Loss of Mavic2 Pro: signal disconnect

[paulatkin73]

it is odd and logs are needed - i can only say - if safety was set correctly - upon the loss of the radio link drone was supposed to begin the RTH - revert the path back - it happened to me couple of times and both times all worked fine, at appx 3 miles distance, with SC, over forest. SC range is not an issue.

 

[Buzzman]

PLEASE post the logs.

• You may get help from DJI if it was their fault, but if not:
• Are you buying another bird? You need to know what happened so you don't repeat it.
• We all benefit from the accumulated knowledge as well.
• YOU ALSO benefit from the reports from other people, to learn what to avoid, so please contribute.

You can also eliminate possibilities, such as radar towers (the logs will probably help determine if they were or were not a contributing factor).

We can only guess without the logs. The AC just going 'poof' from the controller sounds like a possible battery fault / disconnect, but I can only guess from your description.

Chris

PS: just to be sure: the appropriate antenna orientation is flat side toward the aircraft, not the tip, not the flat side toward the ground.

Hi Not a Speck of Cereal
Thanks for your comments. Yes, I believe the flat side of the antennae were toward aircraft. That is what I usually do. I already posted my last flight log during the disconnect, but perhaps that was another thread. Meta4 responded and sent me a link to the flight data. I flew out 730 feet, still VLOS,
turned around and was flying back when the data just stopped. A signal disconnect. Terrain was falling away, the drone was in straight and level flight and stable with plenty of battery. No bird attack, no telephone wires. Meta4 thought it was unlikely a problem from the microwave tower that was 0.8 mile away and I was flying away from it 180 degrees. I don't think that was an issue. Haven't tried yet to contact DJI. My Mavic2 Pro is 15 mos old so out of warranty. Also, as far as I know my internal settings were such that the Mavic should have flown home if it disconnected. That was always one failsafe I was excited about and it didn't seem to work in my case. Yes, I will be buying a new Mavic2 Pro soon and then a Mavic3 whenever it is released, likely early next year?

I am going to re-attach my flight log in case you or someone else wants to take a look at it. I haven't
gone into any of the free or paid flight data readers myself, except briefly on the URL link that Meta4
sent. Please let me know if you go into the log and see anything strange. I made a pdf file out of the
.csv file.
Best,
Steve
Tucson, AZ

 

[Not A Speck Of Cereal]

Sorry, I missed that you had previously posted the logs.

Edit: "Also, as far as I know my internal settings were such that the Mavic should have flown home if it disconnected. That was always one failsafe I was excited about and it didn't seem to work in my case."

That's exactly what makes me suspect the battery (or some power failure), the lack of failsafe kicking in and saving the day. It works, I've seen it, but only when there's power for it.

I'm not one of the log mavens -- hopefully others can zero in on it for you.

 

[Buzzman]

Sorry, I missed that you had previously posted the logs.

Edit: "Also, as far as I know my internal settings were such that the Mavic should have flown home if it disconnected. That was always one failsafe I was excited about and it didn't seem to work in my case."

That's exactly what makes me suspect the battery (or some power failure), the lack of failsafe kicking in and saving the day. It works, I've seen it, but only when there's power for it.

I'm not one of the log mavens -- hopefully others can zero in on it for you.

Thanks.
I think that Mat4 reported, from the flight log, that all 4 (?) cells in the on-board lithium battery
were fine. Believe that battery was only 6 months old. So, it's puzzling for sure.

 

[Not A Speck Of Cereal]

Thanks.
I think that Mat4 reported, from the flight log, that all 4 (?) cells in the on-board lithium battery
were fine. Believe that battery was only 6 months old. So, it's puzzling for sure.

With a battery that's not snapped in properly (whether that's from swelling or just not properly installed and double-checked), the cells can read fine all through the log. Such an improperly installed battery can become disconnected at any time.

But I haven't seen the logs and Meta4 has, so he probably would have noticed if the logs just cut off in a way that indicates battery disconnect.

Chris

 

[Buzzman]

With a battery that's not snapped in properly (whether that's from swelling or just not properly installed and double-checked), the cells can read fine all through the log. Such an improperly installed battery can become disconnected at any time.

But I haven't seen the logs and Meta4 has, so he probably would have noticed if the logs just cut off in a way that indicates battery disconnect.

Chris

Thanks, Chris.
I think the battery was properly seated, but who knows. They have always snapped into place
quite securely for me.
Where it landed was a fairly treacherous badlands area that I'm not willing, right now,
to tackle. Likely not going to retrieve it anytime soon.

 

[manowar_gub]

My buddy from Canada with m2p and SC flew to shoot whales, but suddenly signal lost happens and he loose drone. DJI judged him 60% discount for new m2p...

Sometimes my m2p with stock controller meet unexpected behavior, so this day is good chance to try a new brand drone.

 

[Buzzman]

My buddy from Canada with m2p and SC flew to shoot whales, but suddenly signal lost happens and he loose drone. DJI judged him 60% discount for new m2p...

Sometimes my m2p with stock controller meet unexpected behavior, so this day is good chance to try a new brand drone.

Hello,
Thanks for your comments. This is encouraging. I wonder if your Canadian friend's M2P drone was
newer than mine? Think mine was purchased in April 2019, so about 14 months old and off warranty.
It is good that DJI discounted him on a new drone. I will find out who to contact at DJI in their USA
offices and submit my flight report, see what they have to say.
Best,
Steve

 

[manowar_gub]

He got his drone closer to the end of 2018, lost it in may 2019
Just rereaded the chat, he send logs to DJI, weather forecast, as a result discount amount was increased from 30% to 60%

Regards,
Eugene

 

[Buzzman]

He got his drone closer to the end of 2018, lost it in may 2019
Just rereaded the chat, he send logs to DJI, weather forecast, as a result discount amount was increased from 30% to 60%

Regards,
Eugene

Eugene,
Thanks for the info about your Canadian friend and his lost drone. Older than mine.
I will definitely contact DJI when I figure out who to contact, and send them my
final flight log. See what happens. Perhaps I could also get a 30 to 60% discount.
That would ease the trauma of losing the drone.
Best,
Steve