I’m having the same sort of problems, MA2 dropping the signal at around 2500 feet, it’s a serious disappointment, does anyone have a fix? It’s a brand new drone too.

fans1cb5d6a3 Posted at 6-17 02:33
I contacted DJI Support and they are advising the following method - "refresh the firmware of the remote and the drone using DJI assistant 2 via computer then kindly try to recalibrate the IMU and compass of the drone". Has anyone tried this? Does it work? Will let you all know soon.

Im having the same issue half z mile loses signal and returns to home never done compass could be that but says normal

I guess I need to chime in too! My drone will not fly further than 2500ft without loosing signal. I’ve tried everything from a million different sources. Nothing works. Disappointed

It looks like it is a widespread issue. It would be nice if DJI came forward regarding this or offered a solution. Waiting for my replacement to see if issue is gone.

As a follow up to my recent post. I did go out to the beach where there was no interference like WiFi or power lines or trees and the Mavic Air 2 actually did great! Before I could only get about 2000 feet but this time I got almost 2 miles before I got a little nervous and turned around. Even at the point where I turned around I never once saw the “weka signal” notification. So I’m happy with that. I did have my phone in airplane mode and turned off my Apple watched and took the magnet off of the back of my phone(iPhone holder magnet for my car). I flew at 350 feet altitude the whole time .

fans1cb5d6a3 Posted at 6-26 12:18
Please let us know if your new drone makes a difference to your transmission signal.

Right guys update !!!!!   Due to weather only had opportunity to fly a few times. I flew in the exact same areas where I was getting the weak signal and the distance around 0.5km.  The new drone easily surpassed the distance, I got to 5.6km when the weak signal message appeared. At this point I went another 50 m upwards and the signal was regained. I took it to 6km which was fine for me as I will never fly it that far out of sight. (purely for the purpose of seeing how far it would go). You maybe able to go further but you have a whole load of other factors involved now.

In a nutshell whether you are a newbie or a DJI vet, this problem has nothing to do with you, it is purely down to the drone or the controller. Im loving the MA2 now Its actually flying now, I think my Zoom will be gathering dust.

I hope you all stick in there although very frustrating (ask my keyboard on occasions the poor thing was being used for whack-a-mole) it worth it in the end.

good luck

Brav3H3art Posted at 6-29 03:13
Right guys update !!!!!   Due to weather only had opportunity to fly a few times. I flew in the exact same areas where I was getting the weak signal and the distance around 0.5km.  The new drone easily surpassed the distance, I got to 5.6km when the weak signal message appeared. At this point I went another 50 m upwards and the signal was regained. I took it to 6km which was fine for me as I will never fly it that far out of sight. (purely for the purpose of seeing how far it would go). You maybe able to go further but you have a whole load of other factors involved now.

In a nutshell whether you are a newbie or a DJI vet, this problem has nothing to do with you, it is purely down to the drone or the controller. Im loving the MA2 now Its actually flying now, I think my Zoom will be gathering dust.

Very interesting

That leaves us all in a difficult situation...... keep it or replace it!

As mentioned before, I had no problem flying it over the beach (2.5 km) but struggled over urban settings (0.5-0.8 km max). I will have to reassess.

Thanks for updating us. Btw, how long did it take them to post it out to you?

fans1cb5d6a3 Posted at 6-29 09:39
Very interesting  

That leaves us all in a difficult situation...... keep it or replace it!

Once they had scanned my faulty one into their system, took three days to dispatch, however UPS took 5 days to deliver !!!!!!!

