Noob P3P owner, possible dumb question..please be nice

[MacMan3409]

So I've had my new P3 Pro for almost a week now & gone haven't missed a single day with less then 4 batteries flown(no exaggeration). I am thoroughly enjoying every aspect of this amazing machine & combined technology!
I started building & flying Helis about 8 years ago(Helifreak.com member shout-out) & grew from crashing 250's, with FLYBARS still to performing tick-tocks & perfecting inverted hovering on my FBL 550E. Point is i have earned the experience & "wings" we'll say in orientation, hovering, electronic components etc but those were helicopters. just wanted to add that the so you understand noob title only pertains to DJI Phantoms, Drones & AP flying.
I've learned a ton already from this forum & appreciate all of the great members here!
Getting to my question..... Now that i'm flying my own P3P every day i have began to naturally extend my range but continue to begin loosing signal around 1000ft up &/or 1600ft out. I don't have any antenna extenders or mods yet but i understand how 2.4ghz works & the relation of my drone to the antenna positioning. I've clicked over to atti mode recently to begin wanting to push these ranges but still loosing signal.
I did the most recent Firmware upgrade already(drone & remote) but nothing else. What can i do to get more range, without buying antenna mods? I'm not trying to go for records or past around 1.5-2 mile. Just seems i'm disconnecting with aircraft before i can get 1/2 a mile. I'm in SoCal so i have plenty of perfectly flat valley floor for miles & miles(wide open parks to literally 100's of golf courses, nothing taller then a palm tree) as well as great elevations up in the mountains with excellent lookout points & vast valleys where i'm literally above an obstructions. Still losing signal to aircraft!
Should i try an older firmware? Buy a 3rd party app with ore options then DJI Go? How can i change my max range to allow me to enter more then 500 meters? I have a feeling theres a simple solution out there but wanted to throw it out to you all vs spending the money & going with trial & error/loosing my new baby!
Can you help me out please?

Thanks for listening & advise in advance....

 

[benp3s]

It sounds like you're in a fairly rural area of Southern California. I live in Ventura County and I have a P3S. I used to get around a mile tops, but I picked up a DBS Mod. It works great. I can regularly fly 2.5-3.5 miles before losing signal, and I am in a fairly populated area with lots of interfering signals. My only tip would be to make sure your antennas are positioned correctly. I have included a picture of how they should be adjusted. If this doesn't work, I would suggest maybe an antenna modification, or finding someone else with the same drone and testing their range to see if your drone is defective. Safe flying!

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[benp3s]

Also forgot to add. Do not use atti mode for long distance. If you happen to lose signal, the aircraft will start to land instead of triggering RTH.


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[MacMan3409]

Thanks for the info benp3s! I watched the DJI tutorial on the whole antennas perpendicular to aircraft & make adjustments on the fly accordingly if needed but still can't get close to what I'm seeing others getting, for distance.
How to I enter a number greater then 500meters in max range within settings? That's what's limiting me in p-mode which is why I switch to atti to get outside that "bubble". Otherwise I hit "max distance/range reached" alert & can't continue. Am I missing something in settings? Do I want to select "enable max range" or is that what is limiting me to the 500meters?


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[MacMan3409]

500 meter range limit:

Atti mode to break outside of max range circle:

Stuck at 1600ft recording the fireworks the other night:

This brings up another questions I'm sure I've seen covered here but what is the app or process to record my screen view while flying so I can reply while being able to go over my stats?



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[With The Birds]

Also forgot to add. Do not use atti mode for long distance. If you happen to lose signal, the aircraft will start to land instead of triggering RTH.


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RtH still triggers and works in ATTI. The exception being if you have no GPS lock and/or compass error however being in P mode wont be of any use there either.

 

[Meta4]

What can i do to get more range, without buying antenna mods?
How can i change my max range to allow me to enter more then 500 meters? I have a feeling theres a simple solution out there but wanted to throw it out to you all vs spending the money & going with trial & error/loosing my new baby!
Can you help me out please?.

The max distance feature in the app allows you to select a number up to 500 metres but you can simply turn off the max distance feature.

 

[benp3s]

Yes. For the max distance, make sure you have the drone connected. Go to flight settings, scroll to the bottom, and flip the switch that says max distance. Was this the issue you were having or did you also have an issue with disconnecting? Also, I've tested it with my drone. The RTH will not trigger in ATTI because you have no GPS lock.


