Wondering what others are getting for flight range on there fc40's I read some posts that suggested if I put 1 of the phantoms antennas horizontally and the other vertical was the best range and took her out as far as she would go in a straight line at 300 feet high and then looked at the video to see how far she went and looked on goggle maps and seen it was exactly 300 meters before she stopped and wanted to come back from being out of range of my tx I then put the antennas back the normal way and I got 320m tho it was a lil bit better to get an extra 20 meters. It still seems far short of the 500m it should get in FCC mode on the transmitter. My battery's should still be pretty fresh still i'm using energizer 8x life litho AA's and I'm at 1.6 volts each. Or 6.4v for all 4 tho I never tested them when they were brand new to see what there starting volts were. and wondering if that is still high enough to be getting the best range I can get from the TX.
only getting 320 meters line of site in FCC mode
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Well I did some more experimentation today. Used fresh battery's in the tx and most i could get her out to was 320m again at 50 meters high. So I can rule out my battery's being the cause. Then I went and made a windsurfer antenna reflector and poped that over my antenna and flew her out to were I could not see her and then a few seconds past that with the right stick to the top most postion. Then I got a bit nerves and let go of the stick for a few seconds and then pulled back to bring her home and got real nervis when after twice as much time went by as I flew her after losing site of her. Then flipped her in to go to home. and waited and waited till I could her her but could not see her still and then looked up and she was above me. landed her and watched the video she was exactly 425 meters out and still cruising along at the point I let go of the stick and she leveled off and hovered then came straight back till the point I put her in to fail safe and she flew home. But being she was still going full bore ahead at the point I got nervis and let go of the stick. So she must of still been in transmitter range and could of keep going past the 425 meter mark had I not stopped her and pulled her back. The reflector worked awesome.
When my battery's are charged I'm going to see if I can go further.
When my battery's are charged I'm going to see if I can go further.
Wow I was sure some one would chime in on this at some point. But I think I found what was wrong and why I was only able to get a pitiful 300 or so meters flight range. Turns out when doing some circuit testing in side the transmitter the bottom potentiometer in the transmitter DOES NOT increase the output power of the transmitter at all and ONLY changes the single beep to 2 beeps and nothing more. To truly get the transmitter to be in fcc mode required me hooking up the usb cable to the board in the tx and then when I opened up the rc system assistant . It showed it was in CE mode still even with the Pot all the way to the right. and I had to check the circle to tell it to go in to fcc mode and then power off the transmitter then back on. and just for the heck of it to see what happens if I turned the pot all the way to the left to see if it would go back in to CE mode and low power. I unpluged it and turned the pot to the left and powered on the tx and only got one beep then hooked up the USB and seen it was still in FCC mode.
So I turned it back to the right just incase it does have some effect on the power level in CE or FCC mode. and closed her up.
Just sucks the weather is being uncooperative today and any time it stops raining long enough to get ready to go out and do a boomerang distance test. As soon as I get all set up to fly an get my all green lights. It starts raining again. Damit. I want to see if I can get her out to 500m with out the windsurfer reflector. Then if I can I want to try and see if I can go 600-700m with it on. being I was able to go from just about 320 yesterday with out it and in CE mode I then got 425m with the reflector.
So I turned it back to the right just incase it does have some effect on the power level in CE or FCC mode. and closed her up.
Just sucks the weather is being uncooperative today and any time it stops raining long enough to get ready to go out and do a boomerang distance test. As soon as I get all set up to fly an get my all green lights. It starts raining again. Damit. I want to see if I can get her out to 500m with out the windsurfer reflector. Then if I can I want to try and see if I can go 600-700m with it on. being I was able to go from just about 320 yesterday with out it and in CE mode I then got 425m with the reflector.
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The range on the camera and on the copter are completely separate.
The camera works in the 4 Ghz range, the copter in the 8 Ghz range.
What DJI basically did was they found a wifi camera and they buy them and they made a mount for them for the FC40.
The range of the FC40 is much farther than the range of the camera.You just won't be able to see where you are flying with the camera.
I should be able to tell you the maximum range on mine in a few days. I have a field that is 1200 meters long, so it should be easy for me to test the maximum distance.
The camera works in the 4 Ghz range, the copter in the 8 Ghz range.
What DJI basically did was they found a wifi camera and they buy them and they made a mount for them for the FC40.
The range of the FC40 is much farther than the range of the camera.You just won't be able to see where you are flying with the camera.
I should be able to tell you the maximum range on mine in a few days. I have a field that is 1200 meters long, so it should be easy for me to test the maximum distance.
ya the camera has way low range so I tend to not even use the wifi cause it cuts out at about 100meters away.
Which is not far at all but there are many people using wifi repeaters/ routers to increase the cameras range to over 300 yards but if the repeater is placed out farther then right next to were you are flying you can increase the range from the camera out even farther. and with better antennas on the router can also increase the cashmere range.
Tho my range problems I was haveing was not with the camrea being that is getting the right amount of range for its specs.
