1.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 100000.0]</rosparam>
 	</node>
 </launch>
diff --git a/src/ardrone_driver.cpp b/src/ardrone_driver.cpp
index 6ec0345..f67163d 100644
--- a/src/ardrone_driver.cpp
+++ b/src/ardrone_driver.cpp
@@ -195,8 +195,8 @@ void ARDroneDriver::configureDrone()
 
     // firstly we send the CAT_COMMON parameters, for example outdoor, as these settings can affect where the other parameters are stored
     #define ARDRONE_CONFIG_KEY_REF_a10(KEY, NAME, INI_TYPE, C_TYPE, C_TYPE_PTR, RW, RW_CUSTOM, DEFAULT, CALLBACK, CATEGORY) //do nothing for reference-only parameters
-    #define ARDRONE_CONFIG_KEY_IMM_a10(KEY, NAME, INI_TYPE, C_TYPE, C_TYPE_PTR, RW, RW_CUSTOM, DEFAULT, CALLBACK, CATEGORY) { if(0!=strcmp(KEY,"custom") && CATEGORY==CAT_COMMON) SEND_PARAM_NUM(NAME,CATEGORY,DEFAULT) } // parameters under the custom key are for control of application/user/session, we don't want to change these!
-    #define ARDRONE_CONFIG_KEY_STR_a10(KEY, NAME, INI_TYPE, C_TYPE, C_TYPE_PTR, RW, RW_CUSTOM, DEFAULT, CALLBACK, CATEGORY) { if(0!=strcmp(KEY,"custom") && CATEGORY==CAT_COMMON) SEND_PARAM_STR(NAME,CATEGORY,DEFAULT) }
+    #define ARDRONE_CONFIG_KEY_IMM_a10(KEY, NAME, INI_TYPE, C_TYPE, C_TYPE_PTR, RW, RW_CUSTOM, DEFAULT, CALLBACK, CATEGORY) { if(0!=strcmp(KEY,"custom") && CATEGORY==CAT_COMMON && ((RW & K_WRITE) != 0 || (RW_CUSTOM & K_WRITE) != 0)) SEND_PARAM_NUM(NAME,CATEGORY,DEFAULT) } // parameters under the custom key are for control of application/user/session, we don't want to change these!
+    #define ARDRONE_CONFIG_KEY_STR_a10(KEY, NAME, INI_TYPE, C_TYPE, C_TYPE_PTR, RW, RW_CUSTOM, DEFAULT, CALLBACK, CATEGORY) { if(0!=strcmp(KEY,"custom") && CATEGORY==CAT_COMMON && ((RW & K_WRITE) != 0 || (RW_CUSTOM & K_WRITE) != 0)) SEND_PARAM_STR(NAME,CATEGORY,DEFAULT) }
 
     #include <config_keys.h> // include the parameter definitions, which will be replaced by the above
 
@@ -205,8 +205,8 @@ void ARDroneDriver::configureDrone()
 
     // then we send the rest of the parameters. The problem is if we send euler_angle_max (for example) before sending outdoor, it will get written to the wrong parameter
     // (indoor_ not outdoor_euler_angle_max) and then will be overwritten by the default when changing state from indoor to outdoor, so we need to send common parameters first.
-    #define ARDRONE_CONFIG_KEY_IMM_a10(KEY, NAME, INI_TYPE, C_TYPE, C_TYPE_PTR, RW, RW_CUSTOM, DEFAULT, CALLBACK, CATEGORY) { if(0!=strcmp(KEY,"custom") && CATEGORY!=CAT_COMMON) SEND_PARAM_NUM(NAME,CATEGORY,DEFAULT) } // parameters under the custom key are for control of application/user/session, we don't want to change these!
-    #define ARDRONE_CONFIG_KEY_STR_a10(KEY, NAME, INI_TYPE, C_TYPE, C_TYPE_PTR, RW, RW_CUSTOM, DEFAULT, CALLBACK, CATEGORY) { if(0!=strcmp(KEY,"custom") && CATEGORY!=CAT_COMMON) SEND_PARAM_STR(NAME,CATEGORY,DEFAULT) }
+    #define ARDRONE_CONFIG_KEY_IMM_a10(KEY, NAME, INI_TYPE, C_TYPE, C_TYPE_PTR, RW, RW_CUSTOM, DEFAULT, CALLBACK, CATEGORY) { if(0!=strcmp(KEY,"custom") && CATEGORY!=CAT_COMMON && ((RW & K_WRITE) != 0 || (RW_CUSTOM & K_WRITE) != 0)) SEND_PARAM_NUM(NAME,CATEGORY,DEFAULT) } // parameters under the custom key are for control of application/user/session, we don't want to change these!
+    #define ARDRONE_CONFIG_KEY_STR_a10(KEY, NAME, INI_TYPE, C_TYPE, C_TYPE_PTR, RW, RW_CUSTOM, DEFAULT, CALLBACK, CATEGORY) { if(0!=strcmp(KEY,"custom") && CATEGORY!=CAT_COMMON && ((RW & K_WRITE) != 0 || (RW_CUSTOM & K_WRITE) != 0)) SEND_PARAM_STR(NAME,CATEGORY,DEFAULT) }
 
