Official P4 Range Leaderboard

[GadgetGuy]

Here is 24 minutes under very not good conditions.

Here is the telemetry screen grab from that video going at about 50mph (I was booking all over and even though it says 371 feet, I was actually about 10,000 feet above the valley so thin cold air).

Now look at the time ti see it's the same flight.

Of just read. Come one people, this is not difficult to understand here. I did some flight tests to show I EASILY got to a mile, and was booking at 45mph and still managed 24 mins with bat to spare. Every time I try to spread some truth around here or just do anything at all to promote and figure out things with the hobby, I just get a bunch of crappy posts of people that didn't even read the OP or complain that it's too long. It's honestly getting frustrating. There was once a day you know when people wanted to learn things, or study things, or control scientific testing, they would read books upon books. I once read a 735 page book on quantum physics just because I was curious about what happens to regular physics at the subatomic level because it interested me and for no other reason. You guys will read and write threads to the cows come home complaining but I produce on my own time (while I'm on vacation) some read data to be reviewed and so far it's just questions about things I've already said if you can read the OP. If yo don't want to take the time to figure things out with me, than don't post and certainly don't insult me (not to you on this poster) but the dude talking about arbitrary numbers and not understanding how to read my logs when I SPELLED IT OUT then just don't post. I appreciate very much that you did a hover test.

Based on the info I've read, I've come to the conclusion that hovering might actually more of a battery hog than just flying. Makes some sense as it has to constantly send and receive info and change the props as it tries to stay on the dime in the sky. I don't know that but based on your low result and TTT's results compared to mine, it might be a possibility. EITHER WAY, THERE IS PROOF POSITIVE OF A 24 MINUTE FLIGHT ALL OVER THE PLACE AND AT ONE POINT 50MPH. So what is it you guys are looking for!?!!?!?!?!?!?!

I mean in the thread below, I literally extrapolate the amount of time that would be left if I ran it down to zero (even on the 24 minute video) by using all the info I have and he called it arbitrary (definition - based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason or system.) which there is nothing at all arbitrary about me extrapolating the results of several flights to the last several percent of a battery I didn't use. And again, ONE WAS VERIFIABLY 24 MINUTES in windy extremely high cold air zipping along.

"Think of it this way, think of all the stupid people you meet in a day, half of them are even more stupid than that" - George Carlin


This is the thread with my shot at trying to show that the battery life being short is a myth, at least from my bird. Who knows, maybe I got lucky? Not usually the case. I will post the videos soon. KEEP IN MIND, the videos were literally just on so I could say that during my testing I was running the camera. Once I ran out, I made sure I was still in follow rather than FPV mode so whatever movement the 3WG takes electrically is still happening.

P4 Battery Life myth (24 mins with xtra time, 45mph, no hovers here but the end

Last time I checked 24 does not equal 28+. Battery percentage remaining is not linear at the bottom of the tank! When you actually have a real 28+ minute flight log, please post it, but stop claiming 28 minute flight times on the P4 battery by "projecting" them, and using linear mathematical assumptions! Hovering for the last 4 minutes after a 24 minute flight (assuming you could even successfully do so) would also be cheating. Flying means flying, not hovering. DJI advertises "flight times in excess of 28 minutes". Show me the money!

 

[ringolong]

There is no such thing as properly conditioning a DJI battery before use. This is a myth, that still persists to this day, by those familiar with old lipo's early on....

Where is your proof? Lets just say whatever we want to without evidence, and everyone will believe!

 

[GadgetGuy]

Where is your proof? Lets just say whatever we want to without evidence, and everyone will believe!
View attachment 48740

Show me anything from DJI that even remotely suggests that their smart batteries need to be conditioned, in any way, before first use to obtain maximum flight time from them. Just charge them up and go! Oh, I forgot! DJI won't tell us that so they can sell us more batteries, but you read it on the internet, so it must be true, eh? Believe in conspiracy theories much?

 

[Dirty Bird]

This is not a flight log or telemetry. It is a static shot of your overall flight data with the last 9 flights displayed. To the point you have logged, according to the screen shot provided, 2 hr 50 mins of flight time over 38 flights in which you covered only 95,510'. I normally cover that distance in less than 3 flights.

I see one flight for 22 minutes, one for 19 minutes, & nothing else even close. Further, for all we know you turned on the Phantom, sat it on the car seat next to you, & drove around the neighborhood doing bong hits.

Who cares what TTT got? I just uploaded logs where I was doing a lot more than hovering and returned with 26% left and 22 mins and Tom, I have found to be a click grabber.

Today I'll finish it up.

Here, on these logs, I was all over the place, did not hover and had 19 and 26% left on the very slightly more used bat at 22 mins with 26%. You only need to do the very easy math that if I hovered, I would have exceeded 28 mins plus unlike people here, I take no faith in the word of Tom.

(You only need to see the distance to know I did more than hover, see the path to the other side of the valley and the fact that I returned and didn't hover and I had the camera running virtually the whole time. In fact, I'll even do a hover test. This isn't even the right one but I have better results than that. Mostly flown here in p and sports mode from take off to landing with power to spare, why would I care about what he discovered over my direct contradictory evidence???

 

[Dirty Bird]

It has been pointed out to you several times that the discharge rate is not linear. You cannot use a static equation to calculate battery life, especially at the lower end of capacity.

