Has anyone been experiencing issues with their remote signal while flying the drone? Not sure if this is due to the latest update or not but when I start to reach the 1000-1100ft mark the video feed becomes choppy and the drone starts to complain about weak RC signal. At all times I am below the 400ft mark for elevation.  Originally I thought it was just in the area where I live (in MA) but I recently have been doing quite of bit of travel and have seen the issue apprear in the Venice Beach, CA area and also in the Red Canyons in UT. Seems like no matter the enviornment (heavily populated or not, power lines, direct line of sight, etc), it still has the same issue. Not sure if it matters or not but I am using a Nexus 6P (on the recommended list) with the remote.

I am having the same issue. Not sure if it is related to firm ware update or not. But can only get a range of around 1500ft before losing RC contact.

What firmware are you guys on? That would suck for those of us that can see (LOS) nearly 2 miles

Panaceabeachbum Posted at 2017-6-1 17:06
What firmware are you guys on? That would suck for those of us that can see (LOS) nearly 2 miles

I am on the latest firmware .0700. I cant remember if the issue has been happening since before the current version or not though.

fans3f6b00e8 Posted at 2017-6-1 16:31
I am having the same issue. Not sure if it is related to firm ware update or not. But can only get a range of around 1500ft before losing RC contact.

That is a shame. I was really looking forward to using the drone more now that the weather is ideal but for something that is marketed at having a 4.7mi range but not being able to push 1500ft leaves a bit of a sour taste in my mouth.

I recently crashed my p3s, totaled it. Bought another on eBay.  I have been having issues with the r/c signal going in and out at any distance.  Made it to 2200 ft once before it quit, returned home, and came back overhead. I stopped Rth and hovered to watch the signal come and go a couple time before I brought it down.  

Do you switch off all you mobile phone transmitters by putting it in a flight mode? Dont you?

IVAN01 Posted at 2017-6-2 23:21
Do you switch off all you mobile phone transmitters by putting it in a flight mode? Dont you?

No I don't. Is that something that  people do? If so, its the first time I've heard it mentioned.

Yes it do a lot of interfirence! I cant go farther than 800m without airplane mode.

If you're flying low, try gaining altitude.  Most radio interference is ground-based, plus ground-level obstructions can obscure your signal.

Have you tried angling the controllers antennae, where the flat surface is towards the UAS

Strange thread. I never experienced any range issues with the Magic and i can fly it easily up to 4 km away in a lightly obstructed (trees, some houses) landscape even in EU. On range it is outperforming my Phantoms by a large margin.

IVAN01 Posted at 2017-6-7 10:22
Yes it do a lot of interfirence! I cant go farther than 800m without airplane mode.

Interesting. I have never heard anyone mention it before this thread.  I will test it out and see how it goes.

Griffith Posted at 2017-6-7 10:40
If you're flying low, try gaining altitude.  Most radio interference is ground-based, plus ground-level obstructions can obscure your signal.

Good point. I have tried to stay under the 400ft mark but will fly higher and see how that goes. Thanks for the suggestion.

PhanFran Posted at 2017-6-7 13:24
Strange thread. I never experienced any range issues with the Magic and i can fly it easily up to 4 km away in a lightly obstructed (trees, some houses) landscape even in EU. On range it is outperforming my Phantoms by a large margin.

I wish I could get even half that range. I got some suggestions from others that I will be trying but is there anything special/different that you do?

AndyP. Posted at 2017-6-7 10:46
Have you tried angling the controllers antennae, where the flat surface is towards the UAS

I normally have the have the antenna positioned as shown in the picture here and the remote pointed in the direction of the drone.

When you say the flat surface, are you talking about the very tip of the antenna?

also be aware of fresnel effect on the signal your sending/receiving, worth checking the internet for the full description/explanation for this,   low level at large distances can easily see this  phenomena,  especially when a mix of tree types, water, grass, buildings, roads, vehicles and power cables etc,  are near the line of path between the craft and remote controller,   the closer you get to complete fresnel drop out the more dramatic the loss of connection wil be,    so one second you may have 3 bars the next 0 bars !   

Nifty Posted at 2017-6-8 10:32
Good point. I have tried to stay under the 400ft mark but will fly higher and see how that goes. Thanks for the suggestion.

Don't recall if it's been mentioned here, but one thing I always do is put my phone in  'Airplane' mode to minimize interference with the downlink signal from the Mavic.

