Happened to me a couple of days ago. I was doing the POI orbit around a building and when the drone flew behind the building, the building blocked the signal and connection was lost. Immediately panicked but the drone did exactly what it was supposed to do and returned to home safely. Adjusting your RTH settings every time before you fly is the key. Nice video, keep it up! :)
Dang. I was hoping with the new controller and improved OcuSync this would be prevented. I thought my Mini 2 was outstanding. My Mini 3 arrives in the mail today! Will keep an eye out for this signal drop issue.
Good point about RTH in a wood. I am about to do some work in ancient woodland and my RTH is set at 75m. I had not considered the woodland environment. Thanks.
A great tip is to click where it says "Altitude Zone" in the top left before every flight, most the pre-flight settings like return to home height can be set from one convenient screen there.
Good info, but the bigger question that I feel like got only briefly mentioned was there was no return of video until only 50 m out. What was that about? Also might be advisable to suggest to your audience in the future that if you start to lose signal add altitude as soon as possible to try and gain it back before you end up with total loss.
Dunno! Think I'll need to pin a comment to the top though, pointing out that this happened with pre-release firmware so it's conceivable that's relevant.
Good advice. A good way to determine visually the orientation of a distant drone without video downlink is to move the drone sideways, left for instance. If the drone moves left, then it is "tail first" or tail toward you and that's the best way. If it moves right when you push the stick left, it is facing you. If moving left seems not to move the drone, then it is sideways to you but you cannot tell. You can use forward or backward but I prefer to rotate it briefly and try it again.
absolutely loving all your video content with the mini pro 3! i experienced the signal lost yesterday it got my heart racing !!! Instantly I began to move the controller thumbsticks! i began to walk to where i saw the drone film, thinking - i hope i find it! then the RC came back online.. it automatically began to come back to my location with ts RTH function!
Great Video, and Great Flying Recovery. According To Other UA-cam Channel's, Approximately 50% Of Mini 3 Pro Pilots Are Having Drop Signal Issues. Thank You.
Once again, great tips here. I still am blown away by how lucky you are with the landscapes around you. Beautiful stuff! I just got my Mini 3 today and am looking forward to taking it out for a spin!
I had such a failure as I flew to close to a radar at a river with my Air2s…no control anymore, no re-connection possible, RTH starts with obstacles avoidence…it worked perfectly and landed exactly at the starting point😅
Awesome video. Thanks for doing this Stewart and Alina. I'm a brand new drone pilot and this is just the kind of thing that I need to be aware of and know what to do when this happens. I've really enjoyed your videos and I'm in the process of going back and catching up on all of your previous one. Thanks again and keep up the great work.
Had the same issue last week in Ireland. My mini 3 pro was about 600m away and 70m below me, flying over a lake in a valley. Signal week then signal lost. Man, did I feel the panic on my stomach. RTH worked nicely.
hello, did you figureout how to fix it, i mean make dji fly more far... mine as well goes about 700m and lost a signal one day it`s flew 950m and it was a maximum...(
With all due respect, I feel that the spirit of VLOS is not to just see the drone but have full sense of direction too. At 500m you must have superior eyesight to be able to see that drone, let alone having sense of direction as you pointed out. I do agree though with the points made.
These moments remain incredibly uncomfortable, regardless of your experience level or length of time. I recently has a complete liss of signal; and after what seened like an interminable amount of time. As the moments slipped by, beads of cold sweat popped on my forehead and upper lip. Whispering "please. please come back!' 🙏- and eventually, it did. The Evo 2 Pro came sailing back over the trees into sight and I let out a huge, tense breath I didn't know i had been holding! I don't ever want the police knocking on my door with an inquiry "Do you own a large orange drone?" Where I have to ask: Why? What has he done now? 😒
Stewart, I think your plan for some epic tower flying is SWEET! The simple way is to establish a narrow LOS through them from your piloting position, that way you can simply fly straight through, make a 180 using telemetry locked on to your position and straight back. Only forward and that 180 yaw as inputs to return but, where’s the fun in that and still some risk. . . It is way better cooler and yes, tougher to climb the biggest mountain around looking more or less down on the cool terrain features. Identify potencial blind spots and that’s all you’ll have to worry about while you fly way more freely through the epic zone! And don’t forget to snag that shot of yourself on the back to your summit perch with the drone below you so you are perfectly silhouetted on the blue sky. Now that’s a bad a$$ move! There’s more too, to my story and yours. Let me know if you’d like to chat privately. . .
which year of q7 4l do you own? do you have good connection with the drone while siting inside a car? because of panoramic roof, there should be no problem.
Excuse me for saying so, but when the signal between controller and drone is lost, you know the drone is entering RTH mode and you should just leave the sticks alone. That is what the RTH mode is for: the drone is coming back to you, without the need for stick input. A bit of a rooky mistake which I had not expected from a pro like you ;) Having said all that, it is of course not expected that the signal is lost at that distance, but then again, RF interference can happen anywhere at any distance. No guarantees there.
in the DJI spark...when the signal is lost, it enters the RTH mode; it takes an active cancellation on the screen to cancel the RTH & not just a stick input; Im wondering what caused his RTH cancellation.
VLOS tip: I found you can soon determine whether the drone is flying away from or towards you as long as it's flying either above or below your altitude. Push the right stick forwards while leaving the left stick alone and notice whether the drone seems to rise in the sky or descend. If it's above you, and it seems to be going up, it's coming back towards you and vice versa. The oposite is true if the drone is below you (ie down is towards you and up is away). The only time this trick doesn't work is if the drone is level with your altitude, which is rare in my experience.
