Max visual range is about how many meters?

[WoodlakeDrone]

I have had my Phantom 1.1.1 out to max visual range and return, several times, with no problems. (Max visual range = a tiny speck in the sky that can barely be seen with corrected vision) Can anyone tell me approximately how far that is? I'm wondering if I'm flirting with the limits of the range capability.

 

[Ozzyguy]

Everyone's eyes are different. I took mine over a known distance that I measured roughly with my cars odometer. Max visual range for me turned out to be around 700 metres(with the sun behind it so maybe I could go a litle further under better conditions)

 

[ElGuano]

I have had my Phantom 1.1.1 out to max visual range and return, several times, with no problems. (Max visual range = a tiny speck in the sky that can barely be seen with corrected vision) Can anyone tell me approximately how far that is? I'm wondering if I'm flirting with the limits of the range capability.

It depends a lot on conditions. Well over a mile at night with no cloud cover or light pollution. Maybe low hundreds of meters in bright sunlight that washes out the LEDs or glare.

 

[GMANNZ]

If upgrades keep going at the speed they are, .... wont matter about seeing it soon ... by next year you'll be navigating it with "mind control" :shock:

 

[ianwood]

I think anything beyond 500m (or even less) should be considered with the following caveats:

• You can easily lose track of it if you look away and it may be very hard to regain sight of it depending on height, clouds, etc.
• It is hard to judge relative motion at long distance. It may look like it is not responding to your controls. Hint: patience.
• Unless you've used an OSD in the past, you won't be able to accurately judge distance beyond 250m anyway.

 

[laselvasurf]

Using my iOSD has definitely keyed me into exactly how far I can see and operate line of sight effectively. During the day, I can push it out roughly 500m and still see it. Past that I can't tell which way it's facing and could not operate effectively if my FPV feed died and I didn't know which way it was facing (apart from using failsafe or HL/CL. I've had it out over 1000m on FPV and you can't see it at all, even with the sun at my back on a perfectly clear day.

 

[WoodlakeDrone]

So, can I assume that, as long as I can still SEE the Phantom as a tiny speck in the sky, it will probably still be within transmitter range?

 

[ElGuano]

So, can I assume that, as long as I can still SEE the Phantom as a tiny speck in the sky, it will probably still be within transmitter range?

Maybe not at night in ideal conditions. But yes, the tx range (~1000m) far exceeds the distance you can see the Phantom unaided.

 

[WoodlakeDrone]

Thanks for the help, guys! I feel better, now, about running my Phantom out to the limits of my eyesight. I understand that interference can be a wild card but, I don't have that problem where I live.