They should issue a recall now. Whoever feels the range is bad, and it back for repair/replacement.

Those firmware updates they are releasing is like placebo to try to dissuade people from speaking out and sending back for repair/replacement.

A person in the Facebook group pointed out many people returning the drones to Amazon. Amazon is having a lot of used Mini 3 Pro that they’re trying to sell again as Amazon Warehouse deals.

This won’t end good if DJI don’t take action now, admit the error, and release a recall.

Here, another video of what a functional Mini 3 Pro can do. 14 KILOMETERS, and with some room to spare. It still could go further.



So yeah, I’m not crazy. This Mini 3 Pros are having serious hardware issues.

And again, DJI should get on top of this URGENTLY!

djiuser_zH4PYuHgtlW6 Posted at 7-5 23:06
Here, another video of what a functional Mini 3 Pro can do. 14 KILOMETERS, and with some room to spare. It still could go further.

So yeah, I’m not crazy. This Mini 3 Pros are having serious hardware issues.

your not crazy far from it. Its to DJI benefit to go over these forums and see these threads.
I just emailed my retailer to let them know im returning this to them for an exchange because im under the 15 day return open box policy.
If i do the DJI care they want to charge me $63 USD unless they going to pay that back once they find manufacturing defect.

djiuser_zH4PYuHgtlW6 Posted at 7-5 22:15
Yah man, contact support, open a repair case, send it back for repair.

This won’t get fixed with firmware updates.

Got an email back from DJI finally:

Greetings from DJI Support Team. Thank you for your patience.

Thanks for your feedback. Our senior engineers have preliminarily determined the reason for the issue, and they are working on it. It is expected that this issue will be resolved in the next version of the firmware.

Please keep an eye out for the firmware update prompt to update to the latest firmware as soon as possible.

Thank you for your understanding.
Thank you for choosing DJI!
Best Regards,
Geoffrey
DJI Technical Support
Website: http://www.dji.com/support
Youtube: http://s.dji.com/DJI-Tutorials

mkdp.photos Posted at 7-5 21:36
Ok so they know they have a hardware issue and are not issuing a recall?

This is literally illegal in many countries/states

Got an email back from DJI finally looks like they are acknowledging there is a problem but the issue is why didnt the last update fix all drones. This means that there are different batches of this drone with different chipsets, cpus, etc maybe?

Greetings from DJI Support Team. Thank you for your patience.

Thanks for your feedback. Our senior engineers have preliminarily determined the reason for the issue, and they are working on it. It is expected that this issue will be resolved in the next version of the firmware.

Please keep an eye out for the firmware update prompt to update to the latest firmware as soon as possible.

Thank you for your understanding.
Thank you for choosing DJI!
Best Regards,
Geoffrey
DJI Technical Support
Website: http://www.dji.com/support
Youtube: http://s.dji.com/DJI-Tutorials

mkdp.photos Posted at 7-5 21:36
Ok so they know they have a hardware issue and are not issuing a recall?

This is literally illegal in many countries/states

why so dramatic?  i didn't realize our neighbors to the north were so anti-big business and it almost feels like some sort of entitlement.  in america, you typically don't issue a recall unless the issue is safety related.  you f* up something, you fix it; not necessary to involve a recall.  technically a recall is a *government* safety recall and it involves several mandatory things like written notification to all affected users; a full stop on further use of the recalled product; affected units are pulled from retail (and all) sales, product is either replaced or repaired for no charge; proper notification to the government that you have a product safety defect, etc.  even when firestone tires were blowing out on teh road and killing people, it was almost impossible to get them to recall the tires and pay the damages.  there are thousands of satisfied mini 3 pro drone flyers who safely use their drone and enjoy it regardless of the [range].  not sure why we should potentially subject them to a recall due to a few bad ones.  as i mentioned, there are a million other crappy products on the market that don't work even close to what they are supposed to and they are never recalled; they just end up in the trash.  so i get it, we're "drone" flyers and we're "special" and that is what this feels like to me.  but if there is a potential safety defect then recall it; agreed.

