signal degradation

[rustysteel]

Seems like controller-drone signal strength is not as strong as it used to be. My last flight I was directly overhead, no obstructions, at about 300' AGL in a rural setting. I was receiving glitchy video and weak signal warnings. Antennas on the controller seem to be in good condition and everything is stored in a case- well cared for so likely no damage that Im aware of.
My last flight prior experienced the same issues but had a little more lateral range.
Any thoughts? Im not 107 rated so always fly within VLOS but really not getting any kind of distance anymore.

 

[Meta4]

Seems like controller-drone signal strength is not as strong as it used to be. My last flight I was directly overhead, no obstructions, at about 300' AGL in a rural setting. I was receiving glitchy video and weak signal warnings. Antennas on the controller seem to be in good condition

Directly above is the most difficult angle for good signal geometry.
Try flying out away from where you are and it should improve.

 

[Felix le Chat]

Seems like controller-drone signal strength is not as strong as it used to be. My last flight I was directly overhead, no obstructions, at about 300' AGL in a rural setting. I was receiving glitchy video and weak signal warnings. Antennas on the controller seem to be in good condition and everything is stored in a case- well cared for so likely no damage that Im aware of.
My last flight prior experienced the same issues but had a little more lateral range.
Any thoughts? Im not 107 rated so always fly within VLOS but really not getting any kind of distance anymore.

What setting do you have the transmission on? Dual? 2.4 GHz? or 5.8 GHz?

If it's the default (dual): manually set transmission to 5.8ghz and try a similar flight, see if the signal remains more stable.

Also, if you're heading vertically up to hover and shoot: flip the antennas down so they're pointing dead ahead of you (advisory in the user manual).

 

[GFields]

Im not 107 rated so always fly within VLOS but really not getting any kind of distance anymore.

Part 107 pilots must fly VLOS as well.

As @Meta4 stated, directly above you is the worst Try adjusting the antennas straight out when the drone is directly above you.

 

[HoozierDroneDaddy]

The flat part of your antenna should be facing the drone not the pointed end. If it is directly above you, you probably have the flat side facing in front of you, not towards the drone.

 

[retleo121]

I started experiencing momentary signal degredation a few weeks ago, and this is something I’ve never experienced before. I’m hoping it was an update related issue and that this latest firmware update fixes the issue. These anomalies happen around familiar flying grounds so no new obstructions or transmissions are occurring.

 

[rustysteel]

Thanks all for the info. I should also share that while this did occur while directly above, it also has been pretty constant throughout my last few flights, even when not directly above.
In short, experiencing drastically reduced signal strength and range in all conditions.,

 

[retleo121]

I was running out the door when I replied earlier today. I’m not a daily flyer so for my issue, it’s hard to narrow down when exactly it began, or the relation between any updates and the problem. My signal just started going from full bar into the yellow cautionary level a couple times during flight. I also had an “Aircraft detected in area” warning pop up, and my Mini 3 Pro isn’t supposed to have that capability. In preparation for todays flight, I updated my RC firmware and the Flight Aware for the drone, plus there was a smaller 300mb update that came up as well as the big 1gb one. I had the drone out to 2000’ today with no communication issues. Coincidence? Don’t know. DJI doesn’t list the “minor bug issues” that were addressed in the update. My suggestion would be to update to the latest firmware and give it another try.