Unhappy Pilot

SkyWings · Sep 3, 2020

So today I decided to take the mini out for its maiden flight, however, after doing the initial start-up procedures and setting it in place for take-off....there were NO satellite connections.
Decided I would at least take it off and do some minor control tests. At first I had a " High Altitude- caution" warning, not sure why, but it flew great. After about one minute I lost all connections between the remote and my iphone. Checked the connectors...ok. Landed the cute little mini, shut everything off and tried it again...same results. Tried it a few more times and finally gave up. Is the fact I had no GPS signal causing it to lose connection between the remote and my phone? Hoping for a simple answer or I will be returning this shortly as I don't want to hassle with DJI. Perhaps a faulty GPS receiver? I was in an open location and should have had at least a few satellites. Thoughts?

PhantomFandom · Sep 3, 2020

SkyWings said:
So today I decided to take the mini out for its maiden flight, however, after doing the initial start-up procedures and setting it in place for take-off....there were NO satellite connections.
Decided I would at least take it off and do some minor control tests. At first I had a " High Altitude- caution" warning, not sure why, but it flew great. After about one minute I lost all connections between the remote and my iphone. Checked the connectors...ok. Landed the cute little mini, shut everything off and tried it again...same results. Tried it a few more times and finally gave up. Is the fact I had no GPS signal causing it to lose connection between the remote and my phone? Hoping for a simple answer or I will be returning this shortly as I don't want to hassle with DJI. Perhaps a faulty GPS receiver? I was in an open location and should have had at least a few satellites. Thoughts?

Yes if you were in a big open field with no obstructions, you should have ample GPS coverage. Did you give it a few minutes to see if it did pick anything up before launching?

Lack of GPS would have nothing to do with the connection between your phone and the remote. So something else is going on there.

Also since you are in Utah, you might get the High Altitude warning simply because the spot where you are launching is several thousand feet above sea level. That's normal.

SkyWings · Sep 3, 2020

PhantomFandom said:
Yes if you were in a big open field with no obstructions, you should have ample GPS coverage. Did you give it a few minutes to see if it did pick anything up before launching?

Lack of GPS would have nothing to do with the connection between your phone and the remote. So something else is going on there.

Also since you are in Utah, you might get the High Altitude warning simply because the spot where you are launching is several thousand feet above sea level. That's normal.

Thank you for the reply. I waited at least 10 minutes each time for GPS but didn't get any. I am just a little under 6k feet where I live, so not to be concerned with that message then? Sounds like I may have more than one issue..frustrating!

PhantomFandom · Sep 3, 2020

SkyWings said:
Thank you for the reply. I waited at least 10 minutes each time for GPS but didn't get any.

Yes that is way more time than is necessary. Something is not right.

SkyWings said:
I am just a little under 6k feet where I live, so not to be concerned with that message then?

Well it is normal but it just means to be careful Since the MM is fairly underpowered in general, it is just telling you that you need to know what altitude does to drone flying. Thinner air means the motors need to work harder to get the same performance they would at sea level. So less performance and quicker battery consumption.

SkyWings said:
Sounds like I may have more than one issue..frustrating!

Yes sounds like you may have multiple issues. Can't say for sure as I can only go by your account of the situation. It does happen on occasion. Since it is brand new, I would return it to the place of purchase for an exchange.

LoganAir · Sep 3, 2020

Greetings @SkyWings! Just checking here...did you properly activate the drone with DJI? Did you download and read the full manual (this does not come with the drone and you have to download it from the DJI website. Link below:

Mavic Mini Manual

Next, what color is the status indicator on the rear of the drone with it powered up and connected to the controller and phone device? If it blinks anything other than green, I usually avoid flight attempts. See below for the status indicator lights and meanings. If you did lift off on a flight attempt, you may be able to provide that flight record for the forum flight data analysts to review.

vindibona1 · Sep 3, 2020

Can the IMU be calibrated on a Mini? Perhaps that's all that's needed? This sounds so unusual for a Mini. The Mini's seem to be fairly consistent.

LoganAir · Sep 3, 2020

vindibona1 said:
Can the IMU be calibrated on a Mini? Perhaps that's all that's needed? This sounds so unusual for a Mini. The Mini's seem to be fairly consistent.

