About to pull the trigger on a new Mavic and curious about a few things

Windwarrior · Feb 7, 2017

Sigh....so, neither Apple tablet will work but a cheap 50 dollar one will???

I assumed since no cell service, no way to use cell with Mavic.

Cimriver · Feb 7, 2017

Windwarrior said:
Sigh....so, neither Apple tablet will work but a cheap 50 dollar one will???

I assumed since no cell service, no way to use cell with Mavic.

The iPAD Mini 2 fits very nicely to the RC with no need for modification. This is one of the reasons I went this way. I did have to buy a Bluetooth enabled GPS receiver, which was a little cheaper than buying the iPAD with cellular capabilities. I tried using my Android phone, but had several lockups. My Android tablet would not display the video feed. That is the other reason I went with the iPAD Mini 2. I just couldn't risking losing or damaging the Mavic with an unstable platform. I really don't feel it is an Android issue, but rather and issue with the Android app.

integlikewhoa · Feb 7, 2017

Windwarrior said:
Sigh....so, neither Apple tablet will work but a cheap 50 dollar one will???

I assumed since no cell service, no way to use cell with Mavic.

You getting confused between GPS and Internet or Cell Service.

GPS uses a different chip/antenna in the phone and works from satellites not cell towers. GPS is used for positioning only not getting internet. If you loose cell service that doesn't mean you loose GPS positioning.

You tablet or phone may have both cell service and internet. Ipads with wifi only have no gps inside them. Your cell phone does and will work without cell service for positioning only. You will not browse the net and load a google map without cell, but your phone will know its position based on gps coordinates.

Windwarrior · Feb 12, 2017

Cimriver said:
The iPAD Mini 2 fits very nicely to the RC with no need for modification. This is one of the reasons I went this way. I did have to buy a Bluetooth enabled GPS receiver, which was a little cheaper than buying the iPAD with cellular capabilities. I tried using my Android phone, but had several lockups. My Android tablet would not display the video feed. That is the other reason I went with the iPAD Mini 2. I just couldn't risking losing or damaging the Mavic with an unstable platform. I really don't feel it is an Android issue, but rather and issue with the Android app.

Ya, I believe the Mavic is Ipad or iPhone based so it makes sense to use either an iPhone or iPad rather than an Android.

Unfortunately I have a Note 4 rather than iPhone BUT, I do have an iPad mini AND iPad 2!! Neither are WiFi capable so from what you're saying I can only use either with a Bluetooth GPS receiver not stand alone?

Windwarrior · Feb 12, 2017

Ipads with wifi only have gps.

So, ipads without wifi have no gps?? Neither of mine have wifi.

ATXdrone · Feb 12, 2017

Windwarrior said:
So, ipads without wifi have no gps?? Neither of mine have wifi.

All iPads have wifi. I think you mean "IPads without cell/3G (SIM cards) have no GPS chip". This is true. You don't need to pay for SERVICE, you just need the 3G/SIM enabled iPad in order get the appropriate chip in them to do GPS.

Windwarrior · Feb 12, 2017

ATXdrone said:
All iPads have wifi. I think you mean "IPads without cell/3G (SIM cards) have no GPS chip". This is true. You don't need to pay for SERVICE, you just need the 3G/SIM enabled iPad in order get the appropriate chip in them to do GPS.

LOL!! You are correct!! Without cell is what makes sense.
I think I need to just find out if the iPad 2 or the mini I have is capable of 3g/sim or if it's just the newer versions.
Either way I would imagine getting an external gps device would be all I need to get signal regardless?

ATXdrone · Feb 12, 2017

Non of the non-cell iPads have the GPS capability. At least not any that make sense for the Mavic Pro.

Windwarrior · Feb 12, 2017

ATXdrone said:
Non of the non-cell iPads have the GPS capability. At least not any that make sense for the Mavic Pro.

That wasn't making any sense to me so I called the local DJI store and they cleared things up.

I was told by the guy at the store that the remote is what gives out the gps signal and that the mini is just the screen.

Is that right??? Doesn't the screen have controls AND options to adjust as you go???

Cimriver · Feb 12, 2017

Windwarrior said:
Ya, I believe the Mavic is Ipad or iPhone based so it makes sense to use either an iPhone or iPad rather than an Android.

Unfortunately I have a Note 4 rather than iPhone BUT, I do have an iPad mini AND iPad 2!! Neither are WiFi capable so from what you're saying I can only use either with a Bluetooth GPS receiver not stand alone?

It's my understanding that all iPADs without cellular capacity do not include and internal GPS receiver. That is the case with my iPAD Mini 2. All iPADS are Wi-Fi enabled. Don't confuse Wi-Fi with cellular capability.

Malfius · Feb 12, 2017

Windwarrior said:
That wasn't making any sense to me so I called the local DJI store and they cleared things up.

