Loss of FPV Revisited (warning......lengthy post)

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I have been following the various threads on the topic of "Loss of FPV" and "Loss of Video" that pilots have experienced with their PV2+'s.
I've had my UAV for just over a year now and I started to experience FPV video failure about 2 months ago. I lost the capability for a few flights and then suddenly it was back. It dropped out again a few days ago and I went through the standard process.......rebinding the camera, checking connections, etc., all of the things other users have suggested. No luck. After reading through the forums, there appears to be strong evidence that the problem may be heat related, specifically, overheating of the wifi module located inside the P2V+. Some users have reported success after replacing the wifi module (to the tune of ~$185), and being at my wits end, I figured that I probably needed to do the same. But before committing to the purchase of a replacement, I thought I would try a quick and easy experiment. I took the props off the UAV and placed it in my refrigerator for about 20 minutes. After taking it out, I powered up the hardware and not surprisingly, the video was back. After 5 minutes or so, I turned the UAV and controller off and left them on my kitchen counter (at room temperature) for another 15 minutes while I composed this topic. I powered the UAV on again and the video was gone too. So, back into the refrigerator for 15 minutes and yes, when I took it out, the FPV worked again.
But here is the interesting part........if I don't turn off the UAV (once FPV starts working), the FPV remains functional for over an hour (idling on my kitchen countertop), at a minimum until the battery goes down to about 10% (and then I turn everything off). Once the FPV is working, I can turn off the wifi extender and/or the controller and once the system initializes, the FPV continues to remain functional. It's only when I turn off the UAV (and then back on) that the FPV problem reappears (and I need to cool/refrigerate it again). This leads me to believe that for my UAV, the FPV issue is heat related, but more specifically, it appears to be a heat sensitivity problem when the UAV is first powered on, perhaps something in the electronic circuitry that is associated with FPV initialization or start-up. Once I can get the FPV up and running properly, I won't lose it unless I turn off power to the UAV. By the way, I've experienced this issue with several apps, namely......DJI Vision (iOS), FPV Booster V3 (iOS) and Ultmate Flight (Android). The symptoms and results are identical with all three apps. Bottom line, right now it appears that the loss of video seems to be a heat related issue (specifically at power-up) and it also appears that the wifi module is not completely fried, so there may be potential for a fix (other than keeping it in the refrigerator before every flight!). I think the next step for me is to open up the UAV and try the "Arctic Silver" thermal compoundn fix on the wifi module components. It would be interesting to hear if any of you northern pilots who have this video issue keep your UAV's stored in a cold place (e.g., garage) before you fly......sort of simulating what I see happening with my UAV. I fly in southeast Georgia and it's fairly warm here all year round. Sorry for the rambling, but this issue is really frustrating.
 
Sorry that you're now experiencing the failure. I suspect many more will start to encounter the issue as the temperatures rise. Having the controller and bird within close distance will typically not show any failure in FPV. Letting the bird idle for extended periods of time will make the issue worse.

I know you've read a lot about the subject, but I'll give you my update to the same issue. I've recently vented my bird further and so far it has made a difference in the air flow within the bird during flight. Everything seems to be cooler after a long flight, even the battery.

I've done other mods to reduce the wifi over heating and to date they have worked. So there is hope of recovery...

Good luck!
 

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