How to Setup and Fly DJI Avata 2 Drone, Tips to Enhance Flight Performance and Image Quality

Setting up your DJI Avata 2 Drone for the first time can be an exciting experience. In this tutorial, I will guide you through the steps to get your drone ready for its maiden flight and share some tips and tricks to enhance both your flight and camera image quality.

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If you are still on the fence about whether you should get the DJI Avata 2 FPV drone, check out my detailed review: https://oscarliang.com/dji-avata-2/

If you decide to get the DJI Avata 2, I recommend getting the Fly More Combo which comes with 3 batteries:

• Amazon: https://amzn.to/3w0CyeX
• GetFPV: https://oscarliang.com/product-971p
• FPV24: https://oscarliang.com/product-ypgq
• NewBeeDrone: https://oscarliang.com/product-oeb0

Here are the useful accessories you can get for your Avata 2: https://oscarliang.com/dji-avata-2-accessories/

Step-by-Step Setup Guide for Maiden Flight

Unboxing: Unbox your DJI Avata 2 and ensure you have all the necessary components: the drone, controller, batteries, charger, propellers, and documentation.

Charging: Charge the drone’s battery using the included charger. It’s also a good idea to charge the controller and any spare batteries.

Power On: Begin by powering on the DJI Goggles 3, Motion Controller, and the Avata 2 Drone. Press the power button once allows you to check battery voltage, and if you press and hold the button down again until all green LEDs light up, it turns on the goggles.

Goggles Tutorial: The FPV Goggles will guide you through a tutorial explaining how to navigate the menu and use the motion controller to control your drone.

Activation: Before your first flight, you need to activate the goggles (the drone and remote don’t require separate activation). Connect the USB-C port of the goggles to a mobile device, launch the DJI Fly App, and follow the prompts for activation. You can download the app from DJI’s official download page: https://www.dji.com/uk/avata-2/downloads

Alternatively, you can use a computer by downloading and installing the latest version of DJI Assistant 2 (Consumer Drone Series) from the same link. If you previously installed this for other DJI models like the O3 or original Avata, ensure you update to the latest version.

Firmware Update: The app will prompt you to update the firmware.

Linking: Typically, the drone should already be linked to the motion controller and goggles right out of the box, eliminating the need for manual pairing.

Once activated and updated—a process that should take no more than 10-15 minutes—you’re ready for takeoff.

Flying Avata 2 with Motion Controller

For beginners, the Motion Controller might feel overwhelming because there are so many buttons. Even for experienced pilots, it takes some getting used to. Here are the basics to get you started:

• Arm the drone: Double-press the lock button to arm the drone, motors will start spinning.
• Disarm: Double-press the lock button again to disarm, the motors will stop.
• Takeoff: With the drone armed, press and hold the Lock button to initiate takeoff. The aircraft will ascend to about 1.2 meters and hover.
• Braking: During flight, press the lock button to make the aircraft brake and hover in place. Press it again to resume flying.
• Landing: To land, press and hold the lock button while the aircraft is hovering. It will land automatically and shut off the motors.
• Camera Control: Adjust the camera angle by tilting the motion controller up or down.
• Yaw Control: Gently press the trigger and tilt the remote left or right to pan the drone.
• Lateral Movement: Use the joystick to move the drone left or right. Pushing it up or down adjusts the drone’s altitude, ascending or descending at about 1 meter per second.
• Forward Flight: To move forward, simply press the trigger all the way.
• Flying Up and Down: For upward or downward flight, press the trigger fully and tilt the controller up or down.

Advanced Flying Techniques

By default, your DJI Avata 2 will be in Beginner mode, which is designed to be very slow and safe for new pilots. In this mode, you can’t switch flight modes, which helps prevent accidents while you’re still learning. However, once you feel confident with the basics, you’re ready to take the next step.

Switching Off Beginner Mode: Go to Settings -> Control to turn off Beginner mode. This will unlock the drone’s full capabilities and allow you to switch between different flying modes.

Sport Mode: By pressing the flight mode button, you can activate Sport mode. Think of it as Normal mode with a significant speed boost. It’s perfect for when you want a bit more excitement and a chance to really see what your drone can do.

