Range is about 100M or less - Newbie

leebristol33 · Mar 5, 2021

Hi guys - newbie here. 1 week in with a Phantom 3 standard. All seems to be ok physically with the drone but the range is really poor. Probably 100m or less before it loses signal and flys back.

I've flown it in 3 different locations (although in the countryside in the UK) and on P mode (top setting on left-hand rocker switch).

I'm using an iPhone 10s max with the latest firmware.

Apologies if this has been asked before.

LarBear360 · Mar 5, 2021

leebristol33 said:
Hi guys - newbie here. 1 week in with a Phantom 3 standard. All seems to be ok physically with the drone but the range is really poor. Probably 100m or less before it loses signal and flys back.

I've flown it in 3 different locations (although in the countryside in the UK) and on P mode (top setting on left-hand rocker switch).

I'm using an iPhone 10s max with the latest firmware.

Apologies if this has been asked before.

The P3S is not a long haul drone. Nevertheless, your range (about 328 feet) is not normal. Speaking from experience, I had the same issue a few years back. I worked with DJI support and ultimately sent it in for a look under the hood. They replaced the entire main board and sent it back to me the next day. Has flown great ever since. Furthest I ever sent it out was about 1200 feet (about 366m) and I still had a strong signal.

Beginner mode comes to mind, however, I don't recall if the distance is fixed or not. And if it were, I don't think that triggers the return to home. To be sure, open your settings in the GO app and check beginner mode. I think there is another setting for maximum range. Never tried it so I don't know what to expect if I ever hit it.

Other possible causes are broken antenna either inside the controller or the drone.

One other thing you can do that would help is upload the flight logs. I'll post a link to phantomhelp dot com where you can upload the logs. Just follow the instructions on the page. Then copy the link and post it back here. Most of it is fairly straight forward. The complicated stuff can be deciphered by some other people on this site.

Here's the link with instructions: DJI Flight Log Viewer | Phantom Help

psl_air · Mar 5, 2021

Make sure you have the antennas orientated in the right direction.

Bone4Drone · Mar 6, 2021

At least he doesn't have to worry about violating the rule about keeping the drone within sight when flying. Also, I was reading DJI's manual on the P4P+ and it says the "altitude limit is 500 meters (1640 feet)". Really? What ever happened to the 400 foot rule or did I misunderstand something?

LarBear360 · Mar 6, 2021

Bone4Drone said:
At least he doesn't have to worry about violating the rule about keeping the drone within sight when flying. Also, I was reading DJI's manual on the P4P+ and it says the "altitude limit is 500 meters (1640 feet)". Really? What ever happened to the 400 foot rule or did I misunderstand something?

No. The FAA has not increased the regulations.

leebristol33 · Mar 8, 2021

Hi all - thanks for your replies. I bought a cheap signal booster that attaches to the antennae - seemed to do the trick - happy days

Pygar70 · Mar 8, 2021

Bone4Drone said:
Also, I was reading DJI's manual on the P4P+ and it says the "altitude limit is 500 meters (1640 feet)". Really? What ever happened to the 400 foot rule or did I misunderstand something?

It has nothing to do with FAA regulations - it's just a maximum flight elevation setting built in to the software. When flying over rising terrain, it means that you can increase your elevation (in theory, up to the 1640 ft limit) but still be in compliance with FAA regulations if no more than 400 ft above the ground below the drone.

Bone4Drone · Mar 8, 2021

Pygar70 said:
It has nothing to do with FAA regulations - it's just a maximum flight elevation setting built in to the software. When flying over rising terrain, it means that you can increase your elevation (in theory, up to the 1640 ft limit) but still be in compliance with FAA regulations if no more than 400 ft above the ground below the drone.

Now it makes sense...thanks!

LarBear360 · Mar 8, 2021

leebristol33 said:
Hi all - thanks for your replies. I bought a cheap signal booster that attaches to the antennae - seemed to do the trick - happy days

The old reliable wind surfer attachment. It takes the signal eminnating from the back side of the antenna and re-directs it back out to the drone. I still use one with my P3S.