Welcome, Autel Pilots!
Join our free Autel drone community today!
Join Us

Autel Evo II GPS Issues

TheMann58

Active Member
Joined
Jun 27, 2020
Messages
36
Reaction score
32
Age
66
Location
Katy, TX
I get the “GPS Signal Weak” warning and ”There may be some deviation between the landing point and the home point. Please pay attention when the aircraft is landing” pop-up message on EVERY single takeoff with my Autel Evo II Pro. This is VERY annoying and makes me concerned there is a problem with my Autel Evo II. It may also. be a firmware bug or a nag warning as I can get a precision landing within 6” of takeoff point on about 75% of Return to Home attempts. But maybe I have a GPS receiver problem on my Autel Evo II Pro.

More concerning to me, on the remote controller (RC) I NEVER get a GPS signal strength higher than 3 out of 5 bars even when my Autel Evo II Pro is 400 feet in the air on a clear sunny day in a wide open field! That seems to indicate a serious problem with the GPS module in the Evo II.

Does anyone else have this same issue with only getting a maximum of 3 out of 5 bars GPS signal strength on the remote control? Are you also getting the “GPS Signal Weak” warning message on EVERY takeoff even on clear sunny days in wide open spaces?

I have seen a number of YouTube videos of the RC showing 4 out of 5 bars when used with their Autel Evo II aircraft outdoors. So, obviously, it is possible to get more than 3 bars of GPS signal strength on at least some Autel Evo IIs. But not on mine.

Is anyone consistently getting 4 or 5 bars of GPS signal strength indicated on their Evo II remote control when flying on clear days in open areas?
 
How many satellites are you showing?
Good question. I should have included that information.

On carefully reviewing my last 15 Evo II Pro flight records recorded in south Texas and in rural central Illinois, the records consistently show 11-15 satellites on the ground and 14-18 satellites in the air. So, my Evo II is seeing an adequate and the expected number of GPS satellites.

However, the flight records also 22F54352-50DD-4EA4-AA05-1E44B56CBA53.jpegshow that the GPS signal strength is firmly fixed at 3 bars (out of 5) throughout the entire flight. 4 or 5 bars of signal strength is NEVER seen! Almost all of these flights were on clear, sunny days in open areas.
 
Good question. I should have included that information.

On carefully reviewing my last 15 Evo II Pro flight records recorded in south Texas and in rural central Illinois, the records consistently show 11-15 satellites on the ground and 14-18 satellites in the air. So, my Evo II is seeing an adequate and the expected number of GPS satellites.

However, the flight records also View attachment 7964show that the GPS signal strength is firmly fixed at 3 bars (out of 5) throughout the entire flight. 4 or 5 bars of signal strength is NEVER seen! Almost all of these flights were on clear, sunny days in open areas.

I don't take off with less than eight and usually gain some more with height and don't worry if there are 10 or more.

Just check how many before lifting off, don't go by the bars.
 
I don't take off with less than eight and usually gain some more with height and don't worry if there are 10 or more.

Just check how many before lifting off, don't go by the bars.
I’ve been flying DJI and Autel drones for 4.5 years - I understand the process. I’m trying to determine if I have a performance issue with regard to the GPS sensor in my new Autel Evo II Pro as I am never seeing more than 3 out of 5 bars of GPS signal level even when flying 400 feet elevation in wide open fields on sunny days. And I am also getting a “GPS signal weak” warning message on EVERY takeoff in locations and conditions where I should be getting a very strong GPS signal from 14-18 GPS satellites.

How many bars of GPS signal level are you seeing on the remote control with your Evo II in the air on clear days? You can also check any of your flight records for this information throughout the flight - signal level is recorded and displayed adjacent to the # of GPS satellites locked.
 
I’ve been flying DJI and Autel drones for 4.5 years - I understand the process. I’m trying to determine if I have a performance issue with regard to the GPS sensor in my new Autel Evo II Pro as I am never seeing more than 3 out of 5 bars of GPS signal level even when flying 400 feet elevation in wide open fields on sunny days. And I am also getting a “GPS signal weak” warning message on EVERY takeoff in locations and conditions where I should be getting a very strong GPS signal from 14-18 GPS satellites.

