Antenna Mod - Mavic

m0j0 · Oct 2, 2016

kmaluo said:
I don't think you'll ever fly zero wind.

you mean like today .. If it wasn't zero it was close. Turned off the GPS at 200 feet and the quad moved about 10 feet in 20 seconds... I agree though. This bird will run out of juice before it runs out of range. Battery upgrades would be the first hurdle to cross before trying to go on super long runs.

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madkow70 · Oct 2, 2016

It's not all about 4 mile range.
4 mile max is under optimal condition without obstructions.
I live in urban area where my P4 rarely sees 1 mile range max.
If Mavic carries better comm than P4 and yields me better than 1 mile range from my house, that'll be infinitely better.
The max battery life doesn't even come into my consideration yet.

My point is that max range is not always about open environment max distance.

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m0j0 · Oct 2, 2016

True enough.

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DefaultIT · Oct 2, 2016

jeganx said:
I love the idea of mod. But if it sacrifice the portability and compactness of Mavic, it somehow defeat the purpose of having a Mavic. [...]

Yeah...the way those antennae nest into each other, together with the fact that the range seems quite long from the factory, I suspect the aftermarket antenna demand will be pretty low on this round

alokbhargava said:
Lets get some lighting arrangement for this small bird so that we can see it from far.[...]

Indeed...I already like the horizontally directed rear light for this reason. I can understand why for the sake of consistency they used 2 red lights on the front, but I'm really wishing they had gone to aviation standard red/left right/green. It would make visually judging orientation at a distance a lot easier. I don't expect that to be an easy mod, but it's on my list to look into

FASTFJR · Oct 2, 2016

TheLightSpeedz said:
4 miles? lol. That's pretty far! But 4.7 or 5 miles is possible with just an antenna mod on a P4.... With the Mavic it goes 4 miles out of the box (P4 said 3.1 which I never could get).... But if I wonder is 6 miles possible with wind surfers or a mod?

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I will to bet 99% of Phantom, Inspire and Mavic flyers stay within a half mile

hudster · Oct 2, 2016

I know there will be tons of innovation with mods. I might install some more lights on this thing or maybe small little reflectors to spot it easier. What do you guys think?

TheLightSpeedz · Oct 2, 2016

We all know the P4 goes farther than the 6.2 miles that's advertised. One can only assume a 4 mile estimation could do 5 miles, maybe 6 under the right conditon

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Ryan McAllister · Oct 2, 2016

Silverwingflinx said:
As far as battery mod goes I am sure the Mavic can handle 200/ 300 grams of extra weight 3 cell batteries don't weigh much.i will be doing a batt mod.as for antenna mods if the itelite works I will still use my tripod mount with I pad then use a 4 foot lighting cable to the remote.

Walk me through the mods when you do them

Silverwingflinx · Oct 2, 2016

Ryan McAllister said:
Walk me through the mods when you do them

Yes will do! Take pics step by step.

Ryan McAllister · Oct 2, 2016

Silverwingflinx said:
Yes will do! Take pics step by step.

Video!

IBV · Oct 3, 2016

kmaluo said:
So you're saying the battery will do a 12 miles round-trip going 35mph? Even with no wind, the 21 minute normal flight time advertised by DJI(15% reserve) doesn't really allow for that. I don't think you'll ever fly zero wind, and I don't think 35mph qualifies as normal flight. A constant 35mph and you're probably looking at 18 minutes.

There is battery mods acailable for the P4. For the Mavic this Will be difficult because it hasn't got the power to carry 500g extra weight. Antenna mods are not only done cause of range but penetration and control safety (Wifi noise). For offroad missions the Mavic is clearly interesting.

pierce · Oct 3, 2016

alokbhargava said:
No one ever gets satisfied with what he gets. There is always a desire to get some more.

To go ..."Where No Man Has Gone Before"

auen1 · Oct 3, 2016

pierce said:
To go ..."Where No Man Has Gone Before"

Ya,
I can''t wait to see those batteries strapped on a Mavic
and a panel antenna coupled on a phone sized controller.
Such an awesome idea!

pierce · Oct 3, 2016

There's so much stress nowadays.

auen1 · Oct 3, 2016

Honestly,
When I get my Mavic,
I'm going to put my desktop computer in my pickup truck, so I can process the videos on site.
It's going to be awesome!

TheLightSpeedz · Oct 3, 2016

Well each to their own... For me the distance is fun and exciting.

I believe because the design of the Mavic battery it will be possible to add a battery right on top of the stock battery. Maybe half the size of the original?

The antenna mod will more than likely be limited to the smaller DBS panel. Black hopefully, and attached in a very clever way!

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TheLightSpeedz · Oct 3, 2016

For lots of people they get bored, and start looking for ways to go further.

So make all the sarcastic remarks you want... Their were plenty of guys like you when the P4 came out too... Just no one listened to them.

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auen1 · Oct 3, 2016

OK,
good luck!

kmaluo · Oct 3, 2016

Anyone here not scared of FAAs line of sight rule? I'm terrified of being fined $1000 or worse hurting someone. Especially with a modified drone.

DefaultIT · Oct 3, 2016

I'm concerned with both...but mostly the latter. Had a perfect example of why just last night: flying from a ridge line and getting to the far end of a flight plan (within a couple thousand feet, not even close to theoretical max distance but far enough that there's not much can tell visually) and had a couple hikers, presumably with cell phones on, walk by causing a large enough reception gap to trigger RTH. Happened twice, actually (they came back).

Around here interference is a much bigger deal than distance, and much less predicable, making VLOS all the more important.