Mavic Mini FCC Canada- No 2.4 and Poor range

Bernd-Reiner · Jul 30, 2020

You will have more range, using a poweryagi
([email protected]) https://www.facebook.com/Parayagi-101288484977572

Parayagi · Aug 3, 2020

Parayagi P5 and P8 are available and should double your range in 5.8Ghz.

A Poor Kingpin · Aug 3, 2020

@Kilerpl I understand your frustration! I live in Canada and I can attest to all of what you just said: 4 bars in only 5.8, and poor range. My max range ever was 600m. That same flight was also the doomsday of my mavic mini

. I was doing a range test with 5.8 parayagi and little did I know that the signal lost setting was set on descend(not return to home) - oh well my mini landed on a open parking lot and got ran over by a car. It is rekt and I got no dji refresh. :/ I am generally unimpressed with the range as the spec sheet boasts for 5km. 600m is only 12% of the 5km rating. just imagine it, 12 freaking percent! I love the mini overall - small, agile, under 250g; its just the range that is really the thing that turns me down.

Ace.7 · Aug 4, 2020

A Poor Kingpin said:
@Kilerpl I understand your frustration! I live in Canada and I can attest to all of what you just said: 4 bars in only 5.8, and poor range. My max range ever was 600m. That same flight was also the doomsday of my mavic mini . I was doing a range test with 5.8 parayagi and little did I know that the signal lost setting was set on descend(not return to home) - oh well my mini landed on a open parking lot and got ran over by a car. It is rekt and I got no dji refresh. :/ I am generally unimpressed with the range as the spec sheet boasts for 5km. 600m is only 12% of the 5km rating. just imagine it, 12 freaking percent! I love the mini overall - small, agile, under 250g; its just the range that is really the thing that turns me down.

Definitely not normal unless you are flying in a heavily WiFi congested area or you have a defective drone/remote or misconfigured settings or flying too low. Your experience is unfortunate but it's not the norm; something is just not right in your situation. The MM is a fantastic drone and lives up to the features as described by DJI. The Refresh Care is so worth it, only a small price for peace of mind. Hopefully you can figure something out and get back to flying sooner than later.

Parayagi · Aug 4, 2020

Ace.7 said:
Definitely not normal unless you are flying in a heavily WiFi congested area or you have a defective drone/remote or misconfigured settings or flying too low. Your experience is unfortunate but it's not the norm; something is just not right in your situation. The MM is a fantastic drone and lives up to the features as described by DJI. The Refresh Care is so worth it, only a small price for peace of mind. Hopefully you can figure something out and get back to flying sooner than later.

I presume by "Parayagi" you don't mean one of ours. Is it just a yagi in a parabolic reflector?

A Poor Kingpin · Aug 4, 2020

@Parayagi you are right, I do have the parabolic and the 3d printed 5.8 yagis. I was using them both at the same time. @Ace.7 I was flying my mini out on a relatively wide park. I was doing my range test from a park through the stretch of railway. There were some establishments here and there but I dont think it interferes much (thus the parking lot). I also had a time (back when I didnt have parabolic and yagi) when I was out in the middle of massive span of open field. I was only getting 450m then. I tried climbing to get more range but alas. I do know how to properly point the antennas to achieve prime connection but yeah. Either I was really unlucky with my potentially defective unit and crashed or MM may just be very well be a crap when it comes to range.

Parayagi · Aug 4, 2020

A Poor Kingpin said:
@Parayagi you are right, I do have the parabolic and the 3d printed 5.8 yagis. I was using them both at the same time. @Ace.7 I was flying my mini out on a relatively wide park. I was doing my range test from a park through the stretch of railway. There were some establishments here and there but I dont think it interferes much (thus the parking lot). I also had a time (back when I didnt have parabolic and yagi) when I was out in the middle of massive span of open field. I was only getting 450m then. I tried climbing to get more range but alas. I do know how to properly point the antennas to achieve prime connection but yeah. Either I was really unlucky with my potentially defective unit and crashed or MM may just be very well be a crap when it comes to range.

