Lost Connection

[vsasolutions]

So I am flying on the intercostal waterway. After about 15 minutes I am done and called the bird home. As it is landing, about 20’ in the air, it loses connection. I regain connection, take over the landing, then it loses connection again. What is going on? Stock antennas but right there. Any thoughts? Antennas where down and at 7 and 5.

 

[Amsecure]

I'm having the same issue. I have a stock solo running the last 3dr update and it flies out too a decent distance. I have a few others running the new FW, yesterday I was getting about 20 mtrs high and lost signal. Weather wasn't great and put it down to that.
I took another up yesterday same location and similar actions, rth at about 20-30 mtrs.
I going to try swapping out the ants and see what happens.
I just put it down to the weather....

 

[Amsecure]

Just had two other Solos out. With the same FW as the two that had signal issues. Flew around, out at about 50 mtrs and 30 mtrs high. No issues at that range.
Maybe something going on with my WiFi cards on the others. Will check them out over the wkend.
Everything on all the Solos is stock apart from the props....

 

[Amsecure]

Update, the two Solos that gave bother had bad antenna connections. Resolved....

 

[Amsecure]

@vsasolutions.
Did you resolve your problems???

 

[Amsecure]

Took a third solo out this evening and had the same issues again.
RTL and about 15mtrs above me all red and lost signal. Then began to ascend. I hit the fly button took control began descending and it repeated.
Did this a few times. Had a good battle getting it to land.
Any thoughts what might be wrong?

 

[Joe Horn]

RTL and about 15mtrs above me all red and lost signal. Then began to ascend. I hit the fly button took control began descending and it repeated.

Just a wild guess, but at that moment could the antennas have been pointing directly away from the bird? That's the worst possible angle for them. Whenever I'm landing, I habitually lift the antennas upwards (from their usual downward position) so that they are perpendicular to the bird as it descends. The best angle for the antennas is always perpendicular to the bird, wherever it may be. This is only a wild guess, though, since at that close distance the antenna angle shouldn't matter much.

By the way, if your Solo and its controller really did lose their connection, then how on earth did pressing the FLY button have any effect on the Solo? That confuses me. Sounds more like a loss of GPS lock than a loss of connection with the remote.

 

[Amsecure]

Thanks for your reply, your thoughts on being able to hit fly and gain control make sense.
This would happen as follows.
Flying out about 50 mtrs height 25-30mtrs. Low bat, hit RTL.
When above or near to me lost connection, solo would climb, as it climbed I hit fly to gain manual control.
So I think at the sweet spot during its climb I would gain connection but at this point I have hit fly and am trying to land.
It would repeat and resist descending and want to climb.
I didn't have the ants as you suggest and it does make sense but I didn't think to do it as it was so close.
It was more or less the same situation as my other two Solos when they did it and same kind of height. I was convinced it was loose ants the last time....

 

[just_bruce]

Just a wild guess, but at that moment could the antennas have been pointing directly away from the bird? That's the worst possible angle for them. Whenever I'm landing, I habitually lift the antennas upwards (from their usual downward position) so that they are perpendicular to the bird as it descends. The best angle for the antennas is always perpendicular to the bird, wherever it may be. This is only a wild guess, though, since at that close distance the antenna angle shouldn't matter much.

<Pedantry>
Actually with the standard rubber ducky style antennas in the recommended orientation, there is a 'null hole' directly overhead and [less relevant most times] directly below the user. Most folks alleviate any problems this might cause by instinctively tilting the controller as they look up, shifting the bird out of the null and maintaining connection.
</pedantry>

 

[Amsecure]

That makes total sense, as you suggest which is true for myself in most cases to tilt tx as I'm looking up. Approx 45deg.
I can't recall if I did this enough on these occasions which very well maybe the cause of the null hole or black spot and I probably hand it too horizontal to the solo with ants down.
I have all the batts in calibration mode now so I won't get a chance to try this for another day or so.
Many thanks for the advice.
Regards A