Mavic Air Range

[tcope]

 

[WilliamG]

Great video. So, middle of nowhere as he says, and struggled to hit 1.2 miles, or half of what DJI says.

Ugh.

I really wanted an excuse to buy one.

 

[giroyac]

Unreal.. been contemplating to buy, but buying one right now.. i had the mavic pro and i sold it.
I honestly don't know why anyone would fly that far anyways, heck even 1 km or less is plenty enough to take shots.

I always planned and knew exactly what i was going to shoot before taking off.. doubt many people just take off and go kms away to find something to shoot (keeping battery in mind).. this video just sealed the deal for me, i was scared that range will be a real problem at 300-500 m but clearly (even in congested areas) 500m is not going to be a problem.

I'm just wondering since wifi showed 5.8 (guessing it's auto) wouldn't 2.4 technically have even longer range? How come it didn't switch to 2.4 automatically??

 

[WilliamG]

Unreal.. been contemplating to buy, but buying one right now.. i had the mavic pro and i sold it.
I honestly don't know why anyone would fly that far anyways, heck even 1 km or less is plenty enough to take shots.

I always planned and knew exactly what i was going to shoot before taking off.. doubt many people just take off and go kms away to find something to shoot.. this video just sealed the deal for me, i was scared that range will be a real problem at 300-500 m but clearly (even in congested areas) 500m is not going to be a problem.

I'm just wondering since wifi showed 5.8 (guessing it's auto) wouldn't 2.4 technically have even longer range? How come it didn't switch to 2.4 automatically??

Can’t answer your last question.

Remember, it’s not about needing to travel 4 miles. It’s about having good signal while you travel one mile in a congested area. I’m just much more confident about the Mavic Pro’s ability, and the videos are just proving it.

Nobody whose primary concern is range and stability of signal should be interested in the Air, in my opinion. For the money this drone cost, it really should have had included OcuSync, or been priced $100 more and had it.

I mean, for all those on the fence/not interested now in the Air, would you have paid $100 more for OcuSync? Personally, I’d have bought TWO.

 

[giroyac]

Can’t answer your last question.

Remember, it’s not about needing to travel 4 miles. It’s about having good signal while you travel one mile in a congested area. I’m just much more confident about the Mavic Pro’s ability, and the videos are just proving it.

Nobody whose primary concern is range and stability of signal should be interested in the Air, in my opinion. For the money this drone cost, it really should have had included OcuSync, or been priced $100 more and had it.

I mean, for all those on the fence/not interested now in the Air, would you have paid $100 more for OcuSync? Personally, I’d have bought TWO.

I agree with your statement I would've 100% paid $100 more for ocusync, but then again every one of us i guess will have a different view/needs on how she or he will be using their drone.

I had the mavic since day one, i bought it as SOON as it became available, i traveled with it, used it MILLIONS of times but i never once remember where i flew it past 1 km to take pictures or videos... After the coolness wore off when i first got it i remember wishing the drone was smaller (again based on the way i myself use it).

I was so close in buying the spark during the holidays while keeping my mavic, but then after extensive research i found the range was an issue (for my needs)

Then i hear about the air announcement.. I sold my mavic right away, thinking I'll either grab the air or worst case scenario ill be drone less until mp2 comes out and ill just buy that instead.

But after reading reviews and seeing couple of range videos for the air, i think it fits my needs PERFECTLY (i personally wont need more than 500m in cities/congested areas) .. it might not work for some i understand, but trust me there are many people that the air will EXCEED their needs and desires

 

[4wd]

Great video. So, middle of nowhere as he says, and struggled to hit 1.2 miles, or half of what DJI says.

Ugh.

I really wanted an excuse to buy one.

Also that's FCC version with higher power than CE.
CE version will manage about half that under similar ideal conditions.
They will have clamped down on any way to over-ride the setting.
On Phantom 2 you just turned a screw on the back of the controller 90 degrees

 

[amanakoinum]

Also that's FCC version with higher power than CE.
CE version will manage about half that under similar ideal conditions.
They will have clamped down on any way to over-ride the setting.
On Phantom 2 you just turned a screw on the back of the controller 90 degrees

On the Mavic Air, the FCC Mod will probably be just as easy as with the Spark for people in CE countries.

Just hit "cancel" when asked to change Wifi Settings.

Mavic Air will probably be unusable in CE settings.
From DJI website DJI - The World Leader in Camera Drones/Quadcopters for Aerial Photography:
2.400 - 2.4835 GHz:
FCC：≤26 dBm
CE: ≤18 dBm
SRRC: ≤18 dBm
MIC:≤18 dBm

In FCC: 26dBm = 10^(26/10) = 398mW
In CE: 18dBm = 10^(18/10) = 63mW

5.725 - 5.850 GHz:
FCC: ≤30 dBm
CE: ≤14 dBm
SRRC: ≤26 dBm

In FCC: 30dBm = 10^(30/10) = 1000mW
In CE: 14dBm = 10^(14/10) = 25mW

In comparison SPARK Spark – Specs, FAQ, Tutorials and Downloads:
2.4 GHz
FCC: 25 dBm; CE: 18 dBm; SRRC: 18 dBm; MIC:18 dBm
5.8 GHz
FCC: 27 dBm; CE: 14 dBm; SRRC: 27 dBm; MIC: -

2.4GHz in FCC: 25dBm = 10^(25/10) = 316mW
2.4GHz in CE: 18dBm = 10^(18/10) = 63mW
5.8GHz in FCC: 27dBm = 10^(27/10) = 500mW
5.8GHz in CE: 14dBm = 10^(14/10) = 25mW

More graphic, FCC ONLY!