so i'll give you this, there is a such thing as a voluntary recall where the manufacturer can get ahead of this and recall the product in anticipation and on their terms.  maybe they spin it as "the drone could unexpectantly lose contact with the remote controller and potentially cause the drone to fly away leading to a crash."  they could define a small date range or a s/n range and notify everybody by email but honestly, i think this will kill off the first and only drone recall as range-gate.

a better idea is try to fix this with s/w update.  anyone who is unhappy, send the drone in and we make it right free of charge.  but you gotta do it fast to impact the continuous returns and the mounting dissatisfaction.   maybe you ask amazon and bby to return their units and you replace them....quickly.  send a team to the amazon and bby warehouse and open boxes and reflash drones when you get new sw.  until then, visit your bigger retailers and rework inventory.  i remember when there was no such thing as a "software update" and whatever when out....it is what it is.  a s/w update is a modern miracle and perfect for improving the product but also fix the bugs if you can so let's let it work.  but what i absolutely hate is the government getting involved, forcing you to issue a recall, imposing sanctions, and basically destroying the product and your reputation in the name of safety.  it's completely un-america and anti-capitalism.  if a product sucks, the consumer will vote.  to my knowledge, nobody has been been injured or killed due to a super-limited drone range where rth features continue to work to keep the drone relatively safe.

Yeah...I just sent mine in to DJI repair for the range issue as well. Im only getting 500-800M in an urban setting up against the hills in the SF South Bay. It will be interesting to see what they come back with. This is my second mini3 pro as the first one dramatically missed its RTH landing(yes it was set right) and bounced off the side of a building before I could stop it. I used my DJI Express Care to replace it. We will see... Sure would be nice to get this finally/really resolved.

I called support....completely clueless. One idiot didn't even seem to understand the difference between meters, km, and feet. Ended up sending email to support team with images to prove that at 300m RC completely lost the drone. Ps. It seems to be working in FCC mode. (I am in USA)

djiuser_4WdSZbzPDUaG Posted at 7-6 12:43
[view_image]

Yeap, pretty much same it was happening with me. Very disappointing. Let’s see now when the drone returns from their service center. They said to be replacing both the core board on the drone, and the main board on the remote. I’ll update the post whenever I get the drone back.

The Saint Posted at 7-6 10:29
why so dramatic?  i didn't realize our neighbors to the north were so anti-big business and it almost feels like some sort of entitlement.  in america, you typically don't issue a recall unless the issue is safety related.  you f* up something, you fix it; not necessary to involve a recall.  technically a recall is a *government* safety recall and it involves several mandatory things like written notification to all affected users; a full stop on further use of the recalled product; affected units are pulled from retail (and all) sales, product is either replaced or repaired for no charge; proper notification to the government that you have a product safety defect, etc.  even when firestone tires were blowing out on teh road and killing people, it was almost impossible to get them to recall the tires and pay the damages.  there are thousands of satisfied mini 3 pro drone flyers who safely use their drone and enjoy it regardless of the [range].  not sure why we should potentially subject them to a recall due to a few bad ones.  as i mentioned, there are a million other crappy products on the market that don't work even close to what they are supposed to and they are never recalled; they just end up in the trash.  so i get it, we're "drone" flyers and we're "special" and that is what this feels like to me.  but if there is a potential safety defect then recall it; agreed.

so i'll give you this, there is a such thing as a voluntary recall where the manufacturer can get ahead of this and recall the product in anticipation and on their terms.  maybe they spin it as "the drone could unexpectantly lose contact with the remote controller and potentially cause the drone to fly away leading to a crash."  they could define a small date range or a s/n range and notify everybody by email but honestly, i think this will kill off the first and only drone recall as range-gate.

A drone losing connection with its remote and having a potential to fall from skies, I’m pretty sure  it is  a potential safety issue.

DPGNAS Posted at 7-6 09:07
Got an email back from DJI finally looks like they are acknowledging there is a problem but the issue is why didnt the last update fix all drones. This means that there are different batches of this drone with different chipsets, cpus, etc maybe?

Greetings from DJI Support Team. Thank you for your patience.

