New communication error. Scared yes!

[TuT]

Hi all,

I am a fairly new Mavic owner. I have been flying RCs for 35 years and DJI products since the Phantom 2, so I do have quite a bit of experience. I have had my Mavic Pro for a month now. I was using a LG V20 Android phone at first but experienced about 5 crashes per flight using the Go 4 app.

This week my tablet mount arrived (finally!!) so I could try using my Samsung S2 9.7" tablet with the Mavic. This Samsung tablet has been flawless when paired with my Phantom 3 Advanced. So I had high hopes for the Mavic Pro.

The first flight was OK so I decided to push the distance limits with the second. Unfortunately, at around 900m, the tablet screen suddenly went black & white and showed "Disconnected". I immediately let the controls centre to a hover position. I moved myself & antennas around attempting to regain a data connection. I tried restarting the app and even the tablet. I figured after 10 minutes of waiting with a "Disconnected" sign that the Mavic would be returning home at 60m as it was programmed to do.

Eventually, after waiting 10 mins looking at empty skies, I finally glanced at the Mavic RC Controller. It was still showing RPM, battery level and distance, height, etc. The **** drone had just been sitting there for 10 minutes waiting for instructions! I know from past experience with Phantom 3 that hitting the RTH button can cancel an automatic Return To Home. But in this case no RTH had been triggered, even though the app was disconnected, the RC was not. I pressed that RTH button and the Mavic barely made it home with battery to spare. I could not get the Go 4 app to reconnect all the way home. Only a restart of the Mavic restored the connection.

A good reminder to look at the RC screen, regardless of whatever the DJI Go 4 app might be telling you.

One final comment.. the camera on this Mavic is not a patch on my Phantom 3 advanced. I can't use 60fps at 1080p so my videos aren't smooth. And the whites are always severely bleached out, and grass looking crazy psychedelic green. Not "Pro" quality thats for sure. I'm hoping the Taco-RC filters I have coming will help to smooth things out. Otherwise, if anyone has some suggestions to tidy up the video I'm all ears (or eyes). I'm colourblind so I sorta need a camera that records what I'm looking at, without a ton of tweaking in post. No amount of tweaking can fix those washed-out whites that I'm seeing. Back to smashing Sports Mode I guess

 

[Alex Baxter]

Hello TuT,
As the controller was still communicating with the Mavic, it probably saw no reason to do a RTH. I've had a few software oin my phone) crashes, (the Go4 app (android) reviews are littered with dissatisfied owner comments) so you lose the screen, The controller retains connection, so even if you don't know the orientation of the Mavic, you can use the controller screen range to gauge whether it's coming or going, so to speak, to get it home. Personally, once I remembered to focus, I've found the Mavic pictures to be as good as my P3P, I don't use video much, I must say, but I've not found it worse than the P3P, I prefer the longer lens on the Mavic, it reduces the barrelling effect.
Hopefully they'll fix Go4, it's a bit rubbish (and butt clenching) at present.

 

[Cyberpower678]

Hi all,

I am a fairly new Mavic owner. I have been flying RCs for 35 years and DJI products since the Phantom 2, so I do have quite a bit of experience. I have had my Mavic Pro for a month now. I was using a LG V20 Android phone at first but experienced about 5 crashes per flight using the Go 4 app.

This week my tablet mount arrived (finally!!) so I could try using my Samsung S2 9.7" tablet with the Mavic. This Samsung tablet has been flawless when paired with my Phantom 3 Advanced. So I had high hopes for the Mavic Pro.

The first flight was OK so I decided to push the distance limits with the second. Unfortunately, at around 900m, the tablet screen suddenly went black & white and showed "Disconnected". I immediately let the controls centre to a hover position. I moved myself & antennas around attempting to regain a data connection. I tried restarting the app and even the tablet. I figured after 10 minutes of waiting with a "Disconnected" sign that the Mavic would be returning home at 60m as it was programmed to do.

