M3 GPS

[zinko]

Hi

I have today test my new mavic 3 first time.

Charged battery,update firmware.

Bring m3 out and wait ower 20 minutes to lock on gps. Nothing more that 8-9 satelites. So i cant even test it today. I have dji drones for 6. years and the last has been mavic mini 2. With no one drone i hawe this problem, all drones has lock with max 2-3 minutes or less!

What is wrong with this drone?

 

[BSauce955]

Hi

I have today test my new mavic 3 first time.

Charged battery,update firmware.

Bring m3 out and wait ower 20 minutes to lock on gps. Nothing more that 8-9 satelites. So i cant even test it today. I have dji drones for 6. years and the last has been mavic mini 2. With no one drone i hawe this problem, all drones has lock with max 2-3 minutes or less!

What is wrong with this drone?

Do you have any other drones? I'd try taking them out and seeing if they were picking up GPS. If they are, then the problem is definitely the drone and not the location.

 

[zinko]

wow that was quick replay

I just sell all drones,so this is the only one i have.

 

[BSauce955]

wow that was quick replay

I just sell all drones,so this is the only one i have.

Would it be possible to try in a different location? And could you describe your area? Is it rural, urban, suburban? Lots of buildings, trees, etc. Those might be the issue but I'm sure someone will be able to pinpoint the issue more accurately than I.

 

[Saladshooter]

Bring m3 out and wait ower 20 minutes to lock on gps. Nothing more that 8-9 satelites. So i cant even test it today. I have dji drones for 6. years and the last has been mavic mini 2. With no one drone i hawe this problem, all drones has lock with max 2-3 minutes or less!

Give it another try.... It may be learning its position after update. Follow up flights should lock on much quicker if not then you can declare it a dud, but don't give up yet.

 

[Deleted member 103366]

If after several minutes sat on the ground it does not have enough satellites to set a home point I would be inclined to launch it and climb to 30 or so ft, don't fly it away from there and see if it acquires any more satellites. If it doesn't I would try another place, if that fails I would begin to consider returning it.
Ditto questions about the location, could the launch site be in GPS shadow?

 

[db4476]

Having 8-9 satellites should be enough, since only 3 satellites are required to fix a position. Does it set the home point? If it sets a home point then you are good to go IMO.

Cheers!

 

[zinko]

Hey

I am at open area. With other drones on this place i never have problem with gps.

I will try tomorow again.

No one of my drones has lock on gps with three gps satelites… need more satelites that three.

Mavic 3 looks need 9+ satelites to record gps position /home point.

 

[db4476]

If the GPS icon is white, then you have a strong satellite signal and should be good to go. If the home point is set you are good to fly.

Cheers!

 

[zinko]

I have try again

Now i have gps lock and home point recorded. Thats happened when i got 12 satelites. So 10-11 satelites i dont get home point recorded.

But… its amazing drone
I have think that will be much louder that mavic air 2 but its i think almost the same.

Tomorrow i test it well

Tnx

 

[fiddlepilot]

It's a known issue with M3. Don't fly with 12 sats because you can lose 3 in a blink.
Wait until you get 16+

 

[Meta4]

What is wrong with this drone?

The first time you startup will always take longer, but not usually 20 minutes.
You didnt mention whether the drone had a clear, unobstructed skyview or if there are buildings, trees or other obstacles blocking part of the sky.

 

[fiddlepilot]

The first time you startup will always take longer, but not usually 20 minutes.
You didnt mention whether the drone had a clear, unobstructed skyview or if there are buildings, trees or other obstacles blocking part of the sky.

It’s extremely clear there is something very wrong. Folks are bringing there other drones with no issue. Folks are flying there usual sites they never had issues before the firmware update. People have lost Sats while IN THE SKY.

 

[JoelP]

It’s extremely clear there is something very wrong. Folks are bringing there other drones with no issue. Folks are flying there usual sites they never had issues before the firmware update. People have lost Sats while IN THE SKY.

I also feel that something must be wrong. My old MA1 could almost always get 12-15 gps (US) lock, but MA3 now has GPS US (31), GNSS (24+) and Beidou (35) as well, so it seems there ought to be 90 available for a lock. What am I missing with my thinking that locks should be quicker, easier and in far more satellites?

