There is no 30m limit?

[Steve M]

I have two problems.

All updates done and all fully charged but sometimes when I fly without my phone connected, the drone will go way past the normal limit. I have only been game to go up about 60 odd metres and about 60 metres away.

And the second problem (why I tried using no phone) is that when connected to the phone (with 3 different cables) I get an error message saying align the aerial, do not cover aerial, weak signal, drone disconnected. Then it lands and I have little control. And this is when it is at only about 30 m up or out with the two aerials flat face, facing the drone.

I have recalibrated the sticks and the compass.

Does this sound like something that I can fix or is it a visit to the service centre?

 

[Otisangb]

way past the normal limit

What are the max height and distance set to. Can you check those setting with your phone before you take off. The aircraft should have retained those settings without the phone unless they were changed. Does the aircraft respond to your controls without the phone?

 

[Steve M]

Without the phone, before the drone would only go up and out 30 metres, and say on the controller maximum reached, I think that this is normal. Now it often goes beyond that previous limit.

The limit on the phone is set at 120m high and 1000m distance.

But I only noticed this since I have been getting inappropriate warnings not to cover my aerial. This is also when I noticed that when it auto returns and I try to steer it in for a safer landing the controls are not always responsive.
I'm sorry if it is a bit vague but I have not done many tests yet.

 

[Thomas B]

RTH does blunt the stock input.

 

[Otisangb]

Without the phone, before the drone would only go up and out 30 metres, and say on the controller maximum reached, I think that this is normal. Now it often goes beyond that previous limit.

The limit on the phone is set at 120m high and 1000m distance.

But I only noticed this since I have been getting inappropriate warnings not to cover my aerial. This is also when I noticed that when it auto returns and I try to steer it in for a safer landing the controls are not always responsive.
I'm sorry if it is a bit vague but I have not done many tests yet.

Thanks Steve was just of looking this up and found a video showing that the range is indeed limited without the phone. I will sit on the sidelines and hopefully someone with an idea will come along.

 

[Steve M]

I just had a quick play with it, without the phone, and it took off all right and it did stop at the 30m limit up and out with VLOS, then I noticed that on the controller the five bars near the controller symbol went flat and it said 'connecting'.

The controls were not responding and it drifted out to 45m, I pressed RTH and it did come back but I was 'helping' it with the controls and I don't know how much I helped. The sticks were inconsistent, and when I did land it on my front drive it moved erratically as if it was getting only an intermittent signal, or I was fighting what it wanted to do.
That must narrow down what the problem might be. I was lifting off from my front driveway where I often have before.

 

[Steve M]

Since I was not plugged to a phone, are there other .TXT or .DAT files on the drone that may help isolate the problem?

 

[DanMan32]

Nope, one of the serious disadvantages of not flying with the app.
The AC does have logs that can be extracted using Assistant, but they're encrypted where only DJI can read them.

I've flown once or twice without a phone. It's just too blind of a situation for my comfort.

With or without phone, shouldn't affect signal. Not having a phone only forces the height and distance limits as if you yourself had set them.

 

[Steve M]

To wrap up this story, the drone had a control board problem and the controller had a control stick board/module problem and they went into the shop to be fixed.