Dedicated P4P Range and Distance discussion

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How about a dedicated thread for disctance - the other thread got pretty convoluted with other issues...

Distance is not my thing, I just wanted to see the capabilities...

P4 Pro with Samsung Tab S2 tablet
FCC compliant (USA)
NO modifications
Weather, sunny, clear and cool: 55 degrees, slight cross wind at 3-5mph
Location: 3 miles south of Folsom, CA - low rolling hills/grassland

Went out on 5.8GHz, it went into return to home, switched to 2.4GHZ, got another almost 5,000 feet

Distance on 5.8GHz: 10,653 feet @ 220 feet ATP (Above Takeoff Point) and it went into return to home
Distance on 2.4GHz: 15,223 @ 392 feet ATP - went into RTH with low battery (60%)

Average speed on both the out and back legs was about 55-60 mph

I did not over-ride the low battery RTH, I wanted to play is safe.

Started with 93% battery, returned to Takeoff Point w/ 27% battery, landed with 24%
 

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Distance on 2.4GHz: 15,223 @ 392 feet ATP - went into RTH with low battery (60%)

I did not over-ride the low battery RTH, I wanted to play is safe.
Any inkling on how much further you could have gone on 2.4 GHz if you had more battery? (meaning was the signal level still decent?)

One problem we may have getting many tests beyond three miles is hesitancy of people to risk the aircraft... at this point in the technology battery is more of a practical limit to range than the RF channel.
 
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Any inkling on how much further you could have gone on 2.4 GHz if you had more battery? (meaning was the signal level still decent?)

One problem we may have getting many tests beyond three miles is hesitancy of people to risk the aircraft... at this point in the technology battery is more of a practical limit to range than the RF channel.
Don't know.... Hard to tell, 2.4 and 5.8 drops out so quick compared to the "old style" downlinks... Like I said, I'm not a distance flyer so unlikely I will repeat... I'll let others do that :rolleyes:
 
5.8GHz 13580 feet
2.4GHz 13334 feet

Both flights were at 75 meters of altitude. The 2.4GHz environment is super noisy at this location. Don't know about the 5.8GHz environment here.

Mavic flew to a distance of 14700 feet at this location previously. Don't know if that is really comparable or not.
 
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5.8GHz 13580 feet
2.4GHz 13334 feet

Both flights were at 75 meters of altitude. The 2.4GHz environment is super noisy at this location. Don't know about the 5.8GHz environment here.

Mavic flew to a distance of 14700 feet at this location previously. Don't know if that is really comparable or not.

Please specify if you're running with FCC or CE compliant controller. Many members here live in Europe.
 
His profile (right under his screen name) says Ridgecrest, CA. And FWIW I don't believe that there are different physical controllers for FCC or CE regions, rather the controller adjusts output power based on GPS location. So no good sneaking black market controllers into Europe ;)
 
Please specify if you're running with FCC or CE compliant controller. Many members here live in Europe.

FCC - I just added the location to my profile.

I'm going to a remote location tomorrow and will do some more range comparisons and report back.

At remote locations I've gone over 18000 feet with the Mavic. That is pretty much the max distance due to power limitations.
Since the P4P moves faster it may have potentially more range.
 
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Ah yes, I see your location now. I have fond memories of Ridgecrest, using the Terrible Hebst gas station and the Sizzler Steak house in the 70's, during my motorcycle racing days. We often have races nearby off Trona rd, or Randsburg area. Do you work at China Lake? I look forward to your distance tests, thanks in advance.
 
>>>

At remote locations I've gone over 18000 feet with the Mavic. That is pretty much the max distance due to power limitations.
Since the P4P moves faster it may have potentially more range.

I had only 3-5mph at most slight cross wind today and with full forward stick it stayed between 55-60mph on both the out and back leg... what does the Mavic do?
 
I had only 3-5mph at most slight cross wind today and with full forward stick it stayed between 55-60mph on both the out and back leg... what does the Mavic do?

When range testing, I usually fly in P mode with the right stick full foreword. Generally, about 9m/s for the Mavic and 13m/s for the P4P. If you go full speed in sports mode, it depletes the battery too quickly and it limits the range, at least with the Mavic.

Mavic top speed seems to be about 19m/s or 45 mph.
 
How about a dedicated thread for disctance - the other thread got pretty convoluted with other issues...

Distance is not my thing, I just wanted to see the capabilities...

P4 Pro with Samsung Tab S2 tablet
FCC compliant (USA)
NO modifications
Weather, sunny, clear and cool: 55 degrees, slight cross wind at 3-5mph
Location: 3 miles south of Folsom, CA - low rolling hills/grassland

Went out on 5.8GHz, it went into return to home, switched to 2.4GHZ, got another almost 5,000 feet

Distance on 5.8GHz: 10,653 feet @ 220 feet ATP (Above Takeoff Point) and it went into return to home
Distance on 2.4GHz: 15,223 @ 392 feet ATP - went into RTH with low battery (60%)

I did not over-ride the low battery RTH, I wanted to play is safe.

Started with 93% battery, returned to Takeoff Point w/ 27% battery, landed with 24%
Wow! This is very good to see this kind of range out of the P4P! What kind of terrain are you around in that area?
 
P4 Pro with IPhone7
FCC compliant (USA)
NO modifications
Weather, sunny, clear: 70 degrees, calm
Location: 3 miles North of Thousand Palms, CA - Open Desert


I just went out over 10,000 feet on 5.8Ghz. Flew around 200 feet or so. Didn't push it any further as It was only it's 3rd flight. Signal was full bars until I turned around. I think I got the Low Signal warning only once for like a second. Didn't try 2.4Ghz as my buddy was flying his Mavic nearby at the same time. Huge thumbs up for 5Ghz and having the option to switch between the two. Going long range when 2 drones are on 2.4 usually causes problems, even if you pick the furthest channels apart for each craft. Love the camera too! I'm sold!
 
