Signal on mini 3 seems awful. I am getting worried.

[globetrotterdrone]

At this moment, it is clear who "to blame"?
Is it the RC with the internal antennae, the antennae in the drone itself, the firmware or a combination of many factors?

It seems like with the traditional controller, the range seems higher but not by that much.
It might come done, as someone said, of different polarisation between the transceivers and maybe the compromise of the new design?

 

[Cymru]

@Cymru i agree that outright range in respect of a stable signal is a guide to signal stability,along with the occusync component ,for preventing signal degradation
but if you stay within the guidelines ,then signal loss between the RC and drone is really something that would only happen in extreme circumstance ,such as flying behind a hill, tall building ,or below a high point down into a deep valley

Not really convinced of that. All the ones ive had (Occu1 and 2) have managed to lose or at least severely degrade signal with things like wet leaves or swaying branches even when the drone could clearly be seen.

More so if it happens to be on 5.8ghz at the time.

At one point i saw my M2P lose signal and initiate its auto RTH from 150m away due to a banana leaf covered in rain.
Unobstructed the transmission is generally great and solid but hat degrades rapidly with some obstructions.

Reduced SNR in a high RF interference environment is another example.

Generally longer range means operation at lower SNR which is often the same as the above conditions so they can be the same thing (but not always). Its a complicated protocol.

 

[old man mavic]

the quoted range for achieving a connection between the RC and aircraft in the specs for any drone ,are based on a theoretical distance possible based on the signal strength and whether 2.4 or 5.8 is used,the specs say up to 12k in fcc mode ,these are governed by radio communication protocols ,of the country that the drone is being flown in
but we all know that in reality, the actual distance we are able to fly, is governed by the environment ,location ,interference,and are never going to be constant ,or come anywhere near the published specs

 

[Jorgeo65]

Have seen a number of utube vids with terrible reception after 500m, all were influencers. I wonder if the drones given to them are different to what we will get. Today I watched 2 Asian video, they achieved 5km before signal weakness, could have gone further, both using screen controller.
I suppose we have to wait till more real consumers test the range. I won't b happy if can't get at least 3km good signal.

 

[Craig Notts]

1. Most of the people who have received their drone are in the CE region. FCC regions will have better range.

2. Anything beyond 1KM is past VLOS for virtually everyone so you shouldn’t be flying it that far anyways.

Attach yours to a

The few range tests I have seen show the mini 3 unable to get beyond 1km wth break up starting at around 500 metres in urban areas. I am hoping this is just a temporary problem as this takes us back 5 years in performance . DJI claim 6-10 km

I understand that you can't safely fly huge distances away I do get that ,but I do wish that DJI had mentioned that the new controller with the built in screen offers less performance in signal strength than the standard controller as this may have affected my decision as to which package to go for .

 

[Jorgeo65]

break

The few range tests I have seen show the mini 3 unable to get beyond 1km wth break up starting at around 500 metres in urban areas. I am hoping this is just a temporary problem as this takes us back 5 years in performance . DJI claim 6-10 km

Have seen a number of utube vids with terrible reception after 500m, all were influencers. I wonder if the drones given to them are different to what we will get. Today I watched 2 Asian videos, they achieved 5km before signal weakness, could have gone further, both using screen controller.
I suppose we have to wait till more real consumers test the range. I won't b happy if i can't get at least 3km good signal.

 

[Craig Notts]

Have seen a number of utube vids with terrible reception after 500m, all were influencers. I wonder if the drones given to them are different to what we will get. Today I watched 2 Asian videos, they achieved 5km before signal weakness, could have gone further, both using screen controller.
I suppose we have to wait till more real consumers test the range. I won't b happy if i can't get at least 3km good signal.

Let's hope so I totally agree with you 3 km should be the absolute minimum just to guarantee a strong signal when flying closer than that.

 

[Pushkur]

Spotters, with mobiles, plus you RC map, can keep a drone in sight beyond 500 mtr, relatively safely out of town.
The powerful mini strobe light can also help to see it.

 

[boldblue737]

Have seen a number of utube vids with terrible reception after 500m, all were influencers. I wonder if the drones given to them are different to what we will get. Today I watched 2 Asian videos, they achieved 5km before signal weakness, could have gone further, both using screen controller.
I suppose we have to wait till more real consumers test the range. I won't b happy if i can't get at least 3km good signal.

many of the videos with the bad reception are CE models in Europe. I believe the USA models and Asian ones use a higher power transmission (lower in Europe due to regulations in the EU) so that could be the difference? No way to really know until more specific tests are done as they come in the wild. I can't imagine the "influencers" got worse models somehow than the ultimate release version as obviously DJI always wants to put their best foot forward.

