DJI Range Specifications Explained
Curious about some of the range specifications for the various DJI products? Search no more. Here's a bit of useful information from our friend Grant recording the times at Pretoria altitude.
In South Africa, we fall within the CE Specifications, the same as Europe, and that means we are limited to half the transmission power as compared to the USA. DJI automatically adjusts the power output of the transmitters depending where the craft is being flown. This is not something that can be bypassed.
SO LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THE DIFFERENT MODELS:
TYPE OF DJI DRONE: |
RANGE SPECIFIED IN SA: |
| DJI Phantom 4* | up to 3.5 km |
| DJI Phantom 4 Pro | up to 3.5 km |
| DJI Mavic Pro | up to 4.0 km |
| DJI Inspire 1 | to 3.5 km |
| DJI Inspire 2 | up to 3.5 km |
*It uses Lightbridge for the Control and the Live Video feed to the operator
Please remember in South Africa the CAA has limited Drone flying to 500 m of the operator, so the figures are academic anyway.
WHAT ABOUT THE FLIGHT TIME?
If you've ever asked the question "How far can I fly my drone from me?", it's highly likely that you've ventured on to DJI and other website for the answers. The other specification on the DJI website that can be confusing is the flight time. All of the Flight Times on the DJI website are for Standard Sea Level, with no wind.
If we look at the Phantom 4 specification, we see the following:
Max Flight Time Approx. 28 minutes
On the Highveld, in Pretoria or Johannesburg, we are over 1 km above sea level, and generally we are much hotter than the standard sea level specification, so we experience reduced flight times.
So, how long does the Phantom battery last? My Phantom 4 consistently produces flights of 18 minutes, with the flight battery down to 30%.
Please take note of this.