DJI Phantom - Radio Range

[guihh25]

Hello,

Can anybody help me saying what is the range limit for Phantom's Radio? I've heard that some people were flying over 300m with the original radio.

Also I would like to know which radio I can use to have a better range and where can I find a tutorial to setup this new radio on Phantom?


Thanks a lot

 

[Gizmo3000]

Hello,

Can anybody help me saying what is the range limit for Phantom's Radio? I've heard that some people were flying over 300m with the original radio.

Also I would like to know which radio I can use to have a better range and where can I find a tutorial to setup this new radio on Phantom?


Thanks a lot

yes,. stock radio is good for 300m or so.
better radio is the Futaba, T8J or better.
lots of videos' on how to set it up on youtube.

 

[tapiot]

Could you go into a little further detail on the radios or should I just peruse google and YouTube?

I'm looking at farmers fields which may be a half mile long in which I wish to catch agricultural activities or livestock which may be on the other side of a ten acre field.

Tim T.

 

[GearLoose]

I can easily fly around a ten acre field with my Phantom. In fact, I fly in a field that is probably closer to one hundred acres (or more) and regularly go from corner to corner and even along the edges. Compared to some members here I'm conservative in my flying -- but in the big field I have no problem going 1500 feet (using Fatshark Predator FPV).

 

[Meluk]

I flew 1km (3280ft) the other day with still clear video with my fat shark predator kit. Phantom all stock as well.

Going for a mile next time






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[martcerv]

If you maintain LOS you should get close to 1km range out of the stock radio but any objects between you and the antenna or interference on the 2.4G frequency may drastically reduce this. I have only flown out of range once at 880m away after checking Goggle earth but my FPV video link was still good it kicked in to RTH and this was pretty cool to view from my screen to see what it does. I have flown to 1km in the past and maintained control and came back easily enough all flying LOS but this is quite risky, I did it in a very open field and ensure correct start-up procedure and home location is saved before each flight.

Do read up on flyway threads as anytime you are flying these distances there is a chance RTF may fail or run out of battery before it gets back could result in you losing the phantom. If your wanting to fly long range dont do it in an area with lots of possible radio interference and best somewhere open and you may want to look into upgrading the radio. If flying a longer distance ensure you have a fully charged battery and you know your normal flight times and make sure your back with 2 minutes to spare before the first warning just in-case you lose range and RTH needs to fly back as its not very fast in flight and could take a minute to get back from 1km even more if coming back into the wind.

 

[GearLoose]

It is interesting that some people are willing to risk the loss of their Phantom in order to test its limits. Until there is a known cause (and cure) for flyaways, however, I'll be playing it as safe as I can and staying within 1500 feet. This distance is already beyond the 300 meter range DJI suggests, so perhaps I'm also playing with fire?

If I could make one change to the Phantom it would be an option for a "novice mode", one that would make the quad less responsive, easier to handle, and auto-limit its range. Some of us who have never played a video game or handled an RC of any kind tend to become all thumbs and adrenaline once we get our hands on a Phantom. I'm come very close to creating a flyaway scenario on at least two occasions when I sent the Phantom beyond easy visual orientation range.

Nonetheless, keep those long range reports coming in! :twisted:

 

[tapiot]

Sounds like it will fly stock further than I can see it safely already. I'll leave things alone.

Tim T.

 

[Meluk]

I got it a mile yesterday! At the end the phantom took over as it loss signal. Was interesting to see the RTH working perfectly through my goggles.

All stock as well so I think the range is very adequate! I think some people like to upgrade perhaps for Fpv flying but still a mile is more than enough for me! Plus battery wouldn't last much longer.


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[BruceTS]

I got a littlie over 100ft high before RTH kicked in, granted it was straight up and that's the worse for reception, plus it was in an area that is known to give serious reception interference. Been busy lately that I never get a chance to go out to a decent field to fly.....so I've been getting pretty creative flying in a tiny courtyard of this apt complex, mostly testing the changes I've made in my T8J settings.

 

[MKheng]

After fitting a Zenmuse gimbal, FPV TX my range has reduced greatly. Has anyone else experienced this?

