Does anyone try a range test for your new p4p? I did but totally disappointed><"

ginola73 · Dec 23, 2016

F3honda4me said:
New personal "highest" the other day, 10,000 feet. I notice that I just leave mine set to "auto" for the frequency and if it starts at 5.8ghz it will auto switch to 2.4ghz at some point once I get too far out for 5.8 to work effectively.

Mine did not switch by itself although it sets to Auto... i have to manually switch it..

ginola73 · Dec 23, 2016

ginola73 said:
Range wise the bird is relying on its remote frequency the 2.4g and 5.8g.. 5.8g is good for short distance but for long distance you MUST switch to 2.4g..

My experience with 5.8g gives me less than 1km range... with 2.4g so far it gives me 2.4km (due to height restriction i wasn't be able to add the more KM)

Today 2.4g gives me 3.4Km but due strong wind (against RTH) plus battery %, the system warn me to RTH.. i'll try again tomorrow.

John Locke · Dec 24, 2016

Snowwolf said:
Now I have set it to 2.4 and not the unusable 5.8 it's been brilliant for distance, not had one low signal at all, far better than my P4

This is good to hear. How far have you been able to fly from home?

GadgetGuy · Dec 24, 2016

Two miles is the very best I have been able to achieve on the P4P with a stock transmitter, in the same area I get 6 miles with my P4 using a boosted DBS-02 modded transmitter from my P3P. Alas, the modded GL300A transmitter cannot be similarly linked with the P4P. Average P4P range is 6,200 feet before the weak signal messages start appearing, and transmitter is down to 1 or no bars. HD setting is Custom 2.4 Ghz on Ch 20, at 4 Mbs, without video being cached on device. The 4.3 miles is pure fiction!

John Locke · Dec 25, 2016

GadgetGuy said:
Two miles is the very best I have been able to achieve on the P4P with a stock transmitter, in the same area I get 6 miles with my P4 using a boosted DBS-02 modded transmitter from my P3P. Alas, the modded GL300A transmitter cannot be similarly linked with the P4P. Average P4P range is 6,200 feet before the weak signal messages start appearing, and transmitter is down to 1 or no bars. HD setting is Custom 2.4 Ghz on Ch 20, at 4 Mbs, without video being cached on device. The 4.7 miles is pure fiction!

Have you tried using windsurfer ?

Fly often, be safe

GadgetGuy · Dec 25, 2016

John Locke said:
Have you tried using windsurfer ?

Fly often, be safe

Indeed I have! Windsurfer reduced the range to 6200 feet and resulted in a 3 minute loss of control signal that was not restored until 1500 feet away. Seems to work better without a windsurfer. Go figure!

smiller · Dec 25, 2016

GadgetGuy said:
Indeed I have! Windsurfer reduced the range to 6200 feet and resulted in a 3 minute loss of control signal that was not restored until 1500 feet away. Seems to work better without a windsurfer. Go figure!

It's not very hard to figure. Microwave radio systems are tricky to engineer and consumer systems are usually designed to work as a system, and any haphazard attempts to improve operation (inexpensive antenna add-ons and such) usually end up being just as likely to cause harm as good (in fact probably more likely.) I know that there are endless reports of antenna mods creating miraculous improvement, but then again there are endless reports of fuel magnets creating miraculous fuel mileage improvement. Please don't flame me as that's not to say that range reports are necessarily incorrect, only that expectations are a very powerful influence.

GadgetGuy · Dec 25, 2016

smiller said:
It's not very hard to figure. Microwave radio systems are tricky to engineer and consumer systems are usually designed to work as a system, and any haphazard attempts to improve operation (inexpensive antenna add-ons and such) usually end up being just as likely to cause harm as good (in fact probably more likely.) I know that there are endless reports of antenna mods creating miraculous improvement, but then again there are endless reports of fuel magnets creating miraculous fuel mileage improvement. Please don't flame me as that's not to say that range reports are necessarily incorrect, only that expectations are a very powerful influence.

The same windsurfer on a P3P transmitter increases the range by some 30%. A windsurfer isn't a true antenna mod, IMHO. I can have all the expectations in the world, and the stock P4P or P4 will not exceed it's maximum range or even come close to reaching it, while an amped DBS-02 on a P4 with no expectations delivers 6 miles. Expectations are irrelevant, unless you are referring to the placebo effect with medications, which is well documented.

However, I agree that adding a windsurfer to a well tuned system can clearly also reduce range, and that was certainly not my expectation!

smiller · Dec 25, 2016

GadgetGuy said:
... while an amped DBS-02 on a P4 with no expectations delivers 6 miles.

Oh I don't doubt a mod like that is effective (illegal, but effective

) I was referring to the $20 stick-on miracles.