Great video. Glad it ended well and you got your drone back safely. Shocking about the signal that's not good at all and very disappointing for a new drone especially with that hefty price tag
Faced the "signal lost" yesterday. Being under a lot if tree bransches when the signal got poor heading in the direction for free air some short time, trying forward and then upward, the drone recording showed it worked. It looks like the drone to the controller connection was the first to be lost.
Great reality tips....I always monitor my closing distance below and watch to ensure the distance is getting closer to my take-off point. If increasing in distance i know i am inputting the wrong information and correct that for a decreasing count towards my starting point. These little gray birds are deceptive at altitude and disappear very easily from view. Especially when the battery power is dropping near 30-45 % I want that little close to home. Cheers!!
Very useful, thanks. Do you know what is the average max distance that a DJI Mini 3 covers? Mine usually loses connectivity after 500-600 meters. Is that normal?
Yes, if you want live, updating maps then you need to find some way of connecting the controller to the internet (so tethering to a phone at the end of the day). You can try and cache the maps in your house and that should get the job done if you scroll around the maps before you go.
That is why you have to know your drone and trust in the technology. I have lost signal on my mavic mini more times then i can count but i have just learned to trust it and i just leave it alone and it always comes home like an old faithful dog haha
Excellent video Stewart. I had a total disconnect with the Mini 2 at 200m today during a dog search. A van had driven up and parked between me and the drone, cutting off the signal completely. A few steps to the side and instantly got full video feed back.
And that's the thing...stuff happens when you fly so you need to have a backup plan. A lot of people coming down hard on DJI but in fairness, they give us an incredible RTH feature and ultimately we are still responsible for the drone we fly (admittedly, doesn't help when they market a 12km range!).
@@DroneFilmGuide Agreed. Measuring signal strength in distance just gives people the want to test it, then moan when it doesn't meet their expectations.
Apparently there is a problem with a good few of the mini 3 roll out, Sean from airphotography pointed out these problems. He also did a survey, 47 per cent of new mini 3 owners were experiencing what you have outlined. Sounds like a software issue ,whether or not a firmware update will cure it or possibly even a product recall. Im not going to upgrade to the mini 3 until the issue is sorted. Atb Colin
Just ordered mine from DJI hopefully supposed arrival 27th July , unsure whether this a hardware or software issue , hopefully the latter .DJi in my experience are good at sorting glitches out . Still have my Mavic 2pro , looks like I’ll be hanging onto this for a while . The Mini 3 is for gutter checking . Great video as always .👍🏻
I did exactly yhe same today, lost signal. then not notice it reconnected, as I was pulling back on the toggle thingy it ended up doing a forced landing in someones back garden nearly 1/2 a mile away. thank you DJI find my drone and thank you back garden owner for returning it
That is amazing video for beginners! Congrats. I was at IoSkye last week (with dji mini2) and it was amazing. Fairy Pools were definitely less spectacular for drone scenery footage then Storr! Have you explored another iconic Scottish locations??
Having watched a lot of the recent reports, I am quite certain that there is a glitch in the abilities of the drone in around half of the reports. Most interestingly one reliable UA-camr tried out both the Mini3 and Mini2 controllers and found exactly the same range issue. Regardless its important to note that 'Line of sight' means exactly that in radio terms. Anything between you and the drone (including thin tree cover) may impact upon the signal.
Hi, is it true the RTH height is at the position of take off, therefore if you're flying up a mountain/hills this would need to be a consideration as well, as the further up you go, the less the actual RTH height will be from its current position?
Several good points in this video so thanks for putting the time in. When I first got my Mini 2 I experienced quite a few complete signal losses and was just about to contact DJI when I crashed it. The replacement drone is much much better but I still err on the side of caution with my return to home height (normally 60-100m). Good thing the mini 3 has obstacle avoidance but I really with there was another way to sync the maps other than tethering a hotspot on the phoen - pretty mush impossible in your location in this instance.
Regarding the maps, if you use the wifi in your home and scroll around the maps whilst online it should keep them in the memory for a bit so you can see them on location.
@@bernardmccabe463 that’s very strange because my Mini 1 intermittently lost signal on just about every flight that was over 800-1000ft. I’ve had the Mini 3 out to 5000ft with no issues.
I had this exact scenario happen during my second flight while on holiday to Italy. It lost connection at about 500m away near the mountain coastal region of Bellano. Fortunately RTH activated and it returned to my take off location without issue.
hello, did you figureout how to fix it, i mean make dji fly more far... mine as well goes about 700m and lost a signal one day it`s flew 950m and it was a maximum...( it`s a pro version, so i want to fly atleast for 2 km, but can`t ,,,, so far probably the worst drone for it`s money>>>>>>
One really needs to fly the M3P in FCC when in a rural area. Just yesterday, I have flown my M3P into a narrow winding gorge with waterfalls, 400 m deep into. No signal loss despite tons of rock between me and the craft. Search for "fcc mod dji fly" to learn how, I confirm it works on the M3P in Europe to.
@@John1986ATR its increasing the transmission power. If you live in Europe its usefull, if you’re in USA than you already use FCC so you won’t need to do any tweaks to the DJI app.
@@wolfamri not at the moment, and possible not in the future. They need software acces to the RC, its still brand new and it will take a while until someone will create some tweaks. I wouldn’t put too many hopes, at least not in the near future.
