Flying using RED (interference-full) channels!!!

[Mavic_Mini_Pilot]

Hello Guys...

I was getting a bit upset with the fact that if I want to fly safely, with excellent video feed and excellent transmission reception, in the city where it is full of 2.4ghz band Wi-Fi interference, the only way to do it is by FCC Hacking my CE Mini model! I have to make the little CE Mini think he is taking off in an FCC country, in order to fly up to 1km for sure with good reception! In the City I've noticed that all the 2.4ghz band channels are RED and full of interference! So this is why I usually FCC Hack the lil fella and fly around knowing that reception will be rock solid!

I was thinking though, even though it is very easy and simple to FCC Hack my CE model Mini - and I really don't mind doing it especially knowing it effectively doubles the range for sure to about just over 1km, was thinking that if we could just choose a 2.4ghz channel then we could safely fly out as far as 2km and even further I've seen all stock without any hacks at all. So yesterday I decided that I'll fly and manually choose a RED (interference-full) 2.4ghz band channel that is obviously not suggested - hence the RED color! My first flight was just over 11 minutes, but it was an all-indoors flight where the max distance was 4m. The video reception was absolutely flawlessly perfect all the time, and so was the controls of the drone, overall transmission was excellent!

After a while I realized that I hadn't switched off my Wi-Fi on my phone, and so I switched it off, and when I went back in the app to chose me another RED 2.4ghz channel I noticed that about half of the channels which were red before are now GREEN! So I guess my Wi-Fi from my phone was also causing major interference! So I chose a RED channel again, because that's what I'm testing and had another flight which was also perfect!

So guys, I know that RED means NO, but honestly I think we should at least find out our options, I mean if there is a way to normally use the 2.4ghz band channel and have the transmission reception quality that we're looking for - then we should explore this options and how safe and reliable they really are.

I'm gonna do some more testing tonight, after work. I'll try to fly outside this time, out my balcony again and see how reception will be when I fly say 200m high and 200m away form me, using the red 2.4ghz channel. If there is a GREEN 2.4ghz channel available I really recommend manually changing over to it and then having the extra distance ad quality of video stream!

So guys, not sure if anyone is gonna help me and join me in finding out if we can actually utilize the 2.4ghz band in a 2.4ghz Wi-Fi infested city area..

Will post my result here later.

cool cool

 

[FoxhallGH]

It really is a good idea to turn off the Bluetooth and WiFi on your phone, as it not only reduces a VERY close source of RF interference, but it also extends the battery life of your phone while it's connected to your RC controller.

 

[The Editor]

For a moment when I read your thread title I thought you were trying to lift and fly a RED camera with a Mavic Mini and I thought.... "So how's that going to work then?" ????

 

[Mavic_Mini_Pilot]

For a moment when I read your thread title I thought you were trying to lift and fly a RED camera with a Magic Mini and I thought.... "So how's that going to work then?" ????

ha ha ha ha ah ah, I will change it - because you are correct.. it is somewhat misleading to the very quick reader..



Edit: well I tried, apparently there is no way to change it.

 

[sbonev]

Are you sure it is good idea to use manual mode, when auto is recommended by DJI, as it automatically switches to the best available channel. If you choose one channel and it gets obstructed you will lose connection and you will have to manually choose another one.

 

[Mavic_Mini_Pilot]

It really is a good idea to turn off the Bluetooth and WiFi on your phone, as it not only reduces a VERY close source of RF interference, but it also extends the battery life of your phone while it's connected to your RC controller.

Ok Yeah, never thought about the Bluetooth, although I think my is always off by default. The Data connection is all I need really on my phone to unlock y authorization zone and so that my maps load all nicely. But yes I will form now on for sure switch off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth when flying. Especially also because I'm caring out an experiment with my Mini, flying in the red interference-full channels. I want to see what actually happens when interference really does occur on the 2.4ghz band and it really does interfere with my transmission. All this without crashing my drone preferably. Using the 2.4ghz band channels is what I'm really after now, as I've already see the real benefits of the FCC Hack on a CE model Mini - effectively doubles the distance from 500m to just over 1km, depending on if you are holding the remote control properly pointing antenna correctly.

cool cool

 

[droncek]

Fcc hack on CE version works only on 5.8 ghz band. On 2.4 ghz band output power stays the same and you gain nothing. On 5.8 ghz you gain some decibels but thats nowhere near the FCC version of mini.

