Hey All.

I am from the UK, love technology and photography and drones seem to be a good way forward.

I am not new to Drones (I built one on a ZMR250 chassis)  Flew it a few times, then crashed it a few times, then never flew it again.
I am however new to DJI, so hoping to use the drone a lot more than I ever did the ZMR.  On a recent trip to Malaysia i met a guy on the beach that had one - so thought why not?

I then went on a small readathon and decided on the Mavic Mini for 3 main reasons:
1. As a starter drone
2. Something small that doesn't need to be registered.
3. Cost

I am, however, now questioning if I should have gone for the Mavic Pro or Mavic 2 - Primarily for the range.

Which brings me onto the question: So far from what I understand the Mavic Mini is wifi (video and control) - 1. isn't that a bit crappy? 2. Are the others any better?

On the whole, I am very excited, the drone should arrive tomorrow - providing it is allowed to land via my local DPD guy.
So I have a worry:

I have read loads of stories on this forum and other places of the mini going rogue.  Landing in the sea, flying off some where, dropping out of the sky.  I wanted a DJI just so these things don't happen (I remember a horror story of the Phantom losing GPS lock and landing in the middle of a motorway a number of years ago).

3. Is this something I should be concerned about?

Speaking of concerns, would you opt for the 4. DJI Refresh or third party insurance like Eversure (£60 for a year / international) which will also cover loss / theft / damage etc.

On a side note, 5. can you get FPV goggles for the Mavic Mini?

Thanks in Advance!

Welcome to the forum!
True, the mini is 'wifi only', but if you fly by the rules (line of sight, outside of area's with a lot of other signals / metal etc. ) you should normally not get issues with the connection.
You should note that even the mini is not a toy and requires good planning / common sense to operate safely.
So watch for good GPS reception before takeoff, avoid anything that can mess with the GPS / compass (metal structures etc) and other errors and make sure you are in control (not the drone)
There are a lot of 'fly away' video's about the Mavic Pro, but I have flown 1.769.186 ft without any issues.
Not to say the MP can not have issues, but you usually only notice all the bad stories (because that is what people share more often).
So I would not worry about it, but use that as a reminder that it can go wrong.
And with a drone things can end up bad because it is flying....

I'm not sure about the Goggles.


I never bothered with DJI care, because I care for my drone and don't depend on it.
The money that I save can be used to buy a new drone.

BTW, in the EU you still need to register the Mini because it has a camera. Not sure how this works in the UK

Just a few words for a Mavic Mini 1st drone starting point.

- Under the new EU legislation you will not be required to register your drone (ACs < 250 grams), have a transponder or have license or a test. You just need to have an insurance policy for it.

MM is a wonderful beginners drone with a few caveats being an ultra-light (but still pretty capable).

- The range is pretty decent but limited also to comply with EU regulation, i.e. 20mW for 5.8 GHz and 60mW for 2.4 GHz (FCC for example has 1000 mW of transmit power), What's really hampering the performance is 2.4 GHz interference. AUTO channel selection is not like in Pro drones, can't change channel on the fly and doesn't use redundant channels. Basically it auto-selects the best channel at power up point. I always use MANUAL, flying mostly in 5.8 GHz upper range out of reach of most 5 GHz Wi-Fi routers, and resort to 2.4 GHz only in wide open spaces where there isn't nearby houses.
Actual range of about 500m and 1.2 Km respectively. With the cheap parabolic reflectors I can comfortably push my Mini to 750 and 1.5 Km respectively (this one greatly depends on close-by houses or other 2.4 GHz emitters)

The MANTRA for a Mavic Mini owner is this.

