ADS-B on Air 2S Dropped from Mavic Air 2?

[PacificSkyDreamn]

I'm looking at the updated information on the DJI website and noticed they have ADS-B as a key feature on the new Air 2S and no mention of it on the MA 2. However my MA 2 that I bought last year has ADS-B (sticker on the right prop arm says: ADS-B Air Sense). I know the feature works as I do get aircraft in the area warnings when flying.

So has DJI dropped ADS-B from the MA 2 and only equipping the Air 2S with it?

 

[Yeunglings]

My understanding was that due to the pandemic basically just the US, maybe a few others, got ads b because there weren't enoughchips/ antennas or something to that effect. I guess it's possible that they are trying to standardize the various country sites spec sheets to all match events if it means not showing everything that is actually on the birds we are already flying here in the US and thus making it look like you're getting an even bigger upgrade than you really are. Or maybe the latest runs don't have it. My concern with the air2s is the pricing strategy more than anything else though.

 

[maggior]

I just got a MA2 last week and it has ADS. I have gotten numerous notifications while flying that a manned aircraft was in the area. I'm in the US.

 

[PacificSkyDreamn]

So they're saying if you're in the US and bought a MA2 last week it would have ADS-B, but if you buy a MA2 starting today it will not - yet the price is the same?

 

[Yeunglings]

So they're saying if you're in the US and bought a MA2 last week it would have ADS-B, but if you buy a MA2 starting today it will not - yet the price is the same?

I'd venture to guess that they just 'omitted by mistake' that ads b is on US MA2. It'd be cheaper to not advertise it and push the fact that it's on theirs than to remove the antenna from the AC.

 

[tlswift58]

If I remember correctly - the early models of Air2 may not have come with ADS-B. My Air2 - a year old does have it and it works very well. Sometimes too well, when there is no aircraft in sight. Yet, it is another tool to remain safe and be wary of low flying aircraft - esp helicopters that tend to fly below their low altitude setting. Now some do get special permission to fly treetop - like the guys from Duke Power who carry around those hanging chainsaws to trim around power lines.

 

[Yeunglings]

If I remember correctly - the early models of Air2 may not have come with ADS-B. My Air2 - a year old does have it and it works very well. Sometimes too well, when there is no aircraft in sight. Yet, it is another tool to remain safe and be wary of low flying aircraft - esp helicopters that tend to fly below their low altitude setting. Now some do get special permission to fly treetop - like the guys from Duke Power who carry around those hanging chainsaws to trim around power lines.

I cant say for certain but I think all US dedtination MA2 had it but due to shortages other countries missed out. There was debate on here last year whether the other countries might see it as a silent upgrade or incremental update once the chip/ sensor/ antenna situation was resolved. I didn't pick mine up until August and it had ads-b but the initial press releases stated that only North America had ads b at launch with the rest of the world on hold for that because of covid related issues.

 

[PacificSkyDreamn]

Just seems a little deceptive marketing to imply that to get Air Sense - and you're trying to decide between the two - the comparison view on their website would make you think you need to buy the more expensive Air 2S.

 

[Yeunglings]

Just seems a little deceptive marketing to imply that to get Air Sense - and you're trying to decide between the two - the comparison view on their website would make you think you need to buy the more expensive Air 2S. View attachment 127586

I agree about the bad/ deceptive marketing. I actually just went to Amazon, Best Buy and B&H Photo sites and it looks like they were all given revised specs AND pics that make no mention of ads-b for the MA2. B&H and Amazon have a bunch of customer supplied pics though that show the sticker right where it is on mine and earlier press release photos. So either they shopped in new pics to mislead us or they've actually disabled/ removed ads-b on newer runs of the MA2. Either would be a very disappointing scenario. Are they removing previously available functions ( a lite version if you will) without dropping the price or are they making the buyer think it's not there so they go for the new sparkly?

 

[cgmaxed]

I agree about the bad/ deceptive marketing. I actually just went to Amazon, Best Buy and B&H Photo sites and it looks like they were all given revised specs AND pics that make no mention of ads-b for the MA2. B&H and Amazon have a bunch of customer supplied pics though that show the sticker right where it is on mine and earlier press release photos. So either they shopped in new pics to mislead us or they've actually disabled/ removed ads-b on newer runs of the MA2. Either would be a very disappointing scenario. Are they removing previously available functions ( a lite version if you will) without dropping the price or are they making the buyer think it's not there so they go for the new sparkly?