Turtle Mode: If you’re familiar with Betaflight, you’ll appreciate Turtle mode. This setting helps the Avata 2 recover from crashes by flipping itself right-side up. It’s incredibly useful if your drone ends up upside down after a mishap, saving you a trip to retrieve and manually reset it. You can find Turtle Mode in the Settings Menu.

Real-time Live View

By double tapping really hard on the right side of the goggles, you can activate realtime live view of your surrounding using the two front facing cameras.

By default it’s on 2D mode which only uses one of the two cameras. You can set it to 3D in the Settings-> Display which uses both cameras and actually improves usability IMO.

Head Tracking

Head Tracking is a fascinating feature that enhances your flying experience by linking camera movement to your head movements. Here’s how it works:

To enable Head Tracking, go to the top menu of your Goggles. This allows the camera gimbal to move up and down as you move your head up and down. When you look left or right, the drone will pan in that direction (as the gimbal doesn’t move in horizontal axis).

Initially, controlling the camera with your head while directing the drone with the motion controller might feel a bit unnatural. However, with some practice, you can achieve dynamic and creative shots that are difficult to replicate with traditional controls.

It’s important to mention that Head Tracking only works with the Motion Controller and is not supported by the Remote Controller 3.

Return to Home

Hold down the flight mode button can activate return to home (RTH) during flight. During return to home you can gain back control by pressing the Lock button. It’s very accurate, landing within 1 meter of the home point.

DJI Avata 2 also support Low Battery RTH and Failsafe RTH.

Linking Devices

Your Avata 2, remote, and goggles should be linked right out of the box. However, if you need to re-link them for any reason, here’s how to do it. Note that there’s no dedicated link button on the new devices – to put them in link mode, you simply hold the power button for 5 seconds.

1. Aircraft: With the drone powered on, press and hold the power button until you hear a continuous beep, indicating the battery level LEDs are blinking in sequence.
2. Goggles: With the goggles powered on, press and hold the power button until the goggles start to beep continuously.
3. Completion: Linking is complete when the beeping stops, and that the aircraft’s battery level LEDs turn solid.
4. Now repeat this for the remote, and the goggles.

Note: There’s no need to link the aircraft directly to the remote as they communicate through the goggles.

Firmware Update

Personally I don’t rush to update firmware – sometimes new firmware might come with some sort of new restrictions. I always wait and see what the community’s feedback is before updating.

After a firmware update, always restart your aircraft, remote controller, and goggles before takeoff. This ensures all new settings take effect correctly.

Important: Firmware updates can reset flight parameters like RTH Altitude and Maximum Flight Distance. Make sure to note your preferred settings beforehand and reapply them post-update.

If the update fails, restart the aircraft, remote controller, goggles, and either the DJI Fly app or DJI Assistant 2 (Consumer Drone Series). Then, attempt the update again.

FCC Unlock

Unfortunately DJI Avata 2 does not support manually switching among FCC, CE, and SRRC. The aircraft will identify the country and region where it is located according to the condition of the mobile device and the GPS of the aircraft, and switch between FCC, CE, and SRRC following local laws and regulations.

While the ham file hack doesn’t unlock additional channels as it used to in the original Avata and Goggles 2, it does enhance RF output power, allowing the drone to operate in what appears to be an FCC RF power mode. This hack also unlocks the speed limitations in the EU.

Simply get the file “ham_cfg_support” and unzip it to the root directory of the SD card and put it in the DJI Goggles 3. Download here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ug2U_i5kdrKQQ2I17NLJBXm2tKQeNj5Q/view?usp=share_link

There are 3rd party apps that can unlock FCC mode on the Avata 2, but they are not free. You can also try a free app called B3YOND but unavailable on iOS and works in older Android versions.

Best Transmission Settings

For CE users, channel mode is set to Auto and cannot be changed, so you can skip to the next section.

For FCC users, the following are my recommended transmission settings.

Channel Mode: Set to Manual to gain full control over transmission settings.

Frequency: Choose between 2.4GHz or 5.8GHz. 2.4GHz for better penetration through obstacles but limited to one pilot at a time due to its narrow bandwidth (only 1 channel available). It also interferes with 2.4GHz radio links such as ExpressLRS, so DO NOT use 2.4GHz when you or other pilots are using 2.4GHz radio links. 5.8GHz is preferable if you plan to fly with others, as it offers much wider bandwidth. Depending on interference, you may find one frequency offers better signal than the other, if in doubt, try both and compare bitrate.