- Check the weather, check for wind, check for wind at height, check for gusts (at home, using something like www.ventusky.com )
. Check  the weather, check for wind, check for wind at height, check for gusts (with a mobile app, such as the UAV app)
- Always power up your MM clear of any possible magnetic interference, steel objects, reinforced concrete structures, bridges, even nails and screws.
- Calibrate the compass when told to do so and always WAIT to have good GPS lock (unless you're indoor)
- Never fly close to any indistinct surface, as the underlying VPS sensor cannot engage
It is a very good idea to disable Bt and Wi-Fi in your mobile device as they may hamper your range, better still would be the put the smartphone in offline mode.

Always remember to launch from a vantage point, a point that you can have CLEAR unobstructed view of the Mini at all times (possibly even to land it up to that point), trees are a Wi-Fi soaking sponge, never fly in tunnels, under bridges or around objects (where the signal will be blocked). Launching from a vantage point is always very useful strategy which gives you the possibility to land it precisely in place where you can recover it later on without having to fly it back to your piloting point (should the worst happen like wind or you ignored low battery warnings). A note about low battery warnings: they are considerate of how far you're flying... should you ever ignore one at 28% while being 1.2 kilometer away keep in mind you'll have very little time to come back, they're serious warning advices.

Be aware of some MM design limitation:

When coming full speed to a halt, especially descending from an hasty ride, expect a drop in height that you can counter with your left stick (default Mode 2 config.).
Should you find yourself into strong wind so powerful to be unable to return easily... know that the flying strategy will make MM drop altitude slightly but steadily over time: priority has been given to motion rather than position hold. Find a suitable place to land in a place where you can recover it using the wind at your advantage.

Whenever you see a Strong Wind Warning don't take it lightly: it is dangerous. Do as instructed, lower your altitude immediately, engage Sport mode, wait anche check if you see the notice staying out or if you see it re-issued. Normally... you should never exceed 100 meters of height, firstly because you could interfere with air traffic, secondly because there's really no need for that, especially for a 24 mm (35mm eq.) wide angle lens.

I've had many many happy kilometers doing so, and if it wasn't for an unusual problem that I am having (and a very isolated one) I'd absolutely be enthusiastic about the MM. It has great stabilization, very good sharp motion picture quality and very decent range, especially after I started using parabolic reflectors.

Then there's the peace of mind: 250 grams on the air makes me far more comfortable than 400 or 800.

m80116 Posted at 3-24 05:52
Just a few words for a Mavic Mini 1st drone starting point.

- Under the new EU legislation you will not be required to register your drone (ACs < 250 grams), have a transponder or have license or a test. You just need to have an insurance policy for it.

under new EU legislation any drone with camera will require a registration no matter if it is below 250 g!!!

m80116 Posted at 3-24 05:52
Just a few words for a Mavic Mini 1st drone starting point.

- Under the new EU legislation you will not be required to register your drone (ACs < 250 grams), have a transponder or have license or a test. You just need to have an insurance policy for it.

You need to check information you’re giving regarding Mavic mini , because it’s wrong .
No insurance needed either .

Accordin to ENAC and EU EASA regulations the information I reported is absolutely correct and up to date.

No need to register a hobbist drone for UAV < 250 grams, MANDATORY Insurance Policy.

https://www.dronezine.it/faq-droni/ [IT]
ADDENDUM: new EASA rules will require registration for all drone w/ camera from JUL 2020.
https://www.easa.europa.eu/drones-regulatory-framework-timeline

m80116 Posted at 3-24 07:07
Accordin to ENAC and new EU EASA regulations the information I reported is absolutely correct and up to date.

No need to register a hobbist drone for UAV < 250 grams, MANDATORY Insurance Policy.

Your peddling Rubbish again, if you want to know about new rules use EASA website, why? Because the information is correct and up to date free of any fake news. Also if insurance applies to Italy then it’s not applicable here.

Which part of Malaysia were you at and when? I've been flying at various beaches until the lockdown.

Calm down TURKEY... you wouldn't want one of your vessels to pop out of your neck! Relax (just FYI: he's the one calling me Turkey and using his typical educated manners... tbh I don't even remember exactly, was it him or Labroides? Just the same sewer... same exact manners, I don't mind).

