P3 pro questions

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Hi all, got myself a P3P .. very happy it!
I live in spain where the there is a lot of wide open spaces so I really need good range.

I've searched for the answers to my questions about can't find anything definitive...

What is the dji specified range for P3P flying in CE mode ?
What is real life max distance ? (assuming no interference )
I know it uses lightbridge, is there an easy way to increase max range?

The 500m height limit... if I flew up to that, does themrth function take battery life into account or is that just for range?

Thanks in advance
 
Welcome to the Forum!

You have a lot of questions for your first post, and most of them are going to be varying answers.

But the CE range should be in the manual, do you have that?



Rod
 
Hi all, got myself a P3P .. very happy it!
I live in spain where the there is a lot of wide open spaces so I really need good range.

I've searched for the answers to my questions about can't find anything definitive...

Too many influencing factors to be definitive.

What is the dji specified range for P3P flying in CE mode ?

This is from DJI web page for P3P :


FCC Compliant: 3.1 mi (5 km)
CE Compliant: 2.2 mi (3.5 km)
(Unobstructed, free of interference)

What is real life max distance ? (assuming no interference )

Flying same flight path different days over water - then open rural flat land .... I can average 2km's. On a good day ~2.5kms ... on a bad day 1.5kms.

I know it uses lightbridge, is there an easy way to increase max range?

I believe there are electronic means ... but easiest is to use Parabolic Reflectors ... one for each antenna. They gave me about a 15 - 20% increase on my P3P .... and about 30% on my P3S.

The 500m height limit... if I flew up to that, does themrth function take battery life into account or is that just for range?

Primarily range yes ... because you are at 500m when RTH kicks in - the P3P will stay at 500m for its return home flight and descend when its overhead home point. This can in effect use less battery than a low level RTH because the P3P is not needing to climb to altitude set by user before flying home.

Thanks in advance

Hope that helps.
 
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FYI, if you fly to 500m high, you should stay within 120m of land, such as climbing a mountain. Flying more than 120m AGL (above ground level) is too risky, and likely breaking your country's guideline for safe drone flying.

If you want more range, visit nolimitdronez.com
CORRECTION, it appears NLD doesn't have P3P support. Sorry.

I'm a big fan of windsurfers too (parabolic dish for antennas). They work great, and they are inexpensive, but you have to remember to aim the antenna dishes at the drone's location.
 
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Another thing to keep in mind. If you actually did mean to ask about 500M in altitude, aside from your country's height guidelines to consider you need to also consider wind speed and wind direction. The wind at that height would likely be strong enough to make an automated RTH very risky if you did not account for the wind yourself. We've seen too many people post here saying that their P3s did not RTH home only to finally realize that it was trying to return into wind too strong to overcome.

If you are interested, click here for some tips that I often share with new P3A/P3P owners. Cheers!
 
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Thanks for all your replies, the 500m height was a theoretical.. I have a smaller drone that descends very slowly, so the question was really trying to find out if the rth allowed for descent rate.
I live in quite a mountainous area, so I could easily be sat on a mountain, fly straight and be 500m above ground.
I've bought the litchi app and have already plotted a few missions, longest is 1.1km at the mo which I guess should be easily attainable, especially if I'm on the hill behind my house allowing line of site. But I do plan a longer flight of 1.6km once I'm confident, Same location but different direction.

Should the drone go down, is there an easy way of locating it? I.e last known GPS before crash landing ?

Ps, have ordered the parabolic extenders
 
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"Should the drone go down, is there an easy way of locating it?
There is no easy way of locating it.

" I.e last known GPS before crash landing ?"
You not going to have a location if you loose signal, If you loose line of sight generally your not going to have signal.

See what the ratio is.. Lost / Found


Rod
 
"if the rth allowed for descent rate."

There are many more questions and answers to just this statement.

RTH heads back slowly and only descends when it at the home point.

Smart RTH calculates battery time and distance from home point.

Adding another variable running a Litchi mission.
Depending on the mission you may or may not what Smart RTH to activate.


Rod
 
Another thing to keep in mind. If you actually did mean to ask about 500M in altitude, aside from your country's height guidelines to consider you need to also consider wind speed and wind direction. The wind at that height would likely be strong enough to make an automated RTH very risky if you did not account for the wind yourself. We've seen too many people post here saying that their P3s did not RTH home only to finally realize that it was trying to return into wind too strong to overcome.
Yes, that's a very good point! Mountains are notorious for having stiff winds at the top of a peaks, which is where I like to frequent. Mountain climbing is my passion, it's so much fun at high altitudes to look around, seeing 50miles in every direction. When I'm in the Rockies climbing 14r's, I always test in ATTI for ~20 seconds to get a feel for the wind speed and direction, up on top. This influences my agenda and loiter time so I don't get caught without enough battery. The Go4 app is pretty lame in these situations. Climbing mountains will really throw off the RTH calculation because it senses you using so much power when climbing. I always have to cancel out of RTH when on top of mountains and do my own calculation (and gut feel), which have been conservative enough to make it back with more than 10% battery every time, usually >20%.
 
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Hi, mine get well over 4 km distance without any signal issue in flat/open area. Its a strong and reliable drone, good flights!
 

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