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More data from a remote location with little rf interference and very flat topography.

P4P on 5.8 GHz at 150 feet AGL made it 18309 feet with loss of signal and aircraft disconnected with failsafe RTH initiated. Lots of glitching during the last 3000 feet. Landed with 40% battery remaining. Outbound velocity was approximately 29 mph with a duration of 17:17.

P4P on 2.4 GHz at 150 feet AGL made it 19711 feet with loss of signal and aircraft disconnected with failsafe RTH initiated. Lots of glitching during the last 5000 feet, with some glitching at much less range. Landed with 27% battery remaining. Outbound velocity was approximately 29 mph with a duration of 18:25.

Mavic at 150 feet AGL made it 18603 feet with almost no glitching and good video. Smart RTH tried to make me turn around at about 17000 feet but I pressed on until I felt I had to turn around to make it back home. However, I landed with 25% battery, so, I could have easily gone a little farther. Outbound velocity was approximately 20 mph with a duration of 17:33.

Overall, it seems that the Mavic has a more robust video system than the P4P.
 
So it would seem that maximum RC range of the P4P and Mavic are about the same, although the Occusync video link seems more robust at weak signal levels. One hopes that the data in this thread puts to rest some of the almost hysterical concerns out there concerning P4P range.

Given the risk to the aircraft, illegality, and limited utility (due to power limitations) of 3+ mile jaunts I'm not sure why the focus some have on range vs. more important characteristics, but it's nice to know the capability is there... I guess.

A big thanks to those with the guts to make these tests with their new P4Ps and Mavics. I tried but lost my nerve at a little more than a mile even though I still had full signal bars and no transmission issues, just a little too unnerving to have the aircraft that far out of sight.
 
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More data from a remote location with little rf interference and very flat topography.

P4P on 5.8 GHz at 150 feet AGL made it 18309 feet with loss of signal and aircraft disconnected with failsafe RTH initiated. Lots of glitching during the last 3000 feet. Landed with 40% battery remaining. Outbound velocity was approximately 29 mph with a duration of 17:17.

P4P on 2.4 GHz at 150 feet AGL made it 19711 feet with loss of signal and aircraft disconnected with failsafe RTH initiated. Lots of glitching during the last 5000 feet, with some glitching at much less range. Landed with 27% battery remaining. Outbound velocity was approximately 29 mph with a duration of 18:25.

Mavic at 150 feet AGL made it 18603 feet with almost no glitching and good video. Smart RTH tried to make me turn around at about 17000 feet but I pressed on until I felt I had to turn around to make it back home. However, I landed with 25% battery, so, I could have easily gone a little farther. Outbound velocity was approximately 20 mph with a duration of 17:33.

Overall, it seems that the Mavic has a more robust video system than the P4P.

Something doesn't compute.... Your P4P flights are close to the Mavic in distance and duration, yet your outbound speed was 50% greater with the P4P... Were there other variables to the flights to account for the discrepancies?... Did you run these flight through HealthyDrones to see if maybe a different speed or distance was logged?

Appreciate the review/comparison.
 
Something doesn't compute.... Your P4P flights are close to the Mavic in distance and duration, yet your outbound speed was 50% greater with the P4P... Were there other variables to the flights to account for the discrepancies?... Did you run these flight through HealthyDrones to see if maybe a different speed or distance was logged?

Appreciate the review/comparison.

The numbers come from HealthyDrones.

Mavic flight was straight out "U" turn and straight back.

Phantom flights flew until they were out of range. There are some delays associated with that as well as stops and starts with flying through video glitches.
 
Mavic must've been going closer to 24mph (average) to do a 37000+ ft flight.... That along with the P4P delays should account for the differences.

Thanks again for the comparison.
 
More data from a remote location with little rf interference and very flat topography.

P4P on 5.8 GHz at 150 feet AGL made it 18309 feet with loss of signal and aircraft disconnected with failsafe RTH initiated. Lots of glitching during the last 3000 feet. Landed with 40% battery remaining. Outbound velocity was approximately 29 mph with a duration of 17:17.

P4P on 2.4 GHz at 150 feet AGL made it 19711 feet with loss of signal and aircraft disconnected with failsafe RTH initiated. Lots of glitching during the last 5000 feet, with some glitching at much less range. Landed with 27% battery remaining. Outbound velocity was approximately 29 mph with a duration of 18:25.

Mavic at 150 feet AGL made it 18603 feet with almost no glitching and good video. Smart RTH tried to make me turn around at about 17000 feet but I pressed on until I felt I had to turn around to make it back home. However, I landed with 25% battery, so, I could have easily gone a little farther. Outbound velocity was approximately 20 mph with a duration of 17:33.

Overall, it seems that the Mavic has a more robust video system than the P4P.
Whoa, Glenn, this the first good news I've read about P4P range. Great detail, thanks for all this. Maybe there is hope for a P4P in my future. Can you try the same thing sometime with a Windsurfer installed over the antennas? GOOD REPORT!
 
P4P on 5.8 GHz at 150 feet AGL made it 18309 feet with loss of signal and aircraft disconnected with failsafe RTH initiated. Lots of glitching during the last 3000 feet. Landed with 40% battery remaining. Outbound velocity was approximately 29 mph with a duration of 17:17.

I see you mentioned earlier that you typically fly in P mode, full throttle for distance tests. From this report you show 29mph outgoing speed. Was this with OA (object avoidance) enabled?
 

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