Very strange behavior for a drone advertised to be able to fly 12km!!! Of course, who's eyesight can spot a 249g drone 12 km away? That being said, I think DJI really needs to rethink they're distance capability numbers for this drone! Thanks for another great video, Stewart!
Great video. Good advice. I had a signal loss on my Mini2 (I flew it over a ridge - mindless) and the RTH bailed me out. Q: How do you turn on screen record on that controller? Thx
Very very useful video, Stewart. I've never pushed any of my drones to that sort of distance, and probably won't try now! And I'm not jealous at all of that amazing scenery, no, no, no!
I've lost signals with my older DJI spark at distances of 1,100 meters and the drone fighting strong winds over a body of water. In all cases the drone just RTH based on the preset RTH setting. what triggered the cancellation of the RTH in this case?
i already returned my MMi3P due to the same issue. Signal loss around 300-350meters then automatically RTH… very annoying. While my mini 2 used to go up to 2km in the exact same area (residential). I’ll wait to see if any firmware patch will fix it.
[Update] So I received a new different drone yesterday and it was FCC this time (instead of CE). I had the same signal loss in an open park (in downtown montreal) BUT …. After the firmware update that states including fixes to the anti-interference, I was able to go up to 2.5 KM with no stress. I’ll keep testing but there is a progress here
Thanks for the video. A couple of thoughts… if full signal is lost, RTH is initiated, surely just letting go of the sticks is the best practice and letting the drone come back to you rather than trying to take control (easier said than done when losing all signal and obviously depends on signal lost settings!). Secondly, does the drone still have obstacle avoidance when RTH is initiated due to signal loss? I’d be concerned about those pretty big rocks in your video getting in the way if the RTH height wasn’t set high enough. Thanks as always for sharing your experience.
IF.. we take DJI’s word that this will happen. Not sure I’m willing to hang loss of control out there on a manufacturer who also claims 10x that range. Too dangerous to fly near people.
@@Dronesteve-72 I can appreciate your optimism, but there is not enough data to support a definitive conclusion. Confidence will be improved if DJI is quick to resolve the Mini 3 issues that don’t measure up to the published specs.
First day out with the mini 3 pro. I never had a signal issue with my dji past drones. 10 mins in the light and the screen on the new RC controller goes to black and white and lost signal. Good thing it did RTH. Also I can’t connect or send my test pictures to my phone. Very odd. Brand new and issues on first flight
The signal from smart controller with a screen is twice as bad as from standard controller. If signal is your priority go with a standard remote controller.
@@bbennison03 the original controller ( non-pro ) that comes in the cheapest version of Mini 3 has a better signal because it has antennas and the more expensive smart controller doesn't.
One of those times I’m bet you’re glad return to home is a thing. For this very specific scenario I would have been helped by my maximum distance which is set to 500m as that’s my particular A2 category limit, meaning unintentionally flying further away would have stopped at 500m. I’ll be flying near Aberdeen later this month and will be looking for gorgeous places like this to visit for fun!
My question is.. DJI state that you can get over 3km't of distance even more. But for EU regulations we only have 25mw. So EU drones will have less signal strenght. Isnt this so? My mavic air only flew 500m before signal loss until i used an app tricking it to belive i was in the states. Then i got stronger signal... But now with my new DJI mini 3 Pro im a bit dissepointed😔
DJI states that max transmission range is 8km in CE countries and 12km in FCC. Now, these really are probably under ideal conditions, so anyone shouldn't expect too much from that. Now, over the years and many DJI drones, yes EU and many other countries get less signal...we are used to it. But I don't think it has been much of an issue with any of the DJI drones with ocusync and from my own expirence with Air 2. Yes it's less, but still plenty. And every new drone usually pushes that range little bit further and further. Even if you don't fly far, it helps with different environments in closer range. Mini 3 pro on the other hand...seems to be hit or miss, depending who you ask. Some say it's fine...others have issues couple hundreds metres away. And I don't think I have heard clear answer what's the issue. Some say it's new controller antennas, some say it's drone antennas. Idk. Was ready to buy Mini 3....controller with screen is awesome, drone is small, quiet(compare to old drones)....its awesome. But if it really cant even match my Air 2 signal...that's pretty bad. There was poll from UA-camr that asked about range and something like 45-50% viewers had range problems with Mini 3...so clearly something is wrong. Tbh if you have first Mavic Air, it uses Wifi. From my expirence with first Mini which was also Wifi and Air 2, which is ocusync....major difference in signal.
Hi. Do you think that dji Will fix this terribly weak signal from the controller to this otherwise very good drone?? It is really disappointing to such a big limitation!!
@@PatrickGuerrisi are you in Europe? apparently this doesn't occur in the FCC version of the mini 3pro. Only Europeans seem to be having signal loss problems.
Hi Stewart, I noticed you are flying without using the sticks, do you do this often and if yes is this something you recommend learning as I am always a bit annoyed with installing and uninstalling the sticks.
Give me an honest advise. I have it preordered with the RC. Should I change my preorder to N1? I really like the new controller but these connection issues videos are all over the place.
Signal loss is a common occurrence with the previous versions, but so far, hasn't happened with the mini 3 pro. Yes, and don't forget to download the maps which I have relied on more times than I can remember. The pro 3 seems to be 500% better and costs only less than 100% more.