I also have the issue on my brand new MA2. Flew it twice. Once over water did ok had poor signal once. Did not take it that far though. The second flight is where I always fly. It did not go nearly as far as maybe half Km-1km and poor signal. MA2 Signal started to break up and altitude did not fix it. I flew my magic Pro right after and it went way further. I will refresh FW via DJI assistant as I did update via Phone. I hope that fixes this very disappointed with poor distance. Note I calibrated Compas but not IMU(maybe this is cause of the poor range)

fans03bf0071 Posted at 6-29 17:12
I also have the issue on my brand new MA2. Flew it twice. Once over water did ok had poor signal once. Did not take it that far though. The second flight is where I always fly. It did not go nearly as far as maybe half Km-1km and poor signal. MA2 Signal started to break up and altitude did not fix it. I flew my magic Pro right after and it went way further. I will refresh FW via DJI assistant as I did update via Phone. I hope that fixes this very disappointed with poor distance. Note I calibrated Compas but not IMU(maybe this is cause of the poor range)

So refreshed FW and Drone did fly further today. However little after 1km it breaks up. I lost the signal and it returned to home. I then flew my Mavic Pro and it went much further did not break up at all. I think this new controller does not like interference as much. Could be FW too not sure. Gunna Downgrade FW and see if the range is improved. If not will try another area to see if range is better.

fans03bf0071 Posted at 6-30 18:21
So refreshed FW and Drone did fly further today. However little after 1km it breaks up. I lost the signal and it returned to home. I then flew my Mavic Pro and it went much further did not break up at all. I think this new controller does not like interference as much. Could be FW too not sure. Gunna Downgrade FW and see if the range is improved. If not will try another area to see if range is better.

Ok, Update and fix! I downgraded but App was real buggy keep disconnection image and freezing and connection again were not great. App said update avail which I did again via app. After the update, I restarted both the controller and MA2. When I went into transmissions I could see dual-band 2.4 and 5ghz . This was not in my settings before. When I looked at the frequency it was rock solid green. I flew this thing well over 1km almost 2km not one issue. So the problem appears update related. Looks like it does not install properly as 1st time I was missing 2.4 and 5ghz networks. I could only do auto or manual and choose a 10hz or 20hz band.

Engineers need to look into this and issue update that fixes this issue. Also, I was only getting max 40km hour far from 70km it says it does. I toggled from normal back to the sport mode and I had 70km speeds. Hope this helps somebody. Cheers

fans03bf0071 Posted at 7-1 17:53
Ok, Update and fix! I downgraded but App was real buggy keep disconnection image and freezing and connection again were not great. App said update avail which I did again via app. After the update, I restarted both the controller and MA2. When I went into transmissions I could see dual-band 2.4 and 5ghz . This was not in my settings before. When I looked at the frequency it was rock solid green. I flew this thing well over 1km almost 2km not one issue. So the problem appears update related. Looks like it does not install properly as 1st time I was missing 2.4 and 5ghz networks. I could only do auto or manual and choose a 10hz or 20hz band.

Engineers need to look into this and issue update that fixes this issue. Also, I was only getting max 40km hour far from 70km it says it does. I toggled from normal back to the sport mode and I had 70km speeds. Hope this helps somebody. Cheers

Hi, thanks for your updates.

I will compare flight tests with my friends mavic pro 2 before making any decisions.

With good line of sight I am able to get between 1-2 km before the signal drops off but with no line of sight I struggle to get 1 km. Not sure if thats a problem with the drone / controller itself (i.e. product issue). As I am a first time DJI customer, I am not entirely sure what to expect. However, last week on this forum, one guy mentioned that his replacement drone was able to go as far as 6 km??

Makes me wonder about just sending it back

fans1cb5d6a3 Posted at 7-3 01:55
Hi, thanks for your updates.

I will compare flight tests with my friends mavic pro 2 before making any decisions.

Do what I did. If you still have range issues send it back while you can.

fans03bf0071 Posted at 7-3 05:48
Do what I did. If you still have range issues send it back while you can.

I will have to send it back now - now getting a new error.... Vision sensor blocked (code 180038) and the live view is completely black on the app screen. Has any of you guys had similar problems?

fans1cb5d6a3 Posted at 7-4 08:13
I will have to send it back now - now getting a new error.... Vision sensor blocked (code 180038) and the live view is completely black on the app screen. Has any of you guys had similar problems?

No, send your bird back.