Probably dronezine.it isn't updated although it should be. Where did you find that document ? I've tried to reach the necessary EASA regulation but it's dispersive and vague like most .eu websites, producing tons of documents which I bet aren't of any interest even for the people involved into making them. I trusted dronezine.it since it was suggested to me by a friend operating a Mavic Pro.

Any specific link to regulation for hobbyist < 250gr drones ?

There you go:

https://www.easa.europa.eu/drones-regulatory-framework-timeline

m80116 Posted at 3-24 08:24
Calm down TURKEY... you wouldn't want one of vessels to pop out of your neck! Relax (just FYI: he's the one calling me Turkey and using his typical educated manners... tbh I don't even remember exactly, was it him or Labroides? Just the same sewer... same exact manners, I don't mind).

Probably dronezine.it isn't updated although it should be. Where did you find that document ? I've tried to reach the necessary EASA regulation but it's dispersive and vague like most .eu websites, producing tons of documents which I bet aren't of any interest even for the people involved into making them. I trusted dronezine.it since it was suggested to me by a friend operating a Mavic Pro.

Again your full of it, and now it’s getting boring, you manner leaves an awful to be desired, your arrogance knows no bounds, you treat members here like idiots, pushing your ridiculous ideas and notions on them as if they are fact, never bothering to check anything, your interest being only in yourself and your ludicrous ideas, refusing to take on anyone’s advice but forcing your made up crap on others.

And I believe when you peddle your made up rubbish here you should be pulled up on it, you’re all mouth and no trousers an emperor with no clothes and a fool with no savvy.

“Respect for ourselves guides our morals; respect for others guides our manners”

Here is someone who just put together a FPV setup for Mavic Mini.

https://forum.dji.com/thread-211265-1-1.html

Hey Guys.  
Apologies for the delayed response.  I didn't receive any notifications.

First, thank you very much for the detailed responses, especially Montfrooij and m80116.  The information is VERY useful.

Updates:
1. I purchased the eversure insurance yesterday at £56.  
2. The drone arrived this afternoon - still sat boxed in the outer boxed.  For some reason, I am holding back opening it lol.
3. 128gb Sandisk Extreme memory card ordered - will arrive tomorrow.

For some reason, I feel apprehensive about flying it all together - I think it all boils down to the Wifi-only reception which I have no faith in.
Is the Wifi reception boosted by the controller?

On the other hand, I was reading about the Mavic 2, which is a lot more expensive but also very tempting, primarily because of the obstacle avoidance feature.

Bloodied_Mini Posted at 3-24 07:43
Which part of Malaysia were you at and when? I've been flying at various beaches until the lockdown.

I traveled a bit through it, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, and Langkawi - This is where I met Pat with the drone.  I was there pretty much the whole of December.

I really do regret not having one already now!

HurleyBird Productions Posted at 3-24 09:40
Here is someone who just put together a FPV setup for Mavic Mini.

https://forum.dji.com/thread-211265-1-1.html

Thanks for the link.
It is a awesome work through.

CrazeUK Posted at 3-24 12:22
Hey Guys.  
Apologies for the delayed response.  I didn't receive any notifications.

Go ahead and open it. For the price you are paying compared to a Mavic Pro2 you can't go wrong. Its a pretty impressive drone if used right.

CrazeUK Posted at 3-24 12:26
I traveled a bit through it, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, and Langkawi - This is where I met Pat with the drone.  I was there pretty much the whole of December.

I really do regret not having one already now!

Nice places, belated welcome to Malaysia. FYI, I'd say go for the M2 if you like long range, wind resistant and more worry free flights. Also, from what were discussed in the forum regarding instability in sports mode, might not suit you if you like to fly fast. Don't over rely on the OA sensors though, seen a couple of videos where M2P crashes into small twigs etc.