Nifty Posted at 2017-6-8 10:36
I normally have the have the antenna positioned as shown in the picture here and the remote pointed in the direction of the drone.

When you say the flat surface, are you talking about the very tip of the antenna?

No i'm talking about the long flat or slightly rounded sides of the antennae

The interfeerence is realy strong when your mobile is transfering some data. You cant stream well enough if your RC is not connected to the mobile via long cable and well away of it

IVAN01 Posted at 2017-6-8 22:41
The interfeerence is realy strong when your mobile is transfering some data. You cant stream well enough if your RC is not connected to the mobile via long cable and well away of it

Thanks for the tip. I will try it this weekend and let you know how it worked out.

IVAN01 Posted at 2017-6-8 22:41
The interfeerence is realy strong when your mobile is transfering some data. You cant stream well enough if your RC is not connected to the mobile via long cable and well away of it

A lot has been made of interference since I have been following this forum.  While intelectually I can follow the reasoning, I still have trouble with this concept.  I have a device that's barely larger than a thick slice of cheese that can:

Transmit and Receive
1.  2.4 GHz Wifi
2.  5.0 GHz Wifi
3.  Bluetooth
4.  Cellular Data
5.  Cellular Voice
6.  NFC

Receive Only
1.  GPS
2.  Compass
3.  3-D accelerometers
4.  Wireless Charging
5.  Dual Cameras
6.  Dual touch sensors
7.  Analog Audio output
(I mention 4-7 as they are possible sources of interference)

I find it amazing that this tiny smartphone is able to support all of these transmission, reception and interference sources simultaneously and really  don't understand why a much larger dedicated device like the Mavic and controller have issues while only supporting control Tx&RX and Video Tx&Rx and GPS reception.  These devices have dedicated external antenna systems to boot.

I'm not trying to be critical but I just think given the concerns over signal integrity on the Mavic make me wonder how our smartphones work at all.  

Looking for education on this....

EastyT Posted at 2017-6-9 09:49
A lot has been made of interference since I have been following this forum.  While intelectually I can follow the reasoning, I still have trouble with this concept.  I have a device that's barely larger than a thick slice of cheese that can:

Transmit and Receive

There is surely interference (noise) being generated in  your phone all the time.  The issue is signal/noise ratio.    You can receive a cell signal from miles away because it is being transmitted at a relatively high power.  How far from a wifi router can you get good reception? Same for bluetooth. Your usable range is determined by the local signal/noise ratio.

Cellular bands are relatively 'clear channel' , but there are a multitude of commercial applications, pumping out much more than a few milliwatts in the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands.  

If you hang a wire on a spectrum analyzer and observe RF levels in different areas, I think you'll be surprised at the amount of strong noise production in urban areas

This doesn't explain OPs experience in the desert, however.

That's why it's important to put your phone in "Airplane" mode  while flying your drone.

Griffith Posted at 2017-6-9 11:31
There is surely interference (noise) being generated in  your phone all the time.  The issue is signal/noise ratio.    You can receive a cell signal from miles away because it is being transmitted at a relatively high power.  How far from a wifi router can you get good reception? Same for bluetooth. Your usable range is determined by the local signal/noise ratio.

Cellular bands are relatively 'clear channel' , but there are a multitude of commercial applications, pumping out much more than a few milliwatts in the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands.  

So in theory, would it be more important to turn off WiFi on you phone than the cellular voice and data?

Griffith Posted at 2017-6-9 11:31
There is surely interference (noise) being generated in  your phone all the time.  The issue is signal/noise ratio.    You can receive a cell signal from miles away because it is being transmitted at a relatively high power.  How far from a wifi router can you get good reception? Same for bluetooth. Your usable range is determined by the local signal/noise ratio.

Cellular bands are relatively 'clear channel' , but there are a multitude of commercial applications, pumping out much more than a few milliwatts in the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands.  

P.S. Thanks for the cogent response

EastyT Posted at 2017-6-9 11:50
So in theory, would it be more important to turn off WiFi on you phone than the cellular voice and data?

Remember most transmitters also radiate a small amount  of out-of-band signal (spurious radiation) that can add to the noise level on other frequencies.

I'd turn off anything it the cell that is transmitting.

Just do it and you will see the difference. Calling mobile can even interfeere with a speakers if it is near