Limited range,..why???

[Nitrostick]

Phantom 3 Standard w/Argtec and Magic Power mod.

My range seems limited compared to others with similar or even "stock" P3S.

I lose control and begin RTH anywhere between 2000'-3000',..and yes that is feet not meters. I never lose FPV,..it never even gets choppy and my signal strength never shows that it is dropping off,..just all of a sudden RTH is activated. This is also flying maintaining line of sight, although o can't see the bird at 2000' plus.

Is this distance acceptable for my mods or should I look for an issue?

 

[macoman]

For a phantom 3 standard should be a decent amount of range. Don't assume that you should able to get a mile in a standard.

 

[Nitrostick]

For my intended purpose I really need 5000' or 1500m. Should I upgrade to the advanced or is it possible to get 1500m with the standard?

 

[Fly Dawg]

You can get 5000' with a standard, BUT, I don't think that is possible flying strictly FPV. You will lose signal at that distance most likely. You could get that range with Litchi and an autonomous mission. Just my thought.

 

[ifly2high]

That's about what I was getting with same exact setup. I decided to give the ITelite dbs antenna a try and was very happy I did...5000-6000ft regularly! Sold the ARGtek to make up for some of the cost of the upgrade[emoji6]

 

[Nitrostick]

I never lose FPV, the signal never even breaks up,..I don't even show a reduction in transmitter strength,.it all of a sudden RTH still showing green at the top???

 

[solentlife]

Distance is really all to do with area and interference.

I can stand in my back garden down near the river. If I fly SE along the river - with Argtek and Icarus(gives same power as Magic Power) - I can fly 1500 to 2000m easily.
Stand in same spot and fly NE across the river towards the 'Dachas' and I get 700 - 800m ...

Go to front of my house and fly towards light residential area and new buildings ... I get over 1000m up to 1200m

There really does not seem to be logic to it.

We all talk about Urban vs Rural ... open spaces etc ... but in reality its not always like that.

Nigel

 

[Nitrostick]

I am flying at an industrial park in the middle of no where, very rural. There are huge power lines and towers feeding the industries so that may be a concern. I wish I would get some kind of warning though, like my video feed starting to drop out or my transmitter bars dropping. It is unnerving to be flying along , everything showing green, and it randomly RTH.

 

[solentlife]

I noticed on both my P3S and P3P ... that latest GO did not show accurately the signal strengths of either video or control.

They both stayed full even though RTH kicked in.

The P3P was the worst ..

Nigel

 

[Philltayl]

I am flying at an industrial park in the middle of no where, very rural. There are huge power lines and towers feeding the industries so that may be a concern. I wish I would get some kind of warning though, like my video feed starting to drop out or my transmitter bars dropping. It is unnerving to be flying along , everything showing green, and it randomly RTH.

I think you just answered your own question. Check the logs for the cause of the RTH.

 

[Fly Dawg]

There are huge power lines and towers feeding the industries so that may be a concern.

That's a possibility for the RTH. If you did not see a "Strong Interference Detected" message on screen. Take a look at your flight log and see if it is there. That could be the reason.

 

[Nitrostick]

Where can I find information on downloading flight logs? This seems like something valuable I need to know how to do.

 

[Fly Dawg]

They are stored on the device you are using. I can help with Android but not IOS.

 

[Nitrostick]

What type of cable to connect to iPad mini 4?

 

[Fly Dawg]

As I said, I do not use IOS. Only Android. But there is a file in the app folder that will look something like this:

DJIFlightRecord_2017-06-04_{23-31-22}.txt

 

[Nitrostick]

So I don't have to physically connect to the a/c?

 

[Fly Dawg]

No, just copy the file to your PC. There is a Flight Log reader available with the link below to upload your file when you get it copied. Or you could upload it from the device with an internet connection.

https://www.phantomhelp.com/LogViewer/Upload/

 

[Nitrostick]

Thank you,.this afternoon I will attempt this.

 

[Fly Dawg]

As a note, there is also another log file on the aircraft itself, but generally speaking you wont need that one unless
something happens and you need more data than the other log provides.

 

[BourgeoisSJC]

Thank you,.this afternoon I will attempt this.

For your apple device use the usb cable that came with your iPad/iPhone (the one you use to charge the device). Plug it into your apple device and your PC. If you use a MAC stop reading here.
Once you plug into the PC iTunes should start up (provided you have it installed on your PC)
Once iTunes is running, locate and click on your iPad icon (it looks like an image of a cell phone).
In the new (ipad) display click on Apps
From the Apps list, scroll down and locate the drone app. I'll assume you are using DJI-Go
Click on the drone app and from the new list select the folder "Flight Logs"
At this point you may need to scroll the iTunes window down and locate the button "Save To..."
Select the location on your PC where you want to save these flight records. Desktop is a good choice