With the MM, it is as advertised, your everyday fly cam. Use it to take selfies, aerial shots of yourself, quick look around surroundings and similar activities. Before you fly, always check drone heading is the same as shown in map (MM or M2 should both need to do this), check wind speed and always fly out against the wind and take off 20m from water.

I'm a real newbie to drones and so far the MM fit in to my needs, and touchwood, no problems so far. Granted at times I do feel it'd be nice to have an M2Z or M2P.

Bloodied_Mini Posted at 3-24 15:30
Nice places, belated welcome to Malaysia. FYI, I'd say go for the M2 if you like long range, wind resistant and more worry free flights. Also, from what were discussed in the forum regarding instability in sports mode, might not suit you if you like to fly fast. Don't over rely on the OA sensors though, seen a couple of videos where M2P crashes into small twigs etc.

With the MM, it is as advertised, your everyday fly cam. Use it to take selfies, aerial shots of yourself, quick look around surroundings and similar activities. Before you fly, always check drone heading is the same as shown in map (MM or M2 should both need to do this), check wind speed and always fly out against the wind and take off 20m from water.

Thanks for the welcome.  I wish I could say I enjoyed it there.  Unfortunately, I was quite ill for most of the trip. - Mrs thinks it was the Corona symptoms.

I still haven't opened the mini.  I love the size and weight.  But the M2 seems more what I want.  I don't really want to spend that budget on a brand new M2 either.  I did consider a used one.

The memory card has arrived, which may urge me to open the package now.
.

Hi crazeUK,
Welcome to the forum. I live in Northumberland and have flown my MM since November and haven't had any major issues.  Just be careful in strong winds. I flew mine a few times out to 1km + without problems. Will still try for 2km.
Can be seen on YT under my forum name. Let us know how you get on!!

CrazeUK Posted at 3-25 12:28
Thanks for the welcome.  I wish I could say I enjoyed it there.  Unfortunately, I was quite ill for most of the trip. - Mrs thinks it was the Corona symptoms.

I still haven't opened the mini.  I love the size and weight.  But the M2 seems more what I want.  I don't really want to spend that budget on a brand new M2 either.  I did consider a used one.

Try getting a reconditioned Mavic Pro Platinum. Similar flight performance vs M2 and if you can accept MM camera, you should not have problems with the MPP camera.

Bloodied_Mini Posted at 3-25 15:30
Try getting a reconditioned Mavic Pro Platinum. Similar flight performance vs M2 and if you can accept MM camera, you should not have problems with the MPP camera.

Thanks for your thoughts... they came just in time for opening the Mini up. Hahah.

Ingo Sundowner Posted at 3-25 13:52
Hi crazeUK,
Welcome to the forum. I live in Northumberland and have flown my MM since November and haven't had any major issues.  Just be careful in strong winds. I flew mine a few times out to 1km + without problems. Will still try for 2km.
Can be seen on YT under my forum name. Let us know how you get on!!

Thanks for the welcome.

I think one of my big concerns is the strong winds part.  Aside from carrying an anemometer (which i do happen to have someplace in my bouncy castle kit) how would I be able to tell?

Also, i know wind speeds higher up are quite different to close to the ground.

So i have finally decided to open the package up.
I am surprised at how nice everything feels.

Controller
Feels rugged and strong.  Everything has quite a firm, no play, feel.  It is a bit annoying that my Galaxy Note 9 is a squeeze.  The cable connector is a bit close to the clamp edge, as well as the rubber inserts are pushing the screen protector off.  Given this and that, the number of apps on the phone and the battery not being great, i think i will just use my work iPhone XR with it.

Mavic Mini
I am surprised at how light it feels even with the guards on.  I guess i haven't put in a battery pack yet.  I am not really used to the fact it doesn't have any skids on it, which I know on my previous drone i replaced a few times from hard landings.  I did notice a bit of flex in the arms when i was putting the guard on, which is worrying.