It was the flight range of the phantom that was frustrating me. Being it was supposed to be able to go farther then 300 meters in FCC mode and even tho thats about the limit of were I can still see it in the day. I just was not happy with it not being able to get her to go any further then that. Esp in a clear line of site with no obstructions.
How I was able to judge my distance is I would take her up and have the camera running to just record video without the wifi. and the cam facing strait down at the ground. and would fly her in CL mode till she would not go any farther. Then bring her back and watch the vid to see exactly how far she went. Then would go on Google maps and setting them so there distance scale would be 1inch per 100meters and then use a ruler to see exactly how far it was from the spot I was taking off from.
One of the places I intend to fly has a huge field and small building with roof access to put a wifi router on top and then I should be able to fly any were within site of it and be able to still get a video feed. Its also got good visual range up there and on a good clear day I can see Albany which is more then 25 miles away. ad even night flying with out video would be sweet there cause in the dark I would be able to still see the phantoms running lights even at its outer most distance it can fly.
Which is not far at all but there are many people using wifi repeaters/ routers to increase the cameras range to over 300 yards but if the repeater is placed out farther then right next to were you are flying you can increase the range from the camera out even farther. and with better antennas on the router can also increase the cashmere range.
Tho my range problems I was haveing was not with the camrea being that is getting the right amount of range for its specs.
It was the flight range of the phantom that was frustrating me. Being it was supposed to be able to go farther then 300 meters in FCC mode and even tho thats about the limit of were I can still see it in the day. I just was not happy with it not being able to get her to go any further then that. Esp in a clear line of site with no obstructions.
How I was able to judge my distance is I would take her up and have the camera running to just record video without the wifi. and the cam facing strait down at the ground. and would fly her in CL mode till she would not go any farther. Then bring her back and watch the vid to see exactly how far she went. Then would go on Google maps and setting them so there distance scale would be 1inch per 100meters and then use a ruler to see exactly how far it was from the spot I was taking off from.
One of the places I intend to fly has a huge field and small building with roof access to put a wifi router on top and then I should be able to fly any were within site of it and be able to still get a video feed. Its also got good visual range up there and on a good clear day I can see Albany which is more then 25 miles away. ad even night flying with out video would be sweet there cause in the dark I would be able to still see the phantoms running lights even at its outer most distance it can fly.
actually from all the stated specs I believe the cameras wifi is 2.4Ghz and very low power it don't even have a real antenna at all in it and is just a small circle of solder on the circuit board inside.
and the phantoms fC40' s controller should be 5.8GHZ with 125mw power in FCC mode. But I've seen some hacks people have done with other phantoms that use the 5.8.Ghz transmitters with an antenna power booster to boost the out put power to over 600mw and different antennas for ridicules amounts of flight range. Tho it seems pointless to go that ape on the mods on a fC40 being its only got such a short flight time on a battery.
Bullya BAMO Just got a break from the rain and sent her up about 50 meters high then out in a straight line till I could not see her any more and kept the rt stick up for 30 seconds more and then pulled back and waited and waited and waited till she was hovering and landed. Just watched the video and she keep going out and then what looks like went in to its own fail safe from being out of range of the transmitter and turned around and came back. But She made it to a yard and over a shed that is exactly 700meters from the spot I was standing. And did this with out any help of an antenna reflector or any modification other then finely getting the transmitter in FCC power output. Also being I'm in a city and buildings around I bet she would of still had more to go if I had her up at about 100 meters high when I sent her out. 
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Cool. Did you have a connection with the video that far out?
I am going to compare my iPhone and my Kindle Fire. My Kindle can see many more nearby wifi networks than my iPhone, so it appears to be a lot more sensitive.
BTW, when I checked the setting in my Phantom, maximum height was set at 2,000 yards! That is 1.13 miles! I think the maximum distance was set at 2000 yards as well. I set the height limit to 100 yards and the distance to 1000
I am going to compare my iPhone and my Kindle Fire. My Kindle can see many more nearby wifi networks than my iPhone, so it appears to be a lot more sensitive.
BTW, when I checked the setting in my Phantom, maximum height was set at 2,000 yards! That is 1.13 miles! I think the maximum distance was set at 2000 yards as well. I set the height limit to 100 yards and the distance to 1000
My video cuts out at around 100 meters give or take a few depending on how high up she is If down low its about 60 meters out before I lose signal on the video.
I normally have been keeping my range limits at 100m high and at about 200m out. But for the range testing I have been setting my height at 50m and the distance at 1000m
With the height I send her up till she wont go up any more then I know I'm at or about 50 meters. The I line her up so shes facing in the straight line and send her out.
Hum.... are you able to some how get the camera app to work on you're kindle?? I'd love to be able to try it on the kinle fire because my to sees net works that are much farther then the phone I have can. and I also can actually see whats on the screen on the kindle to when outside and its also bigger to. But every time I try to find the black market app thats supposed to let the kindle down load regular android apps I never seem to find a real link the the black market app and instead just get spammy sites or places that seem to want to down load spy ware and adware and other unwanted things
I normally have been keeping my range limits at 100m high and at about 200m out. But for the range testing I have been setting my height at 50m and the distance at 1000m
With the height I send her up till she wont go up any more then I know I'm at or about 50 meters. The I line her up so shes facing in the straight line and send her out.
