Lost connection at 400 yds!

[Skylark]

Would appreciate hearing from any one whose bird lost connection with the Tx after so short a distance. This was a test flight after downloading and installing the new FW to my P3P and RC getting a success txt, following through with a cold IMU calibration, gimble calibration etc.

I was flying at a relatively low height (max 40 ft) in an open but sloping convex shaped field with 18 seats. At about 400 yes distance, the phantom suddenly descended to 3.3 feet and then decided to initiate a RTH at my assigned height. I tried everything in the field to re establish connection between the bird and controller to no avail. It was only when I returned home that on first attempt they started to communicate!

I think this happened due to my fault in allowing the bird to get out of LOS with the controller and insufficient altitude. At least I hope so, otherwise we are talking here of some malfunction.

Anyone withe the same experience?

 

[Goldni]

So you lost visual over the hump of the field? The actual dome of the field?

 

[Buckaye]

It's a little hard to understand the conditions in which you were flying. What kind of field was it. What do you mean 18 seats? I'm assuming you meant 400 yards (not yes) distance since that matches your subject. But being out of los could be the culprit of loss of signal.

 

[Skylark]

It's a little hard to understand the conditions in which you were flying. What kind of field was it. What do you mean 18 seats? I'm assuming you meant 400 yards (not yes) distance since that matches your subject. But being out of los could be the culprit of loss of signal.

I really hate Apple's autocorrection. 18 seats should have read 18 satellites and yards for yes! The field was a recently harvested oil rapeseed.

 

[Skylark]

So you lost visual over the hump of the field? The actual dome of the field?

Maybe I don't know. I thought I had it in sight all the time. Maybe I was flying FPV when it went out of LOS?

 

[Goldni]

Well I'm hoping it was the slope of the ground. Can't get much better of a signal buster than the earth. Scares me though. I haven't flown since I updated my P3A last night.

 

[Skylark]

I didn't have time tonight to take her out for a second test flight but will do so tomorrow - same place but with more head room. I think, and hope, this incident was pilot error (mine!) and not some connection glitch with the new software.

 

[Goldni]

Did you have VPS on?

 

[Skylark]

Did you have VPS on?

Don't know but will just check. Back in 5!

 

[Skylark]

VPS was OFF! Yet it seemed to hover at 3.3 feet before the RTM. It never touched ground before it came back. Heard good things about the new software regarding VPS so will try that ON tomorrow as well.

 

[Meta4]

and then decided to initiate a RTH at my assigned height. I tried everything in the field to re establish connection between the bird and controller to no avail. It was only when I returned home that on first attempt they started to communicate!

Whatever the situation you should be able to resume control during RTH.
RTH is a very important topic. There are two pages on RTH in the manual.
I'd suggest reading those 2 pages and practising in controlled conditions so that when you get another unexpected (or expected) RTH you can take over and land where you want to rather than letting the blind P3 do it.

 

[Mark Stevens]

this happened to me today. got done updating all FW and took it out for two short flights. first one went fine but I kept the bird within about 50 feet of me. on the second flight I brought it up to about 200 feet both up and out. suddenly my app said it lost connection. i could still see the P3, it just hovered and did not initiate a RTH. after about 15 seconds the app regained the connection and i flew it home. i hope this isn't something that continues to happen