I will probably have the first flight in a park somewhere tomorrow.  Do you think there will be an issue with the social distancing rules? - If not i will have to go to a big field some place.

CrazeUK Posted at 3-25 16:57
So i have finally decided to open the package up.
I am surprised at how nice everything feels.

Charger
Again feels pretty solid construction. Quite light too.
Is it meant to be carried in the case?

I initially put it on charge with a multi point USB adapter, it didn't flash much or appear to charge much.  I then thought let me try the one that comes with it, all of a sudden it appears to be on speed. I assume it has some fast charge capability, which makes me wonder why they didn't use USB C?

Congrats in joining the MM team. If you fly outdoors, try not to use the prop guards as it'll make your MM to behave like a kite. The motors could not keep up with the wind sometimes.

Also, ALWAYS wait for satellites and homepoint update before you takeoff.

Hi All.
Thanks for the help and guidance.

So I tried to buy DJI refresh before I went out.  I didn't know I only had 48 hours to buy I once the craft was activated.  They have said i can upload evidence to show the craft is fully functional in a video that you have to do a number of steps.

Considering, I wanted to do it before I actually flew it outside it was pretty crap! lol  Also, you would most likely need a second person to help you film the video.

Anyway, so i took it out for its first flight today as the wind was much lower, the AirData app said it would be a good day although it was freezing and very overcast.
I did the flight in P mode with the blade guards on.  I know someones mentioned it would act like a kite, but it was my first flight lol.

Overall the flight was good.  I learned a few bits but didn't get too experimental.

I used 2 batteries, 1 to 14%, and others to about 50%.

Observations
1. When I turned the craft quickly the prop guards became visible in the corners.
2. The prop guards helped but may have had the kite effect - don't know how to tell they wouldn't.
3. The signal dropped out around 200m from the controller which is really crappy.  See the pic below.
4. The drone appeared to hover at an angle slightly - no wind.
5. When the drone lifts off, it always seems to move backward and drop slightly before obtaining height.

Observations about me
a. I did forget to check how many satellites I had before the flight. - Now I will remember.
b. I don't have the balls to do exciting stuff.
c. I don't trust the return to home function - I think it because I set the return to home height set at 100m so the craft rose high, even though the winds were high.

Things I wish
i. The signal wouldn't have dropped 200m away.
ii. The cancel RTH button was bigger.
iii. The prop guards would not show.
iv. There was a left and right control for the gimbal.

It looks like it went a shorter distance than i thought originally.
I have worked out how to upload my flight data to the AirData App.

Attached are the new images:




p.s. how do i edit a post?

I am afraid mate you've already infringed the first good rule of safe droning with a Mavic Mini. I'll be straightforward in the hope of helping out at a cost of being perceived as pedantic or rude. Whenever I notice people reporting they've been using propeller guards outside I get a shiver down my spine.

One should never EVER use prop guards out of enclosed spaces, and if you really have to use them make sure there is ZERO wind around, and for zero I really mean perceived ZERO wind at ground level, 1-2 m/s gusts maximium at 100 meters and stay very close and very low to the ground.

Then... a battery squeezed up to 14% is unsuitable for a safe flight, especially when carrying the additional weight and thrust hampering factor of the propeller guards. Batteries for a good measure should never be flown past below 20%, especially when demanding conditions are met (wind, payload mode) as under a certain threshold they can't provide the same level of power to the motors.

The fact that it doesn't lift off vertically would worry me the most. That indicates an insufficient thrust from the rear propellers. I highly advise you check without the propeller guards. Inspect your propellers and compare them against a new set. It is possible that faulty propellers might have been installed in the early production batches or they got warped during storage. This can cause stalls so it is very important.

You're absolutely right about c. not trusting the RTH. You should never consign your drone to RTH, one has to be aware and clear of any obstacle and power lines without going too high when an auto-RTH happens.

