I have found while flying my Phantom that I am very thank full for the radar and the Failsafe function. I would say that 3 out of 5 times flying when I get out to 1600 ft I loose sight or just loose visual or just cant find her with my ole tired eyeballs. I was wonder if this happens to many of you guys. I have to use the radar or H/l or the Failsafe function to get her back or just find her in that vast sky while doing all that crazy flying and maneuvers that we do getting pictures and video. Do you lose LOS too.
Lose LOS after 1,600 Ft, do you?
- Thread starter RoyVa
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There's a difference between losing sight and losing line of sight.
I would think that most people would lose sight of their Phantom when it is out that far (or even closer)
But unless your Phantom has gone behind trees, buildings or terrain, you would still maintain line of sight and so would have full control of the Phantom.
I would think that most people would lose sight of their Phantom when it is out that far (or even closer)
But unless your Phantom has gone behind trees, buildings or terrain, you would still maintain line of sight and so would have full control of the Phantom.
Personally, i don't fly that far away. There's something in the FAA "rules" about maintaining visual contact, I think, so I do. But, even at 200-300 feet AGL, it's hard to see.
bet folks call you eagle eyes!
I loose site of mine around 500-600ft and I have 20/20 vision (now after cataract lens replacement on both eyes).
And If I EVER got rc control to 1600ft I would probably have a heart attach! My FPV usually goes about 800-1100ft, RC control begins to get spotty same distance.
GS is only way I ever can go further than that!
I loose site of mine around 500-600ft and I have 20/20 vision (now after cataract lens replacement on both eyes).
And If I EVER got rc control to 1600ft I would probably have a heart attach! My FPV usually goes about 800-1100ft, RC control begins to get spotty same distance.
GS is only way I ever can go further than that!
We ran another test today. Had my daughter and wife with me a bunch of extra eyes. Flew out at 350 altitude to 1600 ft. Both my daughter and wife watch and followed her out to 1600 ft with a beautiful blue sky. I stopper there for fear of losing sight if I went any further. She was like a dot but we maintained visual. Flew here to the left about 800 Ft then brought her back home. All eyes still on her. Fantastic and lots of fun.
It was harder for me, but my daughter, not so young, mid 40 ish, and my wife could see it and help me. I did course lock and they could follow it left and right and help point it out to me when I would lose it by looking at OSD then trying to find it in the sky again. She was only a dot in the sky. It was a fantastic feeling being out that far and still being in full control. That's the maximum I can go and maintain visual. My antennas give me longer range but I lose sight after 1625 ft. At an altitude of 350. Did it twice and verified both times the distance and altitude.had to do it around 6 pm when the sun was down some and the sky was still clear and bright. Nice blue sky with a little black dot.
I have the Itelite DBS Phantom model DBS-01. I did have external 5 dbi stick antenna and decided to try then Itelite. It holds solid with video and RC to 1600 ft with no problems. May test it one day a little further but I am at maximum visual now. Looking from OSD and back to sky I can lose visual sometimes. At 1600 ft in the sky it looks like a period in this sentence.
I can see mine out pretty far as a dot, but as soon as I look away and back again I have a hard time spotting it. At that point, I just get her back via the screen cockpit view or by using Home Lock to reel her in.
Happens to me to. Looking up and down it pretty easy to loose her. When I do it's radar or H/l and even so time have to resort to Failsafe to find here or bring her back. Have had to do that a few time when even closer. Easy to disorient myself sometimes while flying and loose her behind a tree or other object for a split second.
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After modified the Xmeter antenna to a 5.8 Ghz panel antenna, i did a test early in the mornig and send the bird to 3444Ft having the sun on my bach and having a beautiful blue sky.
In this wal it was possible to still distinguish a litle bright point... but at that time was not more able to find in in the sky. Som i started to fly back in my direction till i was able to see it again.
NOT lost control neither the wifi video/telemetry during all the fly.
Interesting was that even at 1050 metes away it was possible to hear the bird... it was in a place that is a dam and there is all around a lot of dense tress.... as 3 or 4 kms away of the nearest road ... complete silence...
Heart briting at high speed every time that heared some change in the noise coming from the bird....... even when i know that would be possible to do a RTH or switch to Home lock to get it back again .... my fingers shaking non-stop.... very nervous... hahhahahaha
I did not ended the test of the capacity of panel antenna to the end... since i was very scared in lost it.... and flyed it bach and safely landet it.
Not planning in tho this kinda thing again.
Berst regards : Juan
In this wal it was possible to still distinguish a litle bright point... but at that time was not more able to find in in the sky. Som i started to fly back in my direction till i was able to see it again.
NOT lost control neither the wifi video/telemetry during all the fly.
Interesting was that even at 1050 metes away it was possible to hear the bird... it was in a place that is a dam and there is all around a lot of dense tress.... as 3 or 4 kms away of the nearest road ... complete silence...
Heart briting at high speed every time that heared some change in the noise coming from the bird....... even when i know that would be possible to do a RTH or switch to Home lock to get it back again .... my fingers shaking non-stop.... very nervous... hahhahahaha
I did not ended the test of the capacity of panel antenna to the end... since i was very scared in lost it.... and flyed it bach and safely landet it.
Not planning in tho this kinda thing again.
Berst regards : Juan
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Stock phantom 2 vision+ v3. Often I fly 300 meters up out to 1 kilometre. Would still keep going but decent speed is slow so need to have 5 minutes battery just to descend. 300 meters = about 1000 feet up. 1 km = about 3390 feet out. (No FAA in Canada)
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This is what the itelite panel is capable of for the wi-fi control. (You would do best to not use 5.8 control i've found its not great!) probably more if your hands are steady!stock bird!
Now that's a serious looking antenna. However with my Itelite I have been able to get 2,225 ft before losing signal. Now you talk about a small dot in the sky. Had to stop it over a sop in the sky with orientation to a imaginary line to the ground so if I took my eyes of her to look at the OSD I could look back up and find her. That the very most distance I've gotten and able to keep LOS. She was just a speck in the sky.
Now that's some serious distance, but I know you lost sight of her at what distance out. We we're all checking in how far out we could get and still have visual contact.
My wife is my spotter with high power bionics, but naked eye max ~2000' if there is something contrasting behind it like a mountain. If sun or just white clouds behind bird I loose sight quickly.
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