Mavic Air in CE will be the same rubbish as the Spark as it has the same transmission powers as the Spark in CE.
Most people don't understand logarithmic scales, therefore DJI give these numbers in dBm, where 18dBm doesn't sound far worse than 25dBm, but in reality it is 5 times less transmission power, and 14dBm compared to 30dBm is even worse as it is 40-times less tx power, lol.

Mavic Air has more transmission power in FCC than the Spark, therefore slightly better range, but in CE, it is exactly the same: 18dBm = 63mW in 2.4GHz and 14dBm = 25mW in 5.8GHz.

 

[stpatrick]

Definitely agree about tradeoffs. The reason I'm sensitive about range and WiFi is my current hubsan drone (toy grade I know) had been out to 900m (3000+ft) with no LOS or video loss, yet some days(locations) it won't go beyond 120m(350ft). I can only assume it depends on local WiFi congestion and interference. Hopefully the software in the Mavic air is more clever than that in how it uses the WiFi band. I still love the idea of the uber portability of the air.

 

[Norman]

@amanakoinum
That would suck pretty badly....
I flew with a friends Spark and it couldn't even go 300 meters without losing video transmission here in NL.
I have ordered the Mavic Air and definitly hope to get better results .....

 

[Splats]

I have a UK spark on CE and use those little £10 range extenders that clip over your antenna. I've had 700m reliably in a city environment and 1,100m in a countryside/open setting. I'd be hoping for 1,000m city and 1800m open with the Air using the same boosters.

 

[amanakoinum]

@amanakoinum
That would suck pretty badly....
I flew with a friends Spark and it couldn't even go 300 meters without losing video transmission here in NL.
I have ordered the Mavic Air and definitly hope to get better results .....

Mavic Air has the same TX power as the Spark in CE, so I don't expect it to be much better.
You will probably be able to do FCC Mod soon once the hackers get their hands on them.

 

[Splats]

Mavic Air has the same TX power as the Spark in CE, so I don't expect it to be much better.
You will probably be able to do FCC Mod soon once the hackers get their hands on them.

Is it not the case that the drone has greater power back to the controller though? Surely that's the primary issue for range; the signal the drone sends out as opposed to the transmitter? (i.e. is the drone signal not the point of weakness).

I might be way wrong on all this, just guessing based on limited understanding of such things.

 

[amanakoinum]

Is it not the case that the drone has greater power back to the controller though? Surely that's the primary issue for range; the signal the drone sends out as opposed to the transmitter? (i.e. is the drone signal not the point of weakness).

I might be way wrong on all this, just guessing based on limited understanding of such things.

Yes, aircraft tx power is minimally better on the Air but only in 2.4GHz, in 5.8GHz it is the same as Spark.
Mavic Air: 2.4GHz: 19dBm = 79mW
Spark: 2.4GHz: 18dBm = 63mW
5.8GHz: both at 14dBm = 25mW

Mavic Air Aircraft:

Spark Aircraft:

 

[Akimba]

CE mode to 1600M before transmission starts breaking up and RTH at 1795M in heavy winds.

 

[R1Mavic]

I'm OK with flying one mile. Certainly less than my Mavic, but being honest, when I stretched the legs on my Mavic beyond that, it was to showoff to someone how far I could take it. Not because I was trying to get an image or video from so far out.

 

[Splats]

CE mode to 1600M before transmission starts breaking up and RTH at 1795M in heavy winds.

I'm happy enough with that, should be able to do 1,200-1,800 reliably with range extenders and possibly over 2,200m in the right conditions with some video chop/loss.

 

[scott rand]

I'm OK with flying one mile. Certainly less than my Mavic, but being honest, when I stretched the legs on my Mavic beyond that, it was to showoff to someone how far I could take it. Not because I was trying to get an image or video from so far out.

I never fly more than 1 mile out with my Pro, that’s plenty far enough for me. That’s why I’m fine with the Mavic Air. I’m trying to get great video, not trying to break distance records. If it struggled at 300 meters, then I’d be upset, but if it gets 1 mile easily, I’m fine. My first drone was a Yuneec Typhoon Q500, and I think the max is 600 meters (less than 2000 feet). And I loved that drone, still have it and it’s a blast to fly.

 

[scott rand]

I’ve noticed in a lot of videos, nobody flies with APAS on. I would fly with it on, always.

 

[WilliamG]

I'm OK with flying one mile. Certainly less than my Mavic, but being honest, when I stretched the legs on my Mavic beyond that, it was to showoff to someone how far I could take it. Not because I was trying to get an image or video from so far out.

I never fly more than 1 mile out with my Pro, that’s plenty far enough for me. That’s why I’m fine with the Mavic Air. I’m trying to get great video, not trying to break distance records. If it struggled at 300 meters, then I’d be upset, but if it gets 1 mile easily, I’m fine. My first drone was a Yuneec Typhoon Q500, and I think the max is 600 meters (less than 2000 feet). And I loved that drone, still have it and it’s a blast to fly.[/QUOTE

I mentioned earlier, it’s not about flying more than a mile. It’s about stability of signal during that mile.

 

[scott rand]

Signal looked good to me during that flight.