Flew 830 ft over water and lost signal! Help me figure it out please

[jkelly]

I have wondered if it may have anything to do with the temperature of the drone. Could an overheating battery cause any interference or malfunctions?

 

[ac0j]

More than likely there is a cable or phone issue if the app disconnects and not the RC.
Too many people think that if the video feed in the app goes down, they have lost control of their drone. This is probably the biggest cause for lost aircraft.

 

[baddog]

So is it just me or is anyone else concerned that the pilot is in Class E airspace and directly in line with approach flight path?

SFC to 4000ft

 

[Bledsoe1qb]

Hi All,

Thanks in advance for the time to reply. This morning I went to the beach and flew my MA for some sunrise shots. I was in APAS mode, 18 satellites, formatted the SD card before launch, and I got to 829 feet downrange per the app and completely lost signal in a very abrupt manner.

No weak signal alerts, no choppy video or any other warnings that I noticed. Also, I never regained control or signal with the DJI app. I though the bird was gone and I had a fly away. Then all of the sudden I heard it and it came to home point, but the app never responded when the link was restored. Can anyone help me to figure this out and why it happened so I don't lose my MA? I had a mild heart attack!

Also, another question...how does the MA perform RTH if there is no signal? I did see the red RTH alert pop up and I hit yes, but if the controller sent the RTH signal, how is that possible with no link RF connection?

What is P-GPS vs. Gentle GPS?

MA Ver. 01.00.0400

11m 0.9s Gentle GPS 18satellites 25.3ft N/A 0.9mph 827.4ft 40% 11.084V 3.703V 3.694V 3.687V 0.016V (Downlink Lost HERE)

12m 19.1s Auto Landing 18satellites 71.5ft N/A 0mph 0ft 40% 11.084V 3.703V 3.694V 3.687V 0.016V Downlink Restored (after 1m 18.2s)

Here is the log file: DJI Flight Log Viewer - PhantomHelp.com

Here is what the alert log stated:
## 06:34:42
GEO: You are in a Warning Zone (Class E Airspace). Fly with caution.
## 06:40:15
GEO: You are in a Warning Zone (Class E Airspace). Fly with caution.
## 06:49:28
Current RTH route will pass a no-fly zone. Pay attention to the aircraft's position to avoid RTH failure.
## 06:50:15
Obstacle Avoidance will be disabled in landing.
## 06:50:26
Obstacle Avoidance will be disabled in landing.
## 06:52:57
GEO: You are in a Warning Zone (Class E Airspace). Fly with caution.
## 06:54:53
GEO: You are in a Warning Zone (Class E Airspace). Fly with caution.
## 06:57:51
GEO: You are in a Warning Zone (Class E Airspace). Fly with caution.
## 07:01:41
Obstacle Avoidance will be disabled in landing.
## 07:01:52
Obstacle Avoidance will be disabled in landing.

Sure is an awesome video always wanted to see the sunrise over the water but never get up that early LOL glad you did not lose your bird looking forward to more videos enjoy

 

[brbundy]

So is it just me or is anyone else concerned that the pilot is in Class E airspace and directly in line with approach flight path?

SFC to 4000ft

If I understand correctly, and with KFLL being a Class C airport, the core surface area extends for a radius of 5 nm to 4000ft AGL, and the pier is certainly within that. It surprises me that the DJI firmware allows takeoff, but this would definitely require at least communication with the control tower prior to takeoff, right? Definitely strikes me as a serious safety concern!

 

[Schwack]

Had the same exact thing happen yesterday! Flying over water, about 1000ft out, completely lost connection. Fortunately, I was able to turn around and fly home because she never left my sight. Still, scary.

 

[cstruthers]

Once again reference is made to problems arising after loading new firmware/software. I am going to stick with the set I have until these problems are addressed. Perhaps the next firmware/software will be better.

 

[Chips]

I've lost connection a few times so far - heart-stopping moments - but the connection was restored within seconds and I never figured out what had happened. I assume it was a random thing and just hope it does not happen and last long.

 

[skiptv]

This is the video I took when I lost all communications. You can see I was not that far from the beach and not that close to the pier.

Great shot, I was born and raised in Hollywood FL. Moved to Cali 20 years ago. The beach still looks great.

 

[Billyboy72]

This is the video I took when I lost all communications. You can see I was not that far from the beach and not that close to the pier.

Im sorry if I missed this part but can you tell me where about this is? City. Also Im very happy to hear the RTH did its job usually these stories end in a "can you help me locate my lost drone". I have to wonder tho is there some other form of interference beyond that of the pier. I wouldn't think a 2-4 channel wifi set up from the restaurant would do it to from 100 feet away anyway. Is there an under water cable or something right under where you flew possibly.

 

[Billyboy72]

This is the video I took when I lost all communications. You can see I was not that far from the beach and not that close to the pier.

Just watched the video in its entirety and WOW! Talk about a heart stopper. I can also see you were well within LOS. I own the MP not the MA and this was one of the reasons I didn't want the air I dont like wifi link for the main link up. Too much interference these days..

 

[Signs]

Hi All,

Thanks in advance for the time to reply. This morning I went to the beach and flew my MA for some sunrise shots. I was in APAS mode, 18 satellites, formatted the SD card before launch, and I got to 829 feet downrange per the app and completely lost signal in a very abrupt manner.