Got my replacement yesterday and did a quick flight test. I noticed the improvement immediately, the difference is night and day! With the previous aircraft, I would get weak signal warning around 600 meters, and loose transmission around 800 meters. With the new one, I flew over 1200 meters without a single weak signal warning, much more reliable. For those who are experiencing the same issue, I would strongly recommend that you contact DJI for a replacement, it is clearly a hardware issue.

PS: I had an unrelated problem with this new drone that I find it worth mentioning. When I first started the drone, it prompted a firmware update which I did. After that, the drone got stuck on "IMU Initiating. Retrieving IMU data (Code 30066)" and wouldn't allow take off. Tried in a different location to no avail. Went home and tried refreshing the firmware of both the drone and RC through DJI Assistant and the issue persisted. The issue was only gone after I downgraded the firmware on both devices and upgraded them. The flight test was after this operation, so far so good. If someone else experiences the same issue, try these steps.

Im from UAE and Im facing exact same problem
Without line of sight I losses signal around 600 meters.
And when I tested directly over sea with line of site, I get max 1 km range before it suddenly give loss of signal.
Anyone managed to fix this problem when they got a replacement ? Or is it a common problem with all MA2 ?

shahidokuk Posted at 7-9 09:48
Im from UAE and Im facing exact same problem
Without line of sight I losses signal around 600 meters.
And when I tested directly over sea with line of site, I get max 1 km range before it suddenly give loss of signal.

downgrade via DJI assistant both controller and drone then turn off. Turn on upgrade via phone app then turn off drone and controller, Turn on both controller and drone issue should be resolved. Pretty sure it's FW related.

fans03bf0071 Posted at 7-9 16:11
downgrade via DJI assistant both controller and drone then turn off. Turn on upgrade via phone app then turn off drone and controller, Turn on both controller and drone issue should be resolved. Pretty sure it's FW related.

Update.
Downgraded both Remote and Aircraft via DJI assistant and then upgraded Aircraft via phone app.
Then I tested on a desert with line of sight
On first flight again signal lost at 1.2km
On second test flew towards the opposite direction and now signal strength got improved, still lost signal at 2.8km

Anybody else tried this method?

Hi

Newbie here...

I’m getting 600max. Has the firmware downgrade worked for many? If not, should I bother with the retailer exchanging it or am I best to just go for the pro??

Really annoying, I was getting more confident and wanted to take her for a rip out to sea. It’s whale migration season and need 1-2km to get some good shots  

shahidokuk Posted at 7-9 09:48
Im from UAE and Im facing exact same problem
Without line of sight I losses signal around 600 meters.
And when I tested directly over sea with line of site, I get max 1 km range before it suddenly give loss of signal.

Hi
I was first to report this to DJI, clearly they didn't have a clue. Was asked to do all the updates etc. None of them worked. After 4 weeks they finally replaced the drone. Flew it in exactly the same places and had no issues whatsoever. It was the drone or the Controller.

Send it back, get another

I'm sooo glad I bought my MA2 fly more package through Amazon!!!

It's a amazing Drone, no doubt, but this Range Issue is a F****** joke.
From resetting Firmware, pointing antenna towards drone, trying different Locations around Georgia, updating etc.,
Pretty sure I watched every YouTube Video which i was hoping could help me in some sort, you name it. My good old Spark flies further before I get signal issues...
I was so exited and couldn't wait until it comes out and i I did not even care to drop the 1k+, cause I believed the MA2 is every penny worth.

Now after 3 weeks, almost daily flying, I sadly returned the MA2 and just dropped it off at UPS.

Until DJI has proved to me this is absolutely fixed, I have a hard time convincing myself to purchase any DJI product ever again.....

Sorry, but this is absolutely unacceptable and on top of that the return issues i'm reading here from my dear Drone Friends is just the "tip of the iceberg"

fansbc99ce0f Posted at 5-22 06:30
But I don't understand how my Mavic Mini ,which has inferior technology can fly further than my Mavic Air2  ( which DJI states " The Mavic Air 2 has a video transmission range of 10 km " ) I would settle for half,not a stingy 0.5km. understandably my Mavic Pro Zoom has no problem reaching its distance, but again the technology must be superior due to it being a top the end spec. even my old Phantom Pro has no problem surpassing the MA2. Has anyone else had the same problem ????????????

