Line of Sight Restraints

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Are there restraints regarding line of sight telemetry between P2 & radio. Can I fly FPV back under a cliff out of my site and still control the P2? Yes, I know AMA requires continuous view of all FPV aircraft including quads. My question is hypothetical only.
 
bschaub said:
Are there restraints regarding line of sight telemetry between P2 & radio. Can I fly FPV back under a cliff out of my site and still control the P2? Yes, I know AMA requires continuous view of all FPV aircraft including quads. My question is hypothetical only.

I am not sure I understand your question but anytime you go under/behind something there is a good chance you are going to lose connectivity (and crash).
 
High-frequency radio signals, such as the 2.4/5.8GHz signals used by the Phantom range are basically line of sight, yes. Don't let anything solid come between you and the Phantom, or you will lose control. Even a large tree can block the signal.
 
I did not realize that even trees would block the signals. How do folks fly when your Phantom can't be seen by the naked eye. I even have trouble keeping an eye on my Phantom much more than a 150 yards out. Even with FPV when the Phantom is beyond your vision ability to see it, I don't understand how pilots can be certain that it's not behind some trees or something. I guess when I fly my Phantom out of my vision, and it's flown past some trees, I should really increase the altitude. That sometimes defeats the ability to get some of the video shots I would like to get.

Do you think I could use my FPV as guide. That is if I start losing my video on my monitor, I should take it up and if that doesn't help, I should start bringing it back closer until the video comes back. So much to experiment and learn without losing my Phantom. I can think of a lot of creative video shots that I would like to get but I know the Phantom would be out of site to get them. I was hoping that FPV would help keep me safe when the Phantom is out of site.
 
Bluegrass said:
I did not realize that even trees would block the signals.

Depends on distance, etc.

Even leaves will block signal if you are out far enough. As an example I have a tree line about 60' from my deck where I like to fly from. The trees are no bigger than 10" around with mostly small branches but have a lots of leaves. If I fly that direction I can pick up 1000' by just walking to other side of trees.
 
I was also concerned about the whole "Line Of Sight" analogy. I swear it seems like I see video where pilots fly way beyond LOS. Considering I don't have the vision of an eagle anymore and wear glasses, LOS can be a problem. A white drone at about 300 yds becomes meshed with the cloud cover and skyline. I suspect when they say "Line Of Sight", they mean within "antenna to antenna". Am I right on thinking this?
 
I was also concerned about the whole "Line Of Sight" analogy. I swear it seems like I see video where pilots fly way beyond LOS. Considering I don't have the vision of an eagle anymore and wear glasses, LOS can be a problem. A white drone at about 300 yds becomes meshed with the cloud cover and skyline. I suspect when they say "Line Of Sight", they mean within "antenna to antenna". Am I right on thinking this?

If you registered with the FAA the certificate you received clearly states VLOS not LOS as many think. Yes there are many who fly LOS using goggles, ground stations, high gain antennas and with modified or non-stock controllers.
 

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