 

[Meta4]

My old MA1 could almost always get 12-15 gps (US) lock,

The Mavic Air receives signals from 2 satellite systems, GPS + GLONASS.

but MA3 now has GPS US (31), GNSS (24+) and Beidou (35) as well, so it seems there ought to be 90 available for a lock. What am I missing with my thinking

For a start, your drone's GPS receiver cannot acquire signals from satellites that aren't visible in it's view of the sky.
It cannot see sats that are below your horizon or on the other side of the earth.
The total number of sats available for a user is going to be just a fraction of the 90 you are counting.

 

[JoelP]

The Mavic Air receives signals from 2 satellite systems, GPS + GLONASS.

For a start, your drone's GPS receiver cannot acquire signals from satellites that aren't visible in it's view of the sky.
It cannot see sats that are below your horizon or on the other side of the earth.
The total number of sats available for a user is going to be just a fraction of the 90 you are counting.

Yes, well understood that they are not all in view at any one time at any one place, but statistically it would seem that there ought to be ~3x available of what I saw with only gps (US). If I saw 10 before I would think I would see ~30 now. Or, are the orbits for GNSS and Beidou such that they never show up in the IS and conversely?

 

[zinko]

Hello

And today i test drone little more Its wery cold to fly

Gps lock after 5+ minutes 12.satelites and mind flying i get max 14 satelites.

One thing is i think not okey…why is this drone so responsive i just touch really litle stick, and drone got crazy..fast foward and down. I try several times and i hawe the same issue.
Realy fast foward and then down. I was wery scarry to fly it. Remote is on normal mode and in menu settings is also on normal %.

Then i turn off the obstacle avoidanc and the drone is flying normaly.

 

[RocketBrew]

Not all the satellites in each GNSS are in the active constellations, and as @Meta4 said, you will only be able to see a few of them at any given time. As well, many of the Chinese BeiDou satellites are part of the older regional constellations.

Here is a high-level primer of GNSS, based on my understanding.

GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), colloquially called GPS, is an umbrella term that encompasses a group of artificial satellites that send positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) data to GNSS receivers down here on earth from their high orbits.

GPS (Global Positioning System) is one component of GNSS owned and operated by the United States military. GPS maintains the availability of at least 24 operational GPS satellites and currently operates as a 27-slot constellation. Each satellite circles the earth twice a day. GPS satellites fly in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) at approximately 20,200 km (12,550 miles) altitude.

GPS and its Russian-owned counterpart GLONASS were the only available GNSS for a long time. GLONASS went through a long period of disrepair during the late 1990s. The fully operational constellation of 24 satellites located in an MEO orbit at 19,100 km (11,900 mi) altitude was restored In October 2011.

BeiDou-3 (BDS-3) is the third iteration of the Beidou Navigation Satellite System owned and operated by the People's Republic of China. In June 2020, the BDS-3 constellation deployment was completed, including three GEO satellites, three IGSO satellites, and twenty-four MEO satellites.

Galileo is the European Union's global GNSS that began offering Early Operational Capability (EOC) in 2016. There are 22 launched satellites in usable condition in the constellation. There will be 24 satellites plus spares in MEO orbit when Galileo is fully operational. The inclination of the orbits was chosen to ensure good coverage of polar latitudes, which has poor service from the US GPS.

A GNSS receiver needs signals from multiple transmitters to get an accurate timing or positional fix, and the most populated systems only include a few dozen satellites. In other words, the loss of a single signal may have a more significant impact in a constellation with fewer members to spare in the first place.
Multi-constellation multi-frequency GNSS receivers can access signals from several constellations, resulting in a larger number of satellites in the field of view, which reduces signal acquisition time and improves position and time accuracy.

I also feel that something must be wrong. My old MA1 could almost always get 12-15 gps (US) lock, but MA3 now has GPS US (31), GNSS (24+) and Beidou (35) as well, so it seems there ought to be 90 available for a lock. What am I missing with my thinking that locks should be quicker, easier and in far more satellites?

 

[JoelP]

Thanks RocketBrew for the high level but comprehensive reply.

Did the old MA1 see GNSS? BeiDou? I often would see more than 13, but I’m not sure which ones.

The message I gleaned from your reply is that one cannot simply count the number of active satellites in position to view to assess the ability to lock on. Without having a multi-constellation capability we will lock on far fewer satellites than the total in view. Is the capability to see more satellites improved with MA3 at all?

 

[db4476]

The Mavic Air used GPS + GLONASS per the Spec sheet. The Link: Mavic Air Specs

While the Mavic 3 uses GPS + Galileo + BeiDou per the Spec sheet. The Link: Mavic 3 Specs

Cheers!