I've been flying my Phantom 3 Pro for about four years now.   So I know pretty much what it will and will not do. But I recently bought a new DJI Mini 2.  I was wondering how it will do in the mountians when I go up there next camping season.  My takeoff points will generally be down in the trees.  Can anyone tell me how it will do once it is in the air and there are a multitude of trees blocking my view of it?  My intent is to fly out about a half mile or so to a nearby lake to see if there are any open camp sites before I drag my camper all the way down the rough forest road.

The mini 2 has ocusync 2 so it should be fine in this example.

Wood isn't much of a problem. Iron and concrete is another matter.
The antenna of the controller are in the smartphone holder. Point those towards the position where the drone is for the best reception. Flew mine just over 1 km from my property. That should be around that 1/2 mile you want to fly.

This is the area where I am flying.

Can anyone tell me how it will do once it is in the air and there are a multitude of trees blocking my view of it?
Your controller signal won't pass through water.
Trees are full of water.
Your signal will easily go through a few branches but it won't go through a forest.
If the amount of leaves, branches etc is small, you'll have signal.
But if you keep increasing the amount of trees between the drone and controller, there's a point where you will lose signal because the signal will be blocked by the amount of water in the vegetation.

Well, I guess what I'm going to have to do is get up there and see what happens.  I sure hope the RTH works well!

As long as you don’t go super far you should be ok...But trees do affect the connection to a point

djordan2 Posted at 2-15 08:11
Well, I guess what I'm going to have to do is get up there and see what happens.  I sure hope the RTH works well!

I sure hope the RTH works well!
Hoping isn't good enough, you should know and have confidence.
Have you tested RTH to see that it brings the drone back when you switch off the controller, simulating loss of signal?
And as long as you have control signal you can use the RTH button.

Labroides Posted at 2-15 12:20
I sure hope the RTH works well!
Hoping isn't good enough, you should know and have confidence.
Have you tested RTH to see that it brings the drone back when you switch off the controller, simulating loss of signal?

I've only had the Mini 2 for a few days now and have only flown it three times.  So far I  am very impressed with what it can do.  I'm traveling right now, but when I get back home on the open desert I'll really put it through its paces.

Hello there djordan2. Thank you for reaching out and for these information you have give. In addition to this the DJI Mini 2 is equipped with OcuSync 2.0 supports both 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz frequency bands. It features stronger interference resistance due to automatic frequency switching, delivering video transmission feeds at up to 10 km ( when unobstructed, free of interference, and FCC-compliant ). Thank you and fly safe always.

Flew mine yesterday. I live in a wooded area. I lost the mini signal 1/2 km from home. The drone returned home.

djiuser_PQDAyygiCSuZ Posted at 2-16 04:56
Flew mine yesterday. I live in a wooded area. I lost the mini signal 1/2 km from home. The drone returned home.

At what altitude were you flying?

Aloha djordan,

     Labroides gave you some real good advice.  And then I noticed you wrote that you live in the open desert.  This is where water will come into play.  Your experience at home in the desert will be very different if your camping area is in the Pacific Northwest where there is rainforest.

     I live in the jungle, and even though OcuSync 2.0 works very well, there is a big difference in even close transmissions soon after a rain.  The rainforest has to dry out before I can get the real good transmission OcuSync 2.0 is known for, at least in a straight line through the trees.  I also fly through tree tunnels in the jungle, so my situation is very different from yours but the amount of water held in trees after a rain will still affect your transmissions.

     As your contributors here will probably tell you, using altitude will really help you with your transmissions.  If you can take off and land at the highest and clearest point around you, you will be able to fly in a more level manner because there is usually less wood and foliage at the top of the trees.  When you start losing signal, you can then climb for more altitude until your transmissions improve.

     You may also want to drop down to look closer at the camp sites, so the best launch altitude and your best level flying altitude will be important.  And remember, you also have a 2X Digital Zoom available to you, so that will help you get a better view of the campsites you are looking at while your Mini 2 remains at the same altitude (and with a good signal).

     But, your Mini 2 with OcuSync 2.0 is one of the best tools you could have for whatever your flying environment turns out to be.  You are wise to practice and test in preparation for your camping season.  Sound like you will be having a lot of fun!

     Take care and be safe!

Aloha and Drone On!