Hum.... are you able to some how get the camera app to work on you're kindle?? I'd love to be able to try it on the kinle fire because my to sees net works that are much farther then the phone I have can. and I also can actually see whats on the screen on the kindle to when outside and its also bigger to. But every time I try to find the black market app thats supposed to let the kindle down load regular android apps I never seem to find a real link the the black market app and instead just get spammy sites or places that seem to want to down load spy ware and adware and other unwanted things
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Ah thank you darwin-t
I had to find an app to install a 1mobile app on the kindle then that let me install The regular FC40 camera app and i found the timer app and installed that on the kindle also. and they both seem to work pretty good to.
Tho I could not get the dji vison app to install right. I keep getting a window that pops up saying it cant parse the file. But I'm going to poke around and see if I can find out how to fix that.
I had to find an app to install a 1mobile app on the kindle then that let me install The regular FC40 camera app and i found the timer app and installed that on the kindle also. and they both seem to work pretty good to.
Tho I could not get the dji vison app to install right. I keep getting a window that pops up saying it cant parse the file. But I'm going to poke around and see if I can find out how to fix that.
Just had another awesome long distance test run. I tried the windsurfer reflector that was able to increase my flight range in CE mode and in fcc mode it was actually cutting my max distance down some. So the new one instead of using alm foil I used a pcs of thin gauge alm roof flashing. and it made the reflector nice and sooth with no ripples and crinkles in it like the foil and card stock had and This time I got her to go 850m on the dot before she was out of range and went in to fail safe mode and started to come back. I was shoting to go 1/2 block then it made it to. But none the less I am very impressed. Being 850m is just over 1/2 mile.
J.James said:Just had another awesome long distance test run. I tried the windsurfer reflector that was able to increase my flight range in CE mode and in fcc mode it was actually cutting my max distance down some. So the new one instead of using alm foil I used a pcs of thin gauge alm roof flashing. and it made the reflector nice and sooth with no ripples and crinkles in it like the foil and card stock had and This time I got her to go 850m on the dot before she was out of range and went in to fail safe mode and started to come back. I was shoting to go 1/2 block then it made it to. But none the less I am very impressed. Being 850m is just over 1/2 mile.
Curious as to how are you able to see your flight distance on google earth?
its basically just a flat parabolic reflector that reflects and focuses the antennas signal from your transmitter. Many people use them to boost signal and range on wifi antennas but they can be used on lots of other things to. and lots of different ways to make them. Most use aluminum foil But its hard to get it nice and smooth with no wrinkles in the foil. So I made My second one using a pcs of thin gauge sheet aluminum for the reflector part and card stock from a priority mail envelope for the center brace.( a cereal box cardboard would work to) and it worked much better then the foil on I made and is more durable to. here is a video showing how to make one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKczVWs0X3c
That was pretty easy to do. I just pointed my camera straight down and watched the video after the flight then went to google maps and would find the very same spot it made it out to in the center of the videos view would be the spot she was over. Then Zoom in or out on the map till the maps scale was exactly 1 inch per 100m and then use a ruler to measher exactly how many inch's from the spot I was standing at when I flew her and the spot she made it over and were it would level its self out when hovering before it would turn around and start to come home. In this case it was exactly 8.5 inches from point A to point B = 850 meters. Tho you have to have the camera pointing straight down to be able to know what its over and looking down at. And being in a city with straight streets and avenues made it easier to find the general area to start looking on Google to pin point the exact house or land mark it would make it to.
darwin-t Just want to chime in today thanks again for the tip on getting the fc40 camrea ap to work on the kindle fire.
the kindle gets way better wi-fi range then the cell phone does. on the phone I could get just barely 100 meters range on the video feed. but with the kindle today I got just about 300meters and it was also blocked by houses. Tho it was pretty cool to actually be able to use the fpv to fly
the kindle gets way better wi-fi range then the cell phone does. on the phone I could get just barely 100 meters range on the video feed. but with the kindle today I got just about 300meters and it was also blocked by houses. Tho it was pretty cool to actually be able to use the fpv to fly
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J.James said:
Thanks. I did a test with my girlfriend holding my Kindle and me carrying the camera. We got about 380 yards apart before the signal was lost.
I did a separate test putting the camera looking out a window on my porch and walked away with my iPhone. I didn't even get 70 yards away before I lost the signal.
Today I got an antiglare screen protector which will help me actually see the Kindle screen. It was like a mirror before.
quote]Today I got an antiglare screen protector which will help me actually see the Kindle screen. It was like a mirror before.[/quote] I think I will try to find one of them today and some way to mount the kindle on the controller and make a sun shade for it to. While I'm waiting for ups to come and bring me a bunch of new goodies for the phantom later today. I ordered a hawking wifi repeater and some better antennas for the repeater and also the stuff needed to be be able to covert the controller to take screw in antennas and going to try a 6dbi and see if I can get any more flight distance. I also have some 2700mah battery's coming and also got a real 2 port charger coming to.
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