I'm aware of all those O3 topics that were coming up for a while. I
don't wanna blame anyone, I was confused at the beginning as well. It's
complicated, there's been that Failsafe bug around and a lot of rumors
have been spread. I try to keep you guys in the loop, so here's another
post:
ALL statements have been verified between the DJI and the iFlight engineering team!
YES, the new DJI firmware updates fixed issues with the signal stability
in combination with the Radio Controller 2. Users reported random
Failsafes or simultaneous video blackouts. Fact is, the system shouldn't
do this no matter what triggered that condition.
YES, O3 + Goggle + Radio builds a network of communication. The signal
stability update therefore fixed a bug with this network as well. It's
not supposed to disconnect all together in first place.
YES, the O3 system is dual band. It runs on 2.4G and 5.8G. The stock O3 antenna is a dual band LHCP + RHCP.
YES, a LHCP + RHCP antenna (stock O3) setup on the O3 might give a
slight advantage when signal bounces (gets reflected, example
multipathing, bando flying or city use).
NO, 2x LHCP won't have a disadvantage in range. In general, single band
antennas have better performance than dual band antennas. Are easier to
replace and more durable.
YES, video transmission only uses the 5.8G band. Maximum system priority is on 5.8G.
NO, the Radio Controller 2 doesn't "necessarily" need a 2.4G antenna on
the O3 air unit. Reason for that is because the whole system is mainly
running on 5.8G, the second 2.4G band is for telemetry or fallback when
band congestion occurs.
NO, flying with only 5.8G antennas will not cause radio Failsafes. Since
the O3 has a dynamic RF mode it will be self healing to always
establish a healthy link. So told us DJI...
YES, the DJI Radio Controller 2 is "supposed" to have a better signal
than the video transmission. No matter if 2.4G or 5.8G, due to its lower
bitrate requirements the video will go dark first. That's the moment of
return or punch out with throttle.
YES & NO, a 2.4G capable antenna will not give you a better signal
or range. It “might“ but we did not get a clear answer from DJI about
this. Technically speaking, 2.4G offers better signal penetration.
Example: Complete video loss which only runs on 5.8G. The 2.4G radio
link "might" still be used to throttle up blind and regain video.
Unclear points: Is the actual output power of 2.4G as high as 5.8G? Will
it really make a difference in case of signal loss? How narrow is this
greyzone? Why not use ELRS or CRSF for crazy flights where absolute
safety is needed (900Mhz)?
NO, the O3 maximum power consumption is not too high for BECs. Just to
mention it, we've seen different values with early firmware. DJI
provided values as well as iFlight tested values were about 10-13W on a
single 9V rail. This excludes the FC consumed power which gets powered
from a separate 5V BEC. The Wattage could be higher if O3 and FC are
powered from the same BEC circuit. iFlight used BEC circuits are rated
for 9V2A (18W) continuous, 3.5A (31W) maximum and limited by heat of the
chip which is obviously air-cooled when flying.
YES, there's a lot of different experiences made by various users. We
also do not always get clear answers from DJI, neither can we only focus
on 3rd party video system testing. We encourage everyone to gather test
results and share them. All productive feedback and input is always
welcome to help improve user experience.
YES, we're constantly working and testing on that topic. We've been in
contact with DJI ever since and have a very close relationship.