Haven't watched the full video yet, but after using the drone, I've been able to reach over 700m away (in the mountains) and be just fine while I was on the beach and would lose signal less than 300m away. With the lose connection thingy, the drone just triggers its RTH function and everything was fine. And I'm talking full on black and white lost signal
Just to inform you that you might wish to inform your followers that scammers are emailing your subscribers to message you that they have been selected to receive a free give away. UA-cam has a video regarding this type of SCAM. Regards Clive.
Imagine this happened to you and drone was far far away 🤦🏻♂️ this is why it’s important to keep your eyes on your drone and don’t fly it too far away…
I had my mini 3 out at a distance of just over 2km today (had visual line of sight) as I followed the Waverley out of Oban bay, I still use the controller that I got with the mini 2 and I had no real signal issues today, dropped to amber but never went into the red. I wonder if there is a difference in range depending on what controller is used
Some say the RCN-1 has better reach, some say its just the bars which get more nervous on the RC but that total loss of signal is about the same for both controllers. I guess the final jury is still out ...
Where are you located? EU drones are equiped with lower signal strenght i think. US has higher. In Norway all over 25mw is forbidden without permission.🤔
Good news you got your drone back Stewart 👍😅 it's a good example of that it doesn't matter how experienced you are there's always a chance to make an error.🙈
Hi Stewart. I know youre a competent pilot an all but, at the time you lost signal, the RC indicator arrow was blue, that means that you didn't have the best connection, it needs to be green, this ensures that you have the best rc to uav connection, horizontally anyway. Not to mention that when you said it will come back in second (connection) you was pointing away form the drone so that was even worse for you. Also, something else i have noticed that many are doing with this new DJI RC is, they hold it in a position that is best suited to view the screen, i.e. at around a 45º angle. that is also no good, the antennas in this remote have to be pointing at the drone, so at 500m out that controller will need to be at what 10º or there about as you was only at 70m. Just sommat for you to ponder :) OS, this drone and control is very, very sensitive to signal, it has to be spot on between uav and rc...
DJI has the best safety features. DJI has announced that it will release updates to improve on the signal strength. Personally though I feel that it's really no different with the Air 2S in this particular area. I've flown in and around mountains and signal drops aren't thaat serious for it to trigger RTH. It's really a case to case basis depending on your location and some minute things you do like pointing at the right direction, maintaining LOS< etc.
When the altitude increased to 100 metres, this was an indication it was in RTH Mode...At that altitude, your image and telemetry overlay should reappear. In this environment, losing connection at a mere 500 metres doesn't seem right, even at the low altitude fly out...😳😳🇬🇧
Happened to me a couple of days ago. I was doing the POI orbit around a building and when the drone flew behind the building, the building blocked the signal and connection was lost. Immediately panicked but the drone did exactly what it was supposed to do and returned to home safely. Adjusting your RTH settings every time before you fly is the key. Nice video, keep it up! :)
Dang. I was hoping with the new controller and improved OcuSync this would be prevented. I thought my Mini 2 was outstanding. My Mini 3 arrives in the mail today! Will keep an eye out for this signal drop issue.
did your drone fly back in a circle or did it rise and flew over the building back to you ?
greetings
Good point about RTH in a wood. I am about to do some work in ancient woodland and my RTH is set at 75m. I had not considered the woodland environment. Thanks.
A great tip is to click where it says "Altitude Zone" in the top left before every flight, most the pre-flight settings like return to home height can be set from one convenient screen there.
Good info, but the bigger question that I feel like got only briefly mentioned was there was no return of video until only 50 m out. What was that about?
Also might be advisable to suggest to your audience in the future that if you start to lose signal add altitude as soon as possible to try and gain it back before you end up with total loss.
Hey, I know you! :) And yes, wondering the same thing about the video.
Dunno! Think I'll need to pin a comment to the top though, pointing out that this happened with pre-release firmware so it's conceivable that's relevant.
Good advice. A good way to determine visually the orientation of a distant drone without video downlink is to move the drone sideways, left for instance. If the drone moves left, then it is "tail first" or tail toward you and that's the best way. If it moves right when you push the stick left, it is facing you. If moving left seems not to move the drone, then it is sideways to you but you cannot tell. You can use forward or backward but I prefer to rotate it briefly and try it again.
Stewart I lived on Skye for 12 years but am now disabled and can no longer walk these hills. Thank you for rekindling wonderful memories.👍
Thank you for the kind words!!
I felt nervous just watching that! Let alone being the one in control! Glad it didn’t crash! Phew!
absolutely loving all your video content with the mini pro 3! i experienced the signal lost yesterday it got my heart racing !!! Instantly I began to move the controller thumbsticks! i began to walk to where i saw the drone film, thinking - i hope i find it! then the RC came back online.. it automatically began to come back to my location with ts RTH function!
Great Video, and Great Flying Recovery. According To Other UA-cam Channel's, Approximately 50% Of Mini 3 Pro Pilots Are Having Drop Signal Issues. Thank You.
Once again, great tips here. I still am blown away by how lucky you are with the landscapes around you. Beautiful stuff! I just got my Mini 3 today and am looking forward to taking it out for a spin!
This is a good one. Enjoy your honest approach to teaching and articulate analysis and conclusion. Nice one.
I'm glad I returned my Mini 3. It clearly has an issue with range and that's a deal breaker for me. I'll be sticking to my AIR2S.
hmmm.. im holding on for the successor of the Air2S; your comment made me have more conviction on this than being tempted by this Mini 3 pro.
