I have two Standards, and knew I would not be happy until I had the Phantom 4. No need in half stepping if you are going to get into this hobby. I found a Phantom 4 for $1050. and pulled the trigger sooner than I thought I would be able to. I expect to receive it today, and can not wait. I went from the little Cheerson mini drones, to the Syma 5CX, then the Cheerson CX 20. before buying my first Standard. I have been a fan of DJI since. The Typhoon H looks cool and has some good features too, but I think from all I have read, the Phantom is still King.
The Official "My P4 Range Is Too Short" Thread - Don't Start New Range Threads!
- Thread starter Ramphex
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I finally got the opportunity to try out my MaxxUAV Evolite Kit Plus range extender enhancement I upgraded a month ago. I was initially disappointed in the increased range, I was only getting to about 4-5K feet (just under a mile). Jake was helpful above and beyond. He had me send back the Suhans amps to test and when I realized I was taking a trip in a few days, he sent me replacements right away, not even waiting for the ones I sent to arrive. The replacements resulted in the same performance in my area which is densely populated with trees. On my trip to the lake, I got to about 8700 ft. before losing signal. I thought, OK, better but still not overly happy or impressed with my Evolite upgrade, Once again, there were trees in the way.
This weekend I was over my sister's house which in on a higher elevation over looking a valley, It was FANTASTIC! The Phantom 4 flew full signal throughout until I got the battery warning which I ignored for a short period and then turned around still at full signal at 4 miles!
Just want to thank Jake from MaxxUAV for all his support and a great enhancement to the Phantom 4 range -
This weekend I was over my sister's house which in on a higher elevation over looking a valley, It was FANTASTIC! The Phantom 4 flew full signal throughout until I got the battery warning which I ignored for a short period and then turned around still at full signal at 4 miles!
Just want to thank Jake from MaxxUAV for all his support and a great enhancement to the Phantom 4 range -
Did you try the stock controller over at your sisters with no trees before the antenna upgrade,? a clear view is everything. DJI claim five miles
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Good Point! I did not; however, my brother-in-law has a new 4 stock. We'll try it next weekend.
Received my P4 last week, love it so far although I have only flown around my neighborhood
I get signal loss at only 250-350 m! Is this normal for a normal suburban area?
Even if I go straight above me it only goes approx 80m before getting connection issues.
The antennas are pointed in the right direction.
I get signal loss at only 250-350 m! Is this normal for a normal suburban area?
Even if I go straight above me it only goes approx 80m before getting connection issues.
The antennas are pointed in the right direction.
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I was having poor distance issues, and sent mine back, what is strange is that sent it back saying they replacing the main controller under warranty, but a few days later after I inquired about them not sending back my retail white box, I get an email telling me this:
During the RMA process your Aircraft was swapped out for a like new aircraft new. This is done in an effort to keep turn around times as short as possible. It also helps us ensure you will not have the same issue after the repair.
Unfortunately, we will not be able to provide you with your original aircraft or retail box back. The DJI support section of the websites clearly states "that products and components presented for repair may be replaced by refurbished goods of the same type rather than being repaired." We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding in this matter.
So far things are much better range wise though.
During the RMA process your Aircraft was swapped out for a like new aircraft new. This is done in an effort to keep turn around times as short as possible. It also helps us ensure you will not have the same issue after the repair.
Unfortunately, we will not be able to provide you with your original aircraft or retail box back. The DJI support section of the websites clearly states "that products and components presented for repair may be replaced by refurbished goods of the same type rather than being repaired." We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding in this matter.
So far things are much better range wise though.
The problem with "limited range" started for me with the recent DJI Go App update. I could only fly 800 feet away. This is by no means intended to be an advertisement but I used a purchased app by Lit**** and went over 3000 feet . So, at least in my humble opinion, there is a problem with the DJI Go app.
The problem with "limited range" started for me with the recent DJI Go App update. I could only fly 800 feet away. This is by no means intended to be an advertisement but I used a purchased app by Lit**** and went over 3000 feet . So, at least in my humble opinion, there is a problem with the DJI Go app.
Where I live, I am surrounded by metal buildings, radio and microwave towers, and tall buildings with all kinds of antennae on them, and get a distance of about a quarter of a mile before weak signal. When I go to the beach, no such problems. so I think it is your surroundings. Do you have a hard time, or have to repeat the compass calibration. This sometimes means you have lots of interference around.
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I love my Phantom 4. I am a New comer to this hobby and I have learned a lot of tips and tricks. Now I just have a blast shooting Video like this,Excellent video, for those who are not good with the metric system, the distance he flew is approximately 3.1 miles, as advertised on the DJI site. Thank you for doing a test in optimal conditions.
I want to hear the long answer
I have my own whiney comment regarding range. Here's my story and any help or comments will be appreciated A few weeks ago I bought the Maxxrange panel for p4 from ebay and I bought the clean install kit from uav. One of the cables came apart right out of the package, so I plugged the two pieces back together and installed anyway. Thankfully I didn't cut the stock cables in order to remove the stock antennas since once I finished installing the panel I picked up exactly zero frequencies, they were all solid Red. So i reinstalled stock and ended up getting better distance than I did originally, which is still only about 1700 feet. So Jake Jones sent new cables and after second installation of Maxxrange panel I finally picked up some frequencies. So, now I still only get less than 2000 feet range. Granted, I am in an urban area, but it's a small city in northern kentucky. Ive also tried low densly populated areas with the same results. So I'm wondering if anyone has advice. Is my panel a dud, my rc a dud, or the drone itself a dud? Thanks!No problems with my P4 but really starting to get tired of constant, non-stop, endless, whining threads about range and how "it's getting sent back".