 

[Mavic_Mini_Pilot]

Fcc hack on CE version works only on 5.8 ghz band. On 2.4 ghz band output power stays the same and you gain nothing. On 5.8 ghz you gain some decibels but thats nowhere near the FCC version of mini.

some decibals = doubble the 500m distance, this is why we all CE users like the hack, and yes its only for 5.8ghz band channels, not for 2.4ghz.. if you read the very fist post you'll see it says that there, benefit is only for the city, where 2.4ghz band channels are just too full of interference..

cool cool

 

[droncek]

I suggest you make yourself Yagi adapters for 2.4 ghz and 5.8 ghz to put onto antenna. It is easy to make with 3D printer and you will gain more than with fcc hack. Hack + adapters is a win combination



Here is the project:

Mavic Mini Yagi antenna adapters (range booster) 2.4 & 5.8Ghz by cylllka

Mavic Mini range boosterMetal partsMaterial: aluminum or copper.Shape: tube or rod.

www.thingiverse.com

and video of gaining:

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[Mavic_Mini_Pilot]

Hello all...

I have some result already which are quite satisfying for me and I was able to make a solid conclusion! I just took my Mini out for a flight out my blacony(4th floor) and flew to about 35m height, so plus the 10m for the 4th floor floor height, my drone was about 45 high and it was about 100m away from me and I got the error message Signal Interference and the picture started becoming very laggy and choppy, I had perfect LOS of it and was so scared that I just flew it back LOS manually without even looking at the screen. Deleted the video, as I only like to keep the good ones.

Ok, so I actually chose a GREEN 2.4ghz channel. As I said yesterday when I switch off my bluetooth and Wi-Fi and then about 3 or 4 of the 2.4ghz channels become GREEN - I chose such one thinking I'll fly to 200m height today for the first time and take it to 200m away from me! The interference was so much that I had to fly back manually just to be on the safe side.

So I was near a tall building at that time, and probably some of their Wi-Fi was the reason for this - but for me that's no good. I prefer to be safe and have a really good connection at all times. This is why I honestly think that what I previously, initially thought about all this is 100% correct!

So for flying in the City, us pilots in Europe, we really do need this FCC Hack in order to fly safely in our neighborhoods. I mean this is ridiculous really, less than 120m distance away from me and Interference Errors and choppy video that can hardly be used to fly around! No way, we can't be so <insert bad word here> in Europe that we have such terrible limits for radio waves! So the only way for now for me, at least in the City where 2.4ghz is truly unusable, would be the FCC Hack way. At least this way I can fly out from my balcony and have some confidence about the transmission of the lil Mini! I don't even plan to fly far out, to be honest in the City I plan to always fly about a maximum of 500m away from me and 500m high! To achieve this without the FCC Hack I'm not sure what DJI would have to do.

So my drone went down to 75% battery and now I'm just topping it off to 100% before I do the FCC Hack and try to fly out again.

Will post results a bit later after testing - but flying using the RED 2.4ghz band channels is ok for close to you, like 10m or something in my city and the area I live in to be exact. I'm sure that there is just way too much Wi-Fi in the area here, and this is the reason. But this is why we have the 5.8ghz channels - which follow European rules and therefore we have extremely bad range in 5.8ghz when not hacked.

I'm happy that no more testing will be done on this matter, its obvious that the RED 2.4ghz channels are not for the City at all, even if they are GREEN you may fly near a building where all of the sudden all connection is lost! It's good that DJI though of this, if we go to US we would need more power on the 5.8ghz as in the US 2.4ghz is probably even more clustered than in Europe, and hence the extra little bit of 5.8ghz transmission power. It may have been another reason - but that's the one I thought of.

lol

cool cool

 

[Mavic_Mini_Pilot]

I suggest you make yourself Yagi adapters for 2.4 ghz and 5.8 ghz to put onto antenna. It is easy to make with 3D printer and you will gain more than with fcc hack. Hack + adapters is a win combination

View attachment 93814

Here is the project:

Mavic Mini Yagi antenna adapters (range booster) 2.4 & 5.8Ghz by cylllka

Mavic Mini range boosterMetal partsMaterial: aluminum or copper.Shape: tube or rod.

www.thingiverse.com

and video of gaining:

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For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

WOW, what wizardry be this!?!?! looks so simple and you don't even need a 3D printer to make a good one of those! WOW - of this is not some black magic I will definitely try it! I'll read up on the subject first now.

