Hello,
I am a novice pilot, having flown my Phantom 4 Pro about 6 times for geological research (collection of aerial photos over active faults), in addition to some test flights at or near my home.  In March 2018 I was flying a research mission and after 10-15 minutes and capturing 30-40 photos I lost image transmission signal as well as control of the camera.  The shutter button would not click and I could not change the camera angle.  I landed the drone and changed the battery and was able to restore image transmission while on the ground, but lost it again after less than a minute of flight.  It was a windy day, with steady wind of (I'm guessing) maybe 15-20 mph.  It was enough to give me a wind warning on the screen.  I was surprised that the drone handled as well as it did in the wind, but I wondered if the wind might be responsible for the loss of image transmission.

I tested the drone at home  on two different days a week or two later.  It was breezy, but not enough to give a wind warning on the screen.  On the first day the camera worked for about 10 minutes before I lost image transmission.  On the second day I temporarily lost camera connection several times, but it always re-established itself within 10-30 seconds, while still in flight.  

Later in April I took it out for another research mission and the camera worked fine for the first two flights of 20-25 minutes each, but on my attempt at a third flight I was not able to obtain image transmission at all, and I had to cancel the remainder of the mission.

Does anyone have any thoughts on what is causing this problem and how to fix it?  Should I send the drone in for evaluation and repair?

Thanks!

Sally (Geologian)

  

Quirks just happen sometimes.  Just bring it back and shut everything down, then restart, and launch again.

Thanks Alabama,
I tried that back in April.  I landed the drone.  I turned everything off and on several times and nothing I did restored the image transmission.  Even if I were to test it at home and get it working, I would be nervous about planning another research mission, getting the permissions all lined up for a particular date, then driving 2 hours out to the site only to find that I might be unable to take aerial pictures once again.  This issue has already interrupted two research missions.  I am hesitant to try a third without having a better understanding of what is causing the problem and how to prevent it, avoid it or fix it in the field.
Sally

Have you tried switching to 5.8ghz this may fix the image issues but may shorten your flight distance a bit depending on terrain

Thanks Hellsgate,
Is 5.8 Ghz the higher of the two frequency options?  I think I was flying at the higher frequency setting when I originally had the problem, and someone else suggested that I switch to the lower frequency setting on the remote controller.  I did that in mid-April and had a successful flight at home with no camera problems, but then when I went out to my field site in late April and flew the drone on the lower frequency setting I was fine for the first two flights but had problems on the third site.  Perhaps I should have tried switching back to the higher frequency setting at that point.

Just so I can understand,  why/how might the RC frequency affect the image transmission?  Why/how might it affect the distance that I can fly?
Thanks,
Sally

Hellsgate Posted at 2018-8-5 16:54
Have you tried switching to 5.8ghz this may fix the image issues but may shorten your flight distance a bit depending on terrain

Ive had similar issues but not often. It has the option of Dual, so I figured this is better. Do you recommend leaving it on 5.8ghz?  

Geologian Posted at 2018-8-5 17:34
Thanks Hellsgate,
Is 5.8 Ghz the higher of the two frequency options?  I think I was flying at the higher frequency setting when I originally had the problem, and someone else suggested that I switch to the lower frequency setting on the remote controller.  I did that in mid-April and had a successful flight at home with no camera problems, but then when I went out to my field site in late April and flew the drone on the lower frequency setting I was fine for the first two flights but had problems on the third site.  Perhaps I should have tried switching back to the higher frequency setting at that point.

Aloha Sally,

     From what I have read, it sounds like you are working in a restricted area.  Is your home also in a restricted area?  There are at least two and maybe three levels of flying security you will have to get through in order to fly in some restricted areas.  Because of processing delays, these security "shut-offs" may seem more random than they really are.  If you are not flying and working or living in a restricted area, then we have different issues to address.  How far away are the locations that are causing the lost images?

     You appear to know how to how to change between 2.4 and 5.8 GHz transmission channels in the HD section of the General Settings.  This is good.  You can also choose which particular frequency you want to use in a specific area.  Between 2.4 and 5.8 GHz transmission channels and specific frequencies, you should be able to find the one that works best under your research conditions.

     Please do be aware that when all else fails, we do have alternative resources.  I use parabolics that are inexpensive little reflectors that mount on your antennae to concentrate the signal and keep the transmissions working.  But first, we need to properly identify your problem.  High winds should not be a problem with transmissions.  Do try to keep your flights at below 20 mph winds for safety reasons though.  