For the range I suggest you start familiarize yourself with MANUALLY selecting a channel as the MM cannot switch channels mid flight and channel selection is based on a quick measuring done at your power up point. Also to be noted red/green channels are relative to their actual modulation rate. It is entirely possible that a channel coloured green becomes suddenly busy (red, raised bar) when someone on the Wi-Fi network initiates a big and fast download/upload. 5 GHz routers are typically out of range of MM frequencies, so using a 5.8 GHz CH offers you a cleaner frequency environment. 5.8 GHz anyway has a shorter range, about 500 m line of sight without any accessory. 2.4 GHz channels yield the better range but are susceptible of much more frequent interference, albeit being more powerful they can give you better range even in busy frequency areas (carefully picking a suitable one), let alone the fact that they also have a marginally better capability of bouncing on hard surfaces.

Personally I get excited with every flight regardless of what I do... probably I am just a happy tail wagger.

CrazeUK Posted at 4-1 14:20
Hi All.
Thanks for the help and guidance.

“I don't trust the return to home function - I think it because I set the return to home height set at 100m so the craft rose high, even though the winds were high”



You set Rth height 100m and it climbed to this height, I think this means it’s working as it should, if wind is to high don’t set Rth height so high or just move your left stick and your craft will no longer climb, you can control all stick movements in Rth except orientation, Rth is failsafe and won’t let you down, conditions and environment will, but you as pilot are 100% in charge of and responsible for conditions you fly in.

Left right control for gimbal is your yaw .
“Drone hovered at an angle no wind” ( you might need to do an IMU calibration)
If signal is lost drone will Rth or land or hover you need to set preference.

Get rid of prop guards unless flying around the garden with kids or indoors .

Hey @m80116

I won't take offense, I am on a learning curve lol.

Prop guards
I guess i used the prop guards thinking they would be safer for the mini in the event of a crash, or it dropping or tumbling.
As it happens, I did have Payload mode running and didn't realize.  Only realized when the drone refused to go past a certain distance.

But, yes if the weather is good again, tomorrow, no Prop guards.  Speaking of which they don't weigh much, is it that weak?

Battery squeezing
The battery squeezing only happened as I was flying around in circles around me.  I guess i wanted to test the feature to see what happens when it gets to the point the drone wants to take control..  If I recall, it automatically set the RTH when it hit a certain percentage.  I did notice it drop quite quickly in the time it flew around and came back. - Lesson learned.

Vertical lifts
The drone is literally brand new.  Straight out of the package it came under.  I am going to test it indoors, to see what happens, incase there was a steady wind at the time.

RTH
I guess i only activated it as i knew it was clear where the drone was.  I assume RTH literally raises itself to the preset height, then flies it in a straight line to where you are, then lowers itself?

Frequency
Thanks for the info on the frequency.  I guess i should have worked that out given what I know of home routers.  I still am quite shocked at how low the distance is.  
I take it flying A to B (1km) - see below, is out of the question then - Do the signal boosters work?

CrazeUK Posted at 3-25 17:19
Charger
Again feels pretty solid construction. Quite light too.
Is it meant to be carried in the case?

With regards to charger, it seems the original fly more case does not have enough space to carry the charger. For me, I normally just carry the cables. The original charger have fast charge capability and will definitely be better than generic chargers. So far I've tried charging using my Samsung car charger (from Note 5 era) and it works too albeit slightly slower than wall charger.

As for my mention of flying like a kite, to spot that, if you do not give any stick input and you notice the drone is drifting* and if there is wind, basically the wind is carrying your drone away like a kite. Therefore, when flying a mini (with or without prop guards), it is recommended you plan your flights so that you fly out against the wind and return with the wind. Especially so when you are near water.

* Of course there are other reasons for drifting like and IMU error, compass calibration error etc. I'll leave the many more experienced flyers here to tell you how to spot those.