To me the telemetry I uploaded says enough. 22 minutes in non-ideal situation, returned with 26% which is about 5.5 minutes to that and you're at almost exactly 28 so seems legit to me.

 

[Dirty Bird]

I'm going to have to agree with GadgetGuy here. I have yet to have a DJI battery improve over time. The jury is still out on the P4 batteries but I have always achieved the best flight times when the batteries are new. They slowly begin to degrade & deliver less flight time with each successive charge.

Also, as he stated, there is no DJI recommendation for how to break in or condition Phantom batteries. There is no "only discharge batteries to 50% during the first 10 cycles" or "don't discharge batteries below 30%" recommendation. The only recommendation DJI provides is "fly with a full battery" & "discharge the batteries to 8% every 20 cycles." DJI is warranting the battery for 6 months so if these old-school li-po precautions are necessary one would think DJI would include warnings making users aware of them. With the Smartcell technology it could actually be done automatically for each pack.

Where is your proof? Lets just say whatever we want to without evidence, and everyone will believe!
View attachment 48740

 

[KaHuNaZ]

Stock p4. Glitchy video all the way.

 

[rhoffart]

Stock p4. Glitchy video all the way.
View attachment 49112

Not bad 2.79 miles stock setup! Good job!

 

[GadgetGuy]

Stock p4. Glitchy video all the way.
View attachment 49112

That's the problem. Video dropouts that make FPV flying impossible, unless you already know the terrain, and know there are no obstacles. In my case, with the stock Tx, control was lost well before the video feed. However, with my FPVLR modded Tx, the control was fine to 3+ miles (as far as I dared venture on the 12 minute battery!), but the dropouts were already present long before then. The P4 aircraft video power output for FPV is 20% less than the original W323 P3P, and the P4 stock Tx also has 20% less power for the control signal than the original GL300A Tx. 20% less control power and 20% less video FPV power. Is it any wonder?

Add to that an advertised 28 plus minute P4 battery in ATTI mode that only delivers 12 minutes in all ATTI mode when I tested it, and you have the makings for a disappointing aircraft, compared to the original W323 Phantom 3 Professional, which is now a year old, and is still the best aircraft for long range flying ever made by DJI!

 

[Ozziebattler]

Only used the windsurfer on this flight landed with 20% battery. I was using around 80-85% stick forward all the way roughly 30-33mph had all sensors off and front lights. Had a slight crosswind I like to go out with a cross wind that way you know that you are going to get the same speed coming home. I could possibly get a bit more as i was mucking around at the start testing the wind speed and direction in atti.

 

[Ramphex]

TTT

 

[GadgetGuy]

View attachment 49136
Only used the windsurfer on this flight landed with 20% battery. I was using around 80-85% stick forward all the way roughly 30-33mph had all sensors off and front lights. Had a slight crosswind I like to go out with a cross wind that way you know that you are going to get the same speed coming home. I could possibly get a bit more as i was mucking around at the start testing the wind speed and direction in atti.

Yes, and you still had 58% battery when you turned around. Assuming no change in conditions, you can push that to 53-55%, or even 50% with a tail wind coming back. With 20% remaining, you could have gotten away with 48% and still had 10% left, as Autoland kicked in.

 

[Dfairchild]

what channels are people using for these long ranges (assuming your using the 32 channel mod)?

 

[KaHuNaZ]

what channels are people using for these long ranges (assuming your using the 32 channel mod)?

Im using stock/auto. I might try the 32 channel mod next, but this is my first quad so I want to read up on it a little more

 

[GadgetGuy]

what channels are people using for these long ranges (assuming your using the 32 channel mod)?

Ones with the least interference displayed in the app, which you can monitor while in the air.

 

[KaHuNaZ]

Beat my record today. 16399ft Stock. Wind speed was very low. channel set to auto, turned lights off. I turned around because I was terrified that I wouldn't have enough juice to make it back. I took off at 95% and made it back with 35% battery left. I need to find an open path that I can easily get to if I have to auto land.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Beat my record today. 16399ft Stock. Wind speed was very low. channel set to auto, turned lights off. I turned around because I was terrified that I wouldn't have enough juice to make it back. I took off at 95% and made it back with 35% battery left. I need to find an open path that I can easily get to if I have to auto land.
View attachment 49365

Try the nearest airport!
NOT!

 

[JakeMaxxUAV]

Congrats to Keith McCormick for making it 27,696 ft with just an ItElite Antenna!!

 

[UnknownCaller]

Last time I checked 24 does not equal 28+. Battery percentage remaining is not linear at the bottom of the tank! When you actually have a real 28+ minute flight log, please post it, but stop claiming 28 minute flight times on the P4 battery by "projecting" them, and using linear mathematical assumptions! Hovering for the last 4 minutes after a 24 minute flight (assuming you could even successfully do so) would also be cheating. Flying means flying, not hovering. DJI advertises "flight times in excess of 28 minutes". Show me the money!

I think could get close to 28 minutes putting around at 15 or 20 miles an hour Maybe anything over 50% throttle I don't see it happening.

 

[FLPTFLYER]

Hi Jake,

Here is mine for 22327 feet with Healthdrones data for verification. http://healthydrones.com/main?share=Lqqmpj . I was going out at 40-42 mph and came back at 30-32 mph at 300 feet altitude. I was flying stock with no battery mods.

Michael