I had such a failure as I flew to close to a radar at a river with my Air2s…no control anymore, no re-connection possible, RTH starts with obstacles avoidence…it worked perfectly and landed exactly at the starting point😅
same here with my old Spark, but I think with no obstacle avoidance on the way RTH w/ the spark. that is why I set the altitude to 120 m high.
Awesome video. Thanks for doing this Stewart and Alina. I'm a brand new drone pilot and this is just the kind of thing that I need to be aware of and know what to do when this happens. I've really enjoyed your videos and I'm in the process of going back and catching up on all of your previous one. Thanks again and keep up the great work.
Good advise. I think the latest software is not allowding lomg range tramission.
I just leave the controller alone and let it return, only when I get stable video feed I can regain control, good info on flying in woods.
Had the same issue last week in Ireland. My mini 3 pro was about 600m away and 70m below me, flying over a lake in a valley. Signal week then signal lost. Man, did I feel the panic on my stomach. RTH worked nicely.
RTH is your friend.
Without RTH, us Europeans simply couldn't fly drones
hello, did you figureout how to fix it, i mean make dji fly more far... mine as well goes about 700m and lost a signal one day it`s flew 950m and it was a maximum...(
happened to me in the alps with my dji mini 3 and i thought why is it advertised with a range of 10km tho if it only flys 500m away at best
With all due respect, I feel that the spirit of VLOS is not to just see the drone but have full sense of direction too. At 500m you must have superior eyesight to be able to see that drone, let alone having sense of direction as you pointed out. I do agree though with the points made.
These moments remain incredibly uncomfortable, regardless of your experience level or length of time. I recently has a complete liss of signal; and after what seened like an interminable amount of time. As the moments slipped by, beads of cold sweat popped on my forehead and upper lip. Whispering "please. please come back!' 🙏- and eventually, it did. The Evo 2 Pro came sailing back over the trees into sight and I let out a huge, tense breath I didn't know i had been holding! I don't ever want the police knocking on my door with an inquiry "Do you own a large orange drone?" Where I have to ask: Why? What has he done now?
😒
Stewart, I think your plan for some epic tower flying is SWEET! The simple way is to establish a narrow LOS through them from your piloting position, that way you can simply fly straight through, make a 180 using telemetry locked on to your position and straight back. Only forward and that 180 yaw as inputs to return but, where’s the fun in that and still some risk. . . It is way better cooler and yes, tougher to climb the biggest mountain around looking more or less down on the cool terrain features. Identify potencial blind spots and that’s all you’ll have to worry about while you fly way more freely through the epic zone! And don’t forget to snag that shot of yourself on the back to your summit perch with the drone below you so you are perfectly silhouetted on the blue sky. Now that’s a bad a$$ move! There’s more too, to my story and yours. Let me know if you’d like to chat privately. . .
Great insight, really clearly explained - thanks
which year of q7 4l do you own? do you have good connection with the drone while siting inside a car? because of panoramic roof, there should be no problem.
That's why you should use your display in the controller. Height and distance like I do with my Mavic Pro 1.
Great advice. Glad UA-cam recommended this one. :)
Excuse me for saying so, but when the signal between controller and drone is lost, you know the drone is entering RTH mode and you should just leave the sticks alone. That is what the RTH mode is for: the drone is coming back to you, without the need for stick input. A bit of a rooky mistake which I had not expected from a pro like you ;)
Having said all that, it is of course not expected that the signal is lost at that distance, but then again, RF interference can happen anywhere at any distance. No guarantees there.
in the DJI spark...when the signal is lost, it enters the RTH mode; it takes an active cancellation on the screen to cancel the RTH & not just a stick input; Im wondering what caused his RTH cancellation.
Thanks for sharing. This is great professional advise. I appreciate you taking all the time to produce this video!
Very very nice video! Amazing work :D
VLOS tip: I found you can soon determine whether the drone is flying away from or towards you as long as it's flying either above or below your altitude.
Push the right stick forwards while leaving the left stick alone and notice whether the drone seems to rise in the sky or descend. If it's above you, and it seems to be going up, it's coming back towards you and vice versa.
The oposite is true if the drone is below you (ie down is towards you and up is away).
The only time this trick doesn't work is if the drone is level with your altitude, which is rare in my experience.
Sorry, I don't use Telegram. You can DM me at my insta channel if you like @samblight1
Time 1:11
Would be nice if it had a Beep to warn it's going out of range
What is a safe Max Distance we should set he drone
Great video. Glad it ended well and you got your drone back safely. Shocking about the signal that's not good at all and very disappointing for a new drone especially with that hefty price tag
Great tips, which I will heed from now on (in particular I've not paid much attention to the compass until now....)
What camera is used for the 'ground' shots?
Faced the "signal lost" yesterday. Being under a lot if tree bransches when the signal got poor heading in the direction for free air some short time, trying forward and then upward, the drone recording showed it worked. It looks like the drone to the controller connection was the first to be lost.
Great reality tips....I always monitor my closing distance below and watch to ensure the distance is getting closer to my take-off point. If increasing in distance i know i am inputting the wrong information and correct that for a decreasing count towards my starting point. These little gray birds are deceptive at altitude and disappear very easily from view. Especially when the battery power is dropping near 30-45 % I want that little close to home. Cheers!!
Very useful, thanks. Do you know what is the average max distance that a DJI Mini 3 covers? Mine usually loses connectivity after 500-600 meters. Is that normal?
Really useful video - many thanks.
