What blocks radio signal..?

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I've been flying for a few years with a Phantom 2. I've always been nervous to fly in a way where there isn't at least some kind of clear path between the Phantom and my remote. I know this might be a dumb question but...what exactly can disrupt the signal? Like I know it'd be dumb to fly on the other side of a giant building...but all my flying is in nature. Say I'm down in a heavily wooded area and I fly up and a few thousand feet over in one direction. Is there a risk of the trees blocking my signal?
 
Absolutely, although it is less likely now that the leaves are off. Water is an effective RF blocker and trees have a lot of water in them. If the trees are dense enough to block your view, they can have a negative impact on your signal.
 
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You can do the calculation in your head to figure it out.

For example, if you're passing a line of trees a quarter mile away and the tree tops are 100 ft, then you can fly a mile away at 400 ft height. Right? Any further than a mile away and the blocking will start since you can't fly higher than 400 ft high from home point, unless of course, you're flying up hill.

In the winter time you can theoretically get better distance because the leaves are down, but some say the AC travels a bit slower in the cold dense air, and some say the battery is exhausted sooner too.

Hope this helps.
 
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I totally agree with what Richard and Mark said above.

Water/ moisture and metals tend to block the signals by absorbing their energy. And as the signals travel in straight lines, LOS is very important.


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots
 
Even a tree trunk blocks the signal for the time the drone and the RC are separated by the trunk. If you want reliable control and video, you must maintain clear, unobstructed line of sight contact with the ac, and the RC antennas must be aligned properly with the drone.


Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots
 
Think of it like this. If it was a beam of light shining from your RC to your AC, would the tree, building, etc. block the light from reaching the Phantom? If so, then it'll probably block the radio signal, too.
 

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