Ad pics ARE NOT SPEC SHEETS. The ads are what they are, ads. DJI just felt other things may have been more important to place in the ad than others. They haven't changed anything in the Mav Air2. The Spec sheets remain unchanged. Ads are just a quick glimpse of SOME features of a product, NOT ALL.

 

[Yeunglings]

Ad pics ARE NOT SPEC SHEETS. The ads are what they are, ads. DJI just felt other things may have been more important to place in the ad than others. They haven't changed anything in the Mav Air2. The Spec sheets remain unchanged. Ads are just a quick glimpse of SOME features of a product, NOT ALL.

Ok, I understand that pics are not specs. No need to be snippy. When I bought my MA2 the ads-b spec was listed in stores, online AND the pics on those various sites included shots of the front right arm with the ads b sticker. Now they have the exact same pic but without the sticker and the spec and feature sheets at all of those sites along with DJI no longer mention ads b at all even though it was a key selling point when the MA2 was released. Other countries tech sites even commented at the time how NA was getting it but that covid had likely prevented it from showing up for Europe, Asia and elsewhere, at least for the time being. Now if you want to split hairs why is that at the launch of the MA2 everyone including DJI was talking about Airsense/ ads-b being so important and that the MA2 was the first DJI drone to encorporate it but now all mention or infographic of it has been removed or replaced with identical information other than the this feature and a missing sticker and suddenly it's presented as if it's a new feature to be implemented on the Air2s. Why did DJI take the time to have the pictures and information changed about the MA2 other than to mislead the consumer? I already have an MA2 and don't, at least for now, plan on getting the Air2s but if I was just starting out or stepping up from the MM or Mini2 and was trying to decide which drone to get then the inclusion or not of ads-b could very well be enough of a deciding factor for me to justify the extra money because of where I live and fly. I always stay legal but with the number of airports, private heliports and especially hospitals with medevac capabilities in my area I'm grateful knowing whether the plane or helicopter I hear could potentially be endangered by my drone.

 

[cgmaxed]

Ok, I understand that pics are not specs. No need to be snippy. When I bought my MA2 the ads-b spec was listed in stores, online AND the pics on those various sites included shots of the front right arm with the ads b sticker. Now they have the exact same pic but without the sticker and the spec and feature sheets at all of those sites along with DJI no longer mention ads b at all even though it was a key selling point when the MA2 was released. Other countries tech sites even commented at the time how NA was getting it but that covid had likely prevented it from showing up for Europe, Asia and elsewhere, at least for the time being. Now if you want to split hairs why is that at the launch of the MA2 everyone including DJI was talking about Airsense/ ads-b being so important and that the MA2 was the first DJI drone to encorporate it but now all mention or infographic of it has been removed or replaced with identical information other than the this feature and a missing sticker and suddenly it's presented as if it's a new feature to be implemented on the Air2s. Why did DJI take the time to have the pictures and information changed about the MA2 other than to mislead the consumer? I already have an MA2 and don't, at least for now, plan on getting the Air2s but if I was just starting out or stepping up from the MM or Mini2 and was trying to decide which drone to get then the inclusion or not of ads-b could very well be enough of a deciding factor for me to justify the extra money because of where I live and fly. I always stay legal but with the number of airports, private heliports and especially hospitals with medevac capabilities in my area I'm grateful knowing whether the plane or helicopter I hear could potentially be endangered by my drone.

Sorry, I didn't mean to sound snippy. Anyway, I believe my opinion was wrong. I checked DJI specs on the Mav Air2. It doesn't mention ADS-B. This makes me believe they stopped manufacturing MA2s w ADS-B when they started production of the Air2S. My suspicion is, due to the lack of parts, they stopped installing the ADS-B in the MA2 and moved installation to the Air2S only. That's my guess anyway. Again, sorry. I should have done my due diligence prior to making any statements.. So, it does appear that any MA2s built after the release of the Air2S don't have ADS-B. That's my assumption anyway. I'm suprised, but that is certainly the way it looks, with the exception of North American Mav Air 2 models, as quoted below.

