Ok, so, I have had my mavic for about a month or so, and am really enjoying it!    My only issue is antenna goes out of range in about a mile and a half in my area, (lots of trees).  I did get an Titan Atlas, and that did help but still, only about a 1/4 mile more range.  Question.... What would prevent DJI from making a drone that uses a cell signal, rather then a radio signal?   as in the drone has a SIM card, through AT&T, sprint or the like, and when you turn on your cell phone (that most of us are using on the control anyway) you would be, for all purposes, making a cell phone call to your drone.  At this point, you would be using the cell towers as your "antenna", you could transmit a ton of data "image" and as long as you have a cell signal, just like making a cell phone call, your range and image signal would only be limited to your battery life!   seems like a WAY better system, and after spending a ton of money on a better antenna, I would have GLADLY paid another 200 or so to have bought a drove with cell technology!  It would have saved me money, and be a better system!

  Any reason this would not work??

           Neal

How can you keep the drone in line of sight when it is off some place miles away and with trees in the way?

How about cell data charges? You would also have to chip it for a cell provider, SIM might work. It would suck having to pay ATT or Verizon to fly my drone. Also coverage may be an issue. I barley get 1 bar at my house. Calls usually drop right after i say "i'll call you back on a land line". Lots of flights happen in very rural areas. I usually fly < 1 mile due to very heavy woods in my area, i am really not comfortable going too much further anyway...

I agree it would suck to have to pay at&t, BUT 9.95 a month to have a great signal, that won't drop around buildings, trees, mountains, ect. would be a small price to pay. I just paid almost 3 years of that price to pick up a 1/4 mile!   And, If you "drop" a call, i'm sure they could set it up so the antenna picks it up, or return to home is triggered.  And as for line of sight, I think the Who said it best..."I can see for miles and miles"...

Arlo Pear Posted at 2017-11-7 15:54
I agree it would suck to have to pay at&t, BUT 9.95 a month to have a great signal, that won't drop around buildings, trees, mountains, ect. would be a small price to pay. I just paid almost 3 years of that price to pick up a 1/4 mile!   And, If you "drop" a call, i'm sure they could set it up so the antenna picks it up, or return to home is triggered.  And as for line of sight, I think the Who said it best..."I can see for miles and miles"...

"I can see for miles and miles"...



Me too...typically use my mobilescreen eyewear.  

M.C. Pilot Posted at 2017-11-7 16:05
"I can see for miles and miles"...

Me to, on top of a high building.

rolling56 Posted at 2017-11-7 10:01
How can you keep the drone in line of sight when it is off some place miles away and with trees in the way?

whilst it is not possible to maintain VLOS (visual line of sight) in such conditions you could still maintain LOS (line of sight)  -
when flying very far, if trees are a problem, then adding altitude typically solves signal weakness problem.
I f u are asking how do stick to the rule of maintaining LOS / VLOS during flight - then the truthful answer is that we dont.
It is a rule we break - we should not - but we do do.
Appart from take off and landing - i can hardly ever see my drone.

in principal sounds like a pretty good idea - except of course where there is no signal or weak signal and of course having to pay fees to fly also sucks.

Yr idea would also make for a good tracking system - in the event you lost yr drone.

Time2Party Posted at 2017-11-8 07:52
Me to, on top of a high building.

    It just seems to me that other then the extra few bucks a month, there would be no downsides, and HUGE upsides. As for the legal aspects, I don't feel very many people on here Actually fly where they can see the drone at all times... I DO have an issue with height, the last thing I (or any of us), need to do is take down a plane!!  That said, if i'm flying over the woods or a mountain 3 miles away and the drone goes down....well, so be it, I have only myself to blame and I will just suck it up and buy another.  (unless I can home in on the cell signal)!!!!

Plus...battery life would limit range to under 10 miles, even in sport and flying wide open, the best we could hope to get with 40 MPH full stick, and a half hour fly time would be 20 miles, 10 out and 10 back

I would not entrust the flight security of a telephone company's drone! and on the phones the signal is lost sometimes! The radio link between the drone and the remote control remains the safest. flying visually, and safer! in the event of an accident, we should not blame other companies sometimes for our mistakes

sica Posted at 2017-11-8 14:00
I would not entrust the flight security of a telephone company's drone! and on the phones the signal is lost sometimes! The radio link between the drone and the remote control remains the safest. flying visually, and safer! in the event of an accident, we should not blame other companies sometimes for our mistakes

I have a few concerns,
The first is obvious
Why do you need a drone to fly more than 1.5 miles from your spot? And don't say "Because I should be able to do what I want." An unmanned drone  at 1.5 miles from the point of departure is not  a "toy".

If you get a full FCC license for commercial use, than I can think it would be ok. But, to have people flying their drones for an unlimited distance without any sort of licensing or skill assessment is an accident waiting to happen.