So you need the fly app on phone, even if you have the RC controller?
Yes, if you want live, updating maps then you need to find some way of connecting the controller to the internet (so tethering to a phone at the end of the day). You can try and cache the maps in your house and that should get the job done if you scroll around the maps before you go.
Great advice on what to do in the event of signal loss. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Ron! Good to see you here as always!
Oh you been here on Isle of Skye the haven where we live now.
Just happened to me on my first flight with DJI Mini 2... glad I got connection back after a few minutes.
That is why you have to know your drone and trust in the technology. I have lost signal on my mavic mini more times then i can count but i have just learned to trust it and i just leave it alone and it always comes home like an old faithful dog haha
Excellent video Stewart. I had a total disconnect with the Mini 2 at 200m today during a dog search. A van had driven up and parked between me and the drone, cutting off the signal completely. A few steps to the side and instantly got full video feed back.
And that's the thing...stuff happens when you fly so you need to have a backup plan. A lot of people coming down hard on DJI but in fairness, they give us an incredible RTH feature and ultimately we are still responsible for the drone we fly (admittedly, doesn't help when they market a 12km range!).
@@DroneFilmGuide Agreed. Measuring signal strength in distance just gives people the want to test it, then moan when it doesn't meet their expectations.
Apparently there is a problem with a good few of the mini 3 roll out, Sean from airphotography pointed out these problems. He also did a survey, 47 per cent of new mini 3 owners were experiencing what you have outlined. Sounds like a software issue ,whether or not a firmware update will cure it or possibly even a product recall. Im not going to upgrade to the mini 3 until the issue is sorted. Atb Colin
Just ordered mine from DJI hopefully supposed arrival 27th July , unsure whether this a hardware or software issue , hopefully the latter .DJi in my experience are good at sorting glitches out . Still have my Mavic 2pro , looks like I’ll be hanging onto this for a while . The Mini 3 is for gutter checking . Great video as always .👍🏻
I did exactly yhe same today, lost signal. then not notice it reconnected, as I was pulling back on the toggle thingy it ended up doing a forced landing in someones back garden nearly 1/2 a mile away. thank you DJI find my drone and thank you back garden owner for returning it
That is amazing video for beginners! Congrats. I was at IoSkye last week (with dji mini2) and it was amazing. Fairy Pools were definitely less spectacular for drone scenery footage then Storr! Have you explored another iconic Scottish locations??
Good lesson, Stewart. Cheers from Wisconsin.
Having watched a lot of the recent reports, I am quite certain that there is a glitch in the abilities of the drone in around half of the reports. Most interestingly one reliable UA-camr tried out both the Mini3 and Mini2 controllers and found exactly the same range issue. Regardless its important to note that 'Line of sight' means exactly that in radio terms. Anything between you and the drone (including thin tree cover) may impact upon the signal.
Thanks for the advice 😀 Just got my first drone and finding it a bit stressful at times. Hopefully this will improve with experience.
What did you get?
I've had my Mavic 2 Z👀M for nearly 2 years and my heart rate goes up as soon as the M2Z does 😁
Yes. Never anticipated how stressful it would be haha. Worth it though..
Great stuff guys, cheers for that!
Hi, is it true the RTH height is at the position of take off, therefore if you're flying up a mountain/hills this would need to be a consideration as well, as the further up you go, the less the actual RTH height will be from its current position?
Yes
Several good points in this video so thanks for putting the time in. When I first got my Mini 2 I experienced quite a few complete signal losses and was just about to contact DJI when I crashed it. The replacement drone is much much better but I still err on the side of caution with my return to home height (normally 60-100m). Good thing the mini 3 has obstacle avoidance but I really with there was another way to sync the maps other than tethering a hotspot on the phoen - pretty mush impossible in your location in this instance.
Regarding the maps, if you use the wifi in your home and scroll around the maps whilst online it should keep them in the memory for a bit so you can see them on location.
@@DroneFilmGuide Don't forget to zoom in and out on the area you will be flying. This caches the detailed views for the full zoom range. 👌
Nice info as always Stewart.
But total loss of signal at 500m in the middle of nowhere? What is wrong with the Mini 3 pro?
Even my wifi mini 1 does not loose connection at 500m...
@@gilbertguerin9080 My original Mavic Mini is consistently beating my M3P in terms of range. And this is a rural area too. Very strange.
And the bigger point that I think was glossed over is no return of video signal until only 50m out. That is alarming.
@@bernardmccabe463 that’s very strange because my Mini 1 intermittently lost signal on just about every flight that was over 800-1000ft. I’ve had the Mini 3 out to 5000ft with no issues.
Distance is irrelevant when you fly out of Line Of sight, there is no way for the signals to get to the drone so loss of signal is fully expected.
Great video and useful information. Thank you.
I had this exact scenario happen during my second flight while on holiday to Italy. It lost connection at about 500m away near the mountain coastal region of Bellano. Fortunately RTH activated and it returned to my take off location without issue.
Perfect!
keep in mind, cause eu regulation you have weaker signal strenght while in europe
hello, did you figureout how to fix it, i mean make dji fly more far... mine as well goes about 700m and lost a signal one day it`s flew 950m and it was a maximum...( it`s a pro version, so i want to fly atleast for 2 km, but can`t ,,,, so far probably the worst drone for it`s money>>>>>>
One really needs to fly the M3P in FCC when in a rural area. Just yesterday, I have flown my M3P into a narrow winding gorge with waterfalls, 400 m deep into. No signal loss despite tons of rock between me and the craft. Search for "fcc mod dji fly" to learn how, I confirm it works on the M3P in Europe to.