Bandwidth: Higher bandwidth provides better image quality but increases the likelihood of interference with other pilots. When flying solo, you can safely use 60MHz or 50MHz. When flying in groups, consider reducing the bandwidth to 50MHz, 40MHz, or even 20MHz to minimize interference.

Using 5.8Ghz, you should have 3 channels with 60MHz and 50MHz bandwidth. If you only have 1 channel available, you can use the “ham file” hack to unlock the rest of the channels, download the ham file and place it in the root directory of your goggles SD card: https://oscarliang.com/dji-fpv-system-fcc-700mw/#DJI-Goggles-2-and-O3-Air-Unit

Best Camera Settings

To get the most out of the DJI Avata 2, I’ve found these camera settings produce great result for video quality.

For best flying experience and don’t care so much about recording:

• Mode: Auto
• Resolution: 1080p 100FPS
• Color: Standard

For best cinematic footage:

• ND filter is a must, see why: https://oscarliang.com/nd-filter-fpv/
• Mode: Manual
• ISO: 100 (or as low as possible depending on your lighting), or Auto (then set Max ISO to 400 or 800 for extra flexibility)
• Resolution: 4K 60FPS (Avoid 30FPS because latency is too bad for flying)
• Shutter Speed: 1/120
• WB: Put White Balance on Auto first and see what the system choose, then lock in with that value, so WB is fixed during flight
• FOV: Wide
• Color: D-Log M (if you color grade), or Standard (if you don’t color grade)
• EIS: OFF (if you use Gyroflow), or Rocksteady
• Sharpness: -1 (you can increase sharpness in post)
• Noise Reduction: 0 (or +1 for lowlight reduces noise in the dark area)

For stabilization, the Avata 2 offers three modes: RockSteady, HorizonSteady, and Off. RockSteady is the default setting, providing robust stabilization. You can change this in the Settings > Camera > EIS menu of the goggles. If you prefer to stabilize footage post-flight, disable EIS and set the camera to wide mode to support Gyroflow offline stabilization.

Native aspect ratio is 4:3, by switching to 16:9 it has the top and bottom cutoff.

Some testing on Noise Reduction value, has an impact on shadow detail and lowlight.

Some comparison on sharpness value, personally I prefer -1, but that’s personal preference.

Video bitrates under different resolution/frame rate:

• 4K 60fps: 130Mbps
• 4K 50fps: 120Mbps
• 4K 30fps: 90Mbps
• 2.7K 60fps: 100Mbps
• 2.7K 50fps: 90Mbps
• 2.7K 30fps: 70Mbps
• 1080p 120fps: 80Mbps
• 1080p 100fps: 70Mbps
• 1080p 60fps: 50Mbps
• 1080p 50fps: 40Mbps
• 1080p 30fps: 25Mbps

How to Use Remote Controller 3

The Remote Controller 3 allows you to fly in full manual mode. You need to activate the RC3 first and update its firmware via the DJI Fly App or DJI Assistant 2 before using it.

To link the Remote Controller 3 to your DJI Goggles 3, follow these instructions:

1. Goggles: With the goggles powered on, press and hold the power button until the goggles start to beep continuously.
2. Remote: With the remote powered on, press and hold the power button until it starts beeping.
3. Completion: Linking is complete when the beeping stops, and that the aircraft’s battery level LEDs turn solid.

Note: the Motion Controller will still work with your drone, but you can only use one controller at a time, depends on which one connects to the Goggles 3 first.

Assign manual mode to the mode button: In the Goggles Settings->Controls->Remote Controller->Button Customization, set Custom Mode to Manual Mode.

If you intend to fly in manual mode, make sure to remove throttle stick self centering. By removing the back handle rubber, you will find two screws – tighten both screws will remove throttle stick self centering. By loosening or tightening both screws slightly adjusts the friction, takes a bit of trial and error to get it right.

You can switch between Normal/Sport/Manual flight modes using the mode button.

To arm and disarm the drone in Normal/Sport modes, use these stick positions.

To arm and disarm the drone in Manual mode, double press the Start/Stop button. You can adjust the camera angle using the top left rotary switch.