How many bars of GPS signal level are you seeing on the remote control with your Evo II in the air on clear days? You can also check any of your flight records for this information throughout the flight - signal level is recorded and displayed adjacent to the # of GPS satellites locked.

I never bother with the bars; I look at the number of Sats connected. Bars don't mean anything to me, just some assignment of Autel's. Numbers matter.
 
I have the same issue and it gets worse when flying over water. When over water dynamic tracking and smart orbit stop working altogether. Dynamic track starts to lock on, but then just says it has ended, and smart orbit tells me I have a weak gps signal.
I would also like to add, this is in contrast to how my Evo 1 behaves. I can set both of them in the same location but on the Evo 2 it is constantly losing and gaining satellite lock
As for the Evo it locks to at least 14 and stays rock steady.
 
Last edited:
I have the same issue and it gets worse when flying over water. When over water dynamic tracking and smart orbit stop working altogether. Dynamic track starts to lock on, but then just says it has ended, and smart orbit tells me I have a weak gps signal.
I would also like to add, this is in contrast to how my Evo 1 behaves. I can set both of them in the same location but on the Evo 2 it is constantly losing and gaining satellite lock
As for the Evo it locks to at least 14 and stays rock steady.
Update. I have opened a trouble ticket with Autel.
So far they have had me send screenshots of firmware and various settings.
 
After 2 days of back and forth with Autel, I present to you Firmware V2.50.
I will test and see if it helped.
 
There is no mention of GPS fixes or tweaks in the release notes for Firmware V2.50.
I'm with you on that. I can only assume a couple of things.
1.) They haven't fully updated the changes documentation officially, or they are buying time why they work out the actual issue.
I have no had time to test as of yet.
 
I updated to the newest Autel Evo II firmware version 2.5.0 dated Aug-04-2020 this evening. Although the release notes don’t mention anything about GPS tweaks or fixes, something has definitely changed for the better.

On my first test flight after completing the firmware update, the remote control showed a steady 4 bars of GPS signal strength and 13 GPS satellites with the drone sitting on the front walkway in my suburb neighborhood with trees and houses all around me! Amazing! I’ve never seen more than 3 bars of GPS signal strength before even with my Evo II Pro 400 feet in the air on a clear day.

I did still get the “GPS signal weak” message immediately after takeoff, but the drone was truly GPS signal hindered on the ground, and it was after dark - so no VPS. I took the drone straight up 300 feet and then back down. As soon as I got higher than 44 feet in the air above neighborhood trees and homes, GPS satellite count increased to 18 as expected on a clear night.

I will do more testing tomorrow in an open test field on a sunny day to see if the “GPS signal weak” message still occurs on takeoff.

Note: I did have a troubling issue for about 15 minutes with not seeing any live video from the Evo II after updating the firmware. I will address how I fixed that issue in a new post in case others have the same problem.
 
Autel Evo II firmware version 2.5.0 did not fix the “GPS signal weak” issue on my Evo II Pro. I still get the “GPS signal weak” error message on EVERY takeoff - even when 13 GPS satellites are reported with the aircraft on the ground and up to 18 GPS satellites in the air in a wide open area on a mostly sunny day. I know this issue is only impacting a portion of Autel Evo II owners, but those of us experiencing this very annoying issue were hopeful this firmware update would fix it. It did not.

In addition, after updating to firmware 2.5.0, the Smart Orbit feature under Intelligent Photo modes is completely broken for me. Every time I attempt to use the Smart Orbit feature on my android device running Autel Explorer version 1.1.6.6 after drawing a box around the orbit target on my screen and tapping “Start” I get the following error message: “Failed. GPS signal is weak.” Very disappointing! Even though I have gotten “GPS signal weak” error messages at the beginning of every flight both before and after updating to firmware version 2.5.0, the Smart Orbit feature worked for me most of the time on the previous firmware.
 