It sounds like you have a MM with an issue. In the open, you should get 2km at least without extenders. I have done that on 5.8Ghz with just less than 10 x less power on the CE version with the Parayagi's. 7km with them on 2.4Ghz. It's got to be a problem with your unit!

A Poor Kingpin · Aug 4, 2020

Parayagi said:
It sounds like you have a MM with an issue. In the open, you should get 2km at least without extenders. I have done that on 5.8Ghz with just less than 10 x less power on the CE version with the Parayagi's. 7km with them on 2.4Ghz. It's got to be a problem with your unit!

Yeah I don't contest that CE version can easily go over 2km. I have the FCC and I am really frustrated with the range. It would make sense for the CE to go father as its 2.4ghz have more penetration than 5ghz, thus achieving longer ranges. I have been watching many range test on youtube - most of them are CE. I have yet to see an FCC version that can go with same range as CE or even better. With all the first hand experience I have with FCC and all the research I've done, I conclude that FCC is not really better than CE, even though people claim that CE isnt getting the same power draw as the FCC in Europe. @Parayagi I would to see your product then, to be tested in North America with an actual FCC version

Parayagi · Aug 4, 2020

This test is happening over the next couple of weeks with the Parayagi on FCC. If you subscribe to the Parayagi FB page then as soon as it's done, you'll know. https://www.facebook.com/Parayagi-101288484977572

Ace.7 · Aug 5, 2020

A Poor Kingpin said:
Yeah I don't contest that CE version can easily go over 2km. I have the FCC and I am really frustrated with the range. It would make sense for the CE to go father as its 2.4ghz have more penetration than 5ghz, thus achieving longer ranges. I have been watching many range test on youtube - most of them are CE. I have yet to see an FCC version that can go with same range as CE or even better. With all the first hand experience I have with FCC and all the research I've done, I conclude that FCC is not really better than CE, even though people claim that CE isnt getting the same power draw as the FCC in Europe. @Parayagi I would to see your product then, to be tested in North America with an actual FCC version

I think you simply got a defective unit.

As for the range, you can easily get more range with the FCC vs the CE versions, not the other way around.

El Principio · Aug 5, 2020

I am only learning myself, and my Mini is on vacation on an island, but here is what I think of range with the Mini, in Canada:

I have great LOS from my deck, but my range varies by the direction I fly. Yes, I know to point the antennae correctly. My current understanding from observing my range variation is that home wi-fi causes a lot of interference. I can get 1800 meters range over the water, but over the land with homes, as little as 600m. Flying at maximum altitude helps but then you can barely see what you're filming/viewing.

jonincanada · Sep 29, 2020

My refresh replaced mavic mini seems to have dropped 2GHZ support and now I can only use 5GHZ here in Ontario. Limits to 700m range with 5ghz (where 2GHZ would give 2+km). Restating: I have no 2GHZ options even while alone in the wilderness. May need to submit a warranty claim again?

EyesWideShut · Sep 29, 2020

jonincanada said:
My refresh replaced mavic mini seems to have dropped 2GHZ support and now I can only use 5GHZ here in Ontario. Limits to 700m range with 5ghz (where 2GHZ would give 2+km). Restating: I have no 2GHZ options even while alone in the wilderness. May need to submit a warranty claim again?

As pointed out at the start of this thread (See post #2, ), North American mini flight controllers are FCC and only 5.8g and are more powerful than the CE version.

Parayagi · Sep 29, 2020

jonincanada said:
My refresh replaced mavic mini seems to have dropped 2GHZ support and now I can only use 5GHZ here in Ontario. Limits to 700m range with 5ghz (where 2GHZ would give 2+km). Restating: I have no 2GHZ options even while alone in the wilderness. May need to submit a warranty claim again?

I have a lot of customers in Canada who get well over 2km on their FCC version in 5.8Ghz. I get over 2km on the CE version which has about 5% of the power. Look :