Still a newbie

[jughead65]

I’ve been flying my drone for a couple weeks now. I started to feel like I had things under control. That was probably my first mistake. My drone took off and I was flying it using the camera. I live in the area with lots of trees. When I went to bring the drone home I kept getting a signal that I was losing connection. The distance was not that far I think I was away about 1300 feet away and 300 feet in the air. This is a stupid question but Do you lose signal connection through trees? I hit the return home button and it started to come back and then it said lost connection. I tried to get out into the clearing as my heart was skipping 1000 beats a minute at that point. Fortunately the drone picked up connection again and I was able to bring it home. Is it necessary to stay away from the trees while flying it. I understand I can’t fly into the trees but if I’m above the trees with my drone should I still be able to make a connection. Probably won’t fly out in this area again because I got scared I had lost my drone after only having it a couple of weeks. Any suggestions of comments are welcome.

 

[dirkclod]

Welcome to Mavic Pilots .
I hope you will find our site helpful and look forward to any input , photo's/video's you might post .
Don't be shy and ask anything if you can't find it by searching .

 

[MavicMikeK]

Welcome Jughead. Thanks for sharing the story and yes you can lose signal through trees. Leaves contain moisture and can block radio waves. So always try to keep your drone in visual line of sight when you fly for best signal transmission and reception. Any obstacle that comes in between you and the drone can cause signal degredation.

 

[jughead65]

Welcome Jughead. Thanks for sharing the story and yes you can lose signal through trees. Leaves contain moisture and can block radio waves. So always try to keep your drone in visual line of sight when you fly for best signal transmission and reception. Any obstacle that comes in between you and the drone can cause signal degredation.

Will the return to home still work even if you have lost connection? I made sure it had marked the takeoff on the gps before I took off flying.

 

[msinger]

Welcome to the forum!

Will the return to home still work even if you have lost connection?

It'll work as long as:

• The drone is set to return to home when the remote controller signal is lost (that's the default setting in DJI GO)
• The aircraft marked the home point
• The aircraft has a usable GPS connection
• The aircraft has enough battery power to make it home
• The wind isn't stronger than what the aircraft can withstand
• No obstacles block the aircraft on its way to the home point (set the RTH altitude setting to the proper height)

 

[MavicMikeK]

Will the return to home still work even if you have lost connection? I made sure it had marked the takeoff on the gps before I took off flying.

Yes as long as the prerequisites meet what msinger mentions in his reply the RTH function should work.

 

[Greg Webb]

Check this video out on YouTube

It shows a test being done that should also help. P.S. Welcome to the Forum from the Nature Coast of Florida

 

[jughead65]

Check this video out on YouTube

It shows a test being done that should also help. P.S. Welcome to the Forum from the Nature Coast of Florida

Thanks for the video. That was exactly what I was seeing on my screen. I lost contact for a little bit but then heard the drone before I saw it. Glad I had the rth set. Thanks for everyone’s input. This website is so helpful. Thanks everyone

 

[BigAl07]

Welcome to the forum

 

[Thomas B]

Welcome! Enjoy the forum.

Anything that get in line of site between drone and controller can block, or seriously attenuate, signal. As mentioned above, it’s why RTH button is important. Also, this is why I set RTH at an altitude above all obstacles as the default drone response to loss of controller signal.

 

[jughead65]

Welcome! Enjoy the forum.

Anything that get in line of site between drone and controller can block, or seriously attenuate, signal. As mentioned above, it’s why RTH button is important. Also, this is why I set RTH at an altitude above all obstacles as the default drone response to loss of controller signal.

Thanks. I think that may have been part of my issue. I will check my rth and see what the altitude is set when it comes home. Great info. Thanks so much

 

[Aerial-Pixel]

I’ve been flying my drone for a couple weeks now. I started to feel like I had things under control. That was probably my first mistake. My drone took off and I was flying it using the camera. I live in the area with lots of trees. When I went to bring the drone home I kept getting a signal that I was losing connection. The distance was not that far I think I was away about 1300 feet away and 300 feet in the air. This is a stupid question but Do you lose signal connection through trees? I hit the return home button and it started to come back and then it said lost connection. I tried to get out into the clearing as my heart was skipping 1000 beats a minute at that point. Fortunately the drone picked up connection again and I was able to bring it home. Is it necessary to stay away from the trees while flying it. I understand I can’t fly into the trees but if I’m above the trees with my drone should I still be able to make a connection. Probably won’t fly out in this area again because I got scared I had lost my drone after only having it a couple of weeks. Any suggestions of comments are welcome.

Welcome to Mavic Pilots from Dayton Ohio! Yes any obstacle (trees, buildings, etc.) can degrade your signal. Fly safe and have fun!