A Quote from "Heliguy" Web Page 5 days ago: "The Air 2S comes with DJI AirSense; ADS-B technology which alerts pilots to nearby planes and helicopters. Mavic 2 Pro does not have this feature, while only North American models of the Mavic Air 2 currently come with AirSense - which frustrated some on launch day. "

 

[Yeunglings]

Sorry, I didn't mean to sound snippy. Anyway, I believe my opinion was wrong. I checked DJI specs on the Mav Air2. It doesn't mention ADS-B. This makes me believe they stopped manufacturing MA2s w ADS-B when they started production of the Air2S. My suspicion is, due to the lack of parts, they stopped installing the ADS-B in the MA2 and moved installation to the Air2S only. That's my guess anyway. Again, sorry. I should have done my due diligence prior to making any statements.. So, it does appear that any MA2s built after the release of the Air2S don't have ADS-B. That's my assumption anyway. I'm suprised, but that is certainly the way it looks, with the exception of North American Mav Air 2 models, as quoted below.

A Quote from "Heliguy" Web Page 5 days ago: "The Air 2S comes with DJI AirSense; ADS-B technology which alerts pilots to nearby planes and helicopters. Mavic 2 Pro does not have this feature, while only North American models of the Mavic Air 2 currently come with AirSense - which frustrated some on launch day. "

Let's hug it out and call it good. I might have been a bit sensitive because when the topic of ads b came up I was perplexed because mine had it and I remember having seen the banners, so to speak, all over the place followed by thread after thread of Europe being screwed. So I researched thinking that can't be right, they're not pulling a Sony or Microsoft by quietly removing features and still charging the same price. Especially a safety feature like that. And to be honest I'm not sure if they have or not but it sure looks like they did. I think that could potentially set them up for litigation because now you have to ensure that the firmware for 2 identical drones but with different features/ specs functions properly and provides adequate differentiation to the end user ON SCREEN at the start of every flight that this MA2 does have it but that one does not. Let's say I have more than 1 MA2 or I send my launch bird in for repair/ replacement and they send me another without it, how am I supposed to tell the difference?

 

[cgmaxed]

Let's hug it out and call it good. I might have been a bit sensitive because when the topic of ads b came up I was perplexed because mine had it and I remember having seen the banners, so to speak, all over the place followed by thread after thread of Europe being screwed. So I researched thinking that can't be right, they're not pulling a Sony or Microsoft by quietly removing features and still charging the same price. Especially a safety feature like that. And to be honest I'm not sure if they have or not but it sure looks like they did. I think that could potentially set them up for litigation because now you have to ensure that the firmware for 2 identical drones but with different features/ specs functions properly and provides adequate differentiation to the end user ON SCREEN at the start of every flight that this MA2 does have it but that one does not. Let's say I have more than 1 MA2 or I send my launch bird in for repair/ replacement and they send me another without it, how am I supposed to tell the difference?

Interesting. I just sent my MAV Air 2 w ADS-B in for a replacement just today under CareRefresh. I live in USA. I'll let you know what I get back. I don't expect they would give me one without ADS-B. I'll Let you all know.

 

[Yeunglings]

Interesting. I just sent my MAV Air 2 w ADS-B in for a replacement just today under CareRefresh. I live in USA. I'll let you know what I get back. I don't expect they would give me one without ADS-B. I'll Let you all know.

That would be great. The more information we all have and share with each other the better off we will all be. Remember "knowing is half the battle. G. I. Joe!"

 

[cgmaxed]

Just bought an Air2S while waiting for my MavAir2 replacement. While flying the AIR2S I got freaked out for a second because an airplane flew close by and I didn't get a warning. Come to find out, you have to turn the feature on during initial setup. Go figure. Anyway, I've decided to keep it off. I also turn of all sensors and any automated features. I do this in hopes that it may save a minute or 2 on flight battery time. Anyone have opinions about this? Can turning off all non-essential features save any battery life?

