Mini 3 range issues solved?

[wollins]

So I'm finally gonna bite the bullet on the M3P but wondering if the range issues have been resolved? Also, were the range issues with the Mini 3 based on the radio, the drone itself or a combination of both? I've been very conflicted as to which option I should get. (DJI RC or RC-N1) Even though range is not the primary factor in my consideration, the more I hear these range issues stories the more I'm leaning towards the RC-N1 since I get the "impression" that the range issues are from the owners of the DJI RC option?

 

[bonzo]

no issues with DJI RC over here... ridiculous distances

 

[moldorf]

about 6 weeks into Mini 3 ownership for me. Just returned from a 2 week camping trip to the mountains/desert of Eastern Oregon/Norther Nevada. I have the RC-N1 with a Tripltek 8. I was in very remote areas. No other people for miles and no wifi interference. On one flight from a high ridge I went out 18,300 feet and still had 3 bars. Battery was the limitation not signal.

I had several flights of 8,000-10,000 feet and maintained 4 bars all the way. But again, this was an area with wide open vistas and no wifi

I did a range test comparison up a far canyon between the Mini 3 and Mini 2. I went until the signal dropped to 2 bars. The M3 went 10,800 feet; the M2 went 9,900 feet

I will say this: unless you live and fly in a very restricted area, get the plus batteries. If you like to RTH with over 10% battery for a safety margin, that extra 10-12 minutes of flight time with the plus batteries is a game changer

as far as the RC, I can't comment on range but I can comment on screen visibility on sunny days. I had a chance to do a sunny day comparison of the 1200 nits of the Tripltek to the 700 nits of the RC (and about half the screen size), and frankly, the RC was nearly impossible to read; the Tripltek wasn't. I know many people are swearing by that RC, but if I had it I think I'd only be swearing at it, not for it

 

[Drone Master]

I have all three supported drones for the RC Pro and DJI RC. Currently there is no difference in range with the RC-N1. Range issues are due to the limit of the drones transmission to controller in my experience.

 

[moldorf]

One is an all in one screen+controller for $300. The other is an $800 tablet that you need to hook to the RC-N1 every time you fly. At least list ALL the benefits and drawbacks if you're going to attempt to smear one.

I was talking specifically about screen brightness, and stating a few facts about that comparison is not "smearing". There are a lot of posts in this forum from people not satisfied with the brightness of the RC. They love other things about it, but not that

I already had the Tripltek so it was an easy choice to go for the RC-N1

it's also not some 10 minute ordeal to deploy the Tripltek. Maybe a minute; less if it's already attached to the controller....which it already is when I go out to fly

now, if you're making a substantial hike into a place then the light weight and portability of the RC would be appealing

by the way, in another thread jedi2155 posted a comparison of overall screen size:



I have a 4 year Motorola phone that has an actual area of 15.12 square inches. The Tripltek 8 has an area of 29.24 square inches. That's 2.26 times larger than the RC

 

[Siam]

I am getting 6000 ft + (1.8 km) in an urban environment which exceeds the specs listed by DJI.

To be fair: I was only getting 3600 feet with the stock antennas in the controller. I modded my controller and used quality antennas which significantly upped the range for me.


As far as the screen on the controller: direct sunlight it is OK. Nothing to write home about though. I use a matte finish screen protector which gives great anti-glare. Plusses and minuses of course. Great to just take out and fire up the drone. You are in the air in 30 seconds or so.

• Signal Transmission Ranges
  (FCC) [6]​

• Strong Interference (urban landscape): Approx. 1.5-3 km
  Medium Interference (suburban landscape): Approx. 3-7 km
  Low Interference (suburb/seaside): Approx. 7-12 km

 

[timinator]

Second day with the RC1 (integrated screen) controller and I got 2275 metres out of it in the city before turning around.

Initially, I bought just the Mini3pro aircraft since I already had the RCN1 but sent it back since it was too much of a pain to switch back and forth between my Mini2 and the Mini3pro.

 

[abruzzopat]

I am getting 6000 ft + (1.8 km) in an urban environment which exceeds the specs listed by DJI.

To be fair: I was only getting 3600 feet with the stock antennas in the controller. I modded my controller and used quality antennas which significantly upped the range for me.


As far as the screen on the controller: direct sunlight it is OK. Nothing to write home about though. I use a matte finish screen protector which gives great anti-glare. Plusses and minuses of course. Great to just take out and fire up the drone. You are in the air in 30 seconds or so.

• Signal Transmission Ranges
  (FCC) [6]​

• Strong Interference (urban landscape): Approx. 1.5-3 km
  Medium Interference (suburban landscape): Approx. 3-7 km
  Low Interference (suburb/seaside): Approx. 7-12 km

How did you mod your antenna? Is there a video or other instructions out there? Thanks.

 

[Siam]

How did you mod your antenna? Is there a video or other instructions out there? Thanks.

Here is my video. I did it differently than others. I will also put in a video that shows the steps by someone else. I hope these help.

This one is mine and explains why I did it my way.

This is a real good step by step video.

 

[dmiles119]

Here is my video. I did it differently than others. I will also put in a video that shows the steps by someone else. I hope these help.

This one is mine and explains why I did it my way.

This is a real good step by step video.

"I like to play with things, and I've got nothing else to do, I'm retired" I love it. Two more years for me, looking forward to retirement for sure. I also like the idea of keeping both antennas. I assume you just disconnected the old ones, although you did talk about an RF switch down the road. Coming up with something that could detect when the externals are disconnected, so you wouldn't have to worry about a dummy load would be awesome.