Lol, doubt it will be fixed by any firmware update

So today I calibrated IMU. I think that improved range a little.  I also moved to open field and this time was flying 100-120m above the ground. I was able to get 1500m. I did not test the limits this time maybe would fly further

djiuser_zH4PYuHgtlW6 Posted at 7-6 14:25
Lol, doubt it will be fixed by any firmware update

So finally called dji support and spoke with one agent who was knowledgeable.

After explaining to them and point out the forums we are all talking on about. Explained range issues and controller losing connection at 200 to 300 ish meters in an open field
right on top of my head vertically. She had to read over a massive thread of emails finally the agent opened a case for me to return the drone. I don't want to wait a month for a FW update which could or could not fix our issues. They told me ill have to ship mine back and get it fixed or replaced.

I do not want to wait out ifs and maybes, still doing my investigation to see if this is hardware or software issue and tbh I believe the only way to know is to send mine back.

djiuser_zH4PYuHgtlW6 Posted at 7-6 14:24
A drone losing connection with its remote and having a potential to fall from skies, I’m pretty sure  it is  a potential safety issue.

not an issue per my last statement i said "to my knowledge, nobody has been been injured or killed due to a super-limited drone range where rth features continue to work to keep the drone relatively safe."

djiuser_zH4PYuHgtlW6 Posted at 7-6 14:24
A drone losing connection with its remote and having a potential to fall from skies, I’m pretty sure  it is  a potential safety issue.

That is purely alarmist rubbish and techically ignorant. The aircraft will not fall out of the sky because it loses communications. It has many layers of safety routines to prevent that happening.

Xtropy Posted at 7-5 07:58
Unfortunately you are incorrect. It is well documented that CE mode is a lower DB rating (which can be verified on the Transmission tab) and the transmission lines as they relate to the 1KM and 4KM markers. It's like this for a DJI drones in the last few years. More details here if you're interested: https://mavicpilots.com/threads/how-to-tell-ce-or-fcc.81294/

There is also an issue with the drone not properly changing frequencies as you mentioned but this is a separate issue.

Sorry the information is incorrect. The picture shown is the interference not the drone signal.

It's a false theory promulgated by guesses.

FCC and CE mode have specific dbm  (Decibel) levels. if you look at the scale on the left hand side its a -dbm scale that is the signal is weaker the lower on the scale. CE is weaker than FCC levels so if you believe in the theory proposed its the exact opposite of what they are saying.

I gave up on Mavic Pilots. They ignore actual facts and agree with their cronies.

In one case I published to the 5 scientific cases that proved them wrong and teh answer was we don't play that game. ???????  

Someone on FB sent theres back due to bad range and DJI produced their normal itemised warranty repair bill and it included a few boards being replaced, so thee has to be something in it

djiuser_zH4PYuHgtlW6 Posted at 7-5 23:06
Here, another video of what a functional Mini 3 Pro can do. 14 KILOMETERS, and with some room to spare. It still could go further.

https://youtu.be/ChAaXlJ0bmI

This aint no signal range test, this is for the plus battery stamina

DPGNAS Posted at 7-5 11:55
I can confirm I just checked the model number and I have the FCC model but no matter what I do it's stuck at 2.4 GHz and there's no frequency tap for me to change between 2.4 and 5 GHz

There's like a 15 page email thread with DJI after back and forth they just email me telling me "we haven't got any response from you and so this thread would be closed'. Just mind blowing how bad the customer service is, the last email they sent me was they will get back to me within two to four business days from their engineers now this email just proves how unreliable the technical support is.

The Mini 3 pro broadcasts in Both 2.4 and 5.8 concurrently. Thats how Occusync 3 works.

If you cold lock it to 2.4 it will give longer range. But currently not possible. This is an Occusync 3 issue.

Remember that 2.4ghz has longer range than 5.8ghz.

Got this email:

"Thanks for contacting DJI Support.
We are sorry to hear about your unpleasant experience.

Please kindly note that I have got feedback from our engineers, we will release a new firmware for RC-N1 remote controller and DJI RC Smart Controller to optimize the signal transmission performance and this new firmware is expected to be realized soon.
"

djiuser_4WdSZbzPDUaG Posted at 7-10 06:31
Got this email:

"Thanks for contacting DJI Support.

this sounds like bs talk. Why they would replace my drone and remote main boards if all it needed was a firmware update?

