So far i have taken my P3s out to about 370 metres, is it truly safe to take it to the max 500 metres ?
i would not be able to see it at this range, and dont know if the camera link will hold up, really not sure if i should try it, would you guys max it out
I have gradually flown farther and farther out always making sure that wherever I'm flying there are no obstacles in the way. Also, I make sure to set the RTH height to 50meters (~165 ft) which, for most cases where I fly is a lot higher than anything in the area. This way I ensure that, in the event that the signal is completely lost, that the Phantom will engage the return-home feature, go up to 50 meters and then fly back to where it started.
In the first couple of flights if can be quite unnerving to lose video signal and not seeing clearly where your drone is (if you're 300-500 meters away), the key is not to panic. Here are a few things I do as as I start losing either RC or video signal:
1) If you're uncomfortable, STOP. The drone will hover in place.
2) Read your telemetry: what is your altitude and distance. Make sure the drone is high enough to avoid hitting any obstacles if it needs to come back with you having no visuals. Usually 50meters high works for me.
3) Look at the map on the lower left corner. What is the drone orientation (shown by the little arrow) ?. Try to orient it back towards you (arrow should be pointing down if it's pointed back in your direction. Ensuring you have enough altitude, push the forward stick to bring the drone back to you
4) Read telemetry again. is the distance decreasing ? Is altitude maintained ? If distance is decreasing and you still don't see the drone or have a video feed, assuming it's high enough, then everything is fine, just wait for video signal to reconnect or for the drone to show up in the horizon.
5) Automatic RTH works, so if you didn't have time to go through steps 1-4, the only situation where RTH might end badly is if you don't have it set high enough, as the drone might find an obstacle on the way back.
6) Last but not least, don't go too far if you're battery is already low, you'll risk not having enough power to fly back at which point the drone will descend wherever it is and try to land automatically (in the water, above a tree, in open ground, etc.).
Hope this helps. Don't over extend the reach if you're not comfortable, practice makes perfect and make sure to read the telemetry and the map in case you lose line of sight or video feed.