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[With The Birds]

Yes. For the max distance, make sure you have the drone connected. Go to flight settings, scroll to the bottom, and flip the switch that says max distance. Was this the issue you were having or did you also have an issue with disconnecting? Also, I've tested it with my drone. The RTH will not trigger in ATTI because you have no GPS lock.


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You have something wrong with your AC or test proceedure.

 

[MacMan3409]

Ok so the slider switch just under the max range input box is what is keeping me stuck inside that 500 meters then[emoji85]. Duh, I thought the other way around & assumed that enabled me to go past the 500 meters. Got it, I think that will help me out a ton! Without that I won't have to hear the max distance alert & concentrate & antenna orientation & keep trying to gain distance while maintaining connection[emoji1303]


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[benp3s]

You have something wrong with your AC or test proceedure.

That may be true as well. Either way, I don't think it's a good idea to fly in ATTI mode for long distances as there is no real advantage to it and your drone may drift without your knowledge.


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[ROD PAINTER]

Turn off enable max range. If it is turned on you are limited to the 500meter max range!


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[MacMan3409]

That may be true as well. Either way, I don't think it's a good idea to fly in ATTI mode for long distances as there is no real advantage to it and your drone may drift without your knowledge.


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Thanks, I agree, I just thought that was the only way to get outside of the 500 meter max. I'm going to un-unable the "max limit" in settings now & go from there, staying in P-mode


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[benp3s]

One more thing. When you're flying, try pointing the antennas right at the drone if you don't do so already, and try not to let anything come between your remote and your bird. Let us know how it goes!! (I had a bad experience with ATTI. I took my eyes off of my drone for a second as it was hovering above my patio, and it drifted into a neighbors tree. This was at night as well, so I had to ask my 90 year old neighbor if I could search in their backyard for my drone. I almost didn't find it, but as I was leaving, I spotted it in a tree about 15 feet up, almost completely concealed in leaves. That is why I don't use ATTI mode regularly.)


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[MacMan3409]

Hey I did start out with the title "possible dumb question"[emoji5]. That's why you all are so awesome! Thanks so much, seems like the simple answer & solution I was looking for.
Now I can stretch out my range slowly while considering how I want to go about selecting the antenna extenders to purchase....


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[benp3s]

Hey I did start out with the title "possible dumb question"[emoji5]. That's why you all are so awesome! Thanks so much, seems like the simple answer & solution I was looking for.
Now I can stretch out my range slowly while considering how I want to go about selecting the antenna extenders to purchase....


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If I had a suggestion, I would look at FPVLR and DBSMods. If you do decide to go that route, make sure to be very careful and take your time during installation. I almost screwed up my connectors! Hope you have fun with your phantom!

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[MacMan3409]

One more thing. When you're flying, try pointing the antennas right at the drone if you don't do so already, and try not to let anything come between your remote and your bird. Let us know how it goes!! (I had a bad experience with ATTI. I took my eyes off of my drone for a second as it was hovering above my patio, and it drifted into a neighbors tree. This was at night as well, so I had to ask my 90 year old neighbor if I could search in their backyard for my drone. I almost didn't find it, but as I was leaving, I spotted it in a tree about 15 feet up, almost completely concealed in leaves. That is why I don't use ATTI mode regularly.)


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Yikes!! Yeah atti mode reminds me of flying my old Helis when they had flybars. It was a constant battle with every single light breeze just to keep a hover in orientation. But after a couple years I could keep an Align 450 inverted hovering within about a 1 area! I'm pretty confident when it comes to orientation but definitely apples & oranges with a white drone anything past 50-60ft up in a bright sky!


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[ROD PAINTER]

I use wind surfers and always get 8000ft plus over highly populated area. There about 20$ on amazon!


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[MacMan3409]

Benp3s sick pic!! Now that's where I want to get my range up to. I did pick up a cheap(I found out why it was that cheap when it arrived) a FPVLR setup for my Pro remote but it didn't come with any amplifiers. I've watched a few install videos & have had the nerve to crack the remote open yet but perhaps you guys can chime in on the FPVLR antennas WITHOUT using amplifiers & a battery to power them....?
This is all I received:

A good deal on some plastic, antenna cables & cool looking coiled cones..


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[MacMan3409]

I'm not sure if it's worth soldering it all up & getting it installed without the amplifiers.
Do you know if I'll gain any benefit with just the install of this alone with no powered amplifiers running through it?


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