GadgetGuy's First Flight Impressions of the P4
My P4 arrived from China this morning at 9:12am. Having already purchased a dedicated iPad
Mini 2 the night before, and installed the latest P4 supporting DJI GO app, and the 32 channel hack, I was ready to go. Battery and transmitter charging took several hours. After Activation, updating all firmware updates to the RC and aircraft took another hour, but was much easier, as I never touched my computer or the Mini SD card. All updates were done through the iPad Mini2, connected via WiFi, and the included USB cables in the package. The P4 definitely looks cool, and the shiny white finish on all components is very Apple-ish, matching my white iPad
Mini 2. The built-in metal Inspire table holder on the RC was a nice touch. All my P3P RC's have one purchased separately for $30 more. The updates went smoothly, with clear progress bars and prompts from within the DJI GO. After topping off the battery, I was ready for my first flight around 3:15pm. Before that, I noticed that the full screen map zoom and navigation could only be accomplished through first touching the compass icon in the lower left. Otherwise, the map zoom and movement was unresponsive. Minor, but important to know. I also went through all the menus and customized my settings. One caused a problem. I had dumbed down the gimbal control to such a degree that it would not move. After pairing with another RC, I figured out which setting was the problem, and repaired with the original RC. I was ready for launch with a fully charged battery. I had previously turned off all Obstacle Avoidance, as I didn't want to waste battery power on a feature I don't need. I have never run into anything in front of me. That's what FPV is for!
Video bit rate was set to the lowest setting of 4Mbs, and video recording on the iPad was turned off, as that is what I always use, and it maximizes video stability.
After being promised up to a 3.1 mile range, and a 28 minute flight time with the new larger battery, I was hoping I wouldn't need an RC mod and external batteries, like I do on my P3P's to achieve long range and video stability. To be fair, having already determined that the P4 GL300C RC had 20% less power than the original P3P GL300A, and the P4 aircraft also had 20% less power output for video than the original P3P WM323 model's 0.746 Watts, I was skeptical, but hopeful that pulling the gimbal inside might have improved video signal, minimizing the antenna blocking.
With the 32 Channel Hack set to channel 30, and a full windsurfer, I flew directly west over the same area I have flown for the last 9 months with my P3P's at the same altitude of 300 feet AGL. At 6,700 feet away, I lost both video and RC control. The RTH was set at 250 meters because I live and fly next to a small mountain that is 320 meters ASL, and launch from 80 meters ASL. Even the RTH elevation set to 250 meters was insufficient to recover signal or video, until the aircraft was within 5,000 feet of the Home Point.
With my original stock WM323 P3P and stock GL300A controller, with the same windsurfer and the same Channel Hack set to Channel 30, I can fly out 3 miles in the same direction at the same altitude before losing any video stability.
After recovering from the 3 minute signal loss, I continued to fly within the control and FPV range of well under 5,000 feet, while experimenting with Sport Mode. With a 10 mph breeze, upwind, the P4 in Sport Mode reached 35mph into the wind, and 50 mph downwind, but the props were always in the video at a 90° gimbal elevation both times. In P Mode, I flew at 35 mph into the same wind and 40 mph downwind, on the same course, with no props in the frame.
Despite having Smart Return to Home toggled OFF, I was informed at 35% remaining battery that I needed to return home, even though I was less than 2,000 feet away. I cancelled, and continued flying.
I ultimately landed at 17% remaining battery, with a total flight time of 16:14 minutes, having flown 30,000 feet total.
To say I am disappointed with DJI's gross misrepresentations of the P4’s capabilities is an understatement.
16 minute flight time, not 28 minutes.
1.27 miles, not 3.1 miles.
Sport Mode is barely faster than P Mode.
This P4 is going back to DJI.
My existing stock unmodded P3P's already run circles around this dumbed down P4, which can't deliver FPV past 1 mile with any reliability under ideal conditions, and whose battery is just shorter and fatter, not really larger.
YMMV.
