I would like to know truthfully if any Phantom 4 owners are experiencing a decrease in max range on their Phantom 4s since the latest firmware updates for both the Phantom and RC including the iOS updates to the DJI GO app. Your P4 transmitter setup can be stock or modified (better antenna, booster, and/or amplifiers), but just please be honest and have done max range tests with these firmware/app updates. Thanks guys.


Firmware version in question:
Phantom 4: v1.1.301
Phantom 4 RC: v1.6.0
DJI GO iOS app: 2.8.0 AND 2.7.2






















Me personally am having max range decreases by half since the latest updates to the firmare and DJI GO app for iOS. I am trying to see if others are experiencing the same or not. I cannot decide if my range decrease has to do with these updates (which is likely) or since the trees have bloomed and have many leaves now.

I have noticed that on my Phantom 3A. After latest firmware update I see significant rang decrease, I hope its not the case. The location I used to fly 4500'-5000' now once I get to 3200' I get Weak signal message  RTH kicks in and my phantom returns back  to home.

ssaqo@yahoo.com Posted at 2016-5-2 17:39
I have noticed that on my Phantom 3A. After latest firmware update I see significant rang decrease,  ...

The transmitter power output was cut almost in half with the newest P3 firmware. That is confirmed. I am interested in any Phantom 4 owners experiencing max range issues with the latest updates.

DanielMyst777 Posted at 2016-5-3 08:10
The transmitter power output was cut almost in half with the newest P3 firmware. That is confirmed ...

Can you show where that was confirmed?

Geebax Posted at 2016-5-2 18:30
Can you show where that was confirmed?

Here is proof.

I kinda knew this day was gonna come. And was expecting it.  No wonder we can't downgrade 2,3,4 firmware back. I hope someone finds a way to do so. I am able to downgrade my ios dji go app. but not  quad firmware.

ssaqo@yahoo.com Posted at 2016-5-2 19:42
I kinda knew this day was gonna come. And was expecting it.  No wonder we can't downgrade 2,3,4 firm ...

There is a way to downgrade the firmware on the RC; however, others who have done this report that the decreased power output of the transmitter remains cut in half from the prior firmware so this change sticks. It is just a slap in the face for consumers after the whole Phantom 4 rangegate fiasco. Like I said in my original post, I have noticed a significant decrease in my Phantom 4's range since the latest updates in firmware and iOS DJI GO app and am curious if it is just all the leaves on the trees now for us northern hemisphere folk or if it is a direct effect from these updates.

DanielMyst777 Posted at 2016-5-3 09:57
There is a way to downgrade the firmware on the RC; however, others who have done this report that ...

I am curious as to just what benefit there is in applying this alleged power decrease for DJI? I don't care about all the speculation, as it is just so much background noise to me, but why would DJI do this?

Geebax Posted at 2016-5-2 21:00
I am curious as to just what benefit there is in applying this alleged power decrease for DJI? I d ...

Only "benefit" I can see is sucking up to aviation authorities around the globe including the FAA. They are preemptively getting these agencies on their side so they do not come under fire from them and these agencies see them as "on their side aka. suckups". DJI can say that most people do not use their drones for range and a majority just stay within line of sight or within a few hundred feet. It is the fact that those who wish to take advantage of the range the drone offers are the minority. I can see that DJI understands getting on these agencies good side and making sure amateur pilots don't cause any harm/damage around them is better than upsetting the minority range pilots. Just my 2 cents.

DanielMyst777 Posted at 2016-5-3 07:02
Here is proof.

Can DJI rep confirm/deny this.

They are not going to confirm.  They will deny, deny, deny, and say the tests are wrong.  Again, if they actually documented updates we would know.  In some cultures hiding the truth is the same as lying and is unacceptable.  Waiting for the class action suit to force DJI to tell the truth.  After all, we have paid good money for a product that is supposed to be as advertised and not neutered after paying for the product.

I can't speak to the reduction of power, but I went almost 15K ft with all the latest updates a couple days ago. I went back to the same spot tonight, got a RTH at 10.75K. Now, I did go in a slightly different direction, maybe 45 degrees to the south, so that could have something to do with it. Also, people are out now that the weather is getting nicer, so more signals bouncing all over the place.

Who knows.

No decrease in range here using latest P4 aircraft firmware (1.1.301) and Phantom 4 RC firmware (1.6.0) and version 2.7.2 of the DJI GO app.  The flight below was after updating firmware to latest on 4/23/2016.  I flew 20,434 feet out and turned back only because my battery was at 54% - I still had 4 bars HD Link and RC signal strength.

