Bad range with my Autel Evo

[Soteres Joannou]

Hi,
I'm having problems with the range of the Autel Evo,
I can't get further than 1km (3000 feet).
I live in South Africa and we are using CE mode. Will this make a difference?
I'm flying in a semi-urban area.

Using the Samsung Galaxy A6 Plus.
What should I turn on, on my phone setting?
1 Airplane mode
2 Location
3 Wi-Fi

Thanks.

 

[Ansia]

The Evo does not contain CE specifications yet, so you shouldn't be limited. Do you lose signal at1km or it just won't fly further? Make sure you don't have distance limited in settings.

 

[Soteres Joannou]

The Evo does not contain CE specifications yet, so you shouldn't be limited. Do you lose signal at1km or it just won't fly further? Make sure you don't have distance limited in settings.
[/QUOTE
My phone says weak signal then it returns home.
I don't have the limiter on.

 

[Ansia]

Have you played with the antennas? For maximum distance, please place the antennas pointing down, always face the direction of the drone and don't have any obstacles between you and the drone. If none of this helps, you may have a bad antenna.

 

[Soteres Joannou]

I did point the antennas down and I have direct vision of the drone.

 

[Soteres Joannou]

Should I switch off my Wi-Fi, location and airplane mode on my phone?

 

[Ansia]

Should I switch off my Wi-Fi, location and airplane mode on my phone?

You can try and see if it helps. I fly with celular and location on. Haven't had any troubles.

 

[Soteres Joannou]

I don't know what to try next.

 

[Ansia]

I don't know what to try next.

Don't give up. Have you considered flying without your phone? If you get more range without the phone, then you will automatically know the phone was at fault here. If you get the same range, then you know it's the drone. The most important part in trying to figure things out is the troubleshooting.

 

[Soteres Joannou]

I tried using only my controller and It's the same thing.

 

[Soteres Joannou]

I don't have a cellular contract. Do I need my cellular to be on?

 

[Soteres Joannou]

What is the "control mode switch" used for?

 

[Ansia]

You do not need celular.

Control mode switch is for using 2 controllers at the same time.

 

[railrode1]

Mine doesn't have that switch as shown in the picture.

 

[AtomX]

Taiwan	b	1-13	1000
US	a	36, 40, 44, 48 52, 56, 60, 64 149, 153, 157, 161	200 1000 4000
United States	b	1-11	1000
ZA	a	36-64 100-140 155, 159, 163, 167, 172	200 1000 4000
South Africa	b	1-13	100

If im reading this chart right the allowed max power in South Africa for 2.4ghz is 100 mw compared to US 1000 mw. Maybe your Explorer app is using your phone GPS location or the Evo firmware to manage your power output. Are there any Autel Evos in South Africa flying more than 3000 ft?
The chart is from a random sight searching countries allowed max power on 2. 4ghz..

 

[AtomX]

changing tx setting from CE to FCC

In the manual for the XSP, it states that the transmitter will automatically choose either FCC or CE mode depending on the GPS signal it picks up. FCC mode allows the full range of 1.2mi while the CE mode (European) limits the range to ~500m. I live in the UK so it's automatically going to go...

autelpilots.com

Here is a discussion about the XPS CE/FCC modes. I think people used foil to block GPS and force Atti mode to get around the power output limitation on DJI Mavic Pro. That means no GPS hold or return to home. Maybe a GPS spoof app to trick you phone to think it's in the US would work. Assuming the Explorer app or Evo firmware don't prevent spoofing your location. Use the tin foil method to block Evos GPS antenna at your own risk. Not sure I would do it.

 

[Soteres Joannou]

Will a Fake GPS app work on the Evo?
So I can make my phone think it's in America.

 

[thomasr]

I tried using only my controller and It's the same thing.

What is the model number printed on your Evo? You can find it under the battery...



starts with 2AGNT ---

 

[Soteres Joannou]

Is it the FCC ID?
2AGNTEVORC582409A

 

[Jagerbomb52]

The EVO is designed to stay in specs. How it is done is not clear. Since the EVO can be used with just the controller I would say Fake GPS on your phone will have no effect. CE mode is triggered by GPS and you seem to be someplace that requires the lower power. If you want better range the only solution might be a antenna mode.

Specs from the manual:
Transmission Power (EIRP)
FCC: <=26 dBm CE: <=20 dBm

What that means in power reduction, as you can see it is a lot less in CE mode
Power Level Power

20 dBm 100mW EVO CE

26 dBm 400 mW EVO FCC