Thanks for the tip bro..

cool cool

 

[Mavic_Mini_Pilot]

I suggest you make yourself Yagi adapters for 2.4 ghz and 5.8 ghz to put onto antenna. It is easy to make with 3D printer and you will gain more than with fcc hack. Hack + adapters is a win combination

View attachment 93814

Here is the project:

Mavic Mini Yagi antenna adapters (range booster) 2.4 & 5.8Ghz by cylllka

Mavic Mini range boosterMetal partsMaterial: aluminum or copper.Shape: tube or rod.

www.thingiverse.com

and video of gaining:

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

Are you sure it does MORE than the FCC Hack, because we already know that the FCC Hack effectively doubles the 5.8ghz channels range to about 1km from 500m, and some have had better than 1km results - I've seen 1.3km flight.

Will read up and check what's happening, it looks so simple this and you say it will more than double the range without the Hack!? So with the FCC Hack and the Yagi adapters I will get about 1.5km to 2km !?!

cool cool

 

[droncek]

It will boost signal significantly, but you should point adapter directly to the drone since with this is now directed signal and not 360 degrees anymore. But you will benefit also at reducing interferences at remote controller side since it wont receiving them from 360 degrees so much anymore.

I strongly suggest 3D printing and cuting rods to specified lenghts with high precision since this is high frequency where every 1/10 of milimeter matters very much and will make difference like day and night. I think you canot make this adapters with hands so precise.

 

[Mavic_Mini_Pilot]

It will boost signal significantly, but you should point adapter directly to the drone since with this is now directed signal and not 360 degrees anymore. But you will benefit also at reducing interferences at remote controller side since it wont receiving them from 360 degrees so much anymore.

I strongly suggest 3D printing and cuting rods to specified lenghts with high precision since this is high frequency where every 1/10 of milimeter matters very much and will make difference like day and night. I think you canot make this adapters with hands so precise.

ok but what should the distance be between the parasitic rods/elements, and do I need a reflector also at the one end? I would love to make this but I don't have a 3D printer, and now that you say it makes a big difference if made properly or not up to a 10th of a millimeter, so I'll just stick to the FCC Hack for now.

I wish there was an easy way to boost the signal, I'm probably gonna gets me some of them parabolic reflectors and combine that with the FCC Hack and that's how I'll fly in the City where I spend most of my time.

cool cool

thanks for showing me this

 

[sbonev]

Hello all...

I have some result already which are quite satisfying for me and I was able to make a solid conclusion! I just took my Mini out for a flight out my blacony(4th floor) and flew to about 35m height, so plus the 10m for the 4th floor floor height, my drone was about 45 high and it was about 100m away from me and I got the error message Signal Interference and the picture started becoming very laggy and choppy, I had perfect LOS of it and was so scared that I just flew it back LOS manually without even looking at the screen. Deleted the video, as I only like to keep the good ones.

Ok, so I actually chose a GREEN 2.4ghz channel. As I said yesterday when I switch off my bluetooth and Wi-Fi and then about 3 or 4 of the 2.4ghz channels become GREEN - I chose such one thinking I'll fly to 200m height today for the first time and take it to 200m away from me! The interference was so much that I had to fly back manually just to be on the safe side.

So I was near a tall building at that time, and probably some of their Wi-Fi was the reason for this - but for me that's no good. I prefer to be safe and have a really good connection at all times. This is why I honestly think that what I previously, initially thought about all this is 100% correct!

So for flying in the City, us pilots in Europe, we really do need this FCC Hack in order to fly safely in our neighborhoods. I mean this is ridiculous really, less than 120m distance away from me and Interference Errors and choppy video that can hardly be used to fly around! No way, we can't be so <insert bad word here> in Europe that we have such terrible limits for radio waves! So the only way for now for me, at least in the City where 2.4ghz is truly unusable, would be the FCC Hack way. At least this way I can fly out from my balcony and have some confidence about the transmission of the lil Mini! I don't even plan to fly far out, to be honest in the City I plan to always fly about a maximum of 500m away from me and 500m high! To achieve this without the FCC Hack I'm not sure what DJI would have to do.

So my drone went down to 75% battery and now I'm just topping it off to 100% before I do the FCC Hack and try to fly out again.

Will post results a bit later after testing - but flying using the RED 2.4ghz band channels is ok for close to you, like 10m or something in my city and the area I live in to be exact. I'm sure that there is just way too much Wi-Fi in the area here, and this is the reason. But this is why we have the 5.8ghz channels - which follow European rules and therefore we have extremely bad range in 5.8ghz when not hacked.

