Hey fellow pilots ! I am a Spark owner and am on the Spark pilots forum. However, I love flying and recently noticed a Phantom 3 std for sale on craigslist for $150. From the pics the bird looks like its in good shape, even comes in the original box. I am hoping to learn more about this model if any of you can provide some insight it would be greatly appreciated. The first thing ive read of concern is that these birds have a pretty terrible range, like 1/2 a mile. Ive had my spark well over a mile out with no mods of any kind. The other thing is that I do like to use litchi for waypoint flights. I presume that if I was using Litchi I could go much farther than the rc range of the phantom, just like with my spark. I am also wondering about possible aftermarket mods as well as software hacks. I use no limit dronez on my spark and love it ! No altitude limit and I can send it at over 45mph ! Thanks for any insight into the phantom 3
Phantom 3 STD
- Thread starter mtntrogger
- Start date
Might be the only one that says this, but don't get the standard, it was (or is) the worst quad that DJI produced, it suffered terrible issues with range and from what I read some bit of the board burns out after a firmware update (or maybe it just burns out) I would say save your money and get the Advanced.
watch out here come the P3S lovers
- Joined
- Aug 17, 2020
- Messages
- 327
- Reaction score
- 212
I respectfully disagree with this claim that the Phantom 3S is "the worst" design created by DJI. Being fortunate to reside far away from FAA airspace, I routinely send my Phantom3S on 6-mile round-trip Litchi missions, during which I typically lose signal when the craft is about a half-mile out. Due to the absence of Line of Sight requirements in the location where I reside though, that signal loss is little more than a minor inconvenience. My Phantom 3S lands with an average of 20% to 30% battery charge, after such missions.
The Phantom3S also happens to be the lightest drone in the Phantom3 range in terms of overall weight, and therefore is able to maximize the range obtainable from a single battery charge, comfortably exceeding the range attainable by the Phantom 3 Pro, Phantom 3 Advanced and the Phantom 3-4K. To see some missions of impressive range being flown by the lowly Phantom 3S, look up Dirty Bird's videos of long missions flown in Baltimore with the Phantom 3S,
To the OP, I say verily unto thee, that you go ahead and purchase that Phantom 3S. You will enjoy years of flying Litchi missions with that bare-bones platform, for it is an unsung hero and true diamond in the rough. I have over 700 cumulative miles flown with my Phantom 3S thus far, without the slightest indication of any imperfections or worn components to report.
I sold my Spark and bought a used P3S and enjoyed flying the more powerful P3S until it succumbed to serious signal loss problems, even with a ARGtek antenna mod. It was diagnosed to have a faulty WiFi module/chip and I traded it in for a brand new P3S and RC (out of box). It now has 200m+ range without mods. I use it mainly for mapping (Map Pilot) and some Litchi WP Missions, which both take control of the AC and fly beyond signal range. I will keep my P3S and learn to use it more productively with a better understanding of the P3, but I am considering a MM2 with its compact size for better quality pics and videos when I travel.
- Joined
- Aug 17, 2020
- Messages
- 327
- Reaction score
- 212
I really like the Mavic Mini2, and would have snagged one for sure if they were compatible with Litchi. The only other drawback with the MM2 is the comparatively short flight time. My used Mavic Pro will soon arrive, but if I'd paid attention to flight times more closely, I'd probably have bought a Mavic Pro Platinum instead, since it can stay aloft about 3 minutes longer than the Mavic Pro. Oops, there I go rambling again. Over and out.
M2 has a flight time of 24 minutes, about that of the Mavic Pro landing at 15% battery.
And to you I say take a look at any of the facebook pages for the P3S where you will find many an unhappy flyer, range issues are obviously negated when flying litchi missions.
200M (600ft or so) are you sure ?
