Hi all

Does anyone know why the new Avata is limited to 2 km range in Europe (CE)? The previous FPV drone, as well as all other series like Mavic, have a 6 km range spec for Europe.

I am asking this because I struggle with range with the new Avata. Living in Europe. The signal drops already after 250-300m distance. When flying behind a tree at 300m distance (open area) it almost loses signal. That's very poor range. Even flying around the house is resulting in very poor signal once the drone is behind the house.


This is miles away compared to the sexy promotion videos where they fly the Avata over the peaks of mountains. I guess the pilot must have seated in a helikopter just behind the drone to achieve that without losing signal.


I am flying with the Motion Controller. Would the regular FPV controller offer better range?


Any suggestion would be welcome. I am thinking to return the drone as this is not flyable in my opinion.


Best,
Dani

Seems to be because Avata only transmits at 5.8GHz, whereas the DJI FPV Drone does 2.4GHz too which can go a lot further with low power.

Well.. 2 km? mine gets a low connection when i gets behind the house, my dji fpv flys the same place without problems. i wish i could set the avata in fcc mode.

Because Avata is not dual-band, it only transmits in the 5.8Ghz band, wich in Europe is limited to 0.025W... which is a crap; all other recent DJI drones are "dual-band".

In Europe 2.4Ghz band is limited to 0.1W, which is also a crap, but at least it's usable. I said "dual-band" because in Europe it will allways choose to fly in 2.4Ghz. Drones are only "real" dual-band in FCC.

The Avata transmit at 2W in FCC and 0.025W in CE, wich is 80 times less power (yep 80 times), that's why in Europe flight experience with this drone will be crappy unless you hack it.

It's just a poor design choice; yep, 5.8Ghz band is faster and has less lag than the 2.4Ghz but only in FCC where you can transmit at 2W, but in CE mode you are just screwed because 0.025W is nothing and 5.8Ghz has no penetration at all. Rangewise, It will be like flying with a cheap toy drone.

So just use the FCC hack that is already available for the Avata too (search it on google) and problem solved; I use it on all my drones, and it's the best "acessory" you can buy for your drone if you are in Europe. The connection will be flawless and cut through obstacles like nothing, specially within the sub 500m legal range where you don't even have to worry about pointing the controller at all.

Personally, I think we in the CE region have been mis sold the Avata drone. 250m is no where near 2km. When I'm 20miles from civilisation, on a flat grassy area with no trees around, and only getting 250m before losing video, its basically a lie from DJI. We should at least get 500m, which is the line of sight legal limit.
To me this stinks as much as the VW and emissions lies if not worse.

djiuser_6xL2Kap9818c Posted at 9-1 13:14
Personally, I think we in the CE region have been mis sold the Avata drone. 250m is no where near 2km. When I'm 20miles from civilisation, on a flat grassy area with no trees around, and only getting 250m before losing video, its basically a lie from DJI. We should at least get 500m, which is the line of sight legal limit.
To me this stinks as much as the VW and emissions lies if not worse.

If you see the review of Ian in London he starts getting 1 bar, 4 Mbps (Avata even shows the video bitrate you are receiving in Mbps), and signal warning at just 90 meters.



PS: If anyone in Europe wants to experience how it is to fly the Avata, just pick the Mini 2 or any OS drone, go to the transmission tab on DJI Fly and select the 5.8Ghz, so it only works on 5.8Ghz. I tried it with the Mini 2 in CE mode and yes, you can hit 2Km, but at 120m alt with no obstructions at all.

FPV drones are usually flown in interiors with some walls in between, and at 0.025W you kill the signal by just putting your hand between the antenna and the drone. Yep, you put the naked hand in between and connection lost.

You need a perfect connection with an FPV, there's no way it's going to be safe to fly the Avata in Europe at 0.025W.

Huginn Kenningar Posted at 9-1 11:47
Because Avata is not dual-band, it only transmits in the 5.8Ghz band, wich in Europe is limited to 0.025W... which is a crap; all other recent DJI drones are "dual-band".

