Choppy FPV and quick phone battery drain?

[dg8882]

Hello!
I am a fairly new Phantom pilot, this is only my second day out with my new P3. I have plenty pf experience with past RC helicopters and small quad-copters but just recently i got my first "big" drone. I know all about how the pro/advanced have better signals with lightbridge and such but those were out of my price range and still are.

Being only my second day out due to the extreme cold, i am still learning everything my P3 has to offer and how everything works. So my first flight today, I flew my drone us as usual and the FPV was decent, only small lag. I live in a somewhat dense residential area and plenty of trees and everyone with their own wifi network. I have established my max distance is about 600m before video and radio starts completely failing. On this first flight, i was in picture mode and only getting a few nice shots before i brought it in.
I went out again later with a full battery and decided to take a video this time. When i took off, the battery on my iphone 5s was around 70%. I don't think i flew more than a hundred meters away before my video signal was not even usable. It was incredibly choppy and did not even display a picture if i flew over 200m away. The picture only came back when i flew the drone back to me and had less than a 20m distance. I still had a solid RC signal throughout the flight, I also have a homemade windsurfer attached. At about the 10 minutes of flying, i got the 20% battery warning on my phone (remember i started with about 70%) so i immediately brought the drone back to me, just seconds later my phone completely shut off.

So my question is, why does being in film mode just destroy FPV and kill my phone battery when in picture mode my FPV is as expected and my battery doesn't drop more than 30% in a full 20 minute flight?
I am also looking into the ITE-DBOS1 STANDARD for phantom 3 for sometime in the future. Can anyone give me an opinion on that or point me to a better one? Thanks!

 

[Noble 1]

Currently, the cheapest bang for buck range extension you can get are "windsurfers". You can make a set yourself with copper or aluminum foil or invest in a set here. Alternatives, and more expensive permanent option- which will also require a modification of your transmitter are the DBS and FPVLR mods. The 2 mods are essentially the same idea- replace the stock antenna for a better quality. The DBS provides broad coverage in about double the transmit/receive range, while the FPVLR does the same, nearly double with more skill needed to physically "aim" the antenna at or in the direction of your quadcopter. In my opinion the DBS and FPVLR comparisons are like comparing Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. Both offer superior performance in different situations.

 

[dg8882]

Currently, the cheapest bang for buck range extension you can get are "windsurfers". You can make a set yourself with copper or aluminum foil or invest in a set here. Alternatives, and more expensive permanent option- which will also require a modification of your transmitter are the DBS and FPVLR mods. The 2 mods are essentially the same idea- replace the stock antenna for a better quality. The DBS provides broad coverage in about double the transmit/receive range, while the FPVLR does the same, nearly double with more skill needed to physically "aim" the antenna at or in the direction of your quadcopter. In my opinion the DBS and FPVLR comparisons are like comparing Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. Both offer superior performance in different situations.

Thanks for clearing up on range extenders. I won't be buying any right now but i do definitely plan to at some point. But i still have the issue, why is only taking videos causing the FPV lag and pictures are not? And why are videos determined to kill my phone's battery?

 

[Noble 1]

Thanks for clearing up on range extenders. I won't be buying any right now but i do definitely plan to at some point. But i still have the issue, why is only taking videos causing the FPV lag and pictures are not? And why are videos determined to kill my phone's battery?

Well, honestly it could be many reasons.
1. The most common reason - when everything is working as it should - is incompatibility of the tablet or phone. MSINGER has an exhaustive compatibility list here. Check your device is up to date and the app is up to date. Some updates will kill your connection. Read before you make changes.
2. Second most common reason is interference and distance. Wifi signals in your area will kill your feed. Fly in open field away from obstructions. It is because of signal interference that some Phantom Pilots will recommend flying your Phantom with your phone or tablet in "airplane mode". The connection will be maintained through the USB cord. Turning the viewing device on airplane mode ensures your device isnt sending or receiving wifi, bluetooth, or gps signals which will interfere with your connection in some cases. Flying in airplane mode will also conserve your battery life of your tablet or phone.

