Lose Signal - both video and RC

[jdawg39]

I want to see if this is normal. I have put the windsurfer, dbsmods, sunhan boosters. I only get a mile no matter which way I try. I am behind heavy tree coverage so i am sure that factors in and the guys that are getting 3+ miles with stock, i am sure you have los.
My question is this, my last 2 flights, i get about a mile out and my RC stays maxed out signal strength wise, but my video shows degraded signal and it is choppy. And then all of a sudden, I lose everything, my app says "no signal" and of course I panic, I press the return to home and eventually my bird shows up, but it is not till i get about 1000 feet out that I get signal back.
Number 1, why do i lose all signal like that? That is beyond crazy that I got to that distance without losing signal, but yet if i fly 10 more feet I lose both video and RC, but if i fly back towards my position I dont get any signal back for another 3000 feet? That seems beyond crazy no matter the conditions. Why was i fine on the way towards that spot, but on the way back I am not fine will i get within 1000 feet??

Is it possible that my bird has a signal issue, I see some stock birds getting 2-3 miles without even trying and here I am with every booster I can buy and I am lucky if I ever see a mile distance.

 

[4wd]

Signal does seem to drop a bit when it turns towards you, this has been noted often - consider trying reversing at the farthest point of a run!
Trees are going to cut your signal severely because they are a very good diffuser of the RF energy.
If the leaves are falling it might improve somewhat.
You can't beat a more elevated or open area to take off from - them get high enough so you have line of sight throughout.
With the windsurfer your signal is rather like a headlight beam and if you can't see the phantom (to point at) it could even be counter-productive.

 

[bbfpv]

It's the trees. No one is getting 2-3 miles surrounded by forest.

Also keep in mind that just because you lose video signal doesn't mean you lose control signal. They are independent. Since your RTH button still works, you clearly still have control signal. Stand on your roof and test your range, or go to a hilltop.

Edit: what @4wd said too. The antenna on the bird are on the rear legs.

 

[jdawg39]

I live in Louisiana, we got no hills here brother. I might try the roof top thing or a tall building. It just seemed odd that I had signal the entire way till i got to about 6000 feet out lost all signal - DJI app said "no signal" and I didnt get signal back till I was about 1000 feet out. I mean give me signal back at say 3000? is it harder for it to pick back up signal after the fact?

 

[4wd]

There's some clever stuff going on with that Lightbridge, it can hold a fix on the signal until it is almost indistinguishable from background noise by using advanced processing techniques.
It's likely that once you do lose that link it's quite difficult to re-establish until it's strong enough to read fully again..

 

[jdawg39]

I agree with that. When i am in the same room it is easy to establish the link to my bird but once i am a mile away and expecting it to just find my signal I might be expecting too much. But there is no scarier feeling then getting a "no signal" message on your app and just hoping and waiting for your bird to return. Although there is no sweeter sound to hear your sweetheart buzzing once she gets closer.

 

[bbfpv]

if you're using directional antenna mods, you have to point at the bird. So unless you're going straight out and coming straight back, you have to move relative to the bird's orientation. gl

 

[jdawg39]

Im going straight out and straight back. I used dbsmods antenna, i used stock, i used wind surger. I just yesterday added the sunhan boosters. They all give me about the same signal - which is to say nothing great. stock i was just short of a mile. windsurfer i got 200 feet over a mile, and sunhans i got 1.5 miles. The tree foliage is heavy though, very tall trees right behind me and very tall trees the entire distance i am heading.
I think the thing I am afraid of and wondering - is my bird not as good as everyone elses? I hear guys boasting these great ranges even with stock alone and I have spent at least $300 on boosters to get about the same. I can only assume the guys with these massive distances are flying in a straight line, los the entire way and they are in an elevated position to start. I dont have any of those conditions.

 

[bbfpv]

Im going straight out and straight back. I used dbsmods antenna, i used stock, i used wind surger. I just yesterday added the sunhan boosters. They all give me about the same signal - which is to say nothing great. stock i was just short of a mile. windsurfer i got 200 feet over a mile, and sunhans i got 1.5 miles. The tree foliage is heavy though, very tall trees right behind me and very tall trees the entire distance i am heading.
I think the thing I am afraid of and wondering - is my bird not as good as everyone elses? I hear guys boasting these great ranges even with stock alone and I have spent at least $300 on boosters to get about the same. I can only assume the guys with these massive distances are flying in a straight line, los the entire way and they are in an elevated position to start. I dont have any of those conditions.

Yes. These distances being thrown around are pure LOS. There's no way around it. Tree leaves, especially when damp, and humidity, (both characteristics of the Fall season) also play a major factor in signal quality. To set your mind at ease, go somewhere that allows you to fly pure LOS. You'll be hitting the same numbers as everyone else.

 

[Ingsoc75]

I'm in a similar area up here in north Alabama (lots of trees). My advice is to find a recently harvested field and try flying it from there.

 

[CONTROL FREQ]

you have to factor in wifi disturbance.

at my home, i can only go out 1,500 feet or so but other places i can go past 15,000 feet.

i attribute that to the fact that everyone around me is wifi connected.

that makes a huge difference in your signal.