Mavic Air 2 Controller

[maxpower]

I think the no pause button might be my bigger issue than the size.

According to the leaked manual posted on Drone DJ DJI Mavic Air 2 manual leaks, 43mph, 48MP images, more - DroneDJ the pause button is combined with the RTH button.
I'm guessing a quick press is pause, and press and hold is RTH.
That’s how the Mavic Mini controller works, so maybe that’s DJIs way of saving on hardware.

 

[Moon4Drone]

Can you use the Crystal Sky monitor with the Mavic Air 2 controller? And if so, is there an adapter to mount the Crystal Sky?

 

[swooshdave]

Thanks for the reply. This will be my first drone. If the drone does loose contact does it return to home automatically? I seem to remember seeing that somewhere. So I assume the drone would come to a stop if it looses control signal and head up vertically a couple hundred feet and return to home? I have seen guys at the field flying race drones down in the creek beds below visibility without problem so kinda wondering about that. I don't think those drones have GPS though. If the MA2 returns to home that would be acceptable.

I believe I t’s configurable to either return to home or land where it is when it loses signal.

Radio waves aren’t like a laser in that it’s a literal line of sight. Putting a mountain between you and the drone would be “not good”. Getting behind a tree doesn’t have a effect but getting behind a forest would.

Does that make sense?

 

[Paleomanjim]

I believe I t’s configurable to either return to home or land where it is when it loses signal.

Radio waves aren’t like a laser in that it’s a literal line of sight. Putting a mountain between you and the drone would be “not good”. Getting behind a tree doesn’t have a effect but getting behind a forest would.

Does that make sense?

Yes, that makes sense, thanks for the reply. I prefer the first option where it returns home rather than where it is. I live near some awesome mountains that rise up out of the desert and plan to get some nice shots going up/down the canyons as low as possible. I know higher is safer, but that is not my style of flying. Of course if it goes down high up the mountain guess I'll be doing the long march up the mountain to retrieve it.

 

[z28lt1]

Can you use the Crystal Sky monitor with the Mavic Air 2 controller? And if so, is there an adapter to mount the Crystal Sky?

Crystal Sky is not compatible with Mavic Air 2.

 

[crash3x]

Does anyone know of any reputable/safe sites to get a deal on a New Smart Controller? It seems $750 is the going rate, I used to see them for $650 but never pulled the trigger :-/ Looking for brand new only..
Any hook up would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I tried AliExpress/Alibaba, China's version of Amazon but after trying my credit card 3x's and verifying I was buying international, it still would not let my purchase to go through, probably for the best but total cost plus shipping was $660, would of been a great deal but I guess it wasn't meant to be!

 

[Mousehunter]

Different bands of radio wave propagate differently. 2.4Ghz is within the UHF band. It can penetrate buildings and trees, but not mountains. It can get some multi path reflections - that said it is basically limited to the horizon as it does not reflect off of the ionosphere. There are certain atmospheric conditions that can duct it, but those really don’t apply to drones.

 

[Samm]

You are one cautious flyer then Ok, now that I have got that out of the way, the Pause button is the quickest way to stop the AC dead on its tracks. It gives you that one quick option to stop the AC immediately and buys you time to consider what to do next. It is true you don't need it 99% of the time, but that one time you need it, it can save you. I consider it a safety feature and a vital one at that. I am puzzled by DJI's decision to remove it.

The pause button is now a short push of the Return To Home button.

 

[Skying]

When I first saw the remote controller, I felt the same way. It's 'huge' and has nothing to do with the whole 'Air' thing. But when I held it and controlled the Mavic Air 2, I changed my mind. I like the way it allows you to attach your phone on the top, I can get a better view easily. And it's easier to mount my phone, I don't need to remove my case. also, I am using the iPhone X, and I don't have any problem wiping down from the top or bottom of my phone screen. These are what I think are way much better than the previous Mavic controllers.

The downsides are no LCD screen, and the clamp only supports small tablets. I can't even attach my iPad mini 4. If you want to fly with a tablet, you will need a tablet adapter and a long cable.

 

[gottahavit]

I'm really loving the feel, the weight, and the phone positioning of this controller. Also the battery life is fantastic and the new cable setup is SOO much easier than the stupid deign on the MA1 controller.

 

[mavicn00b]

When I first saw the MA2 controller I thought it was horrible due to previous experience with the Evo controller being so top-heavy. Now that I have one its not as bad as I thought but still prefer the classic MP style controller as its the perfect layout of antenna + RC up top and phone down bottom giving a nice ergonomic feel/balance in the hand. This one I feel is still a little top heavy (iPhone XS Max) and the antenna positioning will be awkward due to its fixed directional design especially when operating at range and in the hot sun. On the plus side, its full USB-C now and the phone is a little easier to mount than before.

Fortunately I have the (overpriced) Smart Controller so will use that once FW update is released. I wonder if DJI will allow us to fly dual operator on the MA2 as we can with the MP/MPP/M2 ? Least that way we can put the stock RC to some use.