Why am I not getting anywhere near the advertised minimum distance of 18km as stated in the specs for the mini 3 pro, I'm lucky if I get a distance of 1500mtrs before the video feed starts to drop out and it returns to home. I feel like I have a faulty unit as I'm watching YouTube videos of other people going 7-8000 mtrs.

• Max Flight Distance
• 18 km (with Intelligent Flight Battery and measured while flying at 43.2 kph in windless conditions)
  25 km (with Intelligent Flight Battery Plus [7] and measured while flying at 43.2 kph in windless conditions)
  

I got 1000m max with no interference in front of me and only buildings are behind me. Also in the US.

That is not a transmission spec. That is how far the drone can fly in one session based on each battery. For example, if I have the standard battery, I can fly in a circle and the total distance traveled is 18km before that battery dies.

if others are getting 8000m, do you think they are not getting the advertised distance either?

Why am I not getting anywhere near the advertised minimum distance of 18km as stated in the specs?

First, as someone already pointed out, you've confused distance with range.
Second you need to look further down in the specs to see what DJI say about range.
    Signal Transmission Ranges (FCC)
    Strong Interference (urban landscape): Approx. 1.5-3 km
    Medium Interference (suburban landscape): Approx. 3-7 km
    Low Interference (suburb/seaside): Approx. 7-12 km

The interference in your local environment is probably the cause of what you are asking about.

There are more fine details in the footnotes to the specs.
DJI's specs have been tested and are accurate.
But you need to understand what they actually say rather than making assumptions.

Does nobody see that these distances are not radio range, but distance that the unit will fly before the battery is exhausted. in other words, with the normal battery you can fly up to 18km in one direction and 25km with the plus battery. Read the spec, they even mention windless conditions, windless conditions does not imply radio range nor does wind have anything to do with radio range. If I could strap 4 batteries to the drone it therefore would have an effective range of 72km plus.
These specs are about how far you can fly before the battery is out of juice. Its no different to big boy jets like A380 or 737....they all have effective range ( the distance they can travel before running empty)

GLOBAL HAWK Posted at 8-25 15:18
Does nobody see that these distances are not radio range, but distance that the unit will fly before the battery is exhausted. in other words, with the normal battery you can fly up to 18km in one direction and 25km with the plus battery. Read the spec, they even mention windless conditions, windless conditions does not imply radio range nor does wind have anything to do with radio range. If I could strap 4 batteries to the drone it therefore would have an effective range of 72km plus.
These specs are about how far you can fly before the battery is out of juice. Its no different to big boy jets like A380 or 737....they all have effective range ( the distance they can travel before running empty)

If I could strap 4 batteries to the drone it therefore would have an effective range of 72km plus.
If you could, the effective range would be about zero inches.

over time, this issue with sort itself.  eventually this will become a true "marketing term" and everybody will have to come clean.  it's happened before:  mpg with cars, range with electric cars, talktime and standby time on mobile phones, etc.  one day when bvlos is a thing and you claim your drone will go 100 miles because it has a 10,000mAh battery....it won't be pretty.  manufacturers can clarify this now (meaning evolve from a technical to a marketing term friendly to consumers) or let the lawyers/government make the changes for them later.

Labroides Posted at 8-25 16:18
If I could strap 4 batteries to the drone it therefore would have an effective range of 72km plus.
If you could, the effective range would be about zero inches.

lol........so true....they dont hold much weight do they lol

Hello there. I am sorry for the trouble this has caused and thank you for reaching out. Can you please try to fly your DJI Mini 3 Pro to a different location or in an open area with less interference and please stay within the line of sight to isolate the issue. The DJI drone might have picked up magnetic interference from the area. That might be the reason why you are experiencing these issues. In addition I will post a diagram on how to get optimal transmission for your DJI Mini 3 Pro. Thank you.

Aside from consumers claiming to be able to fly less than 300m, this whole range thing is a dirty marketing tactic. If I had never visited this forum and been a normal everyday consumer who buys and flys, I would never ever had been under the assumption I would be able to fly this thing far far away. Any normal everyday consumer has no need to fly far away nor do they even care about the range.

Like I mentioned in other posts, I own several drones of all sizes and weights. Never have I ever had the need to fly more than 500m let alone a 1km from my location to film the subject. Expecting to fly this little, very light weight drone more than a few kilometers away is absolutely dangerous for the drone as you just dont know what is happening past 1km in the air or surrounding terrain, wildlife etc.

distance and transmission range ain't the same, rtfm