In Europe 2.4Ghz band is limited to 0.1W, which is also a crap, but at least it's usable. I said "dual-band" because in Europe it will allways choose to fly in 2.4Ghz. Drones are only "real" dual-band in FCC.

Hey man, i'm interested about that hack. I flied my avata today in a Mountain near Barcelona and it was an horrible experience, I lost signal at 50-70m, there werent a lot of trees between me and the a avata drone, so, about the hack, does that affect to some warranty?, will I still be able to update the avata next firmwares?

djiuser_8mdOM7zN44tR Posted at 9-1 14:48
Hey man, i'm interested about that hack. I flied my avata today in a Mountain near Barcelona and it was an horrible experience, I lost signal at 50-70m, there werent a lot of trees between me and the a avata drone, so, about the hack, does that affect to some warranty?, will I still be able to update the avata next firmwares?

For the moment it's not a permanent hack it's just an app you use on your Android phone to make the controller think you are in US, and it works until you restart the drone/swap batteries. Then you apply it again; once you know how it's done it just takes 20 secs or so to apply it.

In the case of the Avata, the hack is semi-permanent, it won't reset to CE unless you use the Fly app again.



These hacks work with a license (about 40€), each drone needs to be purchased separately. Sometimes some drones get permanent hacks, like the Mini 2 or the Air2S which only work for certain firmware versions, but the android hack works for any version. The license include both the app and the possible permanent hacks that may appear in the future.

Before updating the app or the firmware to the latest versions, it's recommended to hold a few days and check on the website if it's compatible with the hack.

I had it permanent on the Mini2 and Air2S and I'm currently using the app every time I fly with the M3, nothing will make your DJI drone fly better and it's all software, so you don't need to open the controller like you do if you boost the signal with the Alientech boosted antennas, for example.

PS: One of the main reasons I switched back to DJi after Autel is  because Autel drones don't have any FCC hack available. I did a mod and  boosted the Lite+ controller, but then I had a controller emitting 4W  but the drone was still emitting 0.1W, so it didn't make a huge  difference while the hack makes both the drone and the controller emmit at FCC power... so yep, the hack is woth the price.

Thank you all for the comments and details!

One question: what is the REAL expected range in FCC mode? I guess it's still far away from the advertised 10 km... Has anyone tried the range limits in FCC?

d-boone Posted at 9-2 00:37
Thank you all for the comments and details!

One question: what is the REAL expected range in FCC mode? I guess it's still far away from the advertised 10 km... Has anyone tried the range limits in FCC?

My personal record in O3+ in FCC with the M3 (2W) and the standard  controller (0.4W) is 9Km at 120m altitude, where I hit the battery limit  and had to return; I landed with 20% battery left. Currently, the  battery is what sets your point of no return in long range.

Avata  is also O3+ and in FCC works at 2W on the drone, 1W on the DJI Goggles  2, 1.4W on the DJI FPV Goggles V2 and 1.4W on the controller (both the  motion and the FPV 2). Has the same technology than the M3 but less  antennas, but you'll never hit the signal limit, not even in a one way  trip because it doesn't have enough juice.

The important thing  you get with more power output is not raw range, is signal penetration,  which is super important in FPV and specially in cinewoops, because  you'll usually fly in interiors with some walls in between. Just sit comfortably put the goggles on and fly anywhere within 500m radius  without even pointing the controller towards the drone at all.

More power, better signal, less lag, better response.  

Hello, the same for me no more than 200m...
this is really very, very short
It's a big problem.and the hack does nothing...

djiuser_rrWu5eU2N9Vi Posted at 9-2 03:15
Hello, the same for me no more than 200m...
this is really very, very short
It's a big problem.and the hack does nothing...

were you able to try with the hack, and no difference? that seems very odd

yes very strange ...the video is lost before 200m away.
I am very disappointed. It 's my first drone

On normal drones you can verify the FCC hack is working on the transmission tab on DJI Fly because the 1Km mark rises a bit over the bar, but on the Avata and the FPV it doesn't show up on the menu on the goggles, so I guess you didn't activate it properly. FCC hack is noticeable instantly on any drone because you always have 4-5 bars under 500-1Km radius no mater what, the difference between CE mode is massive on any drone and if you've flown in the same place with CE and FCC confussion isn't even possible.