Eventually, after waiting 10 mins looking at empty skies, I finally glanced at the Mavic RC Controller. It was still showing RPM, battery level and distance, height, etc. The **** drone had just been sitting there for 10 minutes waiting for instructions! I know from past experience with Phantom 3 that hitting the RTH button can cancel an automatic Return To Home. But in this case no RTH had been triggered, even though the app was disconnected, the RC was not. I pressed that RTH button and the Mavic barely made it home with battery to spare. I could not get the Go 4 app to reconnect all the way home. Only a restart of the Mavic restored the connection.

A good reminder to look at the RC screen, regardless of whatever the DJI Go 4 app might be telling you.

One final comment.. the camera on this Mavic is not a patch on my Phantom 3 advanced. I can't use 60fps at 1080p so my videos aren't smooth. And the whites are always severely bleached out, and grass looking crazy psychedelic green. Not "Pro" quality thats for sure. I'm hoping the Taco-RC filters I have coming will help to smooth things out. Otherwise, if anyone has some suggestions to tidy up the video I'm all ears (or eyes). I'm colourblind so I sorta need a camera that records what I'm looking at, without a ton of tweaking in post. No amount of tweaking can fix those washed-out whites that I'm seeing. Back to smashing Sports Mode I guess

It's a bug in the app actually. Not the drone. Unplug the controller from the device and plug it back in. Connection restored. As for image quality, I use D-Cinelike and would recommend the use of filters.


Sent from my iPhone using MavicPilots

 

[TuT]

Hello TuT,
As the controller was still communicating with the Mavic, it probably saw no reason to do a RTH. I've had a few software oin my phone) crashes, (the Go4 app (android) reviews are littered with dissatisfied owner comments) so you lose the screen, The controller retains connection, so even if you don't know the orientation of the Mavic, you can use the controller screen range to gauge whether it's coming or going, so to speak, to get it home. Personally, once I remembered to focus, I've found the Mavic pictures to be as good as my P3P, I don't use video much, I must say, but I've not found it worse than the P3P, I prefer the longer lens on the Mavic, it reduces the barrelling effect.
Hopefully they'll fix Go4, it's a bit rubbish (and butt clenching) at present.

Hi Alex,
Yes, once I realised the RC was still connected I managed to 'loosen the clench' somewhat and get the RTH happening. Unplugging the controller from the device and plugging it back in as suggested by Cyberpower678 didn't help at all. The only thing that restored app communication and video was restarting the Mavic itself.
As for video quality, its not focus where I have a problem. Its more to do with contrast and colour balance. Especially I'm finding anything bright to be washed out. Blue skies come out white while other colours appear oversaturated. I'm waiting on delivery of filters as Cyberpower678 suggests. Hopefully these will make some improvement. Photos, however, seem to have much more detail than my Phantom 3, so that is an area they have definitively improved upon.
I shouldn't complain. The amount of technology they have managed to squeeze into the palm of your hand is mighty impressive! But the Broadcast Engineer in me always wants more. haha!!

 

[Cyberpower678]

Hi Alex,
Yes, once I realised the RC was still connected I managed to 'loosen the clench' somewhat and get the RTH happening. Unplugging the controller from the device and plugging it back in as suggested by Cyberpower678 didn't help at all. The only thing that restored app communication and video was restarting the Mavic itself.
As for video quality, its not focus where I have a problem. Its more to do with contrast and colour balance. Especially I'm finding anything bright to be washed out. Blue skies come out white while other colours appear oversaturated. I'm waiting on delivery of filters as Cyberpower678 suggests. Hopefully these will make some improvement. Photos, however, seem to have much more detail than my Phantom 3, so that is an area they have definitively improved upon.
I shouldn't complain. The amount of technology they have managed to squeeze into the palm of your hand is mighty impressive! But the Broadcast Engineer in me always wants more. haha!!

Filters will most likely fix your image problem, as for connectivity, I'm almost certain it's not with the drone. When I say unplug, pull the plug from the side of the controller and not the phone. Wait at least 3 seconds, and plug it back in. That always reconnects the app to the drone.