A Secret DJI Feature That You Might Find Interesting 

We are limited on how far to fly a drone in the states. But yet the Biden administartion lets china fly a ballon across the US. go figure!

Thanks for the post and I love flying and uncovering tweaks like this one. I hope you had a great holiday!

Glad it was helpful! I have a lot more new content posting this week so be sure to stop back soon.

I agree with you and my interpretation of VLOS is exactly the same. The intent of the rule is to avoid a collision so if I have a clear view of the sky near where my drone is flying, I can see aircraft approaching and drop down to avoid any incident. I do use a small strobe to help with the visibility of the drone and it gives me about 3000' of view.

My sentiments exactly 💯 I believe most people that complain about VLOS regulations is exactly that. If I have clear sight of the sky around where the drone is and can see where the drone is that should be allowed. I can get having the ability to see it can be crucial if say you lose the camera feed and need to fly it back by eye sight...

Even sillier is the moment you put on goggles you have effectively lost VLOS so how are goggles legal?

Thanks for the post. If you're using goggles, you need to have a spotter with you. You can't use goggles alone as per the FAA rules because you have no clear view of the sky and can't maintain VLOS.

@@flurrywhite they aren't here in australia for that exact reason unless flying indoors

Glad you liked it! I appreciate the post and will have more content posting this week so be sure to check back.

I was thinking led line of sight module

Imagine a usb-c to mini solar panel capable of sustaining enough power to prolong flight time, that could sit atop the drone.

Thanks for the post and I actually thought the same thing since the original FAA regulations called for the drone to broadcast it's location directly. I think the Air 3 was probably in development when these regulations were being created and DJI wanted to hedge their bets. They are always ahead of the curve.

I agree with you if it was just you, me and a collection of other responsible pilots flying. In that case the chances of a collision would be really low. The challenge is that every day some new fliers enter the hobby and with the explosion of novice pilots launching drones, the chances of a crash are increasing exponentially. It's just more gear in the air, which makes it more likely. VLOS at least limits the chances of a crash since the pilot can actually see the drone to avoid another aircraft. I know from experience that smaller planes can come up on you quickly and are well under 400' where I live since they are servicing crops. VLOS minimizes the chances of me missing them and ruining the hobby for everyone.

It’s weird that paraglider pilots and PPG are less limited than drones though. I think it’s super odd. Paragliders do have some of the best visual range as far as being able to look around BUT they lack the mobility to get out of the way. Yet at 5-6 thousand feet there are pretty much little to no regulations for PG pilots.

Careful, You cant just go spewing truths like this.@@braddenison6034

If you have 120° visibility with your camera, that's 240° you can't see, an airplane can fly faster than a drone overtaking the drone. Until we have some sort of detection on the controller, that will warn of an aircraft approaching I don't think we should be able to fly, farther than visual line of sight. That's my humble opinion for what it's worth.

Thanks for the post and I'm glad that you're enjoying the content. DJI just released a new firmware update for the Mini 4 Pro that now makes it compatible with the DJI Goggles 2 and the Motion Controller 2. This means you can fly it both as a camera drone and also in FPV mode with the Goggles. None of the controllers (outside of the larger Smart Controllers) have an HDMI port but you can do a screen recording when flying and even add audio commentary to it with one of our Drone Valley Microphones. I have a few links here to check out the gear I've mentioned. Mini 4 Pro - amzn.to/48xl5se DJI Goggles 2 & Motion Controller 2 - amzn.to/48zDXXE Drone Valley Mic - tinyurl.com/4h3wc86e

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the DJI Goggles 2 use the DJI 03 video transmission. So, they will work, but if there were goggles that utilized the DJI 04 video - then wouldn't they then provide me the same signal distance as my Air 3's controller?

From what I've found so far, the DJI Goggles 2 uses the O3+ transmission system, so I guess its safe to assume these goggles can't take advantage of the Mini 4 Pro's newer O4 transmission system. Anyone know what the difference(s) are between O3+ and O4? Unfortunately my timing for buying DJI products has been terrible. It seems as soon as I bite the bullet on a DJI product, DJI supersedes it with a better product, so as you can imagine I'm leery to order the DJI Googles 2 for the Mini 4 Pro. It would be interesting to know if DJI plans to come out with goggles that can take advantage of the Mini 4 Pro's O4 transmission system. The reason I asked about whether either Mini 4 Pro Controller has a HDMI output is, I still own DJI's Crystal Sky Ultra 7" Monitor (2,000 nits) which I use with my older Mavic Pro. It's a really nice monitor and it would be great if I could use it on the newer DJI drones.

Rc-n2 controller can do HDMI over the USB c connection you just need an adapter

Thanks for the post but currently none of these DJI remotes (DJI RC / RC2 / RC-N1 / RC-N2) support video output from the USB-C connection natively, even with an adapter. The reason is that DJI intentionally left the needed DisplayPort driver out of their Android build on the controllers. We have been testing this on all of the remotes and there is a lot of tweaking needed to get this working, including side-loading the driver. I think the reason that DJI left this feature out was to minimize lag on the application. Remember, DJI built these controllers to do one thing well - fly the drone. Any other features that expand that use put additional stress on the processor and could affect performance. I'm optimistic that DJI will make this available in the future but it may be on the next generation of DJI RC with an upgraded processor.

Glad you enjoyed it! I have a lot more content posting soon so be sure to stop back. Rick

Yep, the FAA governs the skies and the FCC governs the airwaves. Cell service in the air has always been a challenge and it looks like DJI is experimenting with using it as a connection technology in the future. Stay tuned.

Get an optical sensor that can turn on and off based on seeing light or not. Then use your light on the drone to toggle that to open and close a grip thing! I don't know if this would actually work, but I have thought about it before.

@@NinjaKickthat a great idea. When you’re flying, what do you press to turn the light off and on?

The USA is to Communistic for the Public to be allowed this.

But my man, these are all discontinued technologies. TDMA went away a long time ago, and CDMA was turned off in 2022. T-Mobile has some 2G/3G GSM towers left, but they are few and far between if they actually exist at all in 2024. Now they all use LTE (each at different frequencies, or channels but it's not based on previous TDMA or CDMA technology at all) and 5G which runs at different bands and frequencies but again not related to prior technologies.

There have been a few kits with the dongle out for some of the DJI Mini drones but it still doesn't work in the U.S.

It's actually perfect for that application and I'm curious to see what the data charges will be with downloading the map data and mount point connections. I'm sure it's worth it for commercial work but might be too high for a hobby flier.

@@Dronevalley it's a flat $20/month for a data plan added to my current bill.

That sounds like a winner!

I appreciate the post but can't agree with your logic. A LOT of aircraft fly well below 400' on a regular basis. Sightseeing helicopters and planes as well as smaller aircraft servicing crops. Very few of these broadcast an ADS-B signal so you're effectively blind to them in the air. Flying beyond VLOS is like driving through town with blinders on since you can't really see anything above, below, behind or to the sides of your drone and that's a lot of dark space you can't react to. The simple fact is that we fly in a shared airspace with other aircraft and since we're not actually in the aircraft to take evasive action to avoid a crash, there have to be limitations until the drone can do this automatically. I'm sorry but I'm really opposed to this type of flight with today's technology. It's like playing Russian roulette in the sky and the potential for trouble is too high, plus you're violating the law.

Yes, I did a clip on this feature a few weeks back and the Mini 4 Pro does now provide Vision Assist. It helps with side blind spots but you can only see one direction at a time so it's somewhat limited. It may be a glimpse into what's coming next.

​@@Dronevalley like you have said about other things, it's only a matter of a bit of programming - get the drone to automatically show you a screen in the corner if it detects movement against the sky and you'd be in pretty good shape.

Yep, there are a few drone models from DJI that offer this feature (and DJI is the only company including this right now) but not all planes broadcast the signal. Many of the smaller sightseeing planes and crop dusters as well as most helicopters aren't required to have an ADS-B system and if you're relying on the DJI system to warn you, you're totally blind to those aircraft. That's one of my complaints about RID. Somehow every drone in the sky needs to self-identify but a large portion of the other commercial aircraft can fly without the critical ADS-B systems installed.

Those height limits are location specific. Normally I can fly up to the 400' ceiling here in the States but in some locations it's lower to 150' or 300' depending on how close I am to a local airport or military base. I'll bet if you move to a new location you'll be able to fly even higher. Thanks for the post!

Yea the FAA wants to track our every move

The rules are pretty clear that a drone has to give way to other aircraft. We are the last ones to start using the airspace and have to be aware of other aircraft to avoid a collision. ADS-B will help with that and a lot of the newer DJI drones have that built into their design and you'll get a notice that another aircraft is in your area. The challenge is that not all aircraft use this system and most helicopters don't either so there's a lot of traffic in the sky that you're blind to if you fly beyond VLOS. I think the tech for drones will eventually sort this out but we're a few years away from that right now.

After thinking about it a little more, I was wondering if they added it for other accessories like a light / speaker or RTK but there's no mounting holes to secure anything to the drone. it was clearly designed for the cellular dongle to fit in there. Interesting...

@@Dronevalley moreover, the size of the trunk matches the size of the dongle, but it doesnt seem reasonable for djji to work and design this for few countries while wasting space that could have been used for upward sensors or bigger battery for their biggest and richest markets like the US

Perhaps there isn't anything to mount on the current piece, but those screws would be able to hold another piece I think? If it pops off that easily another one could pop on?

That's actually a great idea and if DJI offered a new hood with a USB extension and mounting holes you could replace the current one with, that would allow you to mount accessories on there and have power as well.

I just really want to be able to buy an RTK module for $700 for the air 3 and not have to buy a mavic 3E... I'm dreaming with @lukepadfield80 here lol I don't think DJI is ready to cannibalize the enterprise features too much yet for us. They'll keep trickling that stuff down slowly once there is less to offer otherwise.

I agree, but playing devil’s advocate here, those planes have to take off and land. The 500’ doesn’t apply then. That being said, I fly non-VLOS here in the rural country; no farm airstrips close by. These mini drones go out of sight quickly!

sptrader, thanks for the post but there are a lot of situations where commercial aircraft fly well below that 500' ceiling. Sightseeing planes and helicopters as well as smaller crop-dusting aircraft are just a few examples. I've had more than one encounter at the shore with a low-flying plane pulling a banner sneak up on me. The other challenge is that most of these aircraft do not have ADS-B enabled so you're totally blind to them with the newer DJI gear.

jimgray- I agree with you and have had quite a few times where a farmer was working their field and popped up from behind a stand of trees well below 200' making another pass treating their crops. If my drone was out of sight, there could have been a collision and that's the whole point of VLOS.

@@Dronevalley I guess I’ll check your website for a beacon to attach to my mini 4. I’ve never seen crop dusters around here; too many woods and smaller corn and tobacco fields. Your point is well taken though.

Helicopters routinely operate under 400 feet. There was a midair between a Mavic drone and a helicopter in Daytona Beach,FL the day before this video posted. That collision occurred at 180 feet AGL.

I also ordered 2 dongles for my dji m30t and I'm waiting for them to arrive I'll lyk if they work

@@jac0by Awesome, Thanks!

@@GregB2561 they just arrived

@@jac0bylet me know if it works. Fingers crossed!

​@@GregB2561it works with the RC plus controller but it gives me an error with the deone

Sorry about goofing on that detail. I always think of Australia as more "easy going" that the U.S. and it's one of my favorite places to visit. I (mistakenly) thought the Outback was rougher terrain and more flexible on flying rules. Thanks for letting me know and I hope you're getting some amazing footage!

so you must be using your drone for commercial use because if it’s for your own use, you do not have to register it and that’s up to 950 g

@@ramroddrone5449 250g not 950g and yes I use them commercially

You can find them if you do a Google search but remember that these don't currently work in the U.S.

@@Dronevalley thank you so much

the Air 3 already has one.

Thanks for the post buddy and it's great to see you on the channel. I hope you had a great Christmas and New Years with the family!

Mike, I find it hard to believe that you're an FAA licensed pilot that would advocate for flying beyond VLOS. That has to be the most irresponsible comment I've had posted to date. While it is true that commercial aircraft have to stay above the 500' ceiling, there are a LOT of exceptions to that with smaller planes and helicopters. I live between a large farming area and the shore and fly at these locations regularly. I can tell you that on most occasions, smaller planes over the fields fly well below 400' when crop-dusting. At the shore there are sightseeing helicopters and banner planes flying every day below the 400' limit and all of these are in a drones airspace. Also, very few of these have ADS-B on board so they are essentially invisible to me and can appear quickly, which provides very little time for me to avoid them. The other more important point is that the FAA gave us a simple set of rules to follow as drone pilots, which includes the VLOS one. Why would you ever suggest that drone fliers ignore this based on your experience? Do you also speed through school zones because you're a good driver? These rules were put in place to make the skies safer for commercial aircraft and still allow us to share that airspace with our drones. I'm not a big fan of rules either, but these are simple and I try to follow them. If folks took your advice to fly beyond VLOS, it would only be a matter of time before we had an incident and the FAA could ground all drones with the stroke of a pen. Give that some thought and I hope it makes sense. If not, please sell your drone and find another hobby so the rest of us can enjoy the thrill of flight.

@@Dronevalley I have been a pilot my entire life....I will show you my license and I even did stunt flying! How can I reach you, I am shocked you would doubt me?

Mike, I couldn't believe that a pilot would advocate for drone fliers not having to worry about aircraft below 400'. That was an irresponsible comment and made me question your credentials. As I pointed out, there are a lot of private and commercial planes, helicopters and other aircraft that regularly fly below that 400' ceiling and why the FAA has implemented the VLOS rule. That was the real point of my reply and you haven't addressed that. Pilots are some of the most careful and conservative professionals I know and ALWAYS err on the side of safety. Encouraging drone pilots to ignore the VLOS rule is reckless and irresponsible, hence my reply.

Someone asked what happen to your "first drone?" Once again at night, I was flying in the "N" mode or normal mode when I decided to fly in the "sport mode"!! I was approximately 2000 feet from my location when I transferred to "sport" mode from "Normal!" Once again the drone became diabolical (The Church lady from "Saturday Night Live had control of the drone !!) It slammed into my daughters' house then slammed into her neighbors house 200 feet away!! Suggestion: Don't fly in "sport" mode at night if you value your relationship with your family and neighbors!

LOL, why do we always go to the most extreme fantasy when trying to have a reasonable conversation about technology. There are at least 5 safeguards I can think of off the top of my head that would prevent this. Plus, they would have to somehow update the firmware to implement a future tech like coordinated flight, which the best labs in the world haven't gotten working yet. Non-issue, but thanks for the scenario.

Ref: they would have to somehow update the firmware to implement a future tech like coordinated flight, which the best labs in the world haven't gotten working yet. Labs haven’t been able to coordinate drone swarms? Are you certain about that?😉

It's been an ongoing effort (publicly) but could be further along privately (military) than I know. Either way, that's years off for consumer drones and real stretch to think China will use this for any type of surveillance when they have high-definition satellites and agents with phones that can gather the same data much easier.

@@Dronevalley appreciate the quick replies. Happy new year and here’s to voting out Biden in 2024! 😁

A lot of the DJI drones have ADS=B in them as well and DJI was actually the first company to provide that feature and Autel followed suit. The challenge is that a lot of smaller planes, helicopters hot air balloons, para-gliders and other aircraft don't broadcast an ADS signal so you're blind to those hazards when flying beyond VLOS. That's why we need to keep an eye on the drone when flying to avoid a collision.

I understand but for the average hobby flier, VLOS is still the limit. Even with a Part 107, BVLOS is almost impossible to get approval for unless you're testing a new delivery quad or have a very special requirement.

There are a lot of great examples where a BVLOS flight makes sense. It could be for tracing a fence line on a farm or checking on cattle from a distance. Rescue teams also need to fly great distances when searching for a lost hiker or boat. It's not needed for consumer flights but has a lot of applications in the commercial space.

We just sent out the last of the winner emails and have to wait to hear back from the winners before we can make the announcement. Unfortunately it takes a little time for folks to read their email with the holidays and all so it might be a week or so yet before all of the winners are confirmed. Once I have that done, I'll post a clip on the channel announcing the winner and where they are from. Please be sure to check your SPAM folder to make sure you didn't miss anything. I've sent 14 emails so far and only had 6 responses from winners.

Thanks. I am willing to sacrifice myself to accept all the unclaimed prizes; we wouldn’t want them to go to waste. - Tim - 😊 As a side-note, you wanted our RU-vid “handle” as well, but how do you communicate with someone through their RU-vid name. (I just need to know where to look).

Thanks for the post and I've done a review on the channel for this new feature but it's a really grainy image and you can only view one side at a time. It's great for avoiding a tree in close quarters but not nearly effective enough to avoid an aircraft.

That's one solution (that's years away for drones) but another simpler one would be to equip the drones with a detect and avoid system that would drop the drone to 50' (with crash avoidance enabled) when it senses another aircraft in the area. We're close on this right now with ADS-B and other detection systems in the current drones. This would provide BVLOS flights for all of us safely.

Thanks for the post but it's not really Autel behind the ban, it's more likely Skydio that lobbying for restrictions. All Chinese drones (including Autel) are covered by the Federal ban so they're hurting too.