     #include <config_keys.h> // include the parameter definitions, which will be replaced by the above
 
diff --git a/src/ardrone_sdk.cpp b/src/ardrone_sdk.cpp
index 539a926..9a7e5a3 100644
--- a/src/ardrone_sdk.cpp
+++ b/src/ardrone_sdk.cpp
@@ -89,28 +89,32 @@ extern "C" {
         #undef LOAD_PARAM_STR
         #undef LOAD_PARAM_NUM
 
-        #define LOAD_PARAM_NUM(NAME,C_TYPE)                                                                                     \
-            { double param;                                                                                                     \
+        #define LOAD_PARAM_NUM(NAME,C_TYPE,DEFAULT)                                                                             \
+            {                                                                                                                   \
+              double param;                                                                                                     \
+              ROS_DEBUG("CHECK: "#NAME);                                                                                        \
               if(ros::param::get("~"#NAME,param))                                                                               \
               {                                                                                                                 \
                 ardrone_application_default_config.NAME = (C_TYPE)param;                                                        \
-                ROS_DEBUG("SET: "#NAME" = %f", (float)ardrone_application_default_config.NAME);                                 \
+                ROS_DEBUG("SET: "#NAME" = %f (DEFAULT = %f)", (float)ardrone_application_default_config.NAME, (float)DEFAULT);  \
               }                                                                                                                 \
             }
 
-        #define LOAD_PARAM_STR(NAME)                                                                                            \
-            { std::string param;                                                                                                \
+        #define LOAD_PARAM_STR(NAME,DEFAULT)                                                                                    \
+            {                                                                                                                   \
+              std::string param;                                                                                                \
+              ROS_DEBUG("CHECK: "#NAME);                                                                                        \
               if(ros::param::get("~"#NAME,param))                                                                               \
               {                                                                                                                 \
                 param = param.substr(0,STRING_T_SIZE-1);                                                                        \
                 strcpy(ardrone_application_default_config.NAME , param.c_str());                                                \
-                ROS_DEBUG("SET: "#NAME" = %s", ardrone_application_default_config.NAME);                                        \      
+                ROS_DEBUG("SET: "#NAME" = %s (DEFAULT = %s)", ardrone_application_default_config.NAME, DEFAULT);                \      
               }                                                                                                                 \
             }
 
         #define ARDRONE_CONFIG_KEY_REF_a10(KEY, NAME, INI_TYPE, C_TYPE, C_TYPE_PTR, RW, RW_CUSTOM, DEFAULT, CALLBACK, CATEGORY) //do nothing for reference-only parameters
-        #define ARDRONE_CONFIG_KEY_IMM_a10(KEY, NAME, INI_TYPE, C_TYPE, C_TYPE_PTR, RW, RW_CUSTOM, DEFAULT, CALLBACK, CATEGORY) { if(0!=strcmp(KEY,"custom")) LOAD_PARAM_NUM(NAME,C_TYPE) } // parameters under the custom key are for control of application/user/session, we don't want to change these!
-        #define ARDRONE_CONFIG_KEY_STR_a10(KEY, NAME, INI_TYPE, C_TYPE, C_TYPE_PTR, RW, RW_CUSTOM, DEFAULT, CALLBACK, CATEGORY) { if(0!=strcmp(KEY,"custom")) LOAD_PARAM_STR(NAME) }
+        #define ARDRONE_CONFIG_KEY_IMM_a10(KEY, NAME, INI_TYPE, C_TYPE, C_TYPE_PTR, RW, RW_CUSTOM, DEFAULT, CALLBACK, CATEGORY) { if(0!=strcmp(KEY,"custom") && ((RW & K_WRITE) != 0 || (RW_CUSTOM & K_WRITE) != 0)) LOAD_PARAM_NUM(NAME,C_TYPE, DEFAULT) } // parameters under the custom key are for control of application/user/session, we don't want to change these!
+        #define ARDRONE_CONFIG_KEY_STR_a10(KEY, NAME, INI_TYPE, C_TYPE, C_TYPE_PTR, RW, RW_CUSTOM, DEFAULT, CALLBACK, CATEGORY) { if(0!=strcmp(KEY,"custom") && ((RW & K_WRITE) != 0 || (RW_CUSTOM & K_WRITE) != 0)) LOAD_PARAM_STR(NAME, DEFAULT) }
 
         #include <config_keys.h> // include the parameter definitions, which will be replaced by the above