A DJI Avata 2 blinking yellow is telling you one of two things. A slow yellow blink means both GNSS (satellite positioning) and the vision system are unavailable, so the drone can't hold its position. A fast yellow blink means it has lost the signal from your remote control device. The speed of the blink is the clue. Alternating red and yellow is a third state: the compass needs calibrating.
Slow yellow: no positioning
DJI's Avata 2 manual lists "blinks yellow slowly" as GNSS and vision system disabled. In this state the drone has nothing to hold it in place. It will drift with the wind, and Return to Home isn't available because RTH needs a good satellite fix.
Common causes:
- Indoors, under trees or beside tall buildings, where GNSS is weak
- Low light, so the downward and backward vision sensors can't see the ground
- Flying high over plain surfaces like water, snow or sand, where vision positioning has no texture to lock onto. DJI rates the Avata 2's downward ToF sensor for precise hovering from 0.3 to 10 m.
- Just after power-on, before satellites are found
What to do:
- Before takeoff, move to open sky and wait for the GNSS count to rise. The light changes to slow green when GNSS or vision positioning is working.
- In flight, fly calmly, keep the drone low over textured ground and land soon.
- If it happens in open sky every time, calibrate the compass when asked and check drone no GPS signal.
Fast yellow: controller signal lost
"Blinks yellow quickly" means the drone has lost the link to your RC Motion 3 or FPV Remote Controller 3.
On the ground: the controller is off, linked to other goggles, or not linked. Power everything on and relink. See Avata 2 not connecting.
In flight: the Avata 2 follows its Signal Lost Action, which you set in the goggles under the Safety settings: hover, land or RTH. If it's set to RTH, DJI says the drone first flies backward about 50 m along its original route, then starts the RTH procedure. If the signal comes back during that backward leg, it goes straight into RTH. With hover or land selected, it won't perform Failsafe RTH.
To help the link recover:
- Keep the goggles' antennas unfolded and face the drone.
- Move to open ground, away from buildings and trees.
- Don't chase it. Let RTH bring it home.
Read drone keeps losing signal.
Can't find it after a lost signal?
In the goggles' Safety settings, Camera View Before Loss plays back the last 30 seconds of cached video to help you find where it went down. If the drone still has power and signal, turn on ESC beeping so you can hear it. See drone flyaway and Avata 2 crash: what to do.
Other lights worth knowing
From the same DJI table:
| Pattern | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Red, yellow and green alternating | Powering on and self-check (normal) |
| Slow green | GNSS or vision positioning working |
| Slow purple | Manual mode |
| Slow red | Takeoff disabled, for example low battery |
| Fast red | Critically low battery |
| Blinking red | IMU error |
| Red and yellow alternating | Compass calibration required |
| Solid red | Critical error |
For red and yellow, calibrate the compass away from metal. See DJI compass error. For an IMU error or solid red, don't fly: see DJI IMU error or start a repair.
Yellow on the charging hub
On the Avata 2 Two-Way Charging Hub, solid yellow means idle and blinking yellow means the batteries are too hot or too cold to charge. No action is needed; charging resumes when they reach a normal temperature. Solid red means a power supply or battery error, so reseat the batteries or reconnect the charger.
Quick answers
Is it safe to take off with a slow yellow blink? No. Wait for slow green.
Why does the Avata 2 blink yellow indoors? No GNSS indoors, and dim or plain floors defeat vision positioning.
Does fast yellow mean the drone is crashing? No. It means the link is gone and the drone is following your Signal Lost Action.
The goggles also show the reason for most warnings on screen, so check there first. For lights on other DJI drones, see DJI drone lights meaning. Need a spare battery or hub? See the Avata 2 accessories.
Related guides
- Best DJI Avata 2 camera settings for photo and video
- DJI Avata 2 controllers: RC Motion 3 vs FPV Remote Controller 3
- DJI Avata 2 for real estate fly-through videos
- DJI Avata 2 not connecting to goggles: how to re-link
- DJI Avata 2 quick start: setup and first flight
- DJI Avata 2 vs DJI FPV: cinewhoop or speed machine?
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