Slower descent than the last time I flew

[erkme73]

I'm still flying my original Mavic Pro that I bought when it first came out (after waiting months for the initial backlog/delays). It's been months since I took it out of the case, and of course, i did the obligatory (to me) updates. After getting everything tweaked, I started flying both in normal and sport mode. Sport mode was just as fast as I remember, and still a thrill. However, the descent seems to be about the same whether in sport or normal.

Did I lose the ability to drop really quickly with the upgrade? Is there a setting that will restore the faster descent? I recall previously dropping so fast, it almost felt like it was falling... props slowed almost to silent as it fell. Not any more.

 

[Meta4]

Did I lose the ability to drop really quickly with the upgrade? Is there a setting that will restore the faster descent?

Post your recorded flighta and it will show what your descent speeds are and probably give an explanation if it's different from normal.

Go to DJI Flight Log Viewer | Phantom Help
Follow the instructions there to upload your flight record from your phone or tablet.
That will give you a detailed report of the flight.
Come back and post a link to the report it gives you.
Or .. just post the txt file here.

 

[Deleted member 103366]

Have you gone through the various settings menus to ensure that the tweaking did not change one? I seem to remember a thread where the allow other modes had been switched off.

 

[erkme73]

Post your recorded flighta and it will show what your descent speeds are and probably give an explanation if it's different from normal.

Go to DJI Flight Log Viewer | Phantom Help
Follow the instructions there to upload your flight record from your phone or tablet.
That will give you a detailed report of the flight.
Come back and post a link to the report it gives you.
Or .. just post the txt file here.

I may do that once I have some free time... my "me time" has evaporated lately (homeschooling my kids)...

Have you gone through the various settings menus to ensure that the tweaking did not change one? I seem to remember a thread where the allow other modes had been switched off.

That's what I presume. It did disable the sport mode and it took a while until I got that ironed out. I'm hoping there is a separate setting that enables the fast descent that I just hadn't found. I looked, but I'm blind as a squirrel when it comes to finding obvious things.

 

[Meta4]

I may do that once I have some free time... my "me time" has evaporated lately (homeschooling my kids)...

It takes all of 2 minutes.
If you want help, that's what you'll have to do.

 

[erkme73]

It takes all of 2 minutes.
If you want help, that's what you'll have to do.

I will... As soon as I can break away....

 

[Meta4]

i did the obligatory (to me) updates. ... Sport mode was just as fast as I remember, and still a thrill. However, the descent seems to be about the same whether in sport or normal.

If you updated firmware, many settings will have been reset to default values, including Enable Multiple Flight Modes being st to off.
If that is the case, Sport Mode would not have worked at all when you selected it with the Flight Mode switch.
As you suggested it was flying at normal Sport Mode speed, I discounted this possibility.
Your flight data would have shown how fast you really flew and whether Sport Mode really wasactive.
There is no setting that changes the descent speed.

 

[erkme73]

If you updated firmware, many settings will have been reset to default values, including Enable Multiple Flight Modes being st to off.
If that is the case, Sport Mode would not have worked at all when you selected it with the Flight Mode switch.
As you suggested it was flying at normal Sport Mode speed, I discounted this possibility.
Your flight data would have shown how fast you really flew and whether Sport Mode really wasactive.
There is no setting that changes the descent speed.

Ok, I made two quick flights with about 800' in elevation change (all below takeoff point). However, when I go to the flight record directory the flights are not showing up. I'm seeing the ones from weeks ago, but not todays. Is there a step needed to have the app finalize the txt file?

From within the DJI 4 app, I can get to the flight record interface and see the two flights, but they're simply not in the directory when connected to a PC.

 

[Meta4]

Is there a step needed to have the app finalize the txt file?

No

From within the DJI 4 app, I can get to the flight record interface and see the two flights, but they're simply not in the directory when connected to a PC.

If you can see the two flights, they are in there.

But did you read post #7?
Have you looked in your app settings to see if Enable Multiple Flight Modes was turned on?

 

[erkme73]

Yes, multiple flight modes is enabled. When I switch from normal to sport, the horizontal speed is markedly faster. Even the ascent speed increases from 8mph to 11mph. But descent stays at 6mph regardless of mode.

The remote reports sport mode and the options on app also change to reflect sport mode. Descent is just dreadfully slow both modes.

I just can't figure out where the log files could be. Is there a way to export/share the recorded flight from the app?

 

[Meta4]

Even the ascent speed increases from 8mph to 11mph. But descent stays at 6mph regardless of mode.

According to the specs for the original Mavic pro ...
Max Ascent Speed 16.4 ft/s (5 m/s) in Sport mode
Max Descent Speed 9.8 ft/s (3 m/s)

That's and 11.1 and 6.7 mph
It sounds like the Mavic is descending in accordance with the published specs.

 

[erkme73]

So then probably what happened is I was running an older "improved" firmware that removed max height limits from >2 years ago. I can only assume that firmware had made changes to the descent rates which were well faster (darn near free-fall) than the stock firmware/specs. Now that I'm on the most current legitimate firmware, I probably lost that tweaked rate.

That makes sense, and also explains why no one else has seen a change - they've all likely been on the stock firmware which never allowed for that fast rate.

FWIW, whatever the rate was, the props slowed to a rate that would maintain level and stable orientation. While it was scary fast, it never got close to a ring vortex state - at least nothing noticeable like the old Phantoms used to.

Thanks for helping me nail this down.

ETA: Just confirmed that is exactly what the difference was.