How many satellites are there to hook up with?

[Thomas Argo]

Bwine f7gb2 back with a question. I am in Pennsylvania Hanover twp zip 18706.
My app lists sat connections. I noticed numbers from 8 to in the 20's. The numbers change quickly.
Are things better at 20 than 10? Is there a max? I did not even know what the small number was an hour ago.

 

[Meta4]

Bwine f7gb2 back with a question. I am in Pennsylvania Hanover twp zip 18706.
My app lists sat connections. I noticed numbers from 8 to in the 20's. The numbers change quickly.
Are things better at 20 than 10? Is there a max? I did not even know what the small number was an hour ago.

If you have a recent DJI drone, it will acquire signals from three different satellite systems: either GPS+GLONASS+GALILEO or GPS + Galileo + BeiDou, depending on which model you have.
The total number of sats for these two combinations are approximately 80 and 100.
But the number visible in your sky will be substantially less.
If your drone is out in the open with a clear, unobstructed skyview it should be able to receive 20-30 sats at any time.

 

[Thomas Argo]

If you have a recent DJI drone, it will acquire signals from three different satellite systems: either GPS+GLONASS+GALILEO or GPS + Galileo + BeiDou, depending on which model you have.
The total number of sats for these two combinations are approximately 80 and 100.
But the number visible in your sky will be substantially less.
If your drone is out in the open with a clear, unobstructed skyview it should be able to receive 20-30 sats at any time.

Thanks. Is 30 better than 10? New flyer, first drone ever with about 20 flights, all practice.
I did grab some decent cloudy sunsets. No dgi though. It is a Bwine.

 

[MS Coast]

Don't look only at the number of satellites. The drone hasn't acquired a good GPS fix until the satellite icon turns white. I've seen 20 satellites linked with the icon still showing yellow.

The position of the satellites relative to your location changes over time. They're less useful if they're close to one another or too low on the horizon. Sometimes 8 or 10 satellites is enough for a good fix. But at other times more are required.

EDIT: Relevant to DJI drones, but probably not the OP's drones.

 

[Meta4]

Thanks. Is 30 better than 10?

I think your drone uses satellites from GPS and Glonass constellations.
That means approx 54 sats available, but you can't see the sats on the other side of the earth.
With a good skyview, you should be looking at around 15-20 sats visible at any time.

With just 10 sats, you might not have full GPS reception (depending on the spread of sats).
Read your manual to find out how to tell when the drone has full GPS reception as the number will vary.

 

[Thomas Argo]

I think your drone uses satellites from GPS and Glonass constellations.
That means approx 54 sats available, but you can't see the sats on the other side of the earth.
With a good skyview, you should be looking at around 15-20 sats visible at any time.

With just 10 sats, you might not have full GPS reception (depending on the spread of sats).
Read your manual to find out how to tell when the drone has full GPS reception as the number will vary.

The manual does not state a number but I recall 7. Maybe 7 was in the small book.
It has a 6 bar graph and it does say I need at least 3 bars. So far it always has been at 6.
It has voice responses and says when connections are good, when the battery is low, max height reached...stuff like that. It is a bit hard to hear. It sounds like my Alexa stuff.

 

[Meta4]

The manual does not state a number but I recall 7. Maybe 7 was in the small book.
It has a 6 bar graph and it does say I need at least 3 bars. So far it always has been at 6.

It sounds like you don't get a direct readout of the number of sats.
That's part of the information that DJI gives in their app.

 

[Thomas Argo]

It sounds like you don't get a direct readout of the number of sats.
That's part of the information that DJI gives in their app.

It does. "The numbers change quickly" in my op was part of my question.
The bar graph next to it stays at 6 of 6 bars so I wondered how many sats were needed.

 

[MavicAir2Marc]

The bar graph is your radio reception transmission strength. It has nothing to do with your satellite count or strength.