 

[Yeunglings]

Just bought an Air2S while waiting for my MavAir2 replacement. While flying the AIR2S I got freaked out for a second because an airplane flew close by and I didn't get a warning. Come to find out, you have to turn the feature on during initial setup. Go figure. Anyway, I've decided to keep it off. I also turn of all sensors and any automated features. I do this in hopes that it may save a minute or 2 on flight battery time. Anyone have opinions about this? Can turning off all non-essential features save any battery life?

I feel you on the freaking out. I'd gotten so used to ads b warnings that while flying my Mini2, remember it has the same controller, that when a low flying helicopter flew by and I had no warning from my tablet I almost crashed getting it to the ground quickly. I probably had a half mile distance and a thousand feet height between it and the chopper but it still shook me. As to the battery savings yeah, you might eek out a few minutes more but if it was me I'd at least keep Airsense on. I wouldn't mind losing a drone because of proximity to a tree but would hate to cause an accident due to not knowing there was a plane in the sky. I dont fly my MM or Mini2 over 200' now( usually it's for the kids and limited to 100') because of it. I leave the longer, higher flights for the MA2. But everyone is different so please don't feel like I'm telling you what to do or how to enjoy flying.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

I cant say for certain but I think all US dedtination MA2 had it but due to shortages other countries missed out.

only North America had ads b at launch with the rest of the world on hold for that because of covid related issues.

Could be too that many countries don't have compulsory light aircraft / helis ADS-B, like the USA does (I think it does ?).
Maybe one day in Australia, not sure if CASA here is pushing for it . . . I guess so, as it would be a great asset to air safety all round, but to date retro fitting costs have apparently put the idea on hold.

Of course, for drone pilots, ADS-B is only really needed to pick up light aircraft / helis etc, so not much use here yet.
Larger commercial aircraft do have ADS-B and are safe with the general drone rules followed.

 

[cgmaxed]

I feel you on the freaking out. I'd gotten so used to ads b warnings that while flying my Mini2, remember it has the same controller, that when a low flying helicopter flew by and I had no warning from my tablet I almost crashed getting it to the ground quickly. I probably had a half mile distance and a thousand feet height between it and the chopper but it still shook me. As to the battery savings yeah, you might eek out a few minutes more but if it was me I'd at least keep Airsense on. I wouldn't mind losing a drone because of proximity to a tree but would hate to cause an accident due to not knowing there was a plane in the sky. I dont fly my MM or Mini2 over 200' now( usually it's for the kids and limited to 100') because of it. I leave the longer, higher flights for the MA2. But everyone is different so please don't feel like I'm telling you what to do or how to enjoy flying.

I freaked for the same reason you did. I was so used to being alerted by my MavAir2 (ADS-B default on), I didn't think that the Air2S would be defaulted to have it's ADS-B off. The plane was kinda close, but in reality not that close. I had plenty of room. I was at 200ft decending while the plane was coming in at 700 ft. Horizontally, the manned aircraft may have been another 600ft away. I was in the process of landing anyway, but it was still a surprise. I live next to a public airport for small aircraft, so I'll take your advice and leave airsense on. The helicopters are the worst. Always flying low. Half the time they don't seem to be transmitting a signal. I think it's because they are usually law enforcement or emergency helis.

I use my M2Pro at night with a 2000 lumen spotlight attached. It sees the ground really well at up to 175ft. I also use an Autel 6k with the spot light. Both the M2P and Autel 6k have more lifting power, thus I use them to carry the weight of the spot lights at night. The 2000 lumen flash lights are slightly heavy and take off about 5 minutes of flight time, but it's cool to see the ground lit up by my these moderate size consumer drones. The Mav Air 2 and 2S are not strong enough to lift the lights for any reasonable amount of time.

 

[PacificSkyDreamn]

So another thread had a link to an official DJI release on RID and it had some clarifying side information on ADS-B in their drones...

"We [DJI] also have committed to installing ADS-B receivers into each new model that weighs above 250 grams, to enhance drone pilot awareness of nearby air traffic, in an effort to reduce the likelihood of collision."

So it appears it will stay on the MA2 and not be highlighted. Possibly since they apparently only equipped North American MA2s with receivers, maybe they're concerned that stating it clearly in their specs as a feature on the MA2 would obligate them to update owners of non ADS-B MA2s with free newer models as this seems to be a hardware related feature that cannot be added via firmware updates.

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