Hey, I’m having the same issues.. it loses signal at 1km... I thought it was capable of 10k!!! What bull.... Definitely wouldn’t have bought this if that was the case. I’m having better results with the mini.. not impressed. Great machine but the range is ....

shahidokuk Posted at 7-9 21:40
Update.
Downgraded both Remote and Aircraft via DJI assistant and then upgraded Aircraft via phone app.
Then I tested on a desert with line of sight

for the best signal, you should be high like 200-400 feet. When you see signal strength is going down stop for second and let drone get better signal also raise the height. I am getting 3km in an urban setting.

I am brand new to drones and this DJI MA2 is my first.  Was super cool at first but when worked up the nerve to take it 1-2 miles out I dont even get close!  I get about 2400ft max (.7km) before signal loss.  A far cry from 10km DJI has been boasting.   Now I do live in a suburban environment with a lot of trees so I was not expecting to get anywhere close to the max distance but this is a joke.   I am just starting to work through the firmware troubleshooting and will be disabling Bluetooth and wifi on my phone (Samsung note9) and to see if there is any improvement next flight.  Will report back with results.
Update: Did a few more tests with the refreshed firmware.  
Test 1: Same distace as before.  Around 2300 feet.
After the first test I decided to recalibrate the cumpace and IMU.  I had read else where that it fixed the issue or extended the range, could not hurt right?
Test 2: Got out to around 3400 feet this time before signal started to drop out.

• I noticed this time that the indicator that shows you were your controller is in relation to your done is wildly inaccurate.  Like off by a good 45 degrees inacurate.
• I have also started to notice that the video feed will also hitch or drop for a second or so every now and then even at full signal strength.  This has been happening from day one and I just kind of accepted it for what it is, apparently this is unacceptable until you reach the edge of you signal range.
  

Test 3: This was more troubleshooting the position indicator.  

• I calibrated the compass again and it was still very off.
• The only time it was remotelty close was if I had the controller pointed strait up and was facing the drone.  The drone was hovering about 8ft off the ground and was about 20ft away.
  

I am now going to try drowngrading the firmware and then upgrading it again.
Does the controller have firmware and if so can I do the same to that?

Also on a side note I have noticed that the Fly More battery charging bank does not always charge the batteries to 100%.   In fact I dont think I have seen one that has made it to 100% yet.  They are always around 93% - 97%.

BGDrone Posted at 7-13 08:47
I am brand new to drones and this DJI MA2 is my first.  Was super cool at first but when worked up the nerve to take it 1-2 miles out I dont even get close!  I get about 2400ft max (.7km) before signal loss.  A far cry from 10km DJI has been boasting.   Now I do live in a suburban environment with a lot of trees so I was not expecting to get anywhere close to the max distance but this is a joke.   I am just starting to work through the firmware troubleshooting and will be disabling Bluetooth and wifi on my phone (Samsung note9) and to see if there is any improvement next flight.  Will report back with results.
Update: Did a few more tests with the refreshed firmware.  
Test 1: Same distace as before.  Around 2300 feet.

RC also has firmware which you can downgrade using DJI Assistant on a PC or Mac.
Batteries usually get discharged to around 95% if you don't use it for a few hours after full charging. This is to avoid leakage issue. It will get discharged to 60% if you don't use it for a week or so. This is normal and need not be worried about

Please try downgrading both RC and Aircraft firmware and test before upgrading.
Then upgrade and test again.

shahidokuk Posted at 7-13 12:13
RC also has firmware which you can downgrade using DJI Assistant on a PC or Mac.
Batteries usually get discharged to around 95% if you don't use it for a few hours after full charging. This is to avoid leakage issue. It will get discharged to 60% if you don't use it for a week or so. This is normal and need not be worried about

Is there a specific DJI assistant for the RC like there is for the MA2?  It does not seem to find it.
Edit: Nevermind, had to turn the remote on.  All set now, thanks!   It started raining out so I will have to wait until later to see if this does anything.

fans1cb5d6a3 Posted at 6-17 02:33
I contacted DJI Support and they are advising the following method - "refresh the firmware of the remote and the drone using DJI assistant 2 via computer then kindly try to recalibrate the IMU and compass of the drone". Has anyone tried this? Does it work? Will let you all know soon.