Richard in Bois Posted at 2016-5-3 11:00
They are not going to confirm.  They will deny, deny, deny, and say the tests are wrong.  Again, if  ...

That is my concern...i bought the P3P based on distance attainable...if i cant hit that distance now because thay have indeed reduced the RC power then i am not going to be a happy camper.......

david.p.mann@ea Posted at 2016-5-2 23:29
No decrease in range here using latest P4 aircraft firmware (1.1.301) and Phantom 4 RC firmware (1.6 ...

Thanks for your input. I am and have kind of been leaning towards all the trees blooming with all their leaves blocking reception. I guess now I will have to take additional steps to improve my max range with this in mind.

You're maximum range will most definitely be negatively impacted if there are trees (or any or solid objects) in the signal path between the RC and the Phantom 3/4.  Trees with dense leaves will block more signal than bare trees, especially if the signal must go through the canopies of multiple such trees.  Antenna position is also very important - antennas should be straight up at whatever angle you are holding the RC, parallel to one another with wide, flat sides aimed directly at the P4.  The farther away the P4 is from the RC - the more sensitive the reception is to ideal antenna position.  For example, with the P4 at distance of 10,000' feet or more from the RC,  just tilting the RC down 15 degrees can change the HD Link and RC signal strength from 4 bars to 0 bars.  

david.p.mann@ea Posted at 2016-5-2 23:44
You're maximum range will most definitely be negatively impacted if there are trees (or any or solid ...

No worries. In my area, there are dense areas of trees with many leaves and dense residential housing. I have a nice setup on my transmitter that includes a range extender antenna replacement that is boosted by amplifiers to improve signal transmission. The leaves on the trees starting growing out around the same time the updates to the firmware(s) and DJI GO app were released hence I started to panic seeing as my range decreased from an easy full signal reception travel of 3.5 miles down to a MAX range of 2.8 miles with RC signal interference along the way thinking that DJI had messed up or done something purposefully in their updates to the range.

Guess I will just have to buy a bigger antenna now haha

david.p.mann@ea Posted at 2016-5-2 23:29
No decrease in range here using latest P4 aircraft firmware (1.1.301) and Phantom 4 RC firmware (1.6 ...

Are you Android or IOS? Latest DJI Go is 2.8.0

DanielMyst777 Posted at 2016-5-3 11:06
Only "benefit" I can see is sucking up to aviation authorities around the globe including the FAA. ...

I don't buy any of that. DJI is not beholden to the FAA, as it is a totally toothless tiger. The Geo Fencing was an initiative by several drone manufacturers to show they are responsible and try to limit people flying into restricted areas.

The strength of the radio signal has nothing to do with the FAA anyway, it is regulated by the FCC in the US. And as far as I am aware, there has been no change to the rules regarding the maximum permissible power output of the transmitter. If there was, every RC unit in the US would have to be recalled to be modified.

So the question still remains, why would DJI lower the power?

Geebax Posted at 2016-5-3 00:12
I don't buy any of that. DJI is not beholden to the FAA, as it is a totally toothless tiger. The Ge ...

Like it or not this is the case. Your only other option of "why" is to increase battery life but this is not the answer. The same reason DJI implemented a max altitude of 500 meters is the same reason they are leaning towards decreasing max range under stealth. I have already listed the reasons why in my previous post. It is a win-win for DJI and a no-brainer. Sure, DJI can advertise a max range of 3.1mi max range FCC compliant with no interference in optimum conditions, but for those in a dense area with obstructions, that transmission power of both the RC and drone itself come in handy to punch through these obstructions and interference. DJI drones are marketed to the average and professional consumers for aerial photography/video production. They can easily align themselves more to this reputation. DJI isn't known for performance drones that go for range or speed performance but it won't hurt them to attempt to cater to this crowd too. Just think about it. This is all I have to say about this. Refer to the countless other threads and debates about this touchy subject.

DanielMyst777 Posted at 2016-5-3 14:28
Like it or not this is the case. Your only other option of "why" is to increase battery life but t ...

Yeah, I read your previous answer, and it makes as much sense as your latest one. I call it bullshit, as there is no advantage for DJI to reduce the power output, and without a reason, all the rest comes into the tinfoil hat category.

Without there being some regulatory change or directive, it makes no sense at all to reduce the power output. If it had the effect of reducing range, then all it would do is piss off the DJI customers.

