satellites drop slightly when recording video - SOLVED

[jarrah31]

Actually I don't look at this as a mod, but as a manufacturing defect that we are fixing.

A big + 1 for that!!!

EMCSQUAR - I saw in another of your posts that the DJI Marketing Director called you due to your persistent emails - might be worth nagging them about this to get them to fix it! Though I also read somewhere that DJI don't like to admit they're at fault, hence Colin Guinn being fired for making a vid about Flyaway's.

P.S. Make this sticky please - it's helping lots of people so far - I had 13 sats the other day, never had more than 8 before!

 

[Mori55]

Nag them about channel 7 !

 

[Geeber]

First off I want to say this works! I'm sooooo happy!

I was reading this thread at work today and go so excited I ran out to Home Depot and bought a roll of 3M Foil Tape 3340 during lunch. When I got home I took Droney apart (named the bird as I was dismantling) and applied the tape along with a layer of insulating tape on top. After I got it back together I was so excited to see if there was an improvement I powered up Droney to check satellite reception and all I got was fast blinking amber rear LEDs! Then I realized I forgot to remove the gimble clamp :shock: ....Powered off Droney removed the clamp, turned back on and still got fast blinking amber! AAARRRGGGHHHH..... I broke it! (Newbie moment about to hit)....I get the manual and figured out I don't have the controller turned on. Okay, so I turn the radio on, extender, and Droney. Almost instant satellite lock after start up! Check the satellite count...10!! In the past the most I got in my back yard was 6. Flew for 10 minutes with video and never once dropped below 10. I can honestly say this works!

Here is something else that happened but not sure if it could be related. I was using my wife's iphone because I would lose FPV at a distance of only 100 feet using my new Galaxy S5. Before I took off I noticed her battery was only at 10% so I decided to try my S5 again. This time I maintained perfect FPV video feed the whole flight. I was up about 200 feet and out about another 100.

 

[Detroit]

First off I want to say this works! I'm sooooo happy!

I was reading this thread at work today and go so excited I ran out to Home Depot and bought a roll of 3M Foil Tape 3340 during lunch. When I got home I took Droney apart (named the bird as I was dismantling) and applied the tape along with a layer of insulating tape on top. After I got it back together I was so excited to see if there was an improvement I powered up Droney to check satellite reception and all I got was fast blinking amber rear LEDs! Then I realized I forgot to remove the gimble clamp :shock: ....Powered off Droney removed the clamp, turned back on and still got fast blinking amber! AAARRRGGGHHHH..... I broke it! (Newbie moment about to hit)....I get the manual and figured out I don't have the controller turned on. Okay, so I turn the radio on, extender, and Droney. Almost instant satellite lock after start up! Check the satellite count...10!! In the past the most I got in my back yard was 6. Flew for 10 minutes with video and never once dropped below 10. I can honestly say this works!

Here is something else that happened but not sure if it could be related. I was using my wife's iphone because I would lose FPV at a distance of only 100 feet using my new Galaxy S5. Before I took off I noticed her battery was only at 10% so I decided to try my S5 again. This time I maintained perfect FPV video feed the whole flight. I was up about 200 feet and out about another 100.

what kind of tape did you put over the 3m tape? brand? I'm running to home depot first thing in the morning! Looking on home depots website the 3m foil tape doesn't show up?

Sent from my Galaxy S5 using my neighbors internet

 

[Mori55]

I used aluminum duct tape , and that brown colored packing tape. The alum tape should be in the heating section.

 

[vortigern]

I used aluminum duct tape , and that brown colored packing tape. The alum tape should be in the heating section.

Search for a product called Aluclad, in the UK you can get it here amongst other places http://www.sussex-model-centre.co.uk/ . It works well I get an almost immediate 8 satellites on the ground now. A very simple,cheap and effective mod.

 

[Geeber]

what kind of tape did you put over the 3m tape? brand? I'm running to home depot first thing in the morning! Looking on home depots website the 3m foil tape doesn't show up?

Sent from my Galaxy S5 using my neighbors internet

I used white 3M Tough Duct Tape # L255.

 

[Detroit]

I'm eating breakfast then going to home depot. Im excited about this mod. I will post pictures and results when I'm done.

Sent from my Galaxy S5 using my neighbors internet

 

[Mori55]

I just thought the regular duct tape for insulation was to heavy and decided the packing tape was lighter and not as heavy and as thick as the packing tape.

 

[rilot]

I've just done the mod using the tape from ScreFix and wow! In my back garden - which is the size of a postage stamp and is enclosed on 3 sides - I got 7 sats in about 2 minutes. Normally I can't get more than 4 no matter how long I sit and wait.

 

[Detroit]

[attachment=-1]20140712_112938.jpg[/attachment] This is what I used and I had 8 sats before I even got my my phone connected. Best mod out!