I tried this and it did not work at all.

BGDrone Posted at 7-13 12:35
Is there a specific DJI assistant for the RC like there is for the MA2?  It does not seem to find it.
Edit: Nevermind, had to turn the remote on.  All set now, thanks!   It started raining out so I will have to wait until later to see if this does anything.

OK. Waiting for your update.

djiuser_6MrlI8sKUbUF Posted at 7-13 14:29
I tried this and it did not work at all.

Instead of refreshing, did you try to downgrade using DJI assistant and try ?

I think I had two issues going against me.  
1. Too much interference.   At no point, on my property can I get clear line of site of the air craft unless I am standing on my roof due to trees.
2. Not enough GPS connections.  This was making the the drone direction indicator act silly.  Apparently 12 satellite connections is not enough.

I took the drone to a lake and got about 5200 feet out over the water before I got nervous and came back.  I have only had this for a week after all, I had three bars left on the RC at the time I turned around so I figure I could have gotten another 2000 or so feet out.  At this site I also was connected to more gps satellites as well, making the indicator a bit more accurate.  Last night I downgraded then upgraded the firmware on both the RC and Drone.  I should have tried with the downgraded firmware, but oh well.   

To upgrade, downgrade or refresh the RC you need the DJI Assistant 2 for Mavic software.  Have the RC plugged in to your pc and turned on, not simply plugged in and charging.  This is where I went wrong before.   
Edit:  I keep seeing youtube videos of people hitting 7k+ feet.  One guy went to almost 18000ft out before turning back.  So I think something is not right. Time to start the long email help chain with DJI I guess.

#Me Too

Maximum range I could get was 800 -1000m.  I'm in Australia.

I returned mine to the place of purchase a couple of days ago for a full refund.

I then went to another retailer, who advised that the first batch they had received had been recalled. Apparently they'd had no returns from the second batch, so I purchased a new one. Took it for it's first flight and got 1800m before I started getting poor transmission messages. It was in an area with trees and possible interference nearby (cell phone tower, power lines), so not too bad but still nowhere near what I'd hoped for.

I will test it under a range of conditions and see how far I can get.

DJI are being very quiet indeed on this issue and it would be good to see some acknowledgement of it and assurance that they are working on it. Testing products on consumers is generally seen as poor practice and this will hurt their reputation badly I think.

djiuser_DvqvF6FUlIjU Posted at 7-10 12:28
Hi

Newbie here...

Take it back mate and get another one. I did and on the first flight got 1800m. Hopefully I'll get better range under ideal conditions but will see how I go. I also thought about 'downgrading' to a Pro Platinum (same price) but the local retailer has only just discontinued them.

MikeMAW Posted at 7-14 21:40
#Me Too

Maximum range I could get was 800 -1000m.  I'm in Australia.

I had returned the first one and bought another one from a different seller. But I have not opened the box yet thinking what if the new one I bought is also from the first batch. What is the month of manufacturing printed on the box of your second one?
Mine is 06/2020.But I didnt check the manufacturing date on the earlier one.
Everyone who faces this issue if they can post the manufacturing date on their Box would be appreciated.
Since some of them reports that they could fly them more than 7-8km means the issue only comes with certain batches only.

shahidokuk Posted at 7-15 00:15
I had returned the first one and bought another one from a different seller. But I have not opened the box yet thinking what if the new one I bought is also from the first batch. What is the month of manufacturing printed on the box of your second one?
Mine is 06/2020.But I didnt check the manufacturing date on the earlier one.
Everyone who faces this issue if they can post the manufacturing date on their Box would be appreciated.

