How low is too low? (Signal question)

[jagnweiner]

Hello all. I’m a new pilot and have had my Mini 2 for about two weeks and absolutely love it. I do have a question. I’ve mostly flown in the area around my house and I’m surrounded by trees. I know my range is significantly diminished because of all the trees.

My question is this: when my range warning indicator (or whatever it’s called) goes to amber and shows two bars, how close am I to losing all radio contact? I realize the easy way to test this would be to just keep flying, let it lose contact and go into RTH mode, but because I’m surrounded by trees, I haven’t had the guts to try RTH, even though I have the altitude set pretty high.

Thanks, Scott

 

[DJayI]

Hello all. I’m a new pilot and have had my Mini 2 for about two weeks and absolutely love it. I do have a question. I’ve mostly flown in the area around my house and I’m surrounded by trees. I know my range is significantly diminished because of all the trees.

My question is this: when my range warning indicator (or whatever it’s called) goes to amber and shows two bars, how close am I to losing all radio contact? I realize the easy way to test this would be to just keep flying, let it lose contact and go into RTH mode, but because I’m surrounded by trees, I haven’t had the guts to try RTH, even though I have the altitude set pretty high.

Thanks, Scott

If your home point is under a canopy of trees, I don't think I would initiate RTH. As you know, generally return to home is set to clear the tallest obstacles along the RTH flight path. You can try it manually by long-press RTH button. Keep an eye on the drone, you can cancel RTH anytime by moving the sticks or pressing RTH a second time. Make sure your home point is not under a canopy of trees. RTH to Home Point is not accurate to the inch or mm. Try to set your HP to as clear an area as is available. Generally as the drone comes back toward the HP, you will regain control. I base that on other's opinions, as I have never lost, or come close to losing signal. Have you tried reorienting you and the transmitter towards the drone to see if you can improve the signal?

@jagnweiner Wanted to add that gaining altitude on low signal can increase signal range, as the path of the signals will typically encounter fewer ground based obstacles.

 

[slup]

...I’m surrounded by trees. I know my range is significantly diminished because of all the trees.

My question is this: when my range warning indicator (or whatever it’s called) goes to amber and shows two bars, how close am I to losing all radio contact?

Hi there & welcome to the forum ...

If you think about this once more you will see that even though your question is easy ... an answer will require a lot of specific data & that data will never be constant from flight to flight.

How much interference ... what do you have in between your craft & remote in every given moment ... the distance between the craft & remote ... how absorbing or reflecting are the obstacles ... unobstructed line of sight or not ... weather conditions ... what frequency is used.

It's impossible to create some kind of thumb rule regarding this ... it's way to many variables.

Recommend you read this to get some kind of understanding around microwave radiation:

INVERSE SQUARE LAW

FRESNEL ZONE

 

[Biggie777]

Hello all. I’m a new pilot and have had my Mini 2 for about two weeks and absolutely love it. I do have a question. I’ve mostly flown in the area around my house and I’m surrounded by trees. I know my range is significantly diminished because of all the trees.

My question is this: when my range warning indicator (or whatever it’s called) goes to amber and shows two bars, how close am I to losing all radio contact? I realize the easy way to test this would be to just keep flying, let it lose contact and go into RTH mode, but because I’m surrounded by trees, I haven’t had the guts to try RTH, even though I have the altitude set pretty high.

Thanks, Scott

I understand being weary and cautious when flying with trees everywhere around you,I'm in the same position and I fly right off my deck and have a wall of trees between me and the golf course on the other side and this for sure does greatly reduce the signal. Little off topic but I had a signal question regarding why I was only getting about 3000 feet on a drone rated for ,10 km and everyone was right about it being the trees,as well as when they filled out,the signal reduced even a good deal more and on open field= now we are talk'en about closer to that 10 km again so I doubt you will have to push it much further in this kind of conditions Before you see weak and no signal warnings,as well as broken up video transmission feed,I know I wasn't able to push it much further.

With that being said,you really need that Return to home feature to,of course be comfortably higher than everything in it's path home Incase you need the feature,and you probably will sooner than you might know... As long as it gets back to you so that you can navigate it to land,you should have no reason to fear the RTH. It works great and no it's not within an inch accurate but it gets the job done just fine.