Sent from my Galaxy S5 using my neighbors internet

 

[jarrah31]

I've just done the mod using the tape from ScreFix and wow! In my back garden - which is the size of a postage stamp and is enclosed on 3 sides - I got 7 sats in about 2 minutes. Normally I can't get more than 4 no matter how long I sit and wait.

We've just got to figure out what to do with the other 44 metres of foil tape now! Overkill but worth it.

 

[Mori55]

Put on something flat for a landing / takeoff pad. You can see the lights real good in it. I used a old round street sign.

 

[M.Tigelaar]

Re: satellites drop slightly when recording video

I have tested it outside and there is no lost off satellites at all while recording
It works !!!

I think I searched all your posts on this subject and if I missed anything, sorry. but I wish you would post some actual data. Such as back in the beginning you would be seeing x number of sats, then when you used the camera the number of sats you could see dropped. Also when you turn off the camera recording your number of sats would jump. Also if you have it the data from after the mod.
Thanks for your help with real numbers. Also, if you notice a change when you are in the air or not in the air etc would be interesting.

OK, you want proof.
Then you will have to wait, because it rained all day here.
The wind is 50km/u, so I can not fly :roll:
Tomorrow and the rest of the week I spent 10 hours a day at work
Maybe someone who has done the mod also can make a movie.
Otherwise I will do it as soon as possible for you.
I can not do it now, because it's 23:21 here. :lol:

.

OK I have tested it with 2 Visions plus. :geek:
Left with the mod and right without the mod.
And yes the recording was on :lol:
look for yourself

 

[AlexBell]

Hi guys
Is that solution for Phantom Vision (+) only?

Will i get better GPS signal on Phantom 2 with a foil trick?

 

[PhantomG]

I can confirm this mod worked for me. Where I previously had 8-9 satellites I now have 11-12 satellites and the phantom acquires them much faster!!

I noticed there already are multiple layers of what appears to be copper shielding already on top of the GPS unit. I used aluminum tape http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A7I ... UTF8&psc=1 and covered it with clear tape. I wonder if it's the aluminum that is offering the benefit along with the copper?? I saw some posts in this thread that suggests using a copper sheet, would that offer the same benefit as there are already several layers of copper shielding?

I got this from http://www.strat-talk.com/forum/tech-talk/55417-aluminum-tape-aluminum-foil-shielding-2.html

EMI = Electro Magnetic Interference. RFI = Radio Frequency Interference.
EMI is magnetic flux variations like those around a PT or an electric motor, and they couple to a circuit inductively. They tend to be low frequency and can be heard in the circuit directly.
RFI is electric variations like broadcast radio or TV and couple to the circuit capicatively. They tend to be high frequency and get heard through rectification, inter-modulation and aliasing.

If copper is a better RFI shield and aluminum is a better EMI shield, we should do better with adding aluminium foil to get rid of both EMI and RFI, since the copper shielding already sits inside the Phantom.

Can anyone confirm that aluminium is a better EMI shield than copper?

Update:

I came across a page where it says that Aluminum foil is the only known material to shield EMI noise from dimmer lamps. Is there maybe some electronics inside the Phantom that uses the same components that produces EMI noise found in dimmer lamps? .

 

[garrock]

Has anyone who has installed the shielding noticed any difference in video downlink ??? (range or jitter-dropouts)

The GPS Shielding is above and not too far away from the drones two WiFi patch antenna's.
I have not installed the shielding yet.

 

[Geeber]

Has anyone who has installed the shielding noticed any difference in video downlink ??? (range or jitter-dropouts)

The GPS Shielding is above and not too far away from the drones two WiFi patch antenna's.
I have not installed the shielding yet.

I have only flown once with the shielding about 200 feet up, maybe 100 feet out and I did not see any difference in the FPV video except that before the mod it would drop out on me and now it doesn't!

 

[anchorkee]

Hi,

I did the mod with Alu Tape and packing tape over it (for protection against short circuiting) last night. I had my test flight about 4 hours back. This is what I noticed.

Environment: Very Urban with buildings of 12-20 stories high. (I decided to give the GPS a stress test! Use to only get about 2-3 sats in the past)

I managed to get 7 Sats within a min! Very Impressive. However I did also noticed the following;

1. When on ground, I had quite a few video dropouts. about 2-3 more then normal days. (Using the old ipad mini)
2. The P2V+ top cover was slightly hotter then usual after flight.

 

[J.J.B.]

I did the mod last weekend and have noticed almost no difference in either the number of satellites acquired or the time for acquisition. I seem to teeter on the edge of five and eventually six after anything up to 10 minutes, which is disappointing compared with the reports from other people here. I used the Aluminium HVAC tape and then insulation packing tape as per the various walk-throughs. I did not lag the cable but did run it back under the original copper sandwich pad, as per the DE video.

I have noticed the top cover being warmer than normal but not overly so. The vents are certainly all clear and I wonder whether it's the added insulation that's simply storing more of the heat from use as I can't see why the GPS antenna would get that hot anyway.