Sometimes I forget to activate the FCC mode and I notice instantly when I get past a few hundred meters that I forgot to turn it on.

I don't have the Avata to test it out, but if it wouldn't work, it wouldn't be on the Birdmap as available.

Start the Avata, the goggles and the controller and let them pair, then connect the android smartphone to the glasses, close DJI Fly if it auto starts, open the DHCompanion, login and hit FCC, it should say "US region set" when done. Now close the app and disconnect the phone from the goggles and you will be in FCC forever unless if you connect the spmartphone again and let DJI Fly open. If that happens, just apply the hack again with the DHComapnion.

Huginn Kenningar Posted at 9-1 11:47
Because Avata is not dual-band, it only transmits in the 5.8Ghz band, wich in Europe is limited to 0.025W... which is a crap; all other recent DJI drones are "dual-band".

In Europe 2.4Ghz band is limited to 0.1W, which is also a crap, but at least it's usable. I said "dual-band" because in Europe it will allways choose to fly in 2.4Ghz. Drones are only "real" dual-band in FCC.

I wish i knew how to hack my avata to fcc mode, i really have short range between trees and stuff..

Would the regular FPV controller offer better range? YES it would.

bjr981s Posted at 9-2 08:37
Would the regular FPV controller offer better range? YES it would.

Yep, the standard controller has an external antenna that can be oriented towards the drone, so it will work better, specially at just 0.025W.

Huginn Kenningar Posted at 9-1 15:06
For the moment it's not a permanent hack it's just an app you use on your Android phone to make the controller think you are in US, and it works until you restart the drone/swap batteries. Then you apply it again; once you know how it's done it just takes 20 secs or so to apply it.

In the case of the Avata, the hack is semi-permanent, it won't reset to CE unless you use the Fly app again.

Thank you so much for your fast response Huginn, i'll check if this app hack is also available for my iphone!!!.

djiuser_8mdOM7zN44tR Posted at 9-3 02:21
Thank you so much for your fast response Huginn, i'll check if this app hack is also available for my iphone!!!.

Hi,

I saw in a review on YouTube that the old goggles  (FPV V2) have 6 km range in CE mode - any idea why? Maybe the previous version of the goggles have 4 instead of 2 antennas?

(And also higher fps when recording in e.g. 2.7k)

swoermck Posted at 9-4 02:21
Hi,

I saw in a review on YouTube that the old goggles  (FPV V2) have 6 km range in CE mode - any idea why? Maybe the previous version of the goggles have 4 instead of 2 antennas?

Explained at 5:50

swoermck Posted at 9-4 02:21
Hi,

I saw in a review on YouTube that the old goggles  (FPV V2) have 6 km range in CE mode - any idea why? Maybe the previous version of the goggles have 4 instead of 2 antennas?

That's because the DJI FPV is a dual-band drone and can transmit in both 2.4 and 5.8GHz; in 2.4GHz 0.1W you may hit 6Km, so Goggles V2 were advertised as 6Km. Avata only transmits in 5.8GHz 0.025W, and Goggles 2 can only be bought through the Avata combo, so they get advertised as 2Km.

Both Goggles 2 and Goggles V2 when paired with the Avata will only work at 5.8GHz 0.025W and will get about the same range, or maybe a marginal +100m in favor of the V2 due to the fact that it has 4 antennas.

Goggles 2 has also 4 antennas, at least 4 are connected. I think two are foil antennas inside

I'm using drone tweaks FCC app with the Avata. Makes all the difference.

I had issues not even at 200 meters out of the box..
but after the FCC hack it goes +2km easy and the range is limited by the battery capacity not the signal now.