Let's keep all of the above mentioned items in this thread to allow others enjoy a variety of threads without scrolling through numerous threads about the same thing.
/flamesuiton
Admin Edit: I changed the title to something more appropriate and stickied it.
I've tried both windsurfers and the dbs Maxxrange itelite. I'm starting to think my p4 or the rc is a dud. I can't get 2000 ft with any set up so far. I'm thinking about getting omnidirectional antennas, like the best on the market. I think for me, omnidirectional seems to work the best so far. To answer your question, for me, the diff with windsurfers and dbs is about 400-500 ft. Does anyone know if I can return my p4 under purchased warranty without the controller that's been mod'd?
I have a new P4. I was wanting to extend my range starting with a remote that has standard SMA connectors. My question is, should I buy a modified P4 remote, or a modified P3 remote? The P3 remote I guess natively has more power. But, does it still offer all the same features as the P3 remote? I do not plan on modifying my existing remote. I will purchase a new modified one. Also, how do you pair these alternative remote control units to the drone?
I've been flying a P4 since April with a windsurfer. Previously I flew a P3P since it came out with the same windsurfer. The P3P worked great and I had 5 bars at just over 4 miles in a super noise-free location. The P4 worked OK but clearly had worse reception.
After flying a few days ago with a friend who had a P3P and watching him fly the same Litchi waypoint mission as me but never losing control where my P4 lost it often, I decided to switch to my old P3 controller.
It takes a minute to relink but is easy and WHAT a difference. No more loss of control. I tried a distance flight where my P4 never could get to 13,000 feet and easily went to 16,000' without ever losing signal. The original P3 controller rocks!
After flying a few days ago with a friend who had a P3P and watching him fly the same Litchi waypoint mission as me but never losing control where my P4 lost it often, I decided to switch to my old P3 controller.
It takes a minute to relink but is easy and WHAT a difference. No more loss of control. I tried a distance flight where my P4 never could get to 13,000 feet and easily went to 16,000' without ever losing signal. The original P3 controller rocks!
No problems with my P4 but really starting to get tired of constant, non-stop, endless, whining threads about range and how "it's getting sent back".
Let's keep all of the above mentioned items in this thread to allow others enjoy a variety of threads without scrolling through numerous threads about the same thing.
/flamesuiton
Admin Edit: I changed the title to something more appropriate and stickied it.
Hi all and Ramphex just a quick thankyou, I am a person who has recently purchased a phantom 4 and flew it for the first time yesterday and got warning messages about poor radio signal at 450 meters I changed locations and got the same messages today. I had no idea that the radio channelled hoped on the fly, so I just flew so I wouldn't get the warnings. Didnt know that I could keep flying through the warnings.
I was disappointed to say the least as I have just sold my Parrot bebop drones and thought I purchased a good drone for fpv distance anyway, I had online support with dji and they offered to pick it up and repair or test the new P4.
I was searching for answers when I found this thread, I read the posts and followed the advice of manually selecting a channel and reduce video to 4mbs and I have just flown 1km no problems, so I would like to say thanks to this forum and I have now cancelled the return.
Happy P4 pilot
Regards
Junkyard dog
Great news to have someone prove the point, that the old P3P controller is better than the new P4 controller. I've read that before. It seems that this issue could easily be remedied, one of the techy guys will have to open them up side by side and see what the issue is. Otherwise, one would have to consider purchasing a controller for the P3P, just for their P4.
Rumor has it the early P300 (A) Controller has higher output. Almost as much as the Inspire controller.
Just picked up a 300A on E Bay. Will test it soon my P4.
I live on a lake and fly over water and trees.
So far i have had almost zero issue with the P4 as is. I have only pushed 7K ft at 400 ft so far. Over heavy woods and a river. I have the best luck with video on auto.
Just picked up a 300A on E Bay. Will test it soon my P4.
I live on a lake and fly over water and trees.
So far i have had almost zero issue with the P4 as is. I have only pushed 7K ft at 400 ft so far. Over heavy woods and a river. I have the best luck with video on auto.
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Yes, I have measured the difference in the RF power (control signal from RC up to craft) between P4 and P3 controllers, as well as the RF power (video downlink from craft to RC) between the P3 and P4 craft. Here's the thread from a while ago. My conclusion is the GL300C controller is the weakest lightbridge controller DJI has manufactured to date. To really solve the P4 range problem it's best to start with a good controller, like the GL300A (early Phantom 3P), or the GL658A (early Inspire), they have much better transmit power. You might find them on Ebay used. However, you'll need to KEEP the P4 controller for firmware updates to the craft. These other controllers won't work for that.
This reduced power output from the GL300C versus GL300A/B has been confirmed in the FCC filing that DJI submitted to the FCC, as other members have reported.
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So, John, do you have a preference as to which controller replacement would be best? The inspire or either p3 controller? Also, way off topic, has anyone done this mod DJI PHANTOM 4 BATTERY MOD( NO EXTERNAL BATTERIES INCLUDED) ...INCLUDES PRIORITY RETURN SHIPPING themselves? Or have had it installed? I'm getting bored with my p4 so I'm wondering if the battery mod is worth it? I already voided my purchased warranty by modding the controller with the itelite maxxrange.... again, sorry for off topicness, I know how touchy some ppl get with that. [emoji56]
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