With regards to flying long distances, in non-high rise urban settings, I get about 200-300 m most of the time but once in a while I get up to 500-600 m. Switching off your phone Bluetooth and WIFI after connection is extablished with your drone helps a lot. What I believe is if you can launch from a higher elevation (small hill/roof of a building) and have clear line of sight, you may be able to fly further. Just wondering if it is possible to fly above the range of home WIFI to avoid interference.

CrazeUK Posted at 4-1 16:19
Hey @m80116

I won't take offense, I am on a learning curve lol.

@CrazyUK thanks for being comprehensive, the tips I am giving, most of them had to learn myself with many hours of search and tests.

Battery warnings: when RTH happens is already very late. If you're far away the battery warning comes much earlier, but if you ignore the first friendly warning to head back you risk of having an unwanted landing in the return trip, the distance is accounted for when giving warning notices.

RTH: can be controlled as probably already stated in this thread. You can stop the AC ascending with your left stick input, you can spin around 360° while the drone is coming back to you and you can even speed the process by giving it full R control stick forward (mode 2). Some use the feature to capture steady footage while controlling the yaw.

Distance: personally I tend to operate LoS (line of sight) because that makes me feel much more confortable. To push further away you really have to launch from a vantage point, a point high were your view can dominate unobstructed where you want to fly up to 90° from zenith. If you start in a place where trees or other obstacles are present your angle of view out will increase as further away you travel, making the flight a dangerous business.

Frequencies: is a bit of a hit and miss: we already know that 5.8 GHz can lead you to about 500m in unobscructed paths in quiet frequency areas. To go past that point you have to rely on 2.4 GHz here comes the tricky part. The AC AUTO selection is completely clueless, you have to launch with a 2.4 GHz CH of your choice, up to the point where you start having problems (keeping in mind in the clear 1.2 Km is about the limit), at that point you can open up your channel graph and verify the cleanest channel, green with the lowest bar, take note, drive the AC back to you, land it, change CH to the one you've seen before as the emptiest and launch again. But... even if the AC might find itself in the position of having a better radio reception at maximum distance it might be possible that the returning signal will be overpowered at your piloting point. Not really a perfect tecnique... it takes trial and error but in the end you can end up reaching farthest distances.

The boosters... which are not really boosters but just parabolic reflectors like the one I have can help to about this extent:
2.4 GHz in the clear from 1.2 Km to 1.5 Km, 5.8 GHz from 500m to 750m.


I know it doesn't sound much but 1.5 Km if you account your complete travel diameter around your piloting point is about 3 kilometers of unwound travel. Not bad for a little Mini. Going further up the intricacy road you can make yourself some Yagi Uda passive boosters, some even sold pre-printed and assembled ones on eBay. Those really boost something as radio waves are concentrated and synched together so they can give an addiational range. I'd expect 2 Km and about 1.2 respectively for 2.4 and 5.8 GHz. I shall at some piont get myself such adapters in 5.8 GHz wavelength because 1.2 Km of range quite unaffacted by 5 GHz Wi-Fi routers (which use the lower CHs) must be really nice traveling around constructed areas.

Bloodied_Mini Posted at 4-1 18:30
With regards to charger, it seems the original fly more case does not have enough space to carry the charger. For me, I normally just carry the cables. The original charger have fast charge capability and will definitely be better than generic chargers. So far I've tried charging using my Samsung car charger (from Note 5 era) and it works too albeit slightly slower than wall charger.

As for my mention of flying like a kite, to spot that, if you do not give any stick input and you notice the drone is drifting* and if there is wind, basically the wind is carrying your drone away like a kite. Therefore, when flying a mini (with or without prop guards), it is recommended you plan your flights so that you fly out against the wind and return with the wind. Especially so when you are near water.

Thanks for your tips @Bloodied_Mini... I don't know if giving away the tip of turning Bt and Wi-Fi off is a good idea at this point since I've seen reports it might be linked with app instability such as stuck flying mode (P, S, C) and stuck shutter/record buttons on the RC.

Something that deserves to be further investigated I think...