 

[Pushkur]

many of the videos with the bad reception are CE models in Europe. I believe the USA models and Asian ones use a higher power transmission (lower in Europe due to regulations in the EU) so that could be the difference? No way to really know until more specific tests are done as they come in the wild. I can't imagine the "influencers" got worse models somehow than the ultimate release version as obviously DJI always wants to put their best foot forward.

When I added the hack for the Mini 2, adding FCC, there was a noticeable improvement.
A matter of time before available for MM3 I guess.

 

[Jorgeo65]

many of the videos with the bad reception are CE models in Europe. I believe the USA models and Asian ones use a higher power transmission (lower in Europe due to regulations in the EU) so that could be the difference? No way to really know until more specific tests are done as they come in the wild. I can't imagine the "influencers" got worse models somehow than the ultimate release version as obviously DJI always wants to put their best foot forward.

I went to my local jbhifi store today, just curious about when they will have stock, to my surprise, he said we have a few in stock, even though website said out of stock, so I ended up buying it. Not sure whether I will cancel my order with dji, I really want that golden ticket. Anyway happydays, now I can see for myself if it has bad range. Will let u know. Or check out my utube channel @ jorgeo65.

 

[mavicn00b]

At this moment, it is clear who "to blame"?
Is it the RC with the internal antennae, the antennae in the drone itself, the firmware or a combination of many factors?

It seems like with the traditional controller, the range seems higher but not by that much.
It might come done, as someone said, of different polarisation between the transceivers and maybe the compromise of the new design?

Really it's just the pilot not angling the controller correctly. Both RCs have the same EIRP it's just easier to visualize the correct orientation when the panel antenna is sticking out of the RC vs the internal antenna on the premium RC.

If the premium RC had an accelerometer inbuilt (like most phones) theoretically DJI could with some basic trigonometry provide some onscreen guidance in the fly app on the optimal position to hold the controller for best signal.

I had this issue for the longest time on the P3SE, could never angle the controller right, signal sucked but on the odd occasion I could, it could go further.

 

[Rilot]

I went out to about 700M last night in a rural area. I was still showing as full signal with no dropouts or anything. CE area.

 

[adam3112]

I went out to about 700M last night in a rural area. I was still showing as full signal with no dropouts or anything. CE area.

With the Pro RC?

 

[adam3112]

Ive purchased one from Argos with the Pro RC and need to go and collect it, but in 2 minds whether to refund it or pick it up. The signal strength is concerning for me. I’m hoping a firmware update will fix it as I remember a similar situation with the Mini 2 when that first came out.

 

[Rilot]

With the Pro RC?

No, the RC with the screen that comes in the bundle. Not the RC Pro, not the basic RC-N1.

 

[adam3112]

No, the RC with the screen that comes in the bundle. Not the RC Pro, not the basic RC-N1.

yes sorry, that was what I meant

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Spotters, with mobiles, plus you RC map, can keep a drone in sight beyond 500 mtr, relatively safely out of town.
The powerful mini strobe light can also help to see it.

Sadly is the not the case , The FAA no longer recognizes spotters as a means to flying your drone long distances. On the last conversation with the FAA there was some good news. Although they may give you a warning about VLOS they will not consider enforcing any penalty with a flight that is not over 5000 ft . This being discussed with @zeusfl on his last long distance flight posted on the forum.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain. Land on the Water , and fly thru the Storm

 

[footfly]

with a drone the size of the Mini 3 ,this preoccupation with being able to fly it for many Kilometers is really ,for me a mute point
1k is 3,280 ft
2k is 6,561 ft
2.5k is 8,202ft
i can with reasonable certainty ,state that even at 500m there are not many people who would,even with 20-20 vision be able to see a Mini 3 or any Mini drone , at a couple of hundred feet up ,and know which way it was going ,by just seeing a dot in the sky
the most important thing for me ,is having a stable signal between the RC and drone at all times ,when i fly within the guidelines

It the signal reception that most people are worried about. A longer range generally but not always, imply better signal for viewing camera.

 

[Jorgeo65]

Ive purchased one from Argos with the Pro RC and need to go and collect it, but in 2 minds whether to refund it or pick it up. The signal strength is concerning for me. I’m hoping a firmware update will fix it as I remember a similar situation with the Mini 2 when that first came out.

I took mine out for its 1st flight today, it wont stop raining here in NSW Australia, but it stopped long enough to get 1 flight in today. you have nothing to worry about, connection was fantastic, I did a bit over 1km run and had full bars all the way, could of gone a lot further but storm clouds were coming and i played it safe. when i turned it to come home it lost a couple of bars, but only for a second, I think the new firmware fixed problems those influencer's were having with connections. you can see the utube video I did on my channel, this is the link.