 

[BigAl07]

It does. "The numbers change quickly" in my op was part of my question.
The bar graph next to it stays at 6 of 6 bars so I wondered how many sats were needed.

Thomas WELCOME to the forum!!

I would highly suggest you take some time and do a DEEP DIVE into the icons on your screen and what they mean and WHY they are there. As noted above, you're confusing radio signal strength with Satellite signal and one does not correlate with the other. That's like looking at your speedometer in your car to get tire pressure.....

 

[Thomas Argo]

Thomas WELCOME to the forum!!

I would highly suggest you take some time and do a DEEP DIVE into the icons on your screen and what they mean and WHY they are there. As noted above, you're confusing radio signal strength with Satellite signal and one does not correlate with the other. That's like looking at your speedometer in your car to get tire pressure.....

I have both plus the amount of sats.

 

[BigAl07]

I have both plus the amount of sats.
View attachment 171378View attachment 171379

I stand corrected

 

[MavicAir2Marc]

I stand corrected

I just noticed he is not using a DJI drone. That's why his display is different.

 

[BigAl07]

@Thomas Argo you do realize this is a very "specific" forum that's DJI-centric. While your UAS may look (and even possibly operate) similar to a DJI Mavic, it's not wise to try and apply anything you see/read here to your system.

 

[PanoVolo]

I would not recommend taking off until you have at least 15 satellites locked. That's my go to number anyway,, YMMV.

 

[Thomas Argo]

I just noticed he is not using a DJI drone. That's why his display is different.

Correct. Not DJI. I had never heard of DJI until I stepped in here.
I am wanting to learn the basics and this forum appears to have the most knowledgeable flyers. I have not asked anything specific to my Bwine.

 

[Meta4]

I would not recommend taking off until you have at least 15 satellites locked. That's my go to number anyway,, YMMV.

There is no single number that makes for a go/no go decision.
Just wait until the flight controller lets you know that it has full GPS reception and has recorded a home point.
That might sometimes happen with 15 or less sats, but it might take 20+.
When your satellite icon changes from red - yellow - white, then you have full GPS reception and the home point is recorded.

 

[BigAl07]

Correct. Not DJI. I had never heard of DJI until I stepped in here.
I am wanting to learn the basics and this forum appears to have the most knowledgeable flyers. I have not asked anything specific to my Bwine.

By posting on this forum it leads us to believe your ARE indeed asking for DJI specific questions and the answers given are going to be almost totally DJI specific. What your "Bwinef7gb2" requires for a "Full GPS Reception" may be totally different than a DJI. Keep in mind, that DJI can be utilizing many different sets of Sats . . .

There is no single number that makes for a go/no go decision.
Just wait until the flight controller lets you know that it has full GPS reception and has recorded a home point.
That might sometimes happen with 15 or less sats, but it might take 20+.
When your satellite icon changes from red - yellow - white, then you have full GPS reception and the home point is recorded.

@Meta4 Keep in mind that the OP is flying a "Bwinef7gb2" and not a DJI system.

 

[Meta4]

@Meta4 Keep in mind that the OP is flying a "Bwinef7gb2" and not a DJI system.

I've been aware of that since post #5 and addressed the OP accordingly.
My post #17 was in response to post #15 from a DJI user talking about his DJI drone.

 

[Thomas Argo]

How I started

"Not a mavic pilot but a new Bwinef7 flyer interested. Can I jump in?
---

Athough you are not flying a DJI Drone, many of our members are also flying non-DJI drones and you might find some with your drone here. I hope we fill your expectations and don't be afraid to contribute the discourse…

I appreciate the welcome. I have my FAA small cert of registration.
The F7 is 550 g.
Totally new at flying with only 2 batteries of time in the air. Excited to see the possibilities. Nervous has a new meaning. It has no avoidance but I feel it was a good place to start. I was a pro wedding photographer until I fell off a 90 ft cliff. This gets me back in the game from ground level for my internal titanium parts lol."

I will continue to only lurk as to not confuse the group. My bad.