Autel Evo II firmware version 2.5.0 did not fix the “GPS signal weak” issue on my Evo II Pro. I still get the “GPS signal weak” error message on EVERY takeoff - even when 13 GPS satellites are reported with the aircraft on the ground and up to 18 GPS satellites in the air in a wide open area on a mostly sunny day. I know this issue is only impacting a portion of Autel Evo II owners, but those of us experiencing this very annoying issue were hopeful this firmware update would fix it. It did not.

In addition, after updating to firmware 2.5.0, the Smart Orbit feature under Intelligent Photo modes is completely broken for me. Every time I attempt to use the Smart Orbit feature on my android device running Autel Explorer version 1.1.6.6 after drawing a box around the orbit target on my screen and tapping “Start” I get the following error message: “Failed. GPS signal is weak.” Very disappointing! Even though I have gotten “GPS signal weak” error messages at the beginning of every flight both before and after updating to firmware version 2.5.0, the Smart Orbit feature worked for me most of the time on the previous firmware.
Iwould recommend calling customer support and raising the issues with them.
 
Autel Evo II firmware version 2.5.0 did not fix the “GPS signal weak” issue on my Evo II Pro. I still get the “GPS signal weak” error message on EVERY takeoff - even when 13 GPS satellites are reported with the aircraft on the ground and up to 18 GPS satellites in the air in a wide open area on a mostly sunny day. I know this issue is only impacting a portion of Autel Evo II owners, but those of us experiencing this very annoying issue were hopeful this firmware update would fix it. It did not.

In addition, after updating to firmware 2.5.0, the Smart Orbit feature under Intelligent Photo modes is completely broken for me. Every time I attempt to use the Smart Orbit feature on my android device running Autel Explorer version 1.1.6.6 after drawing a box around the orbit target on my screen and tapping “Start” I get the following error message: “Failed. GPS signal is weak.” Very disappointing! Even though I have gotten “GPS signal weak” error messages at the beginning of every flight both before and after updating to firmware version 2.5.0, the Smart Orbit feature worked for me most of the time on the previous firmware.
I filed a warranty service request and submitted information, flight logs and a detailed description of the GPS issues I’m having with my Evo II Pro with Autel Robotics on August 16 and today they sent me RMA instructions for sending it in to their service center for repair. I’ll post an update after my Evo II Pro is returned from the Autel service center.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Cicero24
My Autel Evo II Pro has exhibited poor GPS performance since Day 1. Issues include: getting “GPS signal weak” warnings on every takeoff and every RTH, never registering more than 3 out of 5 bars of GPS signal strength - even when Evo II Pro aircraft is 400 feet above ground in an open field on a clear sunny day, aircraft attempting to land 25-150 feet from home point during 25-50% of RTH automated landings while indicating it is 0 feet from home point during landing descent, eratic precision landing behavior (abrupt movements of up to 25 feet horizontally during final 20 feet of RTH descent), and a complete inability to be able to use Smart Orbit feature due to “failure - GPS signal weak” error condition on every attempt.

After replacing the GPS PCB in my Autel Evo II Pro under warranty service no improvement was seen on these GPS performance issues during post-repair testing by Autel service technician. On 22SEP2020 Autel Robotics Product Specialist Cole informed me by email that: “At this time after discussions with our Engineering and Repairs team the determination has been made that this issue lies within the current firmware version for the EVO II Pro (version 2.5.0). After the replacement of your GPS unit the repair team was able to see an improvement of the RTH accuracy by ensuring the aircraft had ample time to power up and connect to satellites. Moving forward I would suggest letting the drone sit for some time powered on so it can connect to as many satellites as possible. I do apologize for the inconvenience. The Development team has been made aware of the issue and are working on a fix as we speak.” This issue is apparently not happening on every Autel Evo II Pro or there would be many more discussions of this on the various Autel Evo II forums and YouTube reviews. Note: Letting my drone sit on ground for up to seven minutes after powering it on has not improved its GPS performance.