Hi guys.
Thanks both for the advice.
Will bear it all in mind.

IMU
I did the calibration earlier and that seems to have leveled the craft.  I tested it inside with guards on.  I do still notice she moves back a fair amount. - See the video below.

Frequency
How do I switch from 5.8G to 2.4G? - I can get to the page to select a channel and see the frequency, then select Manual or Auto.  I assume the frequency changes depending on the channel selected?


See the video:

Apologies for the mess, we have a 6 day old baby and a Cat in the house.

CrazeUK Posted at 4-2 15:15
Hi guys.
Thanks both for the advice.
Will bear it all in mind.

It moves quite a bit back, vps might be having a problem it needs good textured floor to get good lock.
Although having said that not sure this is your problem, I think we need to see how it takes off outside without prop guards, not all drones go exactly straight up but much straighter than in your video, so try outdoors without guards .

hallmark007 Posted at 4-2 15:37
It moves quite a bit back, vps might be having a problem it needs good textured floor to get good lock.
Although having said that not sure this is your problem, I think we need to see how it takes off outside without prop guards, not all drones go exactly straight up but much straighter than in your video, so try outdoors without guards .

Cool, i will check if its a good day to fly tomorrow and try to catch that.
Also, I came across this video earlier:

Is it a thing?

m80116 Posted at 4-2 07:11
Thanks for your tips @Bloodied_Mini... I don't know if giving away the tip of turning Bt and Wi-Fi off is a good idea at this point since I've seen reports it might be linked with app instability such as stuck flying mode (P, S, C) and stuck shutter/record buttons on the RC.

Something that deserves to be further investigated I think...

Noted, I wrote that before noticing about the Bluetooth disruption to changing flight mode after Fly App 1.0.8. My previous test was turning off WIFI and BT too early before flying disrupted that and the trick around it is to wait a little longer after connecting to the drone and turn off WIFI after that. I'll test it out tomorrow again if the same method still works.

I tend to agree it seems a healthy little puppy. Should be examined out w/out propguards.

Frequency selection accessibile from DJI Fly app camera view, top three dots Settings menu >> Transmission tab.

Hey All.
I am loving the responsiveness and the conversation - much appreciated.

I took the drone out again today.  It is a very calm, but slightly overcast day. with no Prop Guards.  She was totally different.
I went to my normal location and tried a few things:
1. The launch test - I think it seems okay - I assume the prop guards are weighing the drone back a bit.


2. The water tower - I re-attempted the water tower.  This time paying attention to the satellites and all the interesting stuff including the battery.

Once it went just past the tower, the reception got choppy, then dropped out.
I walked towards the drone to try to get reception, then I heard it say RTH activated.  And notice the atrial on the water tower and the RTH height not being enough.
Could this be the cell tower interference?
Distance: 290m





3. Flying to a flat - I Launched and started flying towards the flat but in a built-up area.  The reception dropped, and RTH activated.
Distance: 301m



Red spot was my goal



On the plus side, I tested all of the auto modes - I LOVE them!.  I even did a Circle and Dronie moving test (where I move around and let the drone track me whilst it is doing the maneuvers.) - They worked well.


I think i just need to :
1. Handle using the drone more, more maneuvers, etc.
2. Get bigger cahones, and fly further, more - My heart was pounding.

Bloodied_Mini Posted at 4-2 17:17
Noted, I wrote that before noticing about the Bluetooth disruption to changing flight mode after Fly App 1.0.8. My previous test was turning off WIFI and BT too early before flying disrupted that and the trick around it is to wait a little longer after connecting to the drone and turn off WIFI after that. I'll test it out tomorrow again if the same method still works.

Done testing on my Note 10+ running Android 10. No issues with turning off wifi and bluetooth affecting flight modes so far. However the bottom centre drone location with respect to the controller is out of tune but that could be due to testing from the balcony. Will do more tests once lockdown is over.