I don't believe that firmware updates will solve the issues. They might be pushing signal strength to the max, and that might get a little better, but I doubt it will bring the drone to its usual normal range. A guy managed 13787 meters!



While people are losing connection with less than 1000 meters.

djiuser_VjWyE2nrKJGV Posted at 7-6 10:32
Yeah...I just sent mine in to DJI repair for the range issue as well. Im only getting 500-800M in an urban setting up against the hills in the SF South Bay. It will be interesting to see what they come back with. This is my second mini3 pro as the first one dramatically missed its RTH landing(yes it was set right) and bounced off the side of a building before I could stop it. I used my DJI Express Care to replace it. We will see... Sure would be nice to get this finally/really resolved.

Is your new M3P any better?

djiuser_zH4PYuHgtlW6 Posted at 7-10 07:45
this sounds like bs talk. Why they would replace my drone and remote main boards if all it needed was a firmware update?

I don't believe that firmware updates will solve the issues. They might be pushing signal strength to the max, and that might get a little better, but I doubt it will bring the drone to its usual normal range. A guy managed 13787 meters!

They sat in the vehicle following the drone in that video, this was mention at the beginning of the video. The video isn't a range test in the sense of how far can the push the drone before they lose signal, but rather how far they can push the drone before the battery runs out.

THIS is the way to do a range test -
Only problem is very low altitude.

Yazu Posted at 7-10 08:09
They sat in the vehicle following the drone in that video, this was mention at the beginning of the video. The video isn't a range test in the sense of how far can the push the drone before they lose signal, but rather how far they can push the drone before the battery runs out.

yeah, AND? So, probably the a normally functioning Mini 3 Pro, given it would have extra battery capacity, should fly even further.

Thanks for pointing it out.

djiuser_zH4PYuHgtlW6 Posted at 7-5 22:19
They should issue a recall now. Whoever feels the range is bad, and it back for repair/replacement.

Those firmware updates they are releasing is like placebo to try to dissuade people from speaking out and sending back for repair/replacement.

Where are all these Amazon warehouse deals on the Mini 3 Pro. I don't see any

Flormo2002 Posted at 7-10 09:18
Where are all these Amazon warehouse deals on the Mini 3 Pro. I don't see any

Around UK and Europe they are constantly popping up. Like, many of them. All the time.

Didn't checked US.

djiuser_4WdSZbzPDUaG Posted at 7-10 06:31
Got this email:

"Thanks for contacting DJI Support.

Well first of it is not the Smart Controller so that numpty don't know his apples from eggs

Hi djiuser_zH4PYuHgtlW6, I am sorry for the issue you encountered. As per checking, your drone is on the way back to you, please check the drone when you receive it. Please feel free to let me know if there is anything further I can help with, I will try my best to help.

Regarding the range issue, I would also love to provide more information for your notices.
Flight distance sometimes relates to the flight environment, the wireless interference and the obstacles between the controller and aircraft will affect the signal.
Therefore, please try to fly in open areas, check the interference on the Transmission settings and see if the current channel has interference, and you can try to raise the altitude if possible to avoid obstacles and interference between the drone and controller.
Please also try to turn off the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connection for the device, and make sure that the controller is pointing correctly to the aircraft, you may refer to page 43 of the manual: https://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/ ... _Manual_v1.0_en.pdf
If the issue happens frequently, please help to provide a screen recording of the flight and export the controller and aircraft flight data of the issued flight via DJI Assistant 2, we would love to check it further.

DPGNAS Posted at 7-6 09:07
Got an email back from DJI finally looks like they are acknowledging there is a problem but the issue is why didnt the last update fix all drones. This means that there are different batches of this drone with different chipsets, cpus, etc maybe?

Greetings from DJI Support Team. Thank you for your patience.