Yes it can, but the IMU (inertial measurement unit) monitors straight and level flight along with altitude changes. It shouldn't cause loss of GPS signal which has it's own receiver. Hopefully the OP comes back to us tomorrow with more information regarding the status lights or perhaps even the flight data. If the GPS is not online it's safe to say there should be an error code.

bumper · Sep 4, 2020

First time getting GPS lock after a large move (China to USA), GPS reception may be good enough to search and lock where the drone was when updating - but maybe not. Wouldn't hurt to power it up (motors off) and leave it in a spot with a good view of the sky for at least 15 minutes or so, just to see if maybe it'll lock in. If not, return it.

netsonic · Sep 4, 2020

bumper said:
and leave it in a spot with a good view of the sky for at least 15 minutes

There is a very high chance that it will overheat. The mini has no cooling fan like it's bigger siblings and relies on the motors and wind to cool down. If you leave it on a spot in the sun, it will just overheat within just a couple of minutes.

LifesShort · Sep 4, 2020

When I first got my mini, I had a problem with the iPhone disconnecting from the controller. I powered off my iPhone, waited a few minutes, and turned it back on. I haven't had a problem since then. This, however, would have no bearing on the number of gps satellites you see.

DrMichelson · Sep 4, 2020

Don't have any of these problems with by orginal Mavic Air (so happy with this and its 2 years old)

Kyle76 · Sep 4, 2020

DrMichelson said:
Don't have any of these problems with by orginal Mavic Air (so happy with this and its 2 years old)

I'm not sure how this post is helpful.

gemniii · Sep 4, 2020

Can you load an app that checks GPS signal?

hiflyer201 · Sep 4, 2020

I'm thinking it's like Bumper said..Point a strong fan at it and let it sit..Older GPS's could easily take 45 minutes in new locations. It does know that you're in the U.S. doesn't it?
If it doesn't get a GPS lock it's limited in Altitude or at least the the Air's are.

dino9832 · Sep 4, 2020

Sky conditions can affect the GPS connectivity. As stated earlier, it does take a little longer for a GPS to get a lock in new locations.

maelstrom · Sep 5, 2020

dino9832 said:
Sky conditions can affect the GPS connectivity.

How?

dino9832 · Sep 5, 2020

maelstrom said:
How?

Being "near" buildings. Major solar storms.
In the UAV Forecast app, there's a metric for "Sats Locked" that changes from day to day.

...However, their accuracy worsens near buildings, bridges, and trees....

...Far less common causes may include:

Radio interference or jamming

Major solar storms

Satellite maintenance/maneuvers creating temporary gaps in coverage

Improperly designed devices that do not comply with GPS Interface Specifications...

Source: gps.gov

maelstrom · Sep 5, 2020

dino9832 said:
Being "near" buildings. Major solar storms.

I wouldn't have associated either of those with "sky conditions".

dino9832 · Sep 6, 2020

maelstrom said:
I wouldn't have associated either of those with "sky conditions".

I didn't intend to highjack the thread. Looking back, maybe I should have elaborated more on "sky conditions". By "sky" we have to take into consideration everything from the actual GPS satellite to the receiver. Admittedly, I'm not aware of how much of an affect solar storms could have on GPS. Or nearby buildings for that matter. I haven't done the research.

"When charged particles ejected from the Sun arrive at the Earth, they can cause perturbations in the geomagnetic field. Another effect is that in the ionosphere the electron density (number of electrons in a given volume) can vary considerably, both in time and space.

A GPS receiver uses radio signals from several orbiting satellites to determine the range, or distance, from each satellite, and determines from these ranges the actual position of the receiver. The radio signals must pass through the ionosphere and in so doing they are subjected to variations in the electron density structure of the ionosphere. Changes in the electron density due to space weather activity can change the speed at which the radio waves travel, introducing a “propagation delay“ in the GPS signal. The propagation delay can vary from minute to minute, and such intervals of rapid change can last for several hours, especially in the polar and auroral regions. Changing propagation delays cause errors in the determination of the range, or “range errors“. " Source: Space Weather effects on GPS

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