In case of emergency, you can use the “Flight pause/Return to home” button in any flight mode:

• Press once the quad will stop and hover in place, and put it in Normal Mode.
• Press and hold and it will activate return to home; to cancel RTH, press it one more time.

Set your rates and expo, I am using these for freestyle flying:

• 120/800/0.5
• 120/800/0.5
• 140/650/0.5

What to Do When Losing Signal

When you lose video, it’s likely that you still have RC signal. Therefore It’s best to let go of the sticks; the Avata 2 should initiate return to home automatically.

Other Tips and Tricks

When flying over the altitude height limit, the drone will go into Normal mode and won’t let you fly any higher. You can increase the height limit up to 500 meters (in Settings->Safety), but you should follow your local regulations. There’s no way to remove the altitude limit, so that’s another downside compared to an FPV drone.

The DJI Avata 2 includes a helpful ‘Find My Drone’ feature. To access it, navigate through the goggles menu to Settings > Safety > Find My Drone. This feature shows video footage from the 30 seconds before the drone was lost, aiding in its recovery. The footage is stored in internal memory so SD card is not required. Additionally, if the drone still has battery power, you can activate the ESC Beeping function under the same menu to make the drone’s motors beep, helping you locate it by sound.

A handy trick for goggle users: place a piece of tape on the sensor between the lenses. This prevents the screens from turning off when you remove the goggles, avoiding the brief delay when turning them back on.

Battery charging: as soon as you insert the batteries into the charging hub, it will start charging automatically. It will always start with the one with highest power level so it finishes quicker. If all your batteries are low in power level, you can transfer the remaining charge into one single pack so you can fly a bit longer – simply insert all the batteries in the hub, press and hold the power button until the LED turns green. To stop, press and hold the button again.

To charge batteries in the field, I have been using the Speedybee Discharger with a big 6S 10000mah LiPo. This is enough to recharge 6 of the Avata 2 batteries.

File Transfer

Transferring files to a phone:

The Avata 2 facilitates file transfer via Wi-Fi through the DJI Fly app. Simply power on the drone, activate the QuickTransfer function in the app, and ensure that the drone and phone are within 2 meters of each other without obstructions.

Transferring files to a computer:

Connect the drone to your computer using a USB cable without powering on the Avata 2, an external drive should appear. If using a memory card, you can directly insert the card into your computer’s card reader.

Live Feed Sharing (Video Out)

Live feeds can be shared in three ways:

• Wi-Fi wireless sharing:
  1. Download DJI Fly app on your phone.
  2. Enable screen sharing in the DJI Goggles 3 (top menu, 4th icon).
  3. Run the DJI Fly app on your phone, and connect your phone to the Goggles 3 via Wi-Fi.
  4. If there are several DJI devices available nearby (e.g. Avata 2 drone), select the Goggles 3. This method supports connection to only one mobile device. The latency is usually over 100ms, so it’s not ideal for flying using this feed, but good enough for spectating. If this is too choppy, consider using a USB wired connection described below
  5. Bonus: Once the Live View connection between Goggles 3 and DJI Fly App is established, you can also forward this feed to an RTMP server to stream the content to the internet. To do this, click on the three dots (…) in the top right-hand corner -> select “RTMP” and then enter the server info. The connection to the server is then established on the smartphone via mobile network.
• Wired sharing:
  1. Download DJI Fly app on your phone.
  2. Connect a mobile device to the DJI Goggles 3 using a data cable and an OTG adapter.
  3. The connected mobile device will display the drone’s live feed via the DJI Fly app. Just like Wi-Fi sharing, this method supports only one device, however latency is much lower than WiFi and is usually smoother.
• Audience mode:
  1. You can broadcast your video feed to other Goggles 3.
  2. Activate the broadcast function in the DJI Goggles 3 menu, allowing multiple goggles to receive the live feed without a viewer limit.
  3. This is ideal for sharing the same flying experience with an audience.

Note: Keep in mind that you can only use one type of connection at a time, whether connecting to goggles or a mobile device.

Conclusion

By following these setup steps and tips, you’ll be ready to capture stunning aerial footage with your DJI Avata 2 Drone. Enjoy your flight!

Edit History

• Apr 2024 – Instructions written for the review of the Avata 2.
• Aug 2024 – Created a separate post for this setup guide.