So, my aircraft is currently grounded while waiting for next firmware update with no guarantee that will fix the issues I am having.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Technageek
My Autel Evo II Pro has exhibited poor GPS performance since Day 1. Issues include: getting “GPS signal weak” warnings on every takeoff and every RTH, never registering more than 3 out of 5 bars of GPS signal strength - even when Evo II Pro aircraft is 400 feet above ground in an open field on a clear sunny day, aircraft attempting to land 25-150 feet from home point during 25-50% of RTH automated landings while indicating it is 0 feet from home point during landing descent, eratic precision landing behavior (abrupt movements of up to 25 feet horizontally during final 20 feet of RTH descent), and a complete inability to be able to use Smart Orbit feature due to “failure - GPS signal weak” error condition on every attempt.

After replacing the GPS PCB in my Autel Evo II Pro under warranty service no improvement was seen on these GPS performance issues during post-repair testing by Autel service technician. On 22SEP2020 Autel Robotics Product Specialist Cole informed me by email that: “At this time after discussions with our Engineering and Repairs team the determination has been made that this issue lies within the current firmware version for the EVO II Pro (version 2.5.0). After the replacement of your GPS unit the repair team was able to see an improvement of the RTH accuracy by ensuring the aircraft had ample time to power up and connect to satellites. Moving forward I would suggest letting the drone sit for some time powered on so it can connect to as many satellites as possible. I do apologize for the inconvenience. The Development team has been made aware of the issue and are working on a fix as we speak.” This issue is apparently not happening on every Autel Evo II Pro or there would be many more discussions of this on the various Autel Evo II forums and YouTube reviews. Note: Letting my drone sit on ground for up to seven minutes after powering it on has not improved its GPS performance.

So, my aircraft is currently grounded while waiting for next firmware update with no guarantee that will fix the issues I am having.
I will be looking out for new firmware. The one thing is for me the number of days being able to fly will start to be limited due to winter weather.
 
I've observed similar GPS issues with my E2P but I haven't had any aborted flight modes, at least so far.
 
I’m consistently getting 4 to 5 bars of signal strength and landings are usually within 2 inches of take off point (actually measured). Not saying anything is wrong with your unit, but it should do better than what you’re seeing. I have never recalibrated the compass because accuracy was precise out of the box.
 
I get the “GPS Signal Weak” warning and ”There may be some deviation between the landing point and the home point. Please pay attention when the aircraft is landing” pop-up message on EVERY single takeoff with my Autel Evo II Pro. This is VERY annoying and makes me concerned there is a problem with my Autel Evo II. It may also. be a firmware bug or a nag warning as I can get a precision landing within 6” of takeoff point on about 75% of Return to Home attempts. But maybe I have a GPS receiver problem on my Autel Evo II Pro.

More concerning to me, on the remote controller (RC) I NEVER get a GPS signal strength higher than 3 out of 5 bars even when my Autel Evo II Pro is 400 feet in the air on a clear sunny day in a wide open field! That seems to indicate a serious problem with the GPS module in the Evo II.

Does anyone else have this same issue with only getting a maximum of 3 out of 5 bars GPS signal strength on the remote control? Are you also getting the “GPS Signal Weak” warning message on EVERY takeoff even on clear sunny days in wide open spaces?

I have seen a number of YouTube videos of the RC showing 4 out of 5 bars when used with their Autel Evo II aircraft outdoors. So, obviously, it is possible to get more than 3 bars of GPS signal strength on at least some Autel Evo IIs. But not on mine.

Is anyone consistently getting 4 or 5 bars of GPS signal strength indicated on their Evo II remote control when flying on clear days in open areas?
I have this same very bothersome messages on my Evo II Pro as well. I Always get the message "the...is in "atti" mode". "Please fly carefully...". My drone - all but once - does land within a foot of where it takes off, but it is nerve wracking when it keeps telling me the GPS signal is too weak!
 

Latest threads

Members online

No members online now.

Forum statistics

Threads
11,227
Messages
102,645
Members
9,818
Latest member
redwingaerials