Mavic 4 Pro Fly More Combo In Stock at B&H?

[GadgetGuy]

DJI knows people travel to the USA often and bring there drones, plus they know S. Korea bulk buyers are selling them to the USA on eBay. If I was DJI for sure I would make RID work in the USA.

It's not DJI's responsibility to make sure drones specifically made for foreign countries like S. Korea are USA compliant, especially when DJI has chosen not to sell the drone in the U.S..

Besides, a $30 external RID module mounted on top would make it fully compliant for S. Korean tourists wanting to legally use the drone in the U.S., if it does not have RID broadcast built in.

I'm really hoping the KR versions do not have RID broadcasting capability.

 

[PINEBARON]

What is the concern about the takeoff location or pilot's location being transmitted? In the months prior to the implementation of RID requirements, there were concerns expressed by some that criminals would use RID to track down drone pilots and steal their gear or attack them. It seemed like another imagined threat to me and still does. I've still not heard of a single instance of that happening. Anyone?

It's highly unlikely that a person operating a drone without RID would be detected or confronted by the authorities. But if there was a serious accident and the pilot was operating without RID when it was required, the consequences might be significant.

100% agree. Additionally, being an RC plane pilot, although we dont need an RFID module when flying at our FRIA approved RC club, we are required to use an extertal RFID module when flying at a Non-FRIA site, say from my 400' runway at home or another location. Being a member of the AMA (American Model Association) which provides 2m liability insurance coverage, it would likely question about an RFID if I had an accident with someone or their property and there was a claim.

Far as criminals tracking me down, good luck to them! In any case I fly in USA and Canada, have permission and certifications for both, I like to do things within the law than be scared of being caught doing something illegal.

 

[mavic3usa]

There must be a reason our three YT gurus cautioned that the KR versions do not broadcast RID, nor have FCC capability, corroborated by an international DJI rep on the phone, and now supported by this seller's disclaimer, and that of at least one of the Korean eBay sellers from whom I purchased.

I think there is a difference between selling your drone on eBay and listing in the description that it has no RID/FCC as opposed to listing your drone and then letting everyone know you don't have these "issues" with the drone you are selling.

Based on the listing's revision history, it seems like changes were made to the description a couple of times. While we don't know exactly what has changed, it is curious the August 27 date seems to closed to the beginnings of the August 23 RID discussion. If you get enough questions about your listing, you would add that statement to your drone if you didn't get it from Korea since US sellers have to get units from somewhere overseas. To me it's more of a "I don't have units from Korea" statement than verifying there is a real issue abound.

 

[Dogpilot]

I shall find out what mine does in a few days. One must think logically about it. I use various Handi-Talkies overseas. They usually come for a target market. In the old days, like 20 years ago, they did the programming variations by adding resistors across selected pads. This would make them market compliant. We would simply remove them and make the universal, criminals we were. Subsequently, the market specific features are now software. For example, if you go to Japan, your drone will detect it and change its features accordingly. Same for Japanese going to Korea and vice a versa. My drones change when I go abroad. Kind of why there are FCC hacks. It is not a guy with a soldering gun anymore, just trick the software to believe it is in another location where the feature you want is activated. You also have to think about the expense of making small runs of hardware just for specific markets. Makes you wonder why the box is printed in English. DJI is pretty **** about RID, even back with the Goggles, you suddenly had to plug them into your phone to give it position so it could be RID compliant for controller position. Besides, B&H Adorama ABE and all the folks on 47th street in NY have been the champions of Grey Market for decades in photo gear. Where do you think they are sourcing their stuff? They always went to the lowest price wholesale country and then brought it to the USA. The likes of Nikon and Canon have been at war with them for, gosh my entire adult life. Grudgingly accepting them due to the volume they move. Tarif and specific market pricing kind of like why I could buy a camera in the PX while in the military for about half the price when overseas.

 

[YorksPhotos]

Can you clarify "RID type is dependent upon location?"

The KR/South Korean units have no need for RID broadcasting, as Korea has no RID requirement, and the boxes are specifically labeled as KR units on the serial number sticker.

Is there any possibility that DJI removed the RID modules from the KR labelled units?

If so, that would mean the KR/S. Korean units cannot broadcast RID, no matter what FW updates are installed, even when they are then flown in the U.S., because these KR labeled units are only intended for use in S. Korea.

Or, is it your belief that the necessary RID module is still present, even in the S. Korean units, and will broadcast compliant RID in the U.S., once activated here, as it is only requires a FW update to activate the RID transmission?

It has already been well discussed and proven that the KR units transmit the RID when in US. The only known difference in a KR unit is the AC cords that are shipped.

 

[mavic3usa]

I shall find out what mine does in a few days. One must think logically about it. I use various Handi-Talkies overseas. They usually come for a target market. In the old days, like 20 years ago, they did the programming variations by adding resistors across selected pads. This would make them market compliant. We would simply remove them and make the universal, criminals we were. Subsequently, the market specific features are now software. For example, if you go to Japan, your drone will detect it and change its features accordingly. Same for Japanese going to Korea and vice a versa. My drones change when I go abroad. Kind of why there are FCC hacks. It is not a guy with a soldering gun anymore, just trick the software to believe it is in another location where the feature you want is activated. You also have to think about the expense of making small runs of hardware just for specific markets. Makes you wonder why the box is printed in English. DJI is pretty **** about RID, even back with the Goggles, you suddenly had to plug them into your phone to give it position so it could be RID compliant for controller position. Besides, B&H Adorama ABE and all the folks on 47th street in NY have been the champions of Grey Market for decades in photo gear. Where do you think they are sourcing their stuff? They always went to the lowest price wholesale country and then brought it to the USA. The likes of Nikon and Canon have been at war with them for, gosh my entire adult life. Grudgingly accepting them due to the volume they move. Tarif and specific market pricing kind of like why I could buy a camera in the PX while in the military for about half the price when overseas.