The manufacture date on my new one is 04/20. Yours is obviously the very latest so would be good to know if the issue has been sorted out.

MikeMAW Posted at 7-15 01:26
The manufacture date on my new one is 04/20. Yours is obviously the very latest so would be good to know if the issue has been sorted out.

I wish to test it but here the temperature got increased to 45 degree Celsius and DJI syas the drone should not be operated above 40 degrees.
With all the reviews I read on different forums, I strongly suspect that there are some  design flaws with MA2. I can confirm that its not an issue caused by just the envoronment and flying condition alone because I was testing it along with my friend who own a 2 year old Mavic Pro which didnt have any issue at all.
So I am in a dilemma whether to return even the new one without opening it and wait until the dust is settled before I purchase a new one  to make sure that they have fixed it completely. Even the range of 1800m which you got on your new one seems not acceptable to me. I suggest you to test it on different locations with LOS to make sure it flys at least 3-4 kms with ideal conditions

shahidokuk Posted at 7-15 00:15
I had returned the first one and bought another one from a different seller. But I have not opened the box yet thinking what if the new one I bought is also from the first batch. What is the month of manufacturing printed on the box of your second one?
Mine is 06/2020.But I didnt check the manufacturing date on the earlier one.
Everyone who faces this issue if they can post the manufacturing date on their Box would be appreciated.

My box says 6/2020 for the date on the sticker.  Literally everything about this drone has exceeded my expectations except for this range issue.  If I could get this a few miles or km away from my take off site I could get some pretty cool shots.   What happened to the admin that was posting in here?  Maybe they can help get to the bottom of this?

BGDrone Posted at 7-15 05:27
My box says 6/2020 for the date on the sticker.  Literally everything about this drone has exceeded my expectations except for this range issue.  If I could get this a few miles or km away from my take off site I could get some pretty cool shots.   What happened to the admin that was posting in here?  Maybe they can help get to the bottom of this?

That means the issue may not be fixed even with my new one. Waiting for others update

Update.

I posted this issue on a Mavic group in facebook asking if anyone experiencing similar issue.

Some are commenting that it was fine when they bought it 2 months back but now the signal got weak.

Does that pointing to any bug with the latest firmware they released ?

Anybody tried flying after downgrading the firmware to the original version?

shahidokuk Posted at 7-15 07:39
Update.

I posted this issue on a Mavic group in facebook asking if anyone experiencing similar issue.

I am currently downgrading both my RC and MA2 and going to do another test flight.  Will report report back in 45-60 min.
Update with results!

• First flight was with downgraded firmware on everything.  This flight was aborted.  Every time I gave the sticks any imput the video feed would freeze until I release the stick.
• Second flight was with the downgraded firmware but refreshed.  I had the same video issue, flight aborted.
• Third flight was with the RC upgraded but the MA2 downgraded.  Still having the same video issue, flight also aborted.
• Forth flight was with the MA2 upgraded and the RC downgraded.  This time I was able to fly without much issue.  There was A LOT of video feed hitching and lag however.  I made it 1263m before getting signal warnings.
• Fifth flight was with the MA2 and RC on the current firmware.  I was able to fly out to 1494m before getting choppy video and signal warnings.  Something odd happend around 11.52m, i was down to one bar, got a low signal warning and was about to turn around when it suddenly jumped back up to full signal before slowly degrading again.  There was still some video lag and hitching but it was considrably less.  On video hitching regard, I was watching the signal graph on its RTH flight back, the video only seemed to lag or jump on frequency changes if it did it at all.
  

A few things to note.  I have been using the same flight path for all of these tests.  All flights were around 350m high.  Bluetooth and wireless was disabled on my phone for all flights.  There were some very tall trees, about 30m about 45m away from me.  Not very dense, like a lightly wooded park.  They are softwood trees however, no idea how much of a difference that will make.  Also the indicator where your drone is in relation to the RC is STILL messed up even with 18 GPS satellite connections.