DAFlys Posted at 5-18 06:26
Are you holding the remote flat like it was
Placed on a table.  Pointed at the drone and your not covering that leading edge between the camera buttons.

For that test, both were on the windowsill, slightly tilted up, so they were directly pointing at the drone.

TheBoy Posted at 5-23 01:48
For that test, both were on the windowsill, slightly tilted up, so they were directly pointing at the drone.

Ive found keeping the remote absolutely horizontal is key to good signal,  along with not having the remote on a surface as that could deflect half the signal.

Bashy Posted at 5-22 20:57
This is what grips my poop, wasnt he the 1st one to report poor range over urban, not the location he's flying in now by doing a test against another drone and an Autel against the MM3P?  I cant find his video now so maybe it wasn't him, i could have sworn it was mind...?

Also, why stop at 1000m, he's already doubled the law at 500m, and now freaking way could he see it at 1000, made me chuckle him saying he's coming to the end of VLOS lol. He might just as well have carried on and seen what this puppy can do...

No, that was GavinHR
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0w05TcOQvk

He also did a pretty decent camera comparison between 4 drones:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cXk_ukf8Fw

RalUK Posted at 5-23 04:50
No, that was GavinHR
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0w05TcOQvk

Ah, thanks, i get confused between the pair... still, the point remains...

Geebax Posted at 5-22 21:10
This whole range thing is BS, everyone has an opinion on it and the fact is few people REALLY understand what factors affect range. Most times, the range is limited by the surrounding radio noise that affects the transmission path. And most itmes, that "noise" is caused by WiFi systems.

I also think that a fair few are not aligning correctly, i have a feeling that the Mini 3 Pro is less forgiving and needs perfect alignment, but when you try to explain this and the best way to achieve this, they think its a wind up lol

DAFlys Posted at 5-23 01:55
Ive found keeping the remote absolutely horizontal is key to good signal,  along with not having the remote on a surface as that could deflect half the signal.

I shall certainly try that, as I have been going to great lengths to keep DJI RC absolutely in line with the aircraft.

Thanks.

TheBoy Posted at 5-23 01:45
That test was to show that the Mini 3 was getting half the range of the Mini 2 in same condition.  The actual distance wasn't relevant....   ...only to say that the Mini 3 easily remained within VLOS without any strobes on board.

Brilliant. Thanks for your input.

I have made my first flight, results are mixed. So going to do another flight this week. Will update with results.

Dragonfyr Posted at 5-23 05:19
I have made my first flight, results are mixed. So going to do another flight this week. Will update with results.

Yes, I get inconsistent results.  Sometimes its perfectly acceptable, often its below expectation.

TheBoy Posted at 5-23 05:22
Yes, I get inconsistent results.  Sometimes its perfectly acceptable, often its below expectation.

re getting inconsistency every time you fly...

is this in the same place going the same way?
is this urban, semi-urban or just rural?
is the height the same?
is it on different days (air density and humidity can affect the signal)

My best on my P4P was achieved on a clear, cold day at 120m
My best on my Mini 2 was achieved on a damp, 10C, low lying foggy day, i think the signal bounced off the low fog , which aided my flight as i was flying mostly at 17m up to 27m towards the turning point.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8psGKt7RQg

First 12km test I´ve seen wih Mini 3

Bashy Posted at 5-23 19:48
re getting inconsistency every time you fly...

is this in the same place going the same way?

Yes, I have done multiple tests directly comparing the Mini 2 to Mini 3, going the same way, aiming for the same point in the distance.

TheBoy Posted at 5-25 00:21
Yes, I have done multiple tests directly comparing the Mini 2 to Mini 3, going the same way, aiming for the same point in the distance.

It shouldnt be inconsistent for sure, not if the external variables are the same.
Is the Mini 2 inconsistent? that's fine for me, i can take that as far as the battery allows and still have full signal....

Bashy Posted at 5-25 03:38
It shouldnt be inconsistent for sure, not if the external variables are the same.
Is the Mini 2 inconsistent? that's fine for me, i can take that as far as the battery allows and still have full signal....

Rural open space, my Mini 2 is good for whatever the battery will allow, without any signal glitches.  The Mini 3 gets between half and two thirds of that distance before video feed is quite bad or frozen, or a disconnection occurs.

Urban, distances are much less, obviously, but the Mini 2 is more predictable when it is likely to have signal glitches, where as its a lottery when the Mini 3 will suffer.

TheBoy Posted at 5-25 06:43
Rural open space, my Mini 2 is good for whatever the battery will allow, without any signal glitches.  The Mini 3 gets between half and two thirds of that distance before video feed is quite bad or frozen, or a disconnection occurs.

Urban, distances are much less, obviously, but the Mini 2 is more predictable when it is likely to have signal glitches, where as its a lottery when the Mini 3 will suffer.