We agree with all that but the case we are working on is totally different only for the Mavic 4 Pro. All other DJI functions exactly as you mentioned. For whatever reason, the assertion is that DJI majorly deviated from all that (for reasons unknown) and created a unique Korean sky destined ONLY for the Korea market and as a result, some (not all) features were inconsistent with all other DJI Mavic 4 Pro drones on the market. If this is true, unless you live and fly in Korea, you DON'T want one of those unless you DO.

However, so far we have "results" that indicate otherwise up against verbal and written claims but no proof so while the jury is still out, I think it is pretty convincing that those Korean units have RID and FCC available as you mentioned. Until someone comes out with "why" they are claiming what they say, not much else to go on. Honestly, I think there is a good reason for a Korean-only sku (the plug) but there may be an attempt to "sabotage" the success of the Korean business and the massive flow of Korean drones into the US at a low price. I'm not saying this is true but if I were a Japanese seller, I'd float it (i.e. Korean drones are illegal in the US; they have no RID and they have no FCC cert). It almost caught on.

 

[Dogpilot]

It is not like there is a separate module in the unit. Look at some of the tear downs, there is one board in your controller. One motherboard one ESC one GPS and one compass/IMU board in the drone. There is no module transmitting RID, it is software. It gets position from the GPS and takes that and other parameters and uses the integrated WiFi and bluetooth to transmit the RID data. It isn't just hardware. Also, just for education, watch "How it's Made" for some of how electronics are assembled. The board goes to an automated component insertion machine. That takes a fair bit of programming to set up, aside from all the feed features of the components themselves. Kind of why software dominates the changes now.

 

[mavic3usa]

It is not like there is a separate module in the unit. Look at some of the tear downs, there is one board in your controller. One motherboard one ESC one GPS and one compass/IMU board in the drone. There is no module transmitting RID, it is software. It gets position from the GPS and takes that and other parameters and uses the integrated WiFi and bluetooth to transmit the RID data. It isn't just hardware. Also, just for education, watch "How it's Made" for some of how electronics are assembled. The board goes to an automated component insertion machine. That takes a fair bit of programming to set up, aside from all the feed features of the components themselves. Kind of why software dominates the changes now.

I think about the Mavic 2 series and how they added "standard" RID there, just wish DJI didn't break the cycle with the Mavic 4 Pro and leave it open to causing everyone to think they did something different. Have you seen a teardown of a Korea M4P?

 

[Dogpilot]

No, must admit I have not. So you know for a fact that B&H and Adorama are not sourcing theirs from Korea? There are no US spec ones out so far. There seems to be no mention on where they are mysteriously occasionally getting theirs. My wife, who just happens to be Japanese says they burned their bridges with distributors selling out the back door decades ago with most products in Japan. She was a CFO and knows lots of folks. I have actually torn down a Mini 3, Mini 3 Pro, Mini 4 Pro, Mavic 3, 3 Classic and a 3E. Did not find any variation in the board configurations or where you would plug in any extra modules. I played with modifications on the units for my survey work. The only mother boards I found with extra sockets were the Enterprise ones and the Mavic 2's, since they used the same board on the Enterprise units, just had a different firmware flashed into them. The sockets were for the ADS-B receivers and the USB interface for the RTK.

 

[mavic3usa]

No, must admit I have not. So you know for a fact that B&H and Adorama are not sourcing theirs from Korea? There are no US spec ones out so far. There seems to be no mention on where they are mysteriously occasionally getting theirs. My wife, who just happens to be Japanese says they burned their bridges with distributors selling out the back door decades ago with most products in Japan. She was a CFO and knows lots of folks. I have actually torn down a Mini 3, Mini 3 Pro, Mini 4 Pro, Mavic 3, 3 Classic and a 3E. Did not find any variation in the board configurations or where you would plug in any extra modules. I played with modifications on the units for my survey work. The only mother boards I found with extra sockets were the Enterprise ones and the Mavic 2's, since they used the same board on the Enterprise units, just had a different firmware flashed into them. The sockets were for the ADS-B receivers and the USB interface for the RTK.

I have no idea about B&H and Adorama but I think I remember reading here that their units are non-Korean unit. Seems to me there are two skus: The Korean sku and the non-Korean sku. This the prior thread(s) that comes to mind:

Entry fees charged by U.S. customs Korea Mavic 4 Pro?

How To Determine RID / FCC Mode Compliance

 

[UAVquadman]

It is not like there is a separate module in the unit. Look at some of the tear downs, there is one board in your controller. One motherboard one ESC one GPS and one compass/IMU board in the drone. There is no module transmitting RID, it is software. It gets position from the GPS and takes that and other parameters and uses the integrated WiFi and bluetooth to transmit the RID data. It isn't just hardware. Also, just for education, watch "How it's Made" for some of how electronics are assembled. The board goes to an automated component insertion machine. That takes a fair bit of programming to set up, aside from all the feed features of the components themselves. Kind of why software dominates the changes now.

who cares what people say. Why waste time trying to figure something out when a test is all it takes. Test = RID every time so do the math.

 

[mavic3usa]

who cares what people say. Why waste time trying to figure something out when a test is all it takes. Test = RID every time so do the math.

That’s not the biggie for me. Its FCC you can understand why someone in the US would want to know for sure they have FCC right?