I was told by the guy at the store that the remote is what gives out the gps signal and that the mini is just the screen.

Is that right??? Doesn't the screen have controls AND options to adjust as you go???

Basically yes that's correct.
You can fly the Mavic with just the controller but the screen gives you more options and a live view.

Sent from my iPhone using MavicPilots

Cimriver · Feb 12, 2017

Windwarrior said:
That wasn't making any sense to me so I called the local DJI store and they cleared things up.

I was told by the guy at the store that the remote is what gives out the gps signal and that the mini is just the screen.

Is that right??? Doesn't the screen have controls AND options to adjust as you go???

I am not so sure you got things cleared up. The RC does not have a GPS receiver. The Mavic does have a GPS receiver so providing it is listening to enough GPS satellites, it knows where it is in the world. The controller passes that information to whatever app you are using e.g. DJI GO 4, Litchi, etc. If the smart device you have hooked up to the RC has cellular capabilities, and you have cellular coverage the position of the Mavic is displayed on the map on the screen. If the smart device does not have cellular capabilities or if you are in an area that doesn't have cellular coverage you will see a blank white screen instead of a map. Provided the Mavic recorded it's Return to Home position when you launched it, you are safe to fly it, but will not be able to reset the Return to Home position (if you have moved e.g. you are in a boat), and you would not be able to use the follow me functionality.For me personally I do not like to fly without a map to see where the aircraft is in relation to where I am. It makes navigating the aircraft much easier. To do this, at a minimum, my smart device needs either an internal GPS receiver, or in my case an external GPS receiver. This in combination with caching a map of the area prior to going to the flight location allows me to always have a satellite view of the aircraft's and my own location. Map caching is a whole different discussion.

Windwarrior · Feb 12, 2017

Cimriver said:
I am not so sure you got things cleared up. The RC does not have a GPS receiver. The Mavic does have a GPS receiver so providing it is listening to enough GPS satellites, it knows where it is in the world. The controller passes that information to whatever app you are using e.g. DJI GO 4, Litchi, etc. If the smart device you have hooked up to the RC has cellular capabilities, and you have cellular coverage the position of the Mavic is displayed on the map on the screen. If the smart device does not have cellular capabilities or if you are in an area that doesn't have cellular coverage you will see a blank white screen instead of a map. Provided the Mavic recorded it's Return to Home position when you launched it, you are safe to fly it, but will not be able to reset the Return to Home position (if you have moved e.g. you are in a boat), and you would not be able to use the follow me functionality.For me personally I do not like to fly without a map to see where the aircraft is in relation to where I am. It makes navigating the aircraft much easier. To do this, at a minimum, my smart device needs either an internal GPS receiver, or in my case an external GPS receiver. This in combination with caching a map of the area prior to going to the flight location allows me to always have a satellite view of the aircraft's and my own location. Map caching is a whole different discussion.

Hmmmm.......looks like I'll be paying a visit to that store tomorrow.

I was skeptical when I asked the guy a question and he asked another person while I was holding.

Sigh....

Windwarrior · Sep 10, 2017

I'm going to revamp this thread because I still haven't bought a Mavic for several reasons and I'm going to explain why.

1) The main reason I'm looking into one is to take on hikes. Get to a location at the top of a mountain and take flight. My biggest concern in doing so is the signal loss issue I'm CONSTANTLY reading about on this forum. Last thing I want to do is buy a 1k drone and have it vanish in the wilderness.
2) Majority of the signal loss issues I've been reading appear to be Android related so my Note 4 is out BUT, I have an Apple Mini AND a Ipad 2. My plan is to use at least the mini exclusively for the drone.
3) Using an app. without a signal.

Neither of my Apple tablets are cell capable so my understanding is that GPS signal would be my only connection to the drone. I get that. I've used my gps signal and Google maps in a pinch on a hike before.

What I'm having a problem with is understanding how I'm able to use the app. in the middle of nowhere without signal. If I even need an app. to fly in the wilderness. I believe I can just use the controller but prefer the larger screen on the Mini. Without the app., how would I see anything on the Mini screen???

Windwarrior · Sep 10, 2017

I'm really gun shy about getting one just because if I can't use it in the middle of nowhere, I really don't want one.

I see videos on YouTube alllllll over the place with people flying them light years away from the controller without issue. Or so it seems.

Sparky1 · Sep 10, 2017

Could you just download an offline map when you have cell service of the area you are going to fly in? I wonder if then you would be able to have a map when no cell service is available.?

Windwarrior · Sep 10, 2017

Still defeats the purpose of seeing what the Mavic is seeing while in flight. Which is precisely what I want.

Starz · Sep 10, 2017

Download maps prior to going to nowhere land. They will be stored for later use. Search for that info on this site. The mavic works better in nowhere land because of the lack of radio interference.