I just did it and I’m happy I did. Not too expensive.
What is FCC, will search as well.
@@John1986ATR its increasing the transmission power. If you live in Europe its usefull, if you’re in USA than you already use FCC so you won’t need to do any tweaks to the DJI app.
Interesting. But can you install that on the RC?
@@wolfamri not at the moment, and possible not in the future. They need software acces to the RC, its still brand new and it will take a while until someone will create some tweaks. I wouldn’t put too many hopes, at least not in the near future.
Very strange behavior for a drone advertised to be able to fly 12km!!! Of course, who's eyesight can spot a 249g drone 12 km away? That being said, I think DJI really needs to rethink they're distance capability numbers for this drone! Thanks for another great video, Stewart!
Great video. Good advice. I had a signal loss on my Mini2 (I flew it over a ridge - mindless) and the RTH bailed me out.
Q: How do you turn on screen record on that controller?
Thx
swipe down on the controller at the top of the screen where you have your shortcuts e.g. bluetooth, wifi
@@adzymatthew4778 Ah ha. Thankyou.
Very very useful video, Stewart. I've never pushed any of my drones to that sort of distance, and probably won't try now! And I'm not jealous at all of that amazing scenery, no, no, no!
Great video, excellent advice.
Good video and information Stuart.
I've lost signals with my older DJI spark at distances of 1,100 meters and the drone fighting strong winds over a body of water. In all cases the drone just RTH based on the preset RTH setting. what triggered the cancellation of the RTH in this case?
i already returned my MMi3P due to the same issue. Signal loss around 300-350meters then automatically RTH… very annoying. While my mini 2 used to go up to 2km in the exact same area (residential).
I’ll wait to see if any firmware patch will fix it.
Can I ask what firmware version you have on the Mini2
[Update]
So I received a new different drone yesterday and it was FCC this time (instead of CE). I had the same signal loss in an open park (in downtown montreal) BUT …. After the firmware update that states including fixes to the anti-interference, I was able to go up to 2.5 KM with no stress. I’ll keep testing but there is a progress here
Amen!! The panic is real 😂
Thanks for the video. A couple of thoughts… if full signal is lost, RTH is initiated, surely just letting go of the sticks is the best practice and letting the drone come back to you rather than trying to take control (easier said than done when losing all signal and obviously depends on signal lost settings!). Secondly, does the drone still have obstacle avoidance when RTH is initiated due to signal loss? I’d be concerned about those pretty big rocks in your video getting in the way if the RTH height wasn’t set high enough. Thanks as always for sharing your experience.
IF.. we take DJI’s word that this will happen. Not sure I’m willing to hang loss of control out there on a manufacturer who also claims 10x that range. Too dangerous to fly near people.
@@mcneillmedia works every time
@@Dronesteve-72 I can appreciate your optimism, but there is not enough data to support a definitive conclusion. Confidence will be improved if DJI is quick to resolve the Mini 3 issues that don’t measure up to the published specs.
First day out with the mini 3 pro. I never had a signal issue with my dji past drones. 10 mins in the light and the screen on the new RC controller goes to black and white and lost signal. Good thing it did RTH. Also I can’t connect or send my test pictures to my phone. Very odd. Brand new and issues on first flight
The signal from smart controller with a screen is twice as bad as from standard controller. If signal is your priority go with a standard remote controller.
Wow really? The new non-pro controller for the mini 3?
@@bbennison03 the original controller ( non-pro ) that comes in the cheapest version of Mini 3 has a better signal because it has antennas and the more expensive smart controller doesn't.
Great and informative video !!!; just demonstrates regardless of your flying experience we can all get caught out every now and again !!!!
One of those times I’m bet you’re glad return to home is a thing. For this very specific scenario I would have been helped by my maximum distance which is set to 500m as that’s my particular A2 category limit, meaning unintentionally flying further away would have stopped at 500m. I’ll be flying near Aberdeen later this month and will be looking for gorgeous places like this to visit for fun!
My question is.. DJI state that you can get over 3km't of distance even more. But for EU regulations we only have 25mw. So EU drones will have less signal strenght. Isnt this so? My mavic air only flew 500m before signal loss until i used an app tricking it to belive i was in the states. Then i got stronger signal... But now with my new DJI mini 3 Pro im a bit dissepointed😔
DJI states that max transmission range is 8km in CE countries and 12km in FCC. Now, these really are probably under ideal conditions, so anyone shouldn't expect too much from that.
Now, over the years and many DJI drones, yes EU and many other countries get less signal...we are used to it. But I don't think it has been much of an issue with any of the DJI drones with ocusync and from my own expirence with Air 2. Yes it's less, but still plenty. And every new drone usually pushes that range little bit further and further. Even if you don't fly far, it helps with different environments in closer range.
Mini 3 pro on the other hand...seems to be hit or miss, depending who you ask. Some say it's fine...others have issues couple hundreds metres away. And I don't think I have heard clear answer what's the issue. Some say it's new controller antennas, some say it's drone antennas. Idk. Was ready to buy Mini 3....controller with screen is awesome, drone is small, quiet(compare to old drones)....its awesome. But if it really cant even match my Air 2 signal...that's pretty bad.
There was poll from UA-camr that asked about range and something like 45-50% viewers had range problems with Mini 3...so clearly something is wrong.