I also had to re-solder the antenna back onto the pcb in the RC TX, I assume you can't get that wrong so as to cause a problem.


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[tbruinsma]

Using stock transmitter i have flown mine to an altitude of 2400 feet and a distance of 1400 feet. I have not yet triggered the RTH feature. For a better idea of the extents of the flight take a took at flytrex, there are a number of phantom pilots sharing their stats there.
flytrex.com/tom.bruinsma/ is where mine are logged.

 

[phantomflyer]

I flew 1km (3280ft) the other day with still clear video with my fat shark predator kit. Phantom all stock as well.

Going for a mile next time






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Hope your going out and not up with that range!

 

[Meluk]

Yep horizontal distance. Managed to push it to 1 mile before I lost control.


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[ElGuano]

It is interesting that some people are willing to risk the loss of their Phantom in order to test its limits. Until there is a known cause (and cure) for flyaways, however, I'll be playing it as safe as I can and staying within 1500 feet. This distance is already beyond the 300 meter range DJI suggests, so perhaps I'm also playing with fire?

If I could make one change to the Phantom it would be an option for a "novice mode", one that would make the quad less responsive, easier to handle, and auto-limit its range. Some of us who have never played a video game or handled an RC of any kind tend to become all thumbs and adrenaline once we get our hands on a Phantom. I'm come very close to creating a flyaway scenario on at least two occasions when I sent the Phantom beyond easy visual orientation range.

Nonetheless, keep those long range reports coming in! :twisted:

1. Ironic name for someone concerned about losing their quad.

2. 300m is already damned far, I've lost sight of my quad well closer than that. I guess what you consider "risky" and "safe" is relative.

3. Standard GPS more is already a very novice mode: you let go of the sticks and it stays still, it doesn't even follow conservation of momentum. Your tx batteries run out, it comes home automatically.

You can set virtual height and distance limits in the assistant if you don't want to fly it higher than x ft or farther than y ft in any direction. You can also lower the attitude gains so the response to stick movement is slower. There are a lot of options out there to make it even easier to use than it currently is.

 

[MadeInMaine]

Hey everyone,

I am a newb, and this may be an easy answer... but...

1. why do people talk about not flying too high? what is the difference between flying a long ways away horizontally vs. vertically?

2. how do you know how far or how high you go? Is there a way to track your trip?

3. If you fly out of range, with the stock DJI Phantom, will the fail safe kick in, and will it automatically return to "home", as long in GPS mode of course.

Thanks in advance

Owen

 

[ElGuano]

I've gotten about 1.2km range out of my stock tx/rx Phantom (the old style transmitter, single antenna). That's right about the range limit DJI claims, and it's pretty much out of sight, so I won't be pushing it any further on non-test flight. The vTX signal starts cutting out badly right around there as well, and I'll lose video signal if the craft isn't pointing directly away from me when it's that far out.

 

[Ozon8r]

I've gotten about 1.2km range out of my stock tx/rx Phantom (the old style transmitter, single antenna). That's right about the range limit DJI claims, and it's pretty much out of sight, so I won't be pushing it any further on non-test flight. The vTX signal starts cutting out badly right around there as well, and I'll lose video signal if the craft isn't pointing directly away from me when it's that far out.

@elguano

I have experienced similar results flying P2/hero3+/zen/fatshark 5.8 250mw vTx with Attitude goggles.

The OP didn't specify if he was flying vision or not. I understand that there is a screw on the back of the vision controller that will extend range to +\- 500m. Download the manual from dji and it will explain the steps to extend the vision range.


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[ElGuano]

That's the CE/FCC switch, only available on the 5.8ghz phantoms. The 2.4ghz models have the pot but it seems nonfunctional.

 

[Bob_Rush]

When I do field surveys I set my GoPro on time lapse at photo every 2 secs. Set camera on 720 mid or wide and hover over the middle of the field at +-500 feet. Because of the wide angle lens I can get the whole field with no problem and the 12MP photos allow me to zoom in to get the data I need. If I find a problem I then hover over that area at a lower altitude. I get a lot of photos I don't need but I always get the ones I do need. Hope this helps.