Extended range? I don't get it..

[Rich C.]

I sent my P4 up in an area with miles and miles of line of sight. It wasn't terribly windy, just a gentle breeze. I started with a fully charged battery. I was just over 12,000 feet away and the battery was at 60%. I didn't know if the bird was going to head home into the wind, so I turned it around and headed home. The battery was at 22% when it landed in front of me, after a 4 1/2 mile flight. (out and back home)

I have no doubt that the bird could have continued away from me. Video was just beginning to drop out, control remained rock solid. So let's say that I kept on flying. The bird probably wouldn't have made it home safely, landing somewhere in the middle of nowhere with a depleted battery.

How do these guys who fly miles and miles away get their birds back?

I don't get it.

 

[Bigbells]

I have no doubt that the bird could have continued away from me.

Have you no faith, lol? Read page 14 of the user manual, regarding Low Battery Return To Home.

 

[Rich C.]

Have you no faith, lol? Read page 14 of the user manual, regarding Low Battery Return To Home.

Yes, it kicked in when was a few miles away. Happened last weekend and worked like a charm.

Still, how far, in perfect conditions, can the bird go before LOBAT RTH kicks in? That would be a useful piece of information for a new pilot like me.

Cheers

 

[Bigbells]

Yes, it kicked in when was a few miles away. Happened last weekend and worked like a charm.

Still, how far, in perfect conditions, can the bird go before LOBAT RTH kicks in? That would be a useful piece of information for a new pilot like me.

Cheers

It sounds like you already found out how far it could go, no? I don't know if you were flying at maximum speed, but if not, that's what I'd try to do to extend the distance.

 

[tml4191]

I sent my P4 up in an area with miles and miles of line of sight. It wasn't terribly windy, just a gentle breeze. I started with a fully charged battery. I was just over 12,000 feet away and the battery was at 60%. I didn't know if the bird was going to head home into the wind, so I turned it around and headed home. The battery was at 22% when it landed in front of me, after a 4 1/2 mile flight. (out and back home)

I have no doubt that the bird could have continued away from me. Video was just beginning to drop out, control remained rock solid. So let's say that I kept on flying. The bird probably wouldn't have made it home safely, landing somewhere in the middle of nowhere with a depleted battery.

How do these guys who fly miles and miles away get their birds back?

I don't get it.

Are you running stock antennas? Most people who've flown it record distances have modded their phantoms with a dual battery like the 5200 multistar 5.2v battery strapped under the VPS, and to top it off, they added some upgraded antennas with a boosted setup like what a company called Maxxuav offers.

Plus they had hope , faith.........................and some love for this hobby. A lot of vets here shared their progressive information at: Dual Battery Mod

 

[Mark The Droner]

Yes.

The thrill of victory. The agony of defeat (from ABC's Wide World Of Sports). Long distance flying is not plug and play.

The guys who get world class distance have strategies and they have testicles, if I may be blunt. They don't turn around at the first sign of weakness. They don't turn around when normal sane people turn around. They know when to fly low and when to fly high. They know what direction to fly. They know when to fly and when not to fly. They surge forward through the troubled wifi-dense areas, sometimes even flying without FPV. They will use accessories such as Flytrex Live 3G as they hurl their ACs forward. They will even interrupt signal-loss invoked RTH and turn around 180 and continue trying to head further out with a weak intermittent control signal and questionable battery strength. Hence, they sometimes lose ACs in the forests and marshes, mountains and lakes. But they have quite a few tales of failure and success to share. Their names are recorded - and their achievements can rarely be disputed.

Flytrex - Quadcopter and Multirotor Pilots Network

 

[tml4191]

Yes.

The thrill of victory. The agony of defeat (from ABC's Wide World Of Sports). Long distance flying is not plug and play.

The guys who get world class distance have strategies and they have testicles, if I may be blunt. They don't turn around at the first sign of weakness. They don't turn around when normal sane people turn around. They know when to fly low and when to fly high. They know what direction to fly. They know when to fly and when not to fly. They surge forward through the troubled wifi-dense areas, sometimes even flying without FPV. They will use accessories such as Flytrex Live 3G as they hurl their ACs forward. They will even interrupt signal-loss invoked RTH and turn around 180 and continue trying to head further out with a weak intermittent control signal and questionable battery strength. Hence, they sometimes lose ACs in the forests and marshes, mountains and lakes. But they have quite a few tales of failure and success to share. Their names are recorded - and their achievements can rarely be disputed.

Flytrex - Quadcopter and Multirotor Pilots Network

Sounds like an intro to a "Phantom Legends" movie. haha

 

[Rich C.]

Are you running stock antennas? Most people who've flown it record distances have modded their phantoms with a dual battery like the 5200 multistar 5.2v battery strapped under the VPS, and to top it off, they added some upgraded antennas with a boosted setup like what a company called Maxxuav offers.

Plus they had hope , faith.........................and some love for this hobby. A lot of vets here shared their progressive information at: Dual Battery Mod

Thanks for the info. wanna play this game, an old amateur radio operator like me can't resist this. Thanks again.

 

[Electro32]

Yes.

The thrill of victory. The agony of defeat (from ABC's Wide World Of Sports). Long distance flying is not plug and play.

