Hello.My first post and question.

[Joey Drone]

Hey all
My first post here so hello and be gentle with me ;-)
Ive been thinking about buying a drone for ages now and finally went for it last week and recieved my Phantom 3 professional on saturday.After messing about updating firmwares etc I finally took it up on sunday and WOW why didnt I get one of these sooner? I love it.So heres my first question about something that Ive been wondering about.Ive been reading about a lot of peoples distances that they are achieving and was wondering if mine is ok as it seems most people are getting around the 1+ mile mark.At first I was getting around 300 feet then realised I was in beginner so took it off and and put the distance limiter to unlimited and straight away it improved to 700 feet but I was still nowhere happy with that.Today I got my windsurfer and thats got me up to around 3000 feet, big improvement but still only half a mile.Admittedly Im in an urban area flying above a housing estate but Ive read so many people getting 1+ miles in very high interference areas and highly populated areas at the same time.So is this normal for me or am I missing something.Im also keeping my drone in my line of sight, its not like Im taking it down behind buildings or hills etc.I feel like Ive tried everything but I still get anywhere near that mile mark.I will be taking it out at the weekend in an open area where I can test it properly but was just wondering if theres any tips to improve it for now?
Thanks

 

[alokbhargava]

Range is very much limited by the LOS, RF interference and antenna alignment. You will get good range in an open area.

My suggestion to you: Learn to practice flying in different modes and study different features. You will get the best range once you get experienced with its working. Fly over waters, check the range.

 

[maxwell smart]

Yes fly it some more first. As you get use to flying you will find that in some areas it goes farther.

 

[Gary M]

I've had my P3 Standard out to 1.2 miles. That was in a spot with seemingly endless line of sight though. I'm with the first two answers though, you probably need to find a better place to fly. I, too would get more experience before trying to set distance records.

 

[skipilot1]

Hey all
My first post here so hello and be gentle with me ;-)
Ive been thinking about buying a drone for ages now and finally went for it last week and recieved my Phantom 3 professional on saturday.After messing about updating firmwares etc I finally took it up on sunday and WOW why didnt I get one of these sooner? I love it.So heres my first question about something that Ive been wondering about.Ive been reading about a lot of peoples distances that they are achieving and was wondering if mine is ok as it seems most people are getting around the 1+ mile mark.At first I was getting around 300 feet then realised I was in beginner so took it off and and put the distance limiter to unlimited and straight away it improved to 700 feet but I was still nowhere happy with that.Today I got my windsurfer and thats got me up to around 3000 feet, big improvement but still only half a mile.Admittedly Im in an urban area flying above a housing estate but Ive read so many people getting 1+ miles in very high interference areas and highly populated areas at the same time.So is this normal for me or am I missing something.Im also keeping my drone in my line of sight, its not like Im taking it down behind buildings or hills etc.I feel like Ive tried everything but I still get anywhere near that mile mark.I will be taking it out at the weekend in an open area where I can test it properly but was just wondering if theres any tips to improve it for now?
Thanks

Stop and think. You never drove a car before and now you go out and buy a Porsche. No judgments here but just take it easy. Keep it close and practice all the maneuvers in the DJI GO app flight academy. Read the manual several times, watch every tutorial you can find and increase your altitude and distance a little at a time. Getting up there and looking around can increase your endorphins and give you a high that can make you take risks you would not otherwise take. It is like a pilot who goes above 11,000 feet without oxygen. An experienced pilot would understand the possible effects and take precautions. A newbie would get high and start doing crazy stuff.

 

[chazz]

Hey all
My first post here so hello and be gentle with me ;-)
Ive been thinking about buying a drone for ages now and finally went for it last week and recieved my Phantom 3 professional on saturday.After messing about updating firmwares etc I finally took it up on sunday and WOW why didnt I get one of these sooner? I love it.So heres my first question about something that Ive been wondering about.Ive been reading about a lot of peoples distances that they are achieving and was wondering if mine is ok as it seems most people are getting around the 1+ mile mark.At first I was getting around 300 feet then realised I was in beginner so took it off and and put the distance limiter to unlimited and straight away it improved to 700 feet but I was still nowhere happy with that.Today I got my windsurfer and thats got me up to around 3000 feet, big improvement but still only half a mile.Admittedly Im in an urban area flying above a housing estate but Ive read so many people getting 1+ miles in very high interference areas and highly populated areas at the same time.So is this normal for me or am I missing something.Im also keeping my drone in my line of sight, its not like Im taking it down behind buildings or hills etc.I feel like Ive tried everything but I still get anywhere near that mile mark.I will be taking it out at the weekend in an open area where I can test it properly but was just wondering if theres any tips to improve it for now?
Thanks

To me its odd you are only getting 3000ft...I was getting over 10000ft stock as long as nothing was between me and the bird...

Are you aiming the antennas correctly? Here's a good tutorial
DJI Tutorials - Remote Controller Antenna Best Practices

 

[Joey Drone]

Thanks for the reply guys.I really have done all of the above.Ive read the manual, quick start guide, loads of tutorials and Ive watched that antenna tutorial a couple of times incase Ive missed something and I can assure you I am taking it easy with the drone, Im too nervous to do everything and anything with it ;-)
I just thought though after all the comments Ive read that I should be getting much further flying in a straight clear line even in a built up area.I totally understand though that I need to fly it more first and in different areas to see what I can get.I'll try and get out tonight out in the country and report back.

 

[Traveler]

You may also want to change your image transmission setting to auto vs a fixed channel.



Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots mobile app

 

[Joey Drone]

You may also want to change your image transmission setting to auto vs a fixed channel.



Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots mobile app

All done.I did look at choosing a fixed channel but after reading up on it lots of people said use auto so I've stuck with that.

 

[Joey Drone]

Took it out tonight over a massive area of fields and glad to report i got 6100 feet with no loss of anything.I then bottled it and returned home.

 

[Multicoptertec]

So, at your max distance, are you losing signal? I ask this because the Enable Max Distance setting mat be on, and you want it off. Also, how are you orienting your antennas?

Sent from my QMV7B using PhantomPilots mobile app

 

[Joey Drone]

The max distance Ive had so far was tonight at 6100 ft with no signal loss.Ive also disabled the max distance setting and Im setting up the antennas exactly how the above tutorial shows.Everything is good now so Im putting the poor distances I was getting around my home down to it being over a neighbourhood with lots of interference.I watched some videos tonight from this forum of people getting over 3 miles without any mods on there rc or aircraft so I might push it a little further tomorrow night.