Your experience is very similar to mine with P4, that's why I went another direction.Woohoo!
Just popped my 10,000 feet initiation!
Using windsurfers, though I'm still not sure if they really work...but went out in an area/direction that I've been having good luck with. Today I just said screw it ...go for it. In the past I was stopping at 3K, then 5K. Made it to 10K and then turned around. Didn't get the weak video/RC warning.
On the way back I switched to sport, and wandered a little bit instead of directly back....
Then I got the weak video warning, weak RC warning then BAM aircraft disconnect warning!
Pressed the RTH button, held it down. Didn't hear any confirmation beeps, but eventually screen on my ipad came back on showing RTH in progress.
Once it got closer and over safer terrain I switched back to manual.
For me learning lesson is once again that range/signal has so many variables attached to it.
And....definitely getting some mods - antennae and boosters!
My first Phantom, P3P, never lost control signal before the video signal, but with P4 that would often happen, control and video would go out together. I think if the control signal is broken, for some reason that disconnects the video downlink signal, even though it has full bars for video downlink, I don't know why this occurs. However, with P3, if video signal is dropped you would always have control of the aircraft, most of the time with full bars for control signal. This does not include situations where going behind a building or mountain would severe both control and video (I've never done that though). So I grew to have an expectation for Lightbridge performance based on my P3P that I bought July 2015. Although P3P has had a range of other issues, range hasn't been one of them. After flying P3P for 9mos I know what it's capable of in a variety of environments fpr range.
So when I bought my P4 I was disappointed from the get-go with limited range. I wasn't expecting more range than P3P, I was expected the same range. I use Windsurfer all the time, they do work, extending my P3P range to almost double, versus without. However with the P4 this is not the case. I've flown with windsurfer pointed at the craft and I've lost control signal at 3000 to 4000' when flying over the ocean, where I've flown before. However, I have also flown as far as 15,000' with the P4 using Windsurfer (Ch32 - 4mbps bit-rate setting) and only momentarily lost control signal at 12,000'. The P4 is just inconsistent.
So I pulled out an Inspire controller that I bought about a year ago, boy what a difference, so much better. I knew something was up with my P4 RC, so I performed some RF measurements for 3 kinds of DJI radios. P3P, P4, and Inspire. I found the Inspire RC to be far superior for transmit power, 50% higher signal strength! RC transmission power influences the range for the CONTROL SIGNAL. I also measured the video transmit power from my P3P and P4 . Surprisingly the P4 has slightly more video transmit power than P3P, so from that perspective the P4 is GOOD.
Today I fly my P4 with an Inspire RC. It's range capabilities are very similar to my P3P. I'm a happy camper for range with my P4 craft now, and I do use Windsurfer all the time, it works.
I have a Max Range Itelite antenna and clean install kit on my desk. Someday I'm going to install it on my Inspire controller. It's been a busy summer.
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