I think I learned how to use a soldering iron about the same time I learned about a knife and fork. I modify everything. I've owned 3 RV's, and they were all heavily modified by the time I sold them. I installed hydraulic leveling jacks on one of them. On and on it goes. When I had an issue with the leach field on my septic system, I rented a bobcat and modified that. That may have been taking it to the extreme.

I'm not saying all this to brag, just giving some background. I live in central Georgia, so yea, trees. If you've ever heard the expression "taller than a Georgia pine" it's popular for a reason. Having said all this, I have to say that I just don't see any reason to modify my mini 3/RC. I have yet to have a single issue with RC signal. I also have an Air2 with RC-N1, and I have had way more RC signal drop off with it. I f I were going to modify either one of them, it would be the Air2/RC-N1.

I bought the mini3/RC to take it with me on my Can Am Spyder, and it is perfect for that. The minute I go modifying it, then I'm adding more stuff to carry, and fiddle with. As far as screen brightness, I hardly ever shoot in the middle of the day. The lighting is just too harsh for the type of work I do. I did buy a sunshade made just for it, and it works great. I can hold this little controller right up to my face, and it helps me see the screen and the drone at the same time.

I've flown DJI drones since 2014. I had a Phantom 2 do a flyaway, along with my GoPro hero3, and RF transmitter, and that iOS screen graphics thing they had, (nothing to do with Apple). I got no sympathy from them, so I'm no DJI fan boy, but they hit it out of the park with this one.

 

[Lastrexking]

I haven’t had any issues at all And I’ve had mine since launch.

 

[Chaosrider]

So I'm finally gonna bite the bullet on the M3P but wondering if the range issues have been resolved? Also, were the range issues with the Mini 3 based on the radio, the drone itself or a combination of both? I've been very conflicted as to which option I should get. (DJI RC or RC-N1) Even though range is not the primary factor in my consideration, the more I hear these range issues stories the more I'm leaning towards the RC-N1 since I get the "impression" that the range issues are from the owners of the DJI RC option?

There's a solution to the range issue that's effective 100% of the time...

Don't live in a CE region!

;-)

TCS

 

[YVRGUY]

I had an issue with my new Mini3P that affected my DJI RC’s transmission tab. It did not display 2.4ghz or 5.8ghz signals and was stuck on AUTO. My range was so poor. DJI suspected the RC to be at fault. Both units were sent back for testing.

The results. DJI replaced the drone (main board fault) and not the RC. I now have great range, I’m enjoying the Mini3P and especially the DJI RC. DJI had the issue turned around and fixed in a week with an additional 128 gb SD card included for my troubles.

Also, I don’t fly far. I fly no more than I can legally and no matter where I am, I’m getting solid bars.

 

[dmiles119]

I had an issue with my new Mini3P that affected my DJI RC’s transmission tab. It did not display 2.4ghz or 5.8ghz signals and was stuck on AUTO. My range was so poor. DJI suspected the RC to be at fault. Both units were sent back for testing.

The results. DJI replaced the drone (main board fault) and not the RC. I now have great range, I’m enjoying the Mini3P and especially the DJI RC. DJI had the issue turned around and fixed in a week with an additional 128 gb SD card included for my troubles.

Also, I don’t fly far. I fly no more than I can legally and no matter where I am, I’m getting solid bars.

Right, and I should have added that I do not fly past the legal limit, and if I lose VLOS I hit RTH at least until I can find it again.

So yes, I may not be the guy to look to for advise on RC signal strength if you don't fly the way I do.

But, I do have trees to deal with, and I fly the A2 the same way, and I actually have seen signal drop off with it.

 

[Eagle Eye 62]

I believe the range issues are directly related to RF interference. If you fly in remote areas the range is great. In densely populated areas not so much. Having both the RC and RC Pro controllers I can say the RC Pro with it's external antennas does help a lot.

 

[YVRGUY]

There's a solution to the range issue that's effective 100% of the time...

Don't live in a CE region!

;-)

TCS

 

[Siam]

I believe the range issues are directly related to RF interference. If you fly in remote areas the range is great. In densely populated areas not so much. Having both the RC and RC Pro controllers I can say the RC Pro with it's external antennas does help a lot.

I am hoping for a major power outage someday in San Antonio! I want to see what the distance on my test route would be once everyone's wifi is turned off in their house. Then again, everyone in the city would just end up using their cell phone more. It would be an interesting test though.

The cell phone towers will still be up since they will be working off of generator power.

Very few people would have backup power to run their modems.

 

[Prt60]

I am getting 6000 ft + (1.8 km) in an urban environment which exceeds the specs listed by DJI.

To be fair: I was only getting 3600 feet with the stock antennas in the controller. I modded my controller and used quality antennas which significantly upped the range for me.


As far as the screen on the controller: direct sunlight it is OK. Nothing to write home about though. I use a matte finish screen protector which gives great anti-glare. Plusses and minuses of course. Great to just take out and fire up the drone. You are in the air in 30 seconds or so.

• Signal Transmission Ranges
  (FCC) [6]​

• Strong Interference (urban landscape): Approx. 1.5-3 km
  Medium Interference (suburban landscape): Approx. 3-7 km
  Low Interference (suburb/seaside): Approx. 7-12 km

Hi Siam. Just wondering if you can share your mods for better reception. Cheers

 

[Siam]

Hi Siam. Just wondering if you can share your mods for better reception. Cheers

see post #10

 

[nobsyogi]

The issue with the poor range is totally due to the M3P drone itself. The RC remote has been used with other drones & there has been no loss of range on those drones.