Hi DPGNAS, I confirmed that Geoffrey on the email is correct, our engineers are working on the transmission issue in Canada and will optimize it in the next firmware update. We appreciate your patience when waiting for the update.
Please also keep us updated on the result after the firmware is released. Thank you very much.

djiuser_4WdSZbzPDUaG Posted at 7-6 12:43
[view_image]

That's even better than the range I've been getting. I feel like being patient until they get this resolved. Still have the Mavic 3 and Air 2S to keep me occupied in the meantime.

mkdp.photos Posted at 7-4 19:58
Well yeah, but it kind of points to it not being a hardware issue

Because when I do that workaround, I get 1 whole battery of amazing signal strength. able to go 2km awayor even go behind objects and trees without losing any signal

I'm hoping that all you nay Sayers will be eating your own words when DJI comes up with a firmware fix. Just you wait and see. Same thing happened with the Mavic 3 with satellite acquisition lag. The Mavic 3 is now and awesome drone....for me anyway.

djiuser_zH4PYuHgtlW6 Posted at 7-10 07:45
this sounds like bs talk. Why they would replace my drone and remote main boards if all it needed was a firmware update?

I don't believe that firmware updates will solve the issues. They might be pushing signal strength to the max, and that might get a little better, but I doubt it will bring the drone to its usual normal range. A guy managed 13787 meters!

I'm sure that if you check the serial number on your new drone, chances are real good that they sent you a refurbished unit because it's doubtful they would actually replace those boards in your original drone.

DJI Susan Posted at 7-11 20:08
Hi djiuser_zH4PYuHgtlW6, I am sorry for the issue you encountered. As per checking, your drone is on the way back to you, please check the drone when you receive it. Please feel free to let me know if there is anything further I can help with, I will try my best to help.

Regarding the range issue, I would also love to provide more information for your notices.

Thank you. I will certainly check if everything is ok when I receive.
My question is, if there’s something not ok, I do feel I’d want a refund for the drone, the fly more kit, and the Care Refresh. I feel this release was rushed, not properly tested, clearly many people having issues, many firmware updates trying to address issues, but then adding new issues sometimes.

Again, I will check, if everything is alright, great, because I liked the video quality of this drone, but otherwise I really would like to talk out a full refund of my entire order.

Regarding the recommendations on range issues, just to make it clear, I was on the very top of Norwegian mountains. Maybe few people around, and still was having very poor signal. Couldn’t pass 700 meters without disconnecting. It’s a shame, because the quality of the camera is nice, and I see few users getting a proper range, as far as 13Km distance, almost 14.

Here, one of the places I was, all with poor signal.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cfz5M9BIdsv/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

djiuser_zH4PYuHgtlW6 Posted at 7-11 21:25
Thank you. I will certainly check if everything is ok when I receive.
My question is, if there’s something not ok, I do feel I’d want a refund for the drone, the fly more kit, and the Care Refresh. I feel this release was rushed, not properly tested, clearly many people having issues, many firmware updates trying to address issues, but then adding new issues sometimes.

Thank you for your additional information and your feedback. Please keep us updated. I know it is not the right timing but the scenery in your video is breathtaking.

I'm not sure I get the "False Advertisement" aspect people are screaming about.
According to the manual that I read for the Mini 3 Pro (M3P)... "Max Transmission Distance (unobstructed, free of interference) 12 km (FCC); 8 km (CE/SRRC/MIC)".
Seems that anything from 1 millimeter up to 12km/8km would be within that range.  At least, that's with my understanding of the word "Max" (I assume that's short for "Maximum" and not some person's name).
Or perhaps that's their out... you can only get that kind of range if your name is Max?
Add interference and obstructions (the real world), and not even Max can get 12km/8km range.

One way to settle this would be to get someone who doesn't perceive their M3P sUAS has a range issue, and someone who does together.  Have them fly at the same place with the same route, as close to the same time as possible and compare results.

There's so much manmade interference on these two bands that it surprises me they can even get as far as they do.  Also, just because you're out in the middle of a desert with nobody around doesn't mean the area is not saturated with RFI on either or both of those bands.  Amateur radio satellites and amateur radio terrestrial communications are just one service that come to mind that have primary allocation on those frequency bands, with extremely high power authorization (relative to these little dinky transceivers in the sUAS), and it's fully possible that K0TEX fired up his wide band transmitter at 100W on 2.4GHz or 5.8GHz piped into his microwave dish 180 feet up his tower 20 miles away, aimed squarely at the location in which you're flying while trying to communicate with another operator 100 miles away.  Guess who's signal is gonna win?