 

[Auusie_P3S_pilot]

What format are you filming in? It might be to high for the phone to process in the cold weather.
Heres a good vid on camera settings

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It's for the advance but it works the same on the standard. Also try another mobile device to see if you have the same issue.

 

[RodPad]

Windsurfer, won't help with FPV on a Standard, and you can't hook to your mobile with a Standard with a USB.

Look for Mobile Device Fixs

DJI Phantom Accessories & Tips - Phantom Help

 

[Livin' it]

I have found that when I disable recording through the DJI go app FPV is better. You just have to take images and videos directly from SD card. You can also use airplane mode or do not disturb mode on your phone to help with battery life.


Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots mobile app

 

[Tony Cowan]

If your phone jumped like that in 10 mins. It's not the phantom causing it. More than likely the charger you are using. I found out the hard way those cheap chargers kills the battery on the smart phones. Even without my bird I was down to 20 mins on a full charge.


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots mobile app

 

[dg8882]

Windsurfer, won't help with FPV on a Standard, and you can't hook to your mobile with a Standard with a USB.

Look for Mobile Device Fixs

DJI Phantom Accessories & Tips - Phantom Help

I am aware that the windsurfer won't help the video signal at all, if i fly my p3 far enough to lose video, i don't lose RC control and i'm still able to fly it.
Hence the reason that i am also looking at signal extenders that require controller modification.

 

[dg8882]

If your phone jumped like that in 10 mins. It's not the phantom causing it. More than likely the charger you are using. I found out the hard way those cheap chargers kills the battery on the smart phones. Even without my bird I was down to 20 mins on a full charge.


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots mobile app

I sort of see what you're saying but I am using the charger that came with my iphone, and my battery depletes this quickly ONLY when i am flying and recording.

 

[Tony Cowan]

Wow. In less than 30 mins. I would think something is wrong with the phone. I tried my iPad yesterday. I think I only used 10% battery for entire flight.


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots mobile app

 

[RodPad]

I am aware that the windsurfer won't help the video signal at all, if i fly my p3 far enough to lose video, i don't lose RC control and i'm still able to fly it.
Hence the reason that i am also looking at signal extenders that require controller modification.

Yeah, that was mostly a clarification in some incorrect information that was posted.

 

[dg8882]

What format are you filming in? It might be to high for the phone to process in the cold weather.
Heres a good vid on camera settings

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It's for the advance but it works the same on the standard. Also try another mobile device to see if you have the same issue.

It's snowing now so i'm not sure if i can get back out tonight but i will give some of those tips a try when i can go out again.

 

[dg8882]

Wow. In less than 30 mins. I would think something is wrong with the phone. I tried my iPad yesterday. I think I only used 10% battery for entire flight.


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots mobile app

Well like i said, this ONLY happens when taking videos and flying. At no other time and with no other apps does my phone do this.

 

[RodPad]

If you haven't look at shutting of "Cache locally when recording"

 

[dg8882]

If you haven't look at shutting of "Cache locally when recording"

I had the thought that Cache may have something to do with it in the back of my mind, When i can get out again i'll see how that works.

 

[CaptainDrone798]

Yup, I'm surprised it took so many posts before someone stated the obvious.... when in video mode your phone is suddenly chopping in FPV means a local cache issue.

Also, from what you stated, it does seem that your Phantom is fine and your iPhone & DJI App are the problem. A battery can only drain quickly in a phone if the processor is in heavy use. The choppy video is an example of this. Your problem should fix itself if you just close all apps, power down your phone and restart it. Also, if you have very little RAM or storage remaining on your phone, then you'll encounter the same problem again. Good luck!

 

[dg8882]

The weather was finally nice and was finally able to get back out. I just completely disabled video caching and cleared my current video cache, haven't had an issue with videos and my phone battery stays where it should be! That 8gb sd card really fills up quick, will need to buy a bigger one.
Thanks for the help!

 

[Auusie_P3S_pilot]

Glad you got it sorted.