Tbh if you have first Mavic Air, it uses Wifi. From my expirence with first Mini which was also Wifi and Air 2, which is ocusync....major difference in signal.
😵💫 My first drone is delivered on Thursday. Already beginning to sweat. 🤣
Hi. Do you think that dji Will fix this terribly weak signal from the controller to this otherwise very good drone?? It is really disappointing to such a big limitation!!
Have DJI come forward and acknowledged these issues, i’m not even getting beyond 300m before I lose signal. This is unworkable
I’m returning my drone. Absolutely pants
I can fly mine over 3km without issue
@@PatrickGuerrisi are you in Europe? apparently this doesn't occur in the FCC version of the mini 3pro. Only Europeans seem to be having signal loss problems.
Went with the nano+ instead
@@mbelof57 I'm in Australia
Hi Stewart, I noticed you are flying without using the sticks, do you do this often and if yes is this something you recommend learning as I am always a bit annoyed with installing and uninstalling the sticks.
Give me an honest advise. I have it preordered with the RC. Should I change my preorder to N1? I really like the new controller but these connection issues videos are all over the place.
Un video muy bonito.
Me voy a suscribir a tu canal 👍
Signal loss is a common occurrence with the previous versions, but so far, hasn't happened with the mini 3 pro. Yes, and don't forget to download the maps which I have relied on more times than I can remember. The pro 3 seems to be 500% better and costs only less than 100% more.
DJI mini 3 Pro is amature and incomplete product
Which controller are you using?
Haven't watched the full video yet, but after using the drone, I've been able to reach over 700m away (in the mountains) and be just fine while I was on the beach and would lose signal less than 300m away.
With the lose connection thingy, the drone just triggers its RTH function and everything was fine. And I'm talking full on black and white lost signal
Nice video 😎👍 , liked & subscribed, thanks for sharing ‼️
Good advice as usual.
Just to inform you that you might wish to inform your followers that scammers are emailing your subscribers to message you that they have been selected to receive a free give away. UA-cam has a video regarding this type of SCAM. Regards Clive.
I'm off to Skye mid September on a drone photography and aurora hunting trip. I hopefully won't get any signal outs with my Mini2 and Air2s...!
Yes. I’m having problems with poor connection. Also, return to home height settings not working. 😩
Imagine this happened to you and drone was far far away 🤦🏻♂️ this is why it’s important to keep your eyes on your drone and don’t fly it too far away…
I had my mini 3 out at a distance of just over 2km today (had visual line of sight) as I followed the Waverley out of Oban bay, I still use the controller that I got with the mini 2 and I had no real signal issues today, dropped to amber but never went into the red. I wonder if there is a difference in range depending on what controller is used
Some say the RCN-1 has better reach, some say its just the bars which get more nervous on the RC but that total loss of signal is about the same for both controllers. I guess the final jury is still out ...
Where are you located? EU drones are equiped with lower signal strenght i think. US has higher. In Norway all over 25mw is forbidden without permission.🤔
@@ArcticRc The M3P drones are the same, just the firmware controls the power depending on location. Its called CE vs. FCC mode.
Good news you got your drone back Stewart 👍😅 it's a good example of that it doesn't matter how experienced you are there's always a chance to make an error.🙈
I've flown my drones out of signal quite a bit, and they always RTH just fine. It still raises my heart rate though...
Am I happy that I kept my mini 2 and held out on buying this too fast.
Lost Signal few days ago, but the controller did not re-establish link to the drone. RTH worked nicely. Had to reboot to link.
It's not a nice feeling at all when it happens. Sometimes it regains the signal other times it returns to home. Scary. 👍
Hi Stewart. I know youre a competent pilot an all but, at the time you lost signal, the RC indicator arrow was blue, that means that you didn't have the best connection, it needs to be green, this ensures that you have the best rc to uav connection, horizontally anyway. Not to mention that when you said it will come back in second (connection) you was pointing away form the drone so that was even worse for you. Also, something else i have noticed that many are doing with this new DJI RC is, they hold it in a position that is best suited to view the screen, i.e. at around a 45º angle. that is also no good, the antennas in this remote have to be pointing at the drone, so at 500m out that controller will need to be at what 10º or there about as you was only at 70m. Just sommat for you to ponder :) OS, this drone and control is very, very sensitive to signal, it has to be spot on between uav and rc...
As always - great advice - technically accurate, and excellent presentation ! Thank you 🙏
Does anyone have knowledge of this happening if you are using the Mini 3 Pro with the RC Pro Controller?
The RC Pro isn't compatible with the mini 3 Pro yet
The RTH is base on AGL or ASL? If it’s ASL, you may not be able to use it on a mountain!
Fortunately it's AGL so there's no issue there.
DJI has the best safety features. DJI has announced that it will release updates to improve on the signal strength. Personally though I feel that it's really no different with the Air 2S in this particular area. I've flown in and around mountains and signal drops aren't thaat serious for it to trigger RTH. It's really a case to case basis depending on your location and some minute things you do like pointing at the right direction, maintaining LOS< etc.
When the altitude increased to 100 metres, this was an indication it was in RTH Mode...At that altitude, your image and telemetry overlay should reappear. In this environment, losing connection at a mere 500 metres doesn't seem right, even at the low altitude fly out...😳😳🇬🇧
Ty 4 the video,nice advice :D
Losing connection will probably always give you that gut twinge feeling!
Can't wait to take my mini 3 Pro to the Isle of harris
Thanks for sharing...