I obviously cannot comment on the MM3P but my MM2 in CE will do about 1000m urban and that's at under 70m high and i actually lost direct LOS to the drone as it when behind houses etc at that height, I just did that today as a test. Now rural and i mean no houses whatsoever, i can max out the battery with a full signal at 5.5km but that's in FCC and mostly at 17m under fog, i ended up at 27m at the turning point 65% and 11 to 12% at the homepoint, in CE i managed about 3.8 i think it was but it was on a different day with different atmospherics', to b honest, i really cannot remember what it was in CE but i know it got further than my P4P in FCC lol

Is the RC-N1 controller expected to have better signal?

b_ron Posted at 5-25 08:55
Is the RC-N1 controller expected to have better signal?

Honestly although I haven’t tried it yet, from what testing I have seen there is no difference in signal and this is similar with RC-N1 and the RC-pro.

Was tempted to buy a Mini 3 as my Mac Prob 2 backup/holiday option but won’t bother if A) The range is poor (and yes I know by comparison to my MP2 it will be) but also B) Absolutely no response from DJI.

Weight is a problem with my MavPro2 but I knew that. However the distance this thing can fly is phenomenal

Is there a response on here in 1 of the threads from DJI?
You can also read complaints on Facebook when DJI post the Mini 3 pro!

patrick51 Posted at 5-25 18:58
Is there a response on here in 1 of the threads from DJI?
You can also read complaints on Facebook when DJI post the Mini 3 pro!

DJI have replied to this thread. Page 3 - DJI Stephen.

Results from testing my mini 3 pro with the RC controller (one with the screen).
All tests were performed away from uninvolved people and I had a spotter (the girlfriend) on both 1 and 2 flights.

First Range test: 1217 meters.
Total Distance Covered: 5.54km.
Flight Total Duration: 17min.
Weather: Fair, minor wind.
Issues?: Yes. A lot of signal drop outs + bars dropped down a lot.

Second Range Test: 1688 meters.
Total Distance Covered: 3.49km.
Flight Total Duration: 10min.
Weather: Fair, minor wind.
Issues?: Yes. Same as above/flight #1,

Third Range Test: 471 meters (started to lose sight of it, so brought it back).
Total Distance Covered: 1.84km.
Flight Total Duration: 11min.
Weather: Very heavy wind.
Issues?: None. Full signal bars at all times of the flight. Literally didn't even drop one bar!

Conclusion:
So, I've decided to keep the mini 3 pro. The last flight was extremely windy, some of the flight I was stood behind a solid metal gate with my car behind me, with zero drops on the signal strength.
I'm planning on doing more tests, but due to bad weather predicted and matching my flight time when the girlfriend is off work, it's somewhat tricky. Either way, I'm sure I'll exceed my 14 day return period anyway, so I'm keeping it.

I'd also assume that DJI have changed something in the firmware updates that may have fixed the range issue, as I said, Thursdays 3rd flight was perfect. A side note, the mini 3 pro handles like a dream in heavy winds. Was really happy with that.

Again, I will update with any further updates.

Thanks,
Dragonfyr

Dragonfyr Posted at 5-26 16:10
Results from testing my mini 3 pro with the RC controller (one with the screen).
All tests were performed away from uninvolved people and I had a spotter (the girlfriend) on both 1 and 2 flights.

ok so to clarify, you did the third test after the latest firmware update? (v01.00.0200)

Also I'm not sure the third run was a fair comparison.
From all the vids on CE I've seen 1600m seems to be a common max limit.
As you have experienced 1200-1600m is where the signal degrades.
And 500m or so, things seem good, most of the time.

sorry wrong post

Dragonfyr Posted at 5-26 16:10
Results from testing my mini 3 pro with the RC controller (one with the screen).
All tests were performed away from uninvolved people and I had a spotter (the girlfriend) on both 1 and 2 flights.

Is this rural or Urban, if its urban then 1600m is acceptable and its worth buying for me as my mini 2 lost signal once it dipped behind houses etc at a fraction under 1000m, if its rural then the Mini 2 can double that and some in CE mode.
You didn't mention the height for any flight?
Only flights 1 and 2 can be used in this test, flight 3 was stopped prematurely.

Thanks for doing the test for us

I finaly managed 3 more flights today!
Tested it this time from a place i did fly the Mini 2 a lot.
On 1 battery i could fly it out 1,5Km over farmland, so that was good!
Second battery i did fly to places that i did with the Mini 2 so that was also good.
The third battery i tried to fly to my old home, over urban erea. But i couldn't reach the place i wanted, but with my Mini 2 i could rech that before.

So my experiance with signal strenght is that the Mini 3 pro is not as good as my old Mini 2.
But i must say i love this amazing Mini 3 pro, and what it can do! Only hope DJI can fix the signal/connection strenght to make it better.

