Can only get 2,000 ft of range before losing signal. Flight log included

[MikeC149]

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New to drones, DJI Mavic Pro M1P with iphone 12 and gl200 controller, full battery. Loses signal and attempts to return to home after about 0.5 miles. How can there be this much interference when the advertised range is 4 miles?

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

I doubt that log is the one you intended to upload, it's 40.6sec long

 

[slup]

No need to hunt for logs... they will never show the reason for transmission problems, just confirm the disconnect & the following failsafe action (RTH in most cases) if the connection gets re-established.

Do you point the RC towards the AC?
Have you a totally free transmission path between the RC & AC (free LOS)?
And you know that the antennas flat side should point towards the AC & not the tips (ends)?

 

[Meta4]

Loses signal and attempts to return to home after about 0.5 miles. How can there be this much interference when the advertised range is 4 miles?

Transmission range is very variable and subject to a number of factors.
Some are mentioned in the previous post.
But your local environment is another big feature.
WIFI interference in the area you fly, has a significant impact on the range you can expect.

DJI give more information in the specs for recent models.
Here's what they say about the Mavic 3 ... the distances are different from your drone, but the pattern would be similar:

• Signal Transmission Ranges (FCC)​

• Strong Interference (urban landscape, limited line of sight, many competing signals): Approx. 1.5-3 km
  Medium Interference (suburban landscape, open line of sight, some competing signals): Approx. 3-9 km
  Low Interference (open landscape abundant line of sight, few competing signals): Approx. 9-15 km

 

[Talldiver]

I’ve never tested transmission range due to keeping my M2P in VLOS. I generally don’t go over 600-700 ft before I lose it in flight. Are you using observers to maintain VLOS?

 

[jffprc]

I was in Colorado with my mavic pro with perfect conditions and flew 18,000 feet away and only had to return because of battery. Conditions are everything. Try different places.

 

[MikeC149]

No need to hunt for logs... they will never show the reason for transmission problems, just confirm the disconnect & the following failsafe action (RTH in most cases) if the connection gets re-established.

Do you point the RC towards the AC?
Have you a totally free transmission path between the RC & AC (free LOS)?
And you know that the antennas flat side should point towards the AC & not the tips (ends)?

Transmission was not 100% free of obstacles. It always seems to go about 0.5 miles before it loses signal no matter where I fly it

Are there local forums here? I’d love to get constructive criticism from a drone flyer here in Philly.

 

[MikeC149]

I doubt that log is the one you intended to upload, it's 40.6sec long

Sorry, this is my first time uploading

 

[Meta4]

Transmission was not 100% free of obstacles. It always seems to go about 0.5 miles before it loses signal no matter where I fly it

If you have trees, buildings, hills or other obstacles between the controller and the drone, you should expect the range to be reduced.
You need a clear, unobstructed line of sight, and an interference-free environment to maintain signal.

 

[MikeC149]

If you have trees, buildings, hills or other obstacles between the controller and the drone, you should expect the range to be reduced.
You need a clear, unobstructed line of sight, and an interference-free environment to maintain signal.

I understand it should be reduced, but from a claimed 4.5 miles to 0.5 miles seems far fetched to me.

 

[Meta4]

I understand it should be reduced, but from a claimed 4.5 miles to 0.5 miles seems far fetched to me.

You haven't given us a way to tell how much obstruction and/or interference is in your flying area.
Look at the numbers I quoted in post #4 to see some examples of how much the range can be affected.

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

Range varies simple as that, I have had a drone out beyond its published limit and seen another go WELL beyond its published range without loss of connection yet lose connection at a small percentage of that distance in other places.
There is also a need to aim the controller and orientate the antennae correctly. One quite ridiculous youtube comes to mind where the guy is ranting about range and he's got the antennae pointing at 90deg to the 'beeline' to the drone.

 

[adam3112]

Basically the claimed 4.5 miles is what it could achieve in ideal conditions. That literally means a flat, open area with no obstacles, buildings and trees to obstruct the LOS between the controller and the drone and no radio interference. These conditions are few and far between in most scenarios.

 

[SETI 2022]

Is it loss of drone control signal or just of signal to controller,.e.g. Video, image, I get this sometimes in different locations sometimes at 60m but there is no loss of control of aircraft .