Langstonius · Dec 25, 2016

People must have some good eyesight to keep an eye on a drone past 1m / 1km. At least in the US

John Locke · Dec 25, 2016

GadgetGuy said:
The same windsurfer on a P3P transmitter increases the range by some 30%. A windsurfer isn't a true antenna mod, IMHO. I can have all the expectations in the world, and the stock P4P or P4 will not exceed it's maximum range or even come close to reaching it, while an amped DBS-02 on a P4 with no expectations delivers 6 miles. Expectations are irrelevant, unless you are referring to the placebo effect with medications, which is well documented.

However, I agree that adding a windsurfer to a well tuned system can clearly also reduce range, and that was certainly not my expectation!

Wow, that makes no sense, does it? I've never heard of a windsurfer actually reducing range. Did you try the windsurfer in more than one place? I'm thinking maybe your craft picked up wifi interference in the test area you flew.

I have always had a 30-40% range increase with windsurfers, going 15,000 to 18,000' depending on the location (away from homes and businesses). There are thousands of people using those Sunhans amps in their homes to boost their access point wifi range, so if you fly over one of those homes with a 3W boost amp, it may be possible you picked up interference a mile away in that boosted area, even though your RC doesn't detect any interference at your home spot, as viewed in the Go app wifi activity monitor.

AerialZ · Dec 25, 2016

First off, Merry Christmas.
Second, many of these posts just instigate bad behavior in our community, whether hobbyist or professional. Personally, I think anyone running to max range with any "drone" (WAY out of VLOS) is an accident looking for a place to happen. There is absolutely no reason you should be putting people at risk. Manned aircraft regularly fly lower than you think and it's going to be one of these ignorant loudmouths that strike one... it's not even a matter if 'if' anymore, but when. We ALL operate under the see and avoid concept. You can't 'see' anything 1+ miles away from your RC location.
Please don't share this ignorance with people new to this hobby/community. I really do not understand why it's so hard for those with years of experience to set a good example for the masses that don't.
And we wonder why this hobby/industry is always under such negative scrutiny...

GadgetGuy · Dec 25, 2016

John Locke said:
Wow, that makes no sense, does it? I've never heard of a windsurfer actually reducing range. Did you try the windsurfer in more than one place? I'm thinking maybe your craft picked up wifi interference in the test area you flew.

I have always had a 30-40% range increase with windsurfers, going 15,000 to 18,000' depending on the location (away from homes and businesses). There are thousands of people using those Sunhans amps in their homes to boost their access point wifi range, so if you fly over one of those homes with a 3W boost amp, it may be possible you picked up interference a mile away in that boosted area, even though your RC doesn't detect any interference at your home spot, as viewed in the Go app wifi activity monitor.

It can, if you accept smiller's premise. The same windsurfer works great on the stock P3P GL300A. The design is not defective. Who knows why I got the strange results I did. It is the exact same area I fly over on a near daily basis, at the same altitude, with no issues with my other equipment, so nothing unique about it. Still testing other configurations. Rain and wind has grounded all testing over the last several days. Mavic testing to follow.

GadgetGuy · Dec 25, 2016

smiller said:
Oh I don't doubt a mod like that is effective (illegal, but effective ) I was referring to the $20 stick-on miracles.

Lots of low end flimflammery available, with questionable effectiveness. However, a windsurfer, with the correct parabolic design, is a proven signal concentrator.

680aerials · Dec 27, 2016

18,000 feet on p4p stock 5.8ghz entire way. Lost signal and did return to home.

Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots

durrantie · Dec 27, 2016

I had a P4 before my P4P, I can say without doubt the P4P has the same or slightly longer range on the exact same route where I live.

Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots

RandyHat · Dec 27, 2016

AerialZ...I think your message has fallen upon quite a number of deaf ears....

GadgetGuy · Dec 27, 2016

RandyHat said:
AerialZ...I think your message has fallen upon quite a number of deaf ears....

I understood "Merry Christmas"---did I miss something?

AerialZ · Dec 31, 2016

That's fine. I'm only trying to help set a good example for the thousands of new drone owners that stumble across these forums right after the holidays. They should know that these type of ignorant/negligent actions will get them in a boatload of trouble if something goes wrong.

But we all know, that never happens...

GadgetGuy · Dec 31, 2016

AerialZ said:
That's fine. I'm only trying to help set a good example for the thousands of new drone owners that stumble across these forums right after the holidays. They should know that these type of ignorant/negligent actions will get them in a boatload of trouble if something goes wrong.

But we all know, that never happens...

Effort noted, but they only show up on the forums after they crash, so it's a self limiting problem.