My mates DJI Mavic 2

I dont have a mini 3 but one thing  someone should test is the transmit frequency being used. The drone and controller can connect over 5ghz or 2.4ghz. Typically, 5ghz is considered a cleaner frequency with less interference, but it doesnt have the transmit range of 2.4 ghz. You can toggle Auto, 2.4, or 5ghz in the settings of the DJI fly app. I would recommend if you are having really bad signal issues to pay attention to what frequency band the drone is transmitting in, and possibly just force it to 2.4ghz manually. Typically what happens is as a drone flys away, it is usually on 5ghz. Evnetually the 5ghz signal hits its limit and the transmission system will toggle over to 2.4ghz. It is possible this could be seen as a dip in signal strength like drop a few bars, then recover to full bars, as the 2.4ghz radio takes over. Im surprised no one in this thread has touched on this at all. This is at the very heart of your signal transmission. Make sure there isnt some bug or issue with the drone swapping radios. If for example the drone had a bug where it got stuck in 5ghz and couldnt switch, this would have a big impact on range.

You're welcome guys. I just want to help out where I can.

Forth Range Test: 1778 meters (with girlfriend as spotter). Turned back due to battery around 55%.
Total Distance Covered: 3.73km.
Flight Total Duration: 13min.
Weather: Fair, small wind with medium gusts.
Issues?: Yes. Signal dropped several times to around 2 bars. No complete loss, though.

That's well beyond what I ever intend on flying it. So I'm good.

Waiting on RC to charge up before I can apply the latest update.

Bashy Posted at 5-26 19:27
Is this rural or Urban, if its urban then 1600m is acceptable and its worth buying for me as my mini 2 lost signal once it dipped behind houses etc at a fraction under 1000m, if its rural then the Mini 2 can double that and some in CE mode.
You didn't mention the height for any flight?
Only flights 1 and 2 can be used in this test, flight 3 was stopped prematurely.

Hi my friend,

The Second range test..
It was flown on a beach.
Height never went over 31 meters.

Dragonfyr Posted at 5-29 17:27
You're welcome guys. I just want to help out where I can.

Forth Range Test: 1778 meters (with girlfriend as spotter). Turned back due to battery around 55%.

im on the fence with one mile.  gotta see if for myself i guess.

EdwvLVXnmeVZ Posted at 5-26 16:53
ok so to clarify, you did the third test after the latest firmware update? (v01.00.0200)

Also I'm not sure the third run was a fair comparison.

Agreed, the third flight can't be used tbh.
As for firmware, I honestly don't know.

And yes, the max flight distance seems to be around 1600-1800, without it dropping out of signal. That's well beyond what I ever need it for.

The Saint Posted at 5-29 17:33
im on the fence with one mile.  gotta see if for myself i guess.

My figures are truthful mate, just in case you doubted them.

One mile is more than enough for this size of uav. If I want to fly for longer distances, I'd use the mavic.
And yes, before anyone goes nuts, all my flights are legal etc etc.

Ok as a near 3 week owner of the Mini 3 Pro with integrated RC I am here to offer my 2 cents of info to prospective buyers of the drone who are sitting on the fence painfully wondering what they should do.


Does the CE Version of the drone/controller have range issues? YES I can confirm this with my own unit. The confirmation in that I can't fly it up to the 8km as advertised distance as it just wont transmit that far.

What range does it achieve. I myself have seen the unit fly a considerable distance that in my opinion is ridiculous for a drone that small considering anything a km or more is potentially asking for trouble should the little bird encounter any odd wind activity a km away or worse, hawks or falcons.

Is everyone who owns a Mini 3 Pro now doomed because of the reduced range? NO. This is a new product, DJI are well known for keeping their products up to date and running to a satisfactory level.

Look at it this way. If you want one ( which you obviously do hence reading this post ) go and get one.  Once DJI corrects this minor glitch you can rest assured knowing that you already own the drone and the others who are sitting on the fence still deciding will still be waiting. I purchased knowing fair well that it had a range issue. I also purchased knowing it would be rectified too, maybe not right away but soon.

As I mentioned in other posts, I own much larger drones and to be brutally honest would not recommend trying to fly 1, 2 , or more km away, its just too light in weight and if it goes down you have a much more complicated chance of recovering it.

I am having fun with it and as yet have had no need to fly it far away as all my subject material is close by. Perhaps if I was on a beach and wanted to fly 2km out to sea to visit a small island, I may have a crack at that but the thought of a seagull snapping it 2km out scares me enough to keep it closer.