I'm happy that no more testing will be done on this matter, its obvious that the RED 2.4ghz channels are not for the City at all, even if they are GREEN you may fly near a building where all of the sudden all connection is lost! It's good that DJI though of this, if we go to US we would need more power on the 5.8ghz as in the US 2.4ghz is probably even more clustered than in Europe, and hence the extra little bit of 5.8ghz transmission power. It may have been another reason - but that's the one I thought of.

lol

cool cool

well i guess it was the expected result, if you choose one channel it will be good for a short time until it gets polluted, but then as you are in manual mode you will lose connection, hence auto mode is always recommended

 

[Mavic_Mini_Pilot]

I just tested again, I flew without the FCC Hack, just all stock. I didn't need the FCC Hack as I was flying in 2.4ghz band channel, testing out what happens when flying in the City. And yes, exactly as I thought - even if I choose a 2.4ghz channel which is GREEN at the time of choosing all it takes is to fly close to another building and the Signal Interference becomes so bad so quick, its not even a gradual signal loss, all of the sudden there is just no connection at all! Luckily for me I got connection back very quickly, before RTH could even auto-initiate itself.

In other words, the Mini should most definitely not be flown in 2.4ghz when in the city or a wi-fi congested area! 5.8ghz is the way to go! I'm not sure why DJI decided to do such a strange implementation, why didn't they just have all their models like the FCC version, just reduce power in CE countries. I'm saying this because the 2.4GHZ in the City is useless really, so why did they even decide on the 2.4ghz?!

cool cool

 

[Mavic_Mini_Pilot]

Another flight completed...

This time I chose Auto Transmission and did the FCC Hack so the Mini chose 5.8ghz by itslef after I FCC Hacked it. Flew out to the desired 200 m distance at a height of about 50m. I flew right past the same building, and even stopped there near it just test out. The reception was absolutely perfect and flawless! It was such an awesome experience, absolutely perfect transmission all the time. This is what I'm looking for really, absolutely perfect reception. Now all that's left is just one last try of flying the same flight in Auto transmission but without the FCC Hack so that I can prove to myself that the hack is indeed really needed - in the city.

cool cool

 

[sbonev]

I just tested again, I flew without the FCC Hack, just all stock. I didn't need the FCC Hack as I was flying in 2.4ghz band channel, testing out what happens when flying in the City. And yes, exactly as I thought - even if I choose a 2.4ghz channel which is GREEN at the time of choosing all it takes is to fly close to another building and the Signal Interference becomes so bad so quick, its not even a gradual signal loss, all of the sudden there is just no connection at all! Luckily for me I got connection back very quickly, before RTH could even auto-initiate itself.

In other words, the Mini should most definitely not be flown in 2.4ghz when in the city or a wi-fi congested area! 5.8ghz is the way to go! I'm not sure why DJI decided to do such a strange implementation, why didn't they just have all their models like the FCC version, just reduce power in CE countries. I'm saying this because the 2.4GHZ in the City is useless really, so why did they even decide on the 2.4ghz?!

cool cool

main reason being European laws prohibiting 5.875GHz above 25mW output power. So DJI simply abide CE laws which you will agree is the wise thing to do if you want to sell your products...And 2.4 is really heavily used in cities hence the limitations, but if you limit your selection to only one 2.4 channel, i hope you realise it makes things worse. And getting close to buildings with a lot of wifis is also not very smart, having in mind you use manual selection. In auto the RC will have the ability to switch to a different, less used channel, in manual you simply lose connection!

 

[The Editor]

WOW, what wizardry be this!?!?! looks so simple and you don't even need a 3D printer to make a good one of those! WOW - of this is not some black magic I will definitely try it! I'll read up on the subject first now.

Thanks for the tip bro..

cool cool

You will need a 3D printer since the spacing and length of each element is critical.

Pattern here.

Mavic Mini Yagi antenna adapters (range booster) 2.4 & 5.8Ghz by cylllka

Mavic Mini range boosterMetal partsMaterial: aluminum or copper.Shape: tube or rod.

www.thingiverse.com

 

[Mavic_Mini_Pilot]

Does this mean that if the drone chooses 2.4ghz all by itself in auto, its better than if I manually choose a 2.4 channel. And why can the thing change by itself but not allow us to also choose while in flight.