The guys who get world class distance have strategies and they have testicles, if I may be blunt. They don't turn around at the first sign of weakness. They don't turn around when normal sane people turn around. They know when to fly low and when to fly high. They know what direction to fly. They know when to fly and when not to fly. They surge forward through the troubled wifi-dense areas, sometimes even flying without FPV. They will use accessories such as Flytrex Live 3G as they hurl their ACs forward. They will even interrupt signal-loss invoked RTH and turn around 180 and continue trying to head further out with a weak intermittent control signal and questionable battery strength. Hence, they sometimes lose ACs in the forests and marshes, mountains and lakes. But they have quite a few tales of failure and success to share. Their names are recorded - and their achievements can rarely be disputed.

Flytrex - Quadcopter and Multirotor Pilots Network

The only thing I would add to this this is "chariots of fire" track lol, almost cried lol. Completely agree, victory is only for the ones that go above and beyond and not for quitters lol.
P.S. I'm not the one to judge, not a distance flyer. Yet.

 

[manosmanoli]

Should I tell you a secret ? but shhhhhhh ... Att MODE ..... NO GPS position correction ,, less consumption ,, better speed ,, but definitely do that away drom residential areas , on a calm wind day ....

 

[tml4191]

Yes, it kicked in when was a few miles away. Happened last weekend and worked like a charm.

Still, how far, in perfect conditions, can the bird go before LOBAT RTH kicks in? That would be a useful piece of information for a new pilot like me.

Cheers

I'll make a video.... just tested my first dual battery, and it worked great! I didn't test the length of the battery, but the positioning of the battery was a vital part of this flight. It basically flew like a normal phantom. Some people here strap their battery in places that affect their phantom's movements. I did buy this mod from the UK though: DJI phantom 3 Phantom 2 Easy battery mods adaptor . It took nearly a month to get here, but it was 100% worth it. People here have mcguyvered one similar to this model, but this one came with an xt60 adapter, LED light, and it was made with great quality.

 

[tml4191]

Should I tell you a secret ? but shhhhhhh ... Att MODE ..... NO GPS position correction ,, less consumption ,, better speed ,, but definitely do that away drom residential areas , on a calm wind day ....

Thanks for the tip, but do you fly atti on the way back, or when you start it up? Just started getting into dual battery/long distance flights

 

[Pharm]

...Still, how far, in perfect conditions, can the bird go before LOBAT RTH kicks in?

If you have Smart RTH turned on, it will fly until it calculates that further flight will not leave enough battery power to return home. If Smart RTH is turned off, it will fly until it reaches the low bat percentage that YOU set in the app.

 

[Rich C.]

The only thing I would add to this this is "chariots of fire" track lol, almost cried lol. Completely agree, victory is only for the ones that go above and beyond and not for quitters lol.
P.S. I'm not the one to judge, not a distance flyer. Yet.

Years ago I ran a 2kW transmitter in my 78 Volare. The old car was essential because the transmitter wiped out nearby electronics every time I keyed it down. There were 2 alternators, the stock alternator, and a 260 amp single wire powerhouse I found at the junkyard. A Deka Precision 1050 CCA battery up front. An Interstate Megatron 1000 CCA battery in the trunk. Everything connected to everything else with welding cable.

The amplifier was home-brewed, on the inside were 16 2SC2879 transistors.

The defining moment of my amateur radio career was when I was working a guy on the 10 meter band, which was wide open at the time. The fellow I was conversing with gently explained to me that "Echo Microphones" were for CB'ers, and not for Amateur Radio Operators. I explained to him that the echo he heard was actually my signal lapping the earth over and over again.

Outstanding!

That was a long time ago. I'm ready for a new challenge!

Thanks again.

 

[tml4191]

I sent my P4 up in an area with miles and miles of line of sight. It wasn't terribly windy, just a gentle breeze. I started with a fully charged battery. I was just over 12,000 feet away and the battery was at 60%. I didn't know if the bird was going to head home into the wind, so I turned it around and headed home. The battery was at 22% when it landed in front of me, after a 4 1/2 mile flight. (out and back home)

I have no doubt that the bird could have continued away from me. Video was just beginning to drop out, control remained rock solid. So let's say that I kept on flying. The bird probably wouldn't have made it home safely, landing somewhere in the middle of nowhere with a depleted battery.

How do these guys who fly miles and miles away get their birds back?

I don't get it.

Here's the video of the battery mod that can make your phantom fly longer.

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[Mark The Droner]

Ninja alert

 

[Electro32]

That skin looks nice, I was thinking of flat black plasti dip or how about chrome Will have more scared people lol, oh wait! don't want someone trapping it with lawn chairs , can even paint the camera housing with plasti dip but it would be kind of a hassle.

 

[Rich C.]

Here's the video of the battery mod that can make your phantom fly longer.

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This is wonderful and nicely documented. Thank you.

 

[tml4191]

That skin looks nice, I was thinking of flat black plasti dip or how about chrome Will have more scared people lol, oh wait! don't want someone trapping it with lawn chairs , can even paint the camera housing with plasti dip but it would be kind of a hassle.

Thanks, but it was hydrodipped. Mine was purchased used, and it already came like this, so no complaints here. Definitely adds a nice shine with that clear coat.

 

[RC Madman]

Thanks, but it was hydrodipped. Mine was purchased used, and it already came like this, so no complaints here. Definitely adds a nice shine with that clear coat.

What flight times are you getting? What battery are you using? Do you need to use a High voltage Lipo?