Posted: 8/8/2026 6:13:05 PM EDT
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Autel Evo Lite 640t. Sent it up to look for a pig. It flew for about 2 minutes and lost connection with the controller. No worries, it’s programmed to fly home but it didn’t. Searched the next day but couldn’t find it. Contacted Autel, sent them the flight logs etc. The final report said pilot error since they didnt detect any signs of hardware or software issue. They go on to say” The logs show the remote controller signal became progressively weaker as the aircraft flew farther away. Under normal conditions the aircraft is designed to initiate its Return to Home failsafe. The aircraft did not return as expected but it is difficult to determine the exact cause based on the available data.” The return to home procedure is why I didnt close the distance and fly it with the remote. It’s lost signal before and returned. Just disappointed and mad at myself. I asked if they would sell me just the drone so I didnt have to buy a complete set. He said he would ask his manager and get back to me next week. |
| At one time, I had around 20 drones that people flew into my hayfields and crashed... some were high dollar items. Failure to return seems to be a common problem. |
"You can't hang yourself, if you ain't got enough rope"
Larry Fleet
"There comes a point where we are no longer drawing lines in the sand but are backed against a precipice."
Orracle
Larry Fleet
"There comes a point where we are no longer drawing lines in the sand but are backed against a precipice."
Orracle
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I have an old 3DR Solo that I used to fly wherever and then just hit the "return to home" button when finishing looking around, and it never missed. Excellent drone, just too big. A couple Hovers (X1 and X1 Pro Max) are designed to use their cameras to return to my palm and never failed, but they are designed to get their bearings visually, no GPS. I also have a couple DJI Minis and an Antigravity that I never tried flying more than 200 yards from me and never tried their return to home function. I simply do not trust those small drones. I simply do not have the guts, or trust, to fly them miles away like some YouTubers do. I wonder if those small drones' GPS and radio circuitry isn't very reliable (cost savings, etc.) and this makes them lose their bearings and fly away. |