Incidentally, I won't fly farther than I can see the sUAS, and every flight I've ever had with mine has been fine, other than with the latest release of the firmware which likes to lock up the RC while in mid-flight.  Anyone in the central North Carolina USA area with a M3P that they think has range issues want to get together with me and do some tests?

HamDesigner Posted at 7-13 07:45
I'm not sure I get the "False Advertisement" aspect people are screaming about.
According to the manual that I read for the Mini 3 Pro (M3P)... "Max Transmission Distance (unobstructed, free of interference) 12 km (FCC); 8 km (CE/SRRC/MIC)".
Seems that anything from 1 millimeter up to 12km/8km would be within that range.  At least, that's with my understanding of the word "Max" (I assume that's short for "Maximum" and not some person's name).

"One way to settle this would be to get someone who doesn't perceive their M3P sUAS has a range issue, and someone who does together.  Have them fly at the same place with the same route, as close to the same time as possible and compare results."

that's fine and i can see where that would be helpful; however, this is a drone and it's nothing new and it really isn't necessary for anyone to have to go to that extent in order to arrive at a reasonable conclusion.  it's just another gd drone.  if your car is slow or bumpy ride, you don't need to find another make/model and drive over the same stretch of highway at the same time of day to know if your own car is having troubles.  the contributing factors are simply not that pervasive.  we already know this since there are literally dozens of drones before this one and it doesn't take a government scientific experiment to figure out your range is f'd.  interference the way it is often described is simply not a thing.  i post this with a little bit of sarcasm and a lot of humor.

TS, your "drone" (sUAS) and car analogy is a bit off target and non-sequitur.  Indeed, one can complain that their POS electric vehicle is a terrible riding POS which can only be driven for 150 miles before they have to let it charge for several hours, deal with ridiculous electronic gremlins, and have to spend tens of thousands of dollars every 5-7 years as compared to the other vehicles they have had in their lifetime which could be refilled in about 5 minutes, be maintained for relatively much less money, last a few hundred-thousand miles and several years longer, and give a nice, smooth-riding trip half-way across the country.  Unless they compare it directly with one or more others of the same model POS electric vehicle, they'll never know if they simply fell for the marketing BS or actually do have a much larger lemon in a barrel of smaller ones.
At the end of the day though, I agree... it's just an expensive, relatively useless (in the grand scheme of life) toy.  Just like the Mini 3 Pro.
I'm not sure I understand about the interference comment, as interference actually is a valid thing - especially in those two extremely crowded bands. Want me to show you some spectrum analyzer plots in various areas from urban to rural?
(more sarcasm and humor interjected to the conversation)

HamDesigner Posted at 7-13 09:23
TS, your "drone" (sUAS) and car analogy is a bit off target and non-sequitur.  Indeed, one can complain that their POS electric vehicle is a terrible riding POS which can only be driven for 150 miles before they have to let it charge for several hours, deal with ridiculous electronic gremlins, and have to spend tens of thousands of dollars every 5-7 years as compared to the other vehicles they have had in their lifetime which could be refilled in about 5 minutes, be maintained for relatively much less money, last a few hundred-thousand miles and several years longer, and give a nice, smooth-riding trip half-way across the country.  Unless they compare it directly with one or more others of the same model POS electric vehicle, they'll never know if they simply fell for the marketing BS or actually do have a much larger lemon in a barrel of smaller ones.
At the end of the day though, I agree... it's just an expensive, relatively useless (in the grand scheme of life) toy.  Just like the Mini 3 Pro.
I'm not sure I understand about the interference comment, as interference actually is a valid thing - especially in those two extremely crowded bands. Want me to show you some spectrum analyzer plots in various areas from urban to rural?

interference the way it is often described is simply not a thing  = true statement
interference is simply not a thing = false statement