P4 Range?

Just read a post on another forum in which a guy with an "unboosted" DBS antenna took his stock P4 out to 25,169 ft each way returning with 9% battery and averaging almost 35 mph....so perhaps the P4 has potential afterall :)
 
Well, good for him. This is what I got today between 1000 and 1300 meters. A cake walk for my phantom 3. But the phantom 4 brings us back to the phantom 2 vision plus days when we would go "yay, I just went 1.3 kilometers on my stock phantom 2!!!" What BS after I spent 1600 Euro. In the video below, in my phantom 3 I would go past that lake and 2 kilometers deep into that valley. On a stock phantom 4 that party is over. And no, I don't want and should not need any windsurfer or antenna mod to go 1 mile which my phantom 3 easily did. As for my phantom 3, which I promised to a friend, which was a lucky bird with an always level gimbal, the only one that didn't crack, is gone today. So now I gotta sleep in this phantom 4 bed I made. Lucky for me I still have an extra GL300B. But it does not do enough. The flight below was done on my GL300B.

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I've heard this all before, and while it may seem insignificant, and at under a mile it is, at long range, in the 3-5 mile distance, the differences in FPV stability that correspond with the changes in power output are significant. So far, no one can otherwise explain the range differences. The degradation in FPV range distances from the W323 P3P to the W323A P3P corresponded with the 18% reduction in video power from the W323 to the W323A. All I know is that the FCC ID# power outputs directly correspond with the relative ranges for control and FPV. Whether anything else changed with them, that otherwise explains the range changes remains to be seen, but they are an accurate predictor of all my real world tests over the last 10 months with five different P3P's and one P4 so far. I have had four W323's and two W323A's and 1 WM330A, and have three GL300A controllers, one GL300B controller, and one GL300C controller. The W323 with the GL300A is by far the best.
The P4 WM330A with the GL300C is by far the worst, and the P4 WM330A has 20% less video power than the W323 P3P, and the GL300C has 20% less control power than the GL300A. Draw your own conclusions, but those are my results.
Very useful info. Thanks.

I've got the GL300B. So should also not be too shabby when combined with my W323 hopefully.



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I plan on upgrading my P3 advance remote to the Itelite without boosters to be used on the P4. I want to leave the P4 remote stock. My question is there any disadvantage of upgrading the P3 remote instead of the P4? Or would it be the same whichever one I decide to upgrade. Thanks
 
I plan on upgrading my P3 advance remote to the Itelite without boosters to be used on the P4. I want to leave the P4 remote stock. My question is there any disadvantage of upgrading the P3 remote instead of the P4? Or would it be the same whichever one I decide to upgrade. Thanks
Nope, no disadvantage. It's been confirmed that the P3 Adv / Pro remote works with the P4, but I haven't heard that the P4 remote works on P3 Adv / Pro, but I'd imagine it would. We offer free antenna plugs for ItElite purchases, either solid or open. The open ones eliminate drilling holes. Check us out at Maxx UAV
 
I plan on upgrading my P3 advance remote to the Itelite without boosters to be used on the P4. I want to leave the P4 remote stock. My question is there any disadvantage of upgrading the P3 remote instead of the P4? Or would it be the same whichever one I decide to upgrade. Thanks

From what I've read, the GL300C controller with the P4 puts out less power than the GL300B found with most p3a and p3p with new motors. Some p3a and p3p shipped with the GL300C controller though.
 
From what I've read, the GL300C controller with the P4 puts out less power than the GL300B found with most p3a and p3p with new motors. Some p3a and p3p shipped with the GL300C controller though.

On my P3 I have the old motors not the new ones. So more power is good then I would imagine.
 
I plan on upgrading my P3 advance remote to the Itelite without boosters to be used on the P4. I want to leave the P4 remote stock. My question is there any disadvantage of upgrading the P3 remote instead of the P4? Or would it be the same whichever one I decide to upgrade. Thanks
They both work. And you're going to need it. Quality long range on the phantom 4, at this point, can happen only with mods. Which I don't like doing. I want something that goes as promised. Like the 3 advanced and pro.
 
They both work. And you're going to need it. Quality long range on the phantom 4, at this point, can happen only with mods. Which I don't like doing. I want something that goes as promised. Like the 3 advanced and pro.

Thanks Bighi. I get decent range so far but not like my advance. I just need a more reliable connection.
 
Thanks Bighi. I get decent range so far but not like my advance. I just need a more reliable connection.
Considering the 1600 euros I paid, double what an advanced costs, this lack of reliable range gets me pissed. Two things are happening at DJI right now. Either they are working hard trying to solve this issue which they know full well exists, or they are already priming their crack denial team. I don't know who their chief of denial is but I'm sure he's getting busy.
 