Huginn Kenningar Posted at 9-4 04:19
That's because the DJI FPV is a dual-band drone and can transmit in both 2.4 and 5.8GHz; in 2.4GHz 0.1W you may hit 6Km, so Goggles V2 were advertised as 6Km. Avata only transmits in 5.8GHz 0.025W, and Goggles 2 can only be bought through the Avata combo, so they get advertised as 2Km.

Both Goggles 2 and Goggles V2 when paired with the Avata will only work at 5.8GHz 0.025W and will get about the same range, or maybe a marginal +100m in favor of the V2 due to the fact that it has 4 antennas.

Thanks for the inside.. but now I'm a bit confused.. Avata only in 5.8 GHZ..??

Just double-checked the specs on DJI's website - for "Video Transmission" - "communication frequency" they state:

2.400-2.4835 GHz (RX only)
5.725-5.850 GHz (RX and TX)

So maybe I'm wrong here.. but RX should be the frequency for receiving the live feed of the video, correct?

Or is it the other way round: TX = Avata sends video to the Goggles? But then the question is what kind of Video is received (RX) via the 2.4 GHZ frequency?

swoermck Posted at 9-5 11:23
Thanks for the inside.. but now I'm a bit confused.. Avata only in 5.8 GHZ..??

Just double-checked the specs on DJI's website - for "Video Transmission" - "communication frequency" they state:

It can receive control signal at 2.4 and 5.8GHz, but can only transmit video feed at 5.8GHz.

Ok, tested my new Avata this morning, fight along a river, no obstacles and get 1.3km which I’m assuming is FCC mode as I’m in Australia but haven’t figured out where to check like you can for other birds

Here is my video with full range unlocked in EU.



Stock is nowhere close to the 2km.. as the Mavics can go over 2km but the video is terrible and stuttering.. which would be unflyable in FPV. And video freeze would risk loosing/crashing the drone flying with goggles.

no complaints from me if i get 2km.. i would not even fly past 1km...

but  getting 300m range where i fly..

Huginn Kenningar Posted at 9-2 12:39
Yep, the standard controller has an external antenna that can be oriented towards the drone, so it will work better, specially at just 0.025W.

the controller output is 100mW.. the fpv video transmission is in ce mode, that is 25mW

Huginn Kenningar Posted at 9-4 04:19
That's because the DJI FPV is a dual-band drone and can transmit in both 2.4 and 5.8GHz; in 2.4GHz 0.1W you may hit 6Km, so Goggles V2 were advertised as 6Km. Avata only transmits in 5.8GHz 0.025W, and Goggles 2 can only be bought through the Avata combo, so they get advertised as 2Km.

Both Goggles 2 and Goggles V2 when paired with the Avata will only work at 5.8GHz 0.025W and will get about the same range, or maybe a marginal +100m in favor of the V2 due to the fact that it has 4 antennas.

nope. 6km is for fcc mode... ce mode is 4Km wide open area in the middle of no civilization... in areas within the coverage of cellphone networks and tv broadcasting, range is 300m

Huginn Kenningar Posted at 9-1 15:06
For the moment it's not a permanent hack it's just an app you use on your Android phone to make the controller think you are in US, and it works until you restart the drone/swap batteries. Then you apply it again; once you know how it's done it just takes 20 secs or so to apply it.

In the case of the Avata, the hack is semi-permanent, it won't reset to CE unless you use the Fly app again.

hi, thanks for the information.
I got an Avata recently and its HD range really annoy me as well. As most replies, its video signal will become weak after 200-300 meter away.
I know hack to FCC mode might solve this problem but I have bought DJI Care Refresh 2-year plan as well. Is there someone knows if hacking to FCC mode will break my Care Refresh plan?
Thanks in advanced.

Same exact issue.

Hello,

Does anybody know if the Dji Fly Fcc app from drone tweaks still works? I read on a forum that Apple removed the app from apple store and is for the moment uselss. I'm thinking of getting the Avata but under these ...ty range european circumstances i'm thinking of just sticking to the Mavic 3.