No weak signal alerts, no choppy video or any other warnings that I noticed. Also, I never regained control or signal with the DJI app. I though the bird was gone and I had a fly away. Then all of the sudden I heard it and it came to home point, but the app never responded when the link was restored. Can anyone help me to figure this out and why it happened so I don't lose my MA? I had a mild heart attack!

Also, another question...how does the MA perform RTH if there is no signal? I did see the red RTH alert pop up and I hit yes, but if the controller sent the RTH signal, how is that possible with no link RF connection?

What is P-GPS vs. Gentle GPS?

MA Ver. 01.00.0400

11m 0.9s Gentle GPS 18satellites 25.3ft N/A 0.9mph 827.4ft 40% 11.084V 3.703V 3.694V 3.687V 0.016V (Downlink Lost HERE)

12m 19.1s Auto Landing 18satellites 71.5ft N/A 0mph 0ft 40% 11.084V 3.703V 3.694V 3.687V 0.016V Downlink Restored (after 1m 18.2s)

Here is the log file: DJI Flight Log Viewer - PhantomHelp.com

Here is what the alert log stated:
## 06:34:42
GEO: You are in a Warning Zone (Class E Airspace). Fly with caution.
## 06:40:15
GEO: You are in a Warning Zone (Class E Airspace). Fly with caution.
## 06:49:28
Current RTH route will pass a no-fly zone. Pay attention to the aircraft's position to avoid RTH failure.
## 06:50:15
Obstacle Avoidance will be disabled in landing.
## 06:50:26
Obstacle Avoidance will be disabled in landing.
## 06:52:57
GEO: You are in a Warning Zone (Class E Airspace). Fly with caution.
## 06:54:53
GEO: You are in a Warning Zone (Class E Airspace). Fly with caution.
## 06:57:51
GEO: You are in a Warning Zone (Class E Airspace). Fly with caution.
## 07:01:41
Obstacle Avoidance will be disabled in landing.
## 07:01:52
Obstacle Avoidance will be disabled in landing.

Dania Beach on the ocean is basically the Ft Lauderdale Airport isn’t it ?

 

[Signs]

Dania Beach on the ocean is basically the Ft Lauderdale Airport isn’t it ?

Are major airports scrambling signals.?

 

[dondi]

Buy antenna extenders, which reduce lost RC connection. I doubt at 800 ft. away someone can still have VLOS.

 

[Signs]

Like brbundy said. This is a highly restricted area. All of dania on the beach is not where you want to fly your drone. I live 20 mins from the airport and fly out of it regularly. It’s common for planes to take off heading east and be directed south..iI see people flying in restricted areas, cruise ships on here that don’t have a clue. It won’t be long till everywhere is a restricted area

 

[Tom-Air]

This is the video I took when I lost all communications. You can see I was not that far from the beach and not that close to the pier.

I couldn't say what happened, but I did want to say that was a beautiful sunset video!

 

[BJR981S]

Quite possible that you got zapped from the Airport approach radar.

 

[BuffaloAir]

So is it just me or is anyone else concerned that the pilot is in Class E airspace and directly in line with approach flight path?

SFC to 4000ft

Yes, BJR981S, I am concerned that we have drone pilots doing this. As a pilot with over 4000 hours of military and commercial aviation in both rotor and fixed wing it alarms me. I've come to believe the reason is they just don't understand the gravity of their actions. It is seriously dangerous. It will only take one incident of a drone getting sucked in to an intake, going through a windscreen or damaging a control surface and all drone aviation will be effected. If you are calling yourself a drone pilot, be a pilot, know and follow the rules for everyone's safety.

I use AirMap and B4UFly does anyone else use anything different and can you recommend it?

 

[Nosebump]

It's fortunate that we live in an age of GPS and drones that can take advantage of those capabilities. The RTH feature (-when set up properly) will snatch defeat, and turn it to victory, with a drone safely landing back at your feet. -What magic!

I would check the simple things first . Are the antennas set correctly on your RC? I've actually seen pilots point the end of their antennas directly at the drone. The flat surface should face the drone instead of the tips. Is everything fully charged? (-I know, simple dumb stuff, but it DOES make a difference)

Now to isolate other factors. Have you tried a different control app like Litchke (sp)? If a different app doesn't present the same problems, then it's the GO4 app. If it does, it's the drone itself or atmospherics.

"Atmospherics"...a word that aircraft pilots use regularly. Radio signals meander in quite unusual patterns, and can change from one day to the next. There are a multitude of causes, from other broadcast interference, to sun flares. The most common though is external "other" interference. Airlines know this, and kindly ask you to turn off and stow all electrical devices before take-off (-Not as much of a problem now though). The DJI drones are designed to find the most quiet frequencies and use those. You can change all of that during setup, but don't!

I've watched some of the extreme range tests on You Tube, but have never been able to duplicate anything close to those numbers here in the U.S. Some of my pilot friends though who live in Hawaii, can! Why? -The catch-all "atmospherics" is the standard answer.

So those are my ramblings on the subject. Oh, and changing to WiFi during flight is a definite no no. On the Mavic Pro there's a separate switch on the drone that must be selected first. I would guess that the Air is the same.

 

[mistygrey_]

When signal is lost , it means the video transmission is lost to the phone. The remote control still has the connection , try moving the drone if its within your line of sight. So next time don't panic if the drone looses connection, it is only the video transmission lost rest is fine until the drone is in your line of sight.

I had twice lost connection a 500m into the sea from beach, but i always use binoculars for keeping the drone in sight which helped me to make it comeback without pressing the RTH on remote.
Hope it helps m