     Have you updated any firmware since you received your P4 Pro?  Have you updated the DJI GO 4 app since you originally downloaded and installed it?  Do you get any update warnings or other suggestions to manage computer functions with your flying network of three computers?  Have you read the manual at least once since you got the P4 Pro?  Most of us had read it already by the time we got our Phantoms and have since read it a few more times.  Sorry, we are a nerdy bunch.

     Hope this helps!

Aloha and Drone On!

Geologian Posted at 2018-8-5 17:34
Thanks Hellsgate,
Is 5.8 Ghz the higher of the two frequency options?  I think I was flying at the higher frequency setting when I originally had the problem, and someone else suggested that I switch to the lower frequency setting on the remote controller.  I did that in mid-April and had a successful flight at home with no camera problems, but then when I went out to my field site in late April and flew the drone on the lower frequency setting I was fine for the first two flights but had problems on the third site.  Perhaps I should have tried switching back to the higher frequency setting at that point.

The 2.4 ghz signal range is used extensivly by mobile phones and wireless networks. So even if flying in a remote area you can still get interference from your own phone or any body near you.
Try switching your phone to flight mode before taking off and ask any body near you to do the same.
Check your environment to see if there are any cell towers in the vacinity these can also cause interference.
The range issue i believe now i could be wrong is the higher you go in frequency the less range it has compared to a lower frequency of the same power output.
For example a hf radio or ham radio has a much farther range than a uhf radio even if the 2 radios have the same output power.
Im not exactly sure on the physics of it all and i dont think we need to cover it here.

You have not said what phone or tablet you are using, that has a strong bearing on the issue as well.

I was gonna ask that, shouldn't be losing signal willy nilly, i do not have this issue with my p4p, yes, it loses transmission but its always down to out of range due to obstacles or distance, which ever at the time, never down to interference from elsewhere....

Thanks everyone,

My home is not in a restricted area.  The place I was flying when I first lost image transmission was on property owned by China Lake Naval Weapons Center, in California, about a kilometer outside the entrance to the base.  I had received written permission to fly there on that particular day.   But there could still have been interference there.   I didn't think about that.  I was thinking that maybe the high winds were jiggling a loose wire in the ribbon cable.   I thought that might be why I had image transmission for the first 10-15 minutes of flight before the problem emerged.  And I thought that might also explain why after powering down and restarting I had image transmission while on the ground, but then lost it after less than a minute of flight.

The second project on which which I lost image transmission and was unable to restore it was at Calico (abandoned mining town turned into a theme park).  I don't think that is a restricted area, but I did have a class of 12 students with me, who probably each had a cell phone.  

On my next trip I will definitely try asking those with me to put their phones in flight mode, and I will try switching frequencies if I lose image transmission on one of them.

I am using an ipad mini2 connected to the RC to control the drone.   When I first flew the drone about a year ago I updated the firmware in the drone and RC and downloaded the most recent app for my ipad mini2.  Now that I think of it, there may have been another update notification that I ignored when I was flying on the two days when I had the problem with loss of image transmission.  I haven't powered up the drone since I had the problem in late April, but I will do so next weekend at home and will update the firmware if needed.

I read the manual when I first got my drone.  It sounds like I should probably do so again.  

Is there anything I should be aware of in terms of setting the orientation of the antennae on the RC?  I found the manual a little confusing on this point.  I generally place the antennae in a position in which they are angled out from each other slightly and angled away from the body of the RC slightly.  

Thanks to everyone for all the suggestions.  You've given me several options to try before giving up and sending it in to be evaluated.

Sally

Geologian Posted at 2018-8-5 21:02
Thanks everyone,

My home is not in a restricted area.  The place I was flying when I first lost image transmission was on property owned by China Lake Naval Weapons Center, in California, about a kilometer outside the entrance to the base.  I had received written permission to fly there on that particular day.   But there could still have been interference there.   I didn't think about that.  I was thinking that maybe the high winds were jiggling a loose wire in the ribbon cable.   I thought that might be why I had image transmission for the first 10-15 minutes of flight before the problem emerged.  And I thought that might also explain why after powering down and restarting I had image transmission while on the ground, but then lost it after less than a minute of flight.

The iPad Mini 2 is the first problem, that model does not have enough horsepower to run the DJI Go App 4, you need at the minimum a Mini 4. That will be a prime reason for your short video range.

" I generally place the antennae in a position in which they are angled out from each other slightly and angled away from the body of the RC slightly."

Antennas straight up and down in all respects, and point the flat side towards the aircraft.