I'm only able to get 1.2 km on the coast line of lake ontario , dji force updated my p3p during repair when I asked them not to, if this is true then this is dumb.

hi guysfrom bali,


flying the 4 th time, always range failing around 360 mt. transmitter weak, signal lost and then RTH.. what do?


thx

Did you go through all of your settings again? When you do an update some things return to default.

if there are not some hidden, then i did, i guess...

dkruseski Posted at 2016-5-3 11:53
Are you Android or IOS? Latest DJI Go is 2.8.0

When I flew my last long distance flight on APR 23, I was on latest firmware and version 2.7.2 of DJI GO app.  2.8.0 version of DJI GO came out a couple days later, I believe.  

here's my screen recording shows how's signal at 5000'

Come on DJI, reply to the question.  Did you reduce the power output of the RC and if so why?

Richard in Bois Posted at 2016-5-4 09:01
Come on DJI, reply to the question.  Did you reduce the power output of the RC and if so why?

Don't hold your breath waiting for an answer. In the whole time I have been on this forum, I have never seen DJI either confirm or deny changes to the firmware.

Just flew my p3s over 15000 ft. today on Litchi app. DJI go app wants me to do A firmware update on android, should I leave it alone and not update do to range issues ?

Geebax Posted at 2016-5-3 17:15
Don't hold your breath waiting for an answer. In the whole time I have been on this forum, I have  ...

I suspect it because of the culture that seems to be prevalent in DJI.  The customer is only for providing income and it is not necessary to live up to product specifications.  It seems they are using the culture of China where we the customers are just a bunch of ignorant subjects that are not worthy of being informed about product updates and modifications.  I for one will never do business again with this company until they change the way they treat their customers. They seemed to have forgotten that without customers they would not exist.  I hope that more people will demand they start living up to their claims and be honest with their customers.  

Richard in Bois Posted at 2016-5-4 14:08
I suspect it because of the culture that seems to be prevalent in DJI.  The customer is only for p ...

Yes, you are quite correct, it is the culture of China. But they are a Chinese company, so it is to be expected. I deal with Chinese companies quite a lot, and they are no better nor worse than any of them.

The real trouble is that for some reason, so many epople on this forum do not get the fact that DJI is Chinese, they expect them to measure up to Apple's standard, and that will never happen.

Well all I know is DJI better be careful, if they are modifying something that a person purchases, providing less that what a person originally bought I smell a Volkswagon type suit coming at some point.  You can't just change something without advising the consumer.

DanielMyst777 Posted at 2016-5-3 07:02
Here is proof.

Hi Daniel! Do you have a link to the original test in facebook?

I'm also getting out 1500m (5000ft) which seems to be the going range at the moment ...  The weird thing I seen , on healthy drones my signal graph all who's green up untill the point I lost signal ???  Sure this would show it getting worse and no a constant green line ?

I think a lot of the fluctuation in range results has to do with the channel selected.  The best channel today may not be the best one tomorrow.  And the best one at your home point may not be the best one 5000 feet down the grassy knoll.

Hi Tim,

I don't think there is any sophisticated test results on facbook. From the looks of it it's just a shared image on his facebook account, and i don't think he will be willing to share that (totally understandable). The test is not so hard to reproduce though. All you you need is a RF power meter that can be bought here http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__51616__ImmersionRC_RF_Power_Meter_And_30dB_Attenuator_35Mhz_5_8Ghz_.html . There are several posts in this forum which is about this power output nurf issue. You're all too quite about it, which is very concerning.

Sincerely,
buGSy

Morph1 Posted at 2016-5-6 00:52
lol, nice one I feel the same way, you are dealing with chinese company , what did you expect ???  ...

" I am counting days till other drone manufacturer comes up with a better technology "

DJI released the P3 over a year ago and no other manufacturer has caught up so far so you might be waiting a while.

I'm wondering what the truth is to this story.
When the P4 came out some users complained that its range was less than the P3's but it seems that this wasn't the case at all and gradually more users came in to say they were getting similar range to what the P3 gets.
Now a couple claim that their RF output has been cut and a few claim that their range is slashed and it's pitchforks and flaming torches time again.
But at the same time there are some claiming that they still get excellent range.
So what's the real story?
Is it just another forum overreaction based on erroneous claims?
There are so many variables that affect your range that I'm reluctant to accept a few people claiming that their range is cut without some more substantial evidence.
And I can't see any reason that DJI would want to cut the power in half.
It just wouldn't make any sense.
They are known for producing best-in-class ready to fly drones that have a range far in excess of any of the competitors.
Why would DJI want to throw away one of their best features?
The simple answer is that they wouldn't.
The popular explanation that DJI are trying to reduce your flying pleasure to gain the favour of the FAA just doesn't hold water.
I'm sitting on the fence looking for more and better evidence before I get my pitchfork out.

The legal limit here in the UK is 25mw for TX power .. So why reduce it even more !