There, grab one......its my first ever mini and it works really well. I don't feel cheated or ripped off by DJI due to the range. I really believe they have designed a very well performing little powerhouse of dronery (if that's a word)

Cheers and enjoy your Mini 3 Pro..........I do

1.8k at 30 odd meters high isn't overly bad for CE but comparing that to my Mini 2 quite frankly is embarrassing for it's predecessor, it should have the same or better range, after all, the Mini 2 was far better than the Mini 1, its how it works with DJI, as a rule, and its what we've come to expect...

...but no, it's not about the range perse, it's not like we are going to be hitting 3km every time we fly or even ever, that's not the point, the point of the matter is, that's it's not as good as the Mini 2, that's where the issue lies (for me anyway) and I cannot buy it in good conscience and on a whim that DJI will improve it in this area, they may well do and at that point, I will re-evaluate. If the CAA decide on another 2 years before then, then i think the Air 2s will win this fight as i have my A2 CofC and can fly anywhere as long as i am 50m away from peeps. Once the next 2 years are up then i will see what the Mini 5 is like if i haven't already got a new Mini.

As a side note, for some, its their 1st Mini so your expectations are a little lower than someone coming from the Mini 2 (lets face it, that is a great sub 250g drone) that's totally understandable. I also understand that, whilst the Mini 2 can double what's been quoted in this thread, I didn't fly the Mini 3 Pro in the same spot as my Mini 2, so there are extenuating circumstances, but It's still not enough for me, i will hardly use the Vertical image if ever after the 1st play with it, also, I have lived with no sensors for over a year so that's not the be-all and end-all, battery distance, now that there is a good reason to upgrade but not on its own. With that in mind, I am still on the fence and once the CAA do their part and if DJI do theirs, i will end up with a few sleepless nights trying to decide, that's for sure.

I appreciate you guys doing the tests, i just wish you lived closer to me so we can fly in my testing area...

Bashy Posted at 5-29 19:26
1.8k at 30 odd meters high isn't overly bad for CE but comparing that to my Mini 2 quite frankly is embarrassing for it's predecessor, it should have the same or better range, after all, the Mini 2 was far better than the Mini 1, its how it works with DJI, as a rule, and its what we've come to expect...

...but no, it's not about the range perse, it's not like we are going to be hitting 3km every time we fly or even ever, that's not the point, the point of the matter is, that's it's not as good as the Mini 2, that's where the issue lies (for me anyway) and I cannot buy it in good conscience and on a whim that DJI will improve it in this area, they may well do and at that point, I will re-evaluate. If the CAA decide on another 2 years before then, then i think the Air 2s will win this fight as i have my A2 CofC and can fly anywhere as long as i am 50m away from peeps. Once the next 2 years are up then i will see what the Mini 5 is like if i haven't already got a new Mini.

Well said,


Cheers

GLOBAL HAWK Posted at 5-29 19:35
Well said,

Thanks, dont get me wrong, i would really like the Mini 3 Pro for its sub 250g of which is very important here in the UK, so i am hoping it can be improved soon, and prior to me buying the Air 2s as that's a consolation prize lol

GLOBAL HAWK Posted at 5-29 18:09
Ok as a near 3 week owner of the Mini 3 Pro with integrated RC I am here to offer my 2 cents of info to prospective buyers of the drone who are sitting on the fence painfully wondering what they should do.

Excellent post and very true……. Simply put. If you use the mini 3 sensibly range is not an issue.

Your point about seabirds is very true they hate drones and do attack them. This is my mini 2 taking a hit

I was lucky not to take a hit on this one and this is from when I first got the Mini, I literally got it the day before I left for my trip to Asia and this is probably my 5 or 6th flight so it was a bit scary.

Here in Australia we have Magpie. Flying a drone during their nesting period is absolutely asking for trouble. They will and have attacked, taking drones out of the sky as the birds are very agressive. It has been known that in msny cases where they have damaged peoples eyes by clawing their faces. I was filming some footage a couple of years ago for real estate and one came right for the mavic rendering the job a no go as the bird had a nest in the tree in front of the house i was filming. Now if I was a km away that would have been worse for me as the distance negates any form of spacial awareness and 99% of the time the flyer goes into panic mode because you can only see whats in front, not on the left, right or behind. By having the drone closer within visual sight, you can already see more of what the bird is going to do and anticipate an escape route in sport mode ( in some cases not even sport mode is fast enough).

Just one of my experiences.

Pigeons and gulls are an issue for me where i fly, this video was on my CE test with my Mini 2, suffice to say it stayed in the air and it surpassed the P4P in FCC

Wiz33 Posted at 5-29 21:48
I was lucky not to take a hit on this one and this is from when I first got the Mini, I literally got it the day before I left for my trip to Asia and this is probably my 5 or 6th flight so it was a bit scary.

https://youtu.be/Xy6GjGrwurU

That is good footage, but also scary. This level of bird activity is a good example of when you scrub a flight.