Have fun flying

 

[DJayI]

need that Return to home feature to

Agreed. I was trying my very first Quickshot, to circle our house. Like y'all, I am largely surrounded by trees. The sun was low in the evening sky. After the maneuver was complete, between the trees and the bright sun behind the drone, I lost sight of the Mini 2. Looked for a while, could not locate, so I initiated RTH. I headed back to the Mini 2's home point and waited for her to appear. Sure enough, high overhead of the HP there she was. I cancelled RTH and regained control of her.
That prevented a possible loss or accident.
I know the compass in the app can also be used to help localize the drone and guide her back to the operator, sight unseen. In this case, RTH was easier on my frazzled newbie nerves.?

 

[jagnweiner]

Thanks for the input all. I do need to get myself comfortable with the RTH feature. I have it set at 180’, so there really shouldn’t be any problems, even with all the trees in the area.
Here’s a shot of the area around my house. (The house is actually a ways back in the trees)

 

[scott135]

Nice picture!

 

[netfolks2000]

180Ft. seems rather high, which could be a problem in higher winds up that high trying to return. I have oak trees and 70 feet clears all of them, especially as I go down my slope of flight. It was previously mentioned you could "just move the sticks" to get out of RTH. This is not true on the left stick regarding yaw. After a recent update, when the drone is in RTH and returning, you can rotate the drone for video or photos in any direction and it'll continue moving toward home.

 

[DJayI]

After a recent update, when the drone is in RTH and returning, you can rotate the drone for video or photos in any direction and it'll continue moving toward home.

I have not tried that feature yet, saw a YouTube vid on it once. Pretty cool. Be even better if there was a speed setting for RTH.
Good point that yaw input would not stop RTH.

 

[AVLJMA]

You can also cancel RTH on the screen. I find that once I seem amber colored bars it is time to either come back toward home a bit or increase altitude until the white bars return. From experience I have learned that if I push the amber colored bars a little, I lose RC connection and it initiates RTH

 

[A.O.]

Can you not set a mini to hover on loss of signal RTH? I flew my MA2 and now my FPV under the canopy and through the woods a lot and when I do I set my RTH to hover so it wont ascend up through the trees upon loss of signal.

 

[Squidinc]

Hello all. I’m a new pilot and have had my Mini 2 for about two weeks and absolutely love it. I do have a question. I’ve mostly flown in the area around my house and I’m surrounded by trees. I know my range is significantly diminished because of all the trees.

My question is this: when my range warning indicator (or whatever it’s called) goes to amber and shows two bars, how close am I to losing all radio contact? I realize the easy way to test this would be to just keep flying, let it lose contact and go into RTH mode, but because I’m surrounded by trees, I haven’t had the guts to try RTH, even though I have the altitude set pretty high.

Thanks, Scott

Hi,
Some great previous advice. You might also like to think about adding a range extender to your controller
I purchased 2 Yagi range extender antennas for my Mavic Air 2. A 2.4ghz gives me improved range in open areas, and a 5.8ghz for more built up areas. Important to remember to set the transmission to the matching ghz extender pre takeoff.

 

[hiflyer201]

I've never actually landed out of a RTH. My area is safe enough but a little tight and very gusty. I have learned that you should practice some self initiated RTH's connected and some with your phone disconnected. It's a little spooky knowing that if you mis-use the RTH button you could pause the RTH along with several other way's you could screw it up.
Sure liked your picture!

 

[Bodkin's Best Photography]

Can you not set a mini to hover on loss of signal RTH? I flew my MA2 and now my FPV under the canopy and through the woods a lot and when I do I set my RTH to hover so it wont ascend up through the trees upon loss of signal.

Yes that is possible, but they hide the option deep in the menu under "advanced safety settings". I'm sure many people don't even know that the hover option is there.

 

[A.O.]

Yes that is possible, but they hide the option deep in the menu under "advanced safety settings". I'm sure many people don't even know that the hover option is there.

If they are going to fly beneath the canopy they need to learn where it is. It was pretty easy on my MA2 and the FPV..

 

[PenGun]

Flying in my backyard and in some places I might lose signal, but I usually just move myself for the backyard and pick it up again. RTH works well in longer range conditions but again, I might move a bit if that seems possible.

 

[netfolks2000]

Thanks for the input all. I do need to get myself comfortable with the RTH feature. I have it set at 180’, so there really shouldn’t be any problems, even with all the trees in the area.
Here’s a shot of the area around my house. (The house is actually a ways back in the trees)View attachment 129151

You might not need to have it set that high. I mention this in case an RTH at that hight might encounter strong winds when on a low battery. Get next to the highest obstacle around, including power lines, and see what might be a lower return to home altitude.