Interesting.. I have the p3advance w322 and gl300a controller another p3advanced w322a with the gl300c controller and the phantom 4. This weekend I am going to go to the location I flew my p3 advanced 2.5 mile (over a mix of open fields, residential houses and commercial buildings) and fly my 2nd generation p3 advanced and ps4 using the same windsurfer and report back. I can tell just from my first few flights with the p4 it loses connection in areas my original p3 advance handles with ease and that's at 2000-3000 feet away!! I'll run a more controlled test this weekend flying in the same area headed in the same direction with all three!!
 
Sorry I meant my second p3 advance is a w322a with the new motors but have the gl 300b remote controller.
 
Interesting.. I have the p3advance w322 and gl300a controller another p3advanced w322a with the gl300c controller and the phantom 4. This weekend I am going to go to the location I flew my p3 advanced 2.5 mile (over a mix of open fields, residential houses and commercial buildings) and fly my 2nd generation p3 advanced and ps4 using the same windsurfer and report back. I can tell just from my first few flights with the p4 it loses connection in areas my original p3 advance handles with ease and that's at 2000-3000 feet away!! I'll run a more controlled test this weekend flying in the same area headed in the same direction with all three!!
Nah buddy, don't use the windsurfer unless it came in the DJI box. Compare the birds as "delivered."
 
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"FPVLRv2 antenna"
There in lies the rub. Nah. We're discussing the birds as delivered. Hell, I can chuck an antenna that looks like predator's head and get long range as well. What we dealing with phantom 4 as promised, advertised and delivered with the items in question during inside that same styrofoam case it came in.
 
"FPVLRv2 antenna"
There in lies the rub. Nah. We're discussing the birds as delivered. Hell, I can chuck an antenna that looks like predator's head and get long range as well. What we dealing with phantom 4 as promised, advertised and delivered with the items in question during inside that same styrofoam case it came in.
Didn't know this was a thread for stock only. Oh well, then I won't contribute.
 
Didn't know this was a thread for stock only. Oh well, then I won't contribute.
Nah, no problem Fredz. Its just that it goes like this.

"Hey Joe, you tried the new GT3 yet? Oh yeah, it's fast as hell. But Bob, did you notice the brakes? Oh yeah Joe, Porsche said those new brakes are as good or better than on the last GT3. Ah, no, I tried, they fade badly. The last GT3 had more effective brakes." Another guy comes and says "yeah, I bought the car and the brakes suck." Now comes the fourth guy into conversation and says "nah, the new GT3 stops wondeful. I changed the calipers to 8 piston AP, put in some massive floating rotors and that thing slows from 180 to zero with no fade lap after lap." Well, you get the picture :)

Hence, just like anything will stop well on huge calipers and rotors, not everyone wants to leave the Porsche dealer, after a long wait with promise of even better brakes, to finally receive their car and find out that those brakes on the old car were better in spite of the manufacturer promising better braking. And most didn't buy the best to now have to go and fit custom brakes when last year's model didn't require it in order to get excellent performance.

At least Porsche fesses up to mistakes like that when they happen and do their best to rectify the situation. Now DJI on the other hand....
 
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Nah, no problem. Its just it goes like this.
"Hey Joe, you tried the new GT3 yet? Oh yeah, it's fast as hell. But Bob, did you notice the brakes? Oh yeah Joe, Porsche said those new brakes are as good or better than on the last GT3. Ah, no, I tried, they fade badly. The last GT3 had more effective brakes." Another guy comes and says "yeah, I bought the car and the brakes suck." Now comes the fourth guy into conversation and says "nah, the new GT3 stops wondeful. I changed the calipers to 8 piston AP, put in some massive floating rotors and that thing slows from 180 to zero with no fade lap after lap." Well, you get the picture :)
Well I can tell you; stock you won't get more than 1.5 miles, 2 tops.
I did it stock in CE mode (EU); got 2 km, and that's that.
 
Stock phantom 3 advanced delivered me flawless FPV to 2 kilometers. Over an Italian city with typical Italian population density. Over ocean, sometimes 3. In the alps, always 2. Reliable solid 2. The phantom 4 does not match the advanced or professional and most will agree. But do give my edited post above a read.
 
I have not looked at the DJI forum but I wanted to see if you all have been posting information there. What are the DJI reps saying about the issues? Everything is normal? My return date ends next week and I don't think it is ok for less range and less battery. I have not had a chance to get out and test mine. Thanks for all the information!
 

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