The second question is also obvious
Do you really perceive a need to fly a drone more than 1.5 miles on a routine basis?
As drones becoming cheaper, the thought of unmanned drones flying over homes and streets where the pilot is a few miles aways is not only scary but annoying.

There are limits placed on the drones by the manufacture and the government. These limits allow for easy use and acceptance by almost everyone. If you start allowing unlimited distances, it would be permissible only if licensed and skill tested.

There are no limits on drones at this time. And, with hacks, the distance is more than reasonable.

Only  the government currently has long distance  GPS guided drones that can go long distance. Not even the police or fire departments need or expect such distance extremes.

The line of sight rule, though totally ignored by many, is based on the need to provide some semblance of distance control.

fansdf099539 Posted at 2017-11-8 15:34
I have a few concerns,
The first is obvious
Why do you need a drone to fly more than 1.5 miles from your spot? And don't say "Because I should be able to do what I want." An unmanned drone  at 1.5 miles from the point of departure is not  a "toy".

Well written post by Fansdf.  I too occasionally fly beyond my LOS.  One thing I do, however, is make sure that I'm flying at least 200 feet up to ensure I'm above trees and wires.  That said, 1.5 miles is plenty far enough for me.  If I wanted something that was 3 miles away, I'd drive somewhere nearby and then launch.

OK,
  A:  DJI claims a distance of 4 miles. If I were in an area without trees, I should be able to get 4 miles....so already, I'm over your LOS just using stock equipment.     
  B:  Having family that farms in Montana, you really have NO idea how helpful that kind or range would be... not to mention missing persons search, ect...
  c: "If you start allowing unlimited distances, it would be permissible only if licensed and skill tested"    Again, Battery life would limit distance to 10 miles....In ideal conditions!  But I agree, there should be more restriction as to whom can fly, the idea od a 7 year old kid flying at any distance worries me!!
  D: "the thought of unmanned drones flying over homes and streets where the pilot is a few miles aways is not only scary but annoying"     We, at this point can fly up to 4 miles...  If you can't see the thing with your eyes anymore, it's irrelevant whether it's 400 ft away or 40 miles away...  I'm more worried about somebody flying at ANY distance, going behind a building or a wall loosing signal and crashing Into a car or something, be it 40 FT or 4 miles away!   That is where a cell signal would be a godsend, signal loss seem to be the biggest reason for drone loss and damage, and for MOST people, the cell signal is a lot more secure and stable then a radio signal!

Arlo Pear Posted at 2017-11-9 10:16
OK,
  A:  DJI claims a distance of 4 miles. If I were in an area without trees, I should be able to get 4 miles....so already, I'm over your LOS just using stock equipment.     
  B:  Having family that farms in Montana, you really have NO idea how helpful that kind or range would be... not to mention missing persons search, ect...

What you described isn't really all that far-fetched: Qualcomm, AT&T to test drones on cellular network

fansdf099539 Posted at 2017-11-8 15:34
I have a few concerns,
The first is obvious
Why do you need a drone to fly more than 1.5 miles from your spot? And don't say "Because I should be able to do what I want." An unmanned drone  at 1.5 miles from the point of departure is not  a "toy".

I have a few concerns,
The first is obvious
Why do you need a drone to fly more than 1.5 miles from your spot? And don't say "Because I should be able to do what I want." An unmanned drone  at 1.5 miles from the point of departure is not  a "toy".
Agreed, but many S&R and Emergency Management personnel may have to flt much greater distances to complete their missions

If you get a full FCC license for commercial use, than I can think it would be ok. But, to have people flying their drones for an unlimited distance without any sort of licensing or skill assessment is an accident waiting to happen.
I am Part 107 Certified and we still have to abide by FAA regulation(s) which means you must keep the quad in VLOS, the real benefit being Part 107 is it allows you to fly in certain airspace (with approved waiver) where without it you would not.

The second question is also obvious
Do you really perceive a need to fly a drone more than 1.5 miles on a routine basis?
As drones becoming cheaper, the thought of unmanned drones flying over homes and streets where the pilot is a few miles aways is not only scary but annoying. True

There are limits placed on the drones by the manufacture and the government. These limits allow for easy use and acceptance by almost everyone. If you start allowing unlimited distances, it would be permissible only if licensed and skill tested.
Still not permissible under FAA Regs

There are no limits on drones at this time. And, with hacks, the distance is more than reasonable.
There are many, many limits on drones both by the manufacturer & government

Only  the government currently has long distance  GPS guided drones that can go long distance. Not even the police or fire departments need or expect such distance extremes.
Police depts, First Responders ect.. currently use pretty much the same technology as DJI, Government IE: Military, CIA ect. have a much greater capability, yes they use GPS guidance as well as satellite linked control (BTW is very expensive), they fly missions in the middle east while sitting in various location throughout the USA and other countries.
The line of sight rule, though totally ignored by many, is based on the need to provide some semblance of distance control.
Yup and safety as well