Hi, thanks for reaching DJI Forum. We do apologize if you have issues with the transmissions on your device. May we ask for the mobile phone or tablet where you downloaded the app?  We're here to help you. Thank you.

Geebax--thanks for the advice on antenna position

DJI Gamora-- I downloaded the app onto an ipad mini 2.

I also have an iphone 6.  Would that be better to use than the ipad mini 2?  Or should I get an ipad mini 4?

Problem solved:  I updated the aircraft firmware and image transmission was restored.  I did two test flights in my backyard , each lasting the length of one battery.  On the first flight I lost image transmission for a few seconds, but that may have been because the drone was on the other side of an evergreen tree.    Other than that, I had image transmission the entire time and was able to record photos and video.  

On the first flight I used my ipad mini 2.  In the second half of the flight there were delays in refreshing the image on the screen.   This has been the case ever since I purchased the drone and is probably due to the limited RAM in the ipad mini 2.  On the second flight I used my iphone6 and the image refresh was much better.  I will look into getting an ipad mini4 for interfacing with the remote controller.  

One other thing I learned is that it is possible to us the DJI Go 4 app to view the warning messages from previous flights.  I noticed that on my April 28 flight, in which I lost image transmission, there were several warnings of "“cannot detect camera lens”.  I am hoping that this issue was related to my use of out-of-date firmware on that flight and that it does not indicate a problem with the ribbon cable.

Anyway, I now feel confident enough to schedule another work-related research mission.  Thanks to everyone for your advice.

I forgot to mention that the reason I didn't try updating the aircraft firmware sooner is that the DJI Go 4 app told me (on the status screen that appears when I first open the app and connect to the aircraft) that the aircraft was "Normal  (latest firmware)".  I now know not to trust this message but to go to the DJI website to compare the latest firmware version there to what is displayed in the DJI Go 4 app (under ... General Settings  / About).

Geologian Posted at 2018-8-19 10:52
I forgot to mention that the reason I didn't try updating the aircraft firmware sooner is that the DJI Go 4 app told me (on the status screen that appears when I first open the app and connect to the aircraft) that the aircraft was "Normal  (latest firmware)".  I now know not to trust this message but to go to the DJI website to compare the latest firmware version there to what is displayed in the DJI Go 4 app (under ... General Settings  / About).

When home,  make sure when you THINK you want to update,  to have a good WiFi connection......you'll then see if and when updates are suggested or required.

Otherwise, keep your device in airplane mode while attached to your remote.

Randy

I recently experienced loss of camera signal and scoured all the forums for advice and found nothing useful so I persisted with a step by sep process of elimination, fortunately before changing any settings because the signal just stopped and I had done nothing during the flight to cause this.  So logic told me it wasn't the settings and also my firmware was current. Anyway to cut a long story short, I replaced the iPad mini I was using as a monitor with my iPhone and ... presto, the camera vision returned. So it was the iPad not the RC or drone. During the course of my explorations I noticed a new warning about strong electrical interference which was strange because I am in a very remote location ... however 2 weeks ago I installed solar generation and my loss of camera transmission did happen as I was flying at low-level past the recently installed inverter. Coincidence? Maybe, but something affected the iPad right at that moment. The drone, by the way was still under control, it was just the camera transmission knocked out; but which returned when I changed the monitoring unit and did so well away from the 'electrical interference'.  So one suggestion from this experience is to not immediately think something has happened to the RC or drone; but that there may be other outside factors.

liptrap Posted at 2018-10-19 18:28
I recently experienced loss of camera signal and scoured all the forums for advice and found nothing useful so I persisted with a step by sep process of elimination, fortunately before changing any settings because the signal just stopped and I had done nothing during the flight to cause this.  So logic told me it wasn't the settings and also my firmware was current. Anyway to cut a long story short, I replaced the iPad mini I was using as a monitor with my iPhone and ... presto, the camera vision returned. So it was the iPad not the RC or drone. During the course of my explorations I noticed a new warning about strong electrical interference which was strange because I am in a very remote location ... however 2 weeks ago I installed solar generation and my loss of camera transmission did happen as I was flying at low-level past the recently installed inverter. Coincidence? Maybe, but something affected the iPad right at that moment. The drone, by the way was still under control, it was just the camera transmission knocked out; but which returned when I changed the monitoring unit and did so well away from the 'electrical interference'.  So one suggestion from this experience is to not immediately think something has happened to the RC or drone; but that there may be other outside factors.

Your diagnosis was correct. External sources of interference are a primary reason for loss of video signal but the most common is the display device not being powerful enough.