Any idea why signal lost?

I took the Mini out for an airing today and had an unexpected problem.
At 384m distant with no obstructions, not very high, I had a weak/signal/lost message followed by a blank screen. No amount of adjusting the antenna would give me back control. The signal loss was long enough to trigger RTH. Halfway back I got signal and control back. Phew!
This is by no means the furthest I have flown the mini. Although I have had weak signal messages from time to time before, only momentarily and it never resulted in a blank screen.
Could this be wifi interference? I will certainly avoid flying in this area again.
Cheers

where were you flying? Built up area? VLOS? Usually due to interferene

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Some things to consider.

What frequency band were you using, 2.4GHz/5.8GHz?
Were you flying in a predominantly residential area?
Was your mobile device in Airplane Mode, or at least WiFi and Bluetooth disabled?
Do you use other smart devices such as a smartwatch, fitness tracker, etc?
All these things can interfere or de-sense your controller which is not just a transmitter but rather a transceiver.

Sometimes it’s a good idea to scan for WiFi networks in the area you intend to fly in so you can see the channels in use and manually switch your drone and controller to a clear channel. However there are a multitude of other technologies that share the same allocation that neither your drone APP or WiFi APP will alert you to.

Nidge.

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My Mavic Mini won’t go beyond about 150m without dropping out if flying in my neighbourhood :+1:t2:

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Over the edge of an estuary a little way from a built up area. VLOS -yes. There is a largish contstruction site in the general area. I was wondering if they were providing the interference.

Ok, thanks, lots for me consider there guys.
I’m liking occusync 2.0 even more now - its bulletproof.
Mini for sale -anyone?

After the last firmware update the mini will start in manual transmission mode, so its always worth checking in the app BEFORE every flight and either selecting a strong channel or auto (even though auto wont switch midflight as you might think it should).

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The problem with these frequency allocations, which are intended for short range low power devices, is due to the lack of regulation they are open to abuse.

I once lost connection with a Spark in my back garden while using CH165 on 5GHz with FCC power standard. When I checked the band with a Spektrum Analyser I found a strong and dirty signal covering most of the allocation. Turned out a neighbour was using a cheap crappy faulty booster.

Nidge.

What frequency band were you using, 2.4GHz/5.8GHz? - I didn’t check.
Were you flying in a predominantly residential area? - No
Was your mobile device in Airplane Mode, or at least WiFi and Bluetooth disabled? - No
Do you use other smart devices such as a smartwatch, fitness tracker, etc? - No

My Mavic Mini won’t go beyond about 150m without dropping out if flying in my neighbourhood - Jeez!

After the last firmware update the mini will start in manual transmission mode, so its always worth checking in the app BEFORE every flight and either selecting a strong channel or auto - Great thanks.

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That’s perfectly normal on CE power levels :man_shrugging:

How low where you flying? I find that, when i get a weak signal warning, going higher usually solves the problem. Even if it’s a small tree or hedge, I increase altitude by 10 to 15m everytime I get a warning!! Works for me anyway

That’s interesting. I was at 35m when I lost signal.

What is ‘CE’ power levels?

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The Mavic Mini (well, all Mavic drones) have limited transmitter power output, and therefore range, when used in the UK.

In the USA they operate under FCC regs which allows them 30dB but in the UK we have CE regs and the Mini is capped to 14dB power output levels.

not clued up on this aspect but… would I be right thinking that the MP firmware can be ‘unlocked’ so we can choose FCC power levels?
If so, are there any inherent risks. ?

Cheers
Steve :slightly_smiling_face:

I believe so. I’ve done it with a Spark so now FCC levels are permanent and there are no NFZ’s. It was a while ago and I can’t remember the exact name of the utility I used but I still have it archived. Once I regain feeling below the knees ( :toilet:… I know TMI ) I’ll post the details.

Nidge.

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I dont believe so, however (and I’m sure @PingSpike will correct me if I am wrong) using the higher power mode is illegal in the EU.

Check out DigDat0 on youtube for some great walkthroughs

*Edit - illegal might be the wrong term

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Speaking from a RF Engineering perspective the increased power in the final amplifier stage is merely to overcome the system losses introduced by the connections and cable on the signal path to the antenna… Your Honour :wink:.

Nidge.

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Yes mate, quite a few threads and guides in Modifications about how to do it on various different drones.

As with any firmware modding, there’s a risk of bricking your drone. There’s a risk of invalid insurance due to not running the latest / stock firmware. That’s probably about it though.

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The other option for better signal is hardware based, using powered amplifiers - which means you can still run stock firmware.

Try a search for Titan on here :slight_smile: