Getting a Yuneec Q500 4K GPS lock might take a while

Yuneec Q500 reviews caution on flying without GPS despite issues.

Using GPS to fly a Yuneec Q500 means waiting for a satellite lock and that can take quite a while and also fail, as a strong signal remains elusive in many parts of the world because of the limited satellite coverage available.

For owners of a Yuneec Q500 this frustrating process can drain precious battery time and raise questions mid-flight about the status of a connection. Some Yuneec Q500 pilots might even consider flying without GPS assistance, despite suggestions to the contrary.

DJI vs Yuneec comparisons suggest these issues, common on the Yuneec Q500 4K and almost every type of Yuneec drone, are a rarity in every single RC quadcopter model manufactured by DJI, the market leader. That, at least, is what Jim Fisher says in a review of the Yuneec Q500 in PCMag.

The Yuneec Q500 4K“won’t take off until it achieves a GPS lock,” Fisher says.

“You can manually override this requirement if you want to fly without the aid of GPS, but I don’t recommend it. Indoor flight is certainly possible, but there’s no positioning system like you’ll find with the DJI Phantom 3 Professional … so you’ll have to take great care. Even a minor bump indoors can destroy a propeller.”

While a propeller might seem like minor and easily replaceable part of the Yuneec Q500 4K and any other drone but at US$15 each from Yuneec that can quickly add up if the issues are recurrent. And experience suggests that the issues are frequent with the Yuneec Q500.

And, as Fisher notes, the loss of a satellite lock can happen when the Yuneec Q500 is in mid-air.

“During my first run I had some thick trees between me and the Q500, which caused it to lose signal more quickly than I expected. The Q500 didn’t automatically return to home at that point, and the signal was too weak for the manual Home function to work. I was able to walk closer to the unit and regain control, but it was a scary moment in the air.”

He added the second time out was not a charm.

“The craft lost GPS lock momentarily and started to fly erratically,” he said of a test flight with the Yuneec Q500 4K, adding that the Yuneec drone “does wobble a bit in the air, which is somewhat disconcerting when compared with the absolute stillness of the Phantom 3 Professional.”

And finally, he said that even with the GPS issues he stayed with the system because of concerns on stability if it was disabled.

“I did all of my flying with the GPS enabled. If you’ve got a lot of experience flying remote control aircrafts without GPS assistance, you can disable it. When it’s turned off the Q500 4K can fly fast—nearly 60mph—and it can perform steep banks and turning maneuvers. But it’s also unstable in the air, and drifts down when moving forward. I don’t recommend it unless you’re a pro.”

 

 

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