Building amplified antenna for MA2

Deleted member 135749 · Oct 5, 2020

Will building a amplified antenna give me a stronger signal? I live in the country flying at 400ft I can get 2.1mi however since im flying uphill 150ft I can legally fly 550ft since it would still be 400ft AGL going that route I can get approx. 3.35mi so im not sure a amplified antenna would work but hypothetically a amplified antenna would have more directional/penetration right? Or am i wrong?

Any thoughts? Thanks!

EDIT: Also Id like to include MA2 is hardcoded for 11,111m where it disconnects until it travels back a thousand meters -- At least that is what I've seen on youtub

lee82gx · Oct 5, 2020

you are right, it will fly further as long as the signal is stronger when you amplify it. Penetration or direct uninterrupted line of sight wise.
When blocked, often times the signal drops in 10's of dB's so you have to consider how much attenuation vs amplification you will be applying.

Deleted member 135749 · Oct 5, 2020

lee82gx said:
you are right, it will fly further as long as the signal is stronger when you amplify it. Penetration or direct uninterrupted line of sight wise.
When blocked, often times the signal drops in 10's of dB's so you have to consider how much attenuation vs amplification you will be applying.

The drone itself is hardcoded to not go any farther than 11k meters or so, so if im understanding right youre saying it will go farther with amplification even with trees all around?

lee82gx · Oct 5, 2020

Yes, of course it can go further when the signal is stronger. (Up to 11km). The question is how much loss you get from trees vs how much amplification you can practically provide (size, power, weight). A 4W amplifier only provides 10dB of increase while I just mentioned that you can run into attenuations in the order of 10's of dB's per 10m worth of vegetation / foliage. So, it may be an exercise in futility practically.

lee82gx · Oct 5, 2020

https://www.itu.int/dms_pubrec/itu-r/rec/p/R-REC-P.833-9-201609-I!!PDF-E.pdf

Here is some reference.

lannes · Oct 6, 2020

Just buy an Alientech duo II, it's easier

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Deleted member 135749 · Oct 6, 2020

lannes said:
Just buy an Alientech duo II, it's easier

ALIENTECH DUO II 2.4G/5.8G Dual-band Signal Booster Antenna Range Extender With Accessories for DJI Drones

Best Amplifier Antenna Amazing 3-5 Times Extended Distance for DJI Drone's Accessories; INCL Mavic 2 Pro, Zoom/Mini/2/Air2/2S/3 RC-N1/RC PRO Classic/DJI RC, Platinum/Enterprise,Phantom 3/4 A/Advanced/Pro/V2.0/RTK,Inspire 1/2 Pro, Matrice 100/300/200/210/600 Pro/RTK,Smart controller,Cendence...

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Are they actually good? I was thinking maybe buying one of them while installing my own amplifier

lannes · Oct 6, 2020

Netspl0it said:
Are they actually good? I was thinking maybe buying one of them while installing my own amplifier

There is not really much choice at the moment they are the only amplified patch antenna's available for the MA2 unless you make your own as your planning to do.

Deleted member 135749 · Oct 6, 2020

lannes said:
There is not really much choice at the moment they are the only amplified patch antenna's available for the MA2 unless you make your own as your planning to do.

Could you not add an antenna amplifier between rc and antenna?

lee82gx · Oct 6, 2020

Netspl0it said:
Could you not add an antenna amplifier between rc and antenna?

As Iannes pointed out above, it already comes with an amplifier. A 2 stage amplifier will probably overheat the 2nd stage. If you add another amplifier I would guess between the alientech and the RC, thus making the internal alientech the 2nd stage.

Deleted member 135749 · Oct 6, 2020

lee82gx said:
As Iannes pointed out above, it already comes with an amplifier. A 2 stage amplifier will probably overheat the 2nd stage. If you add another amplifier I would guess between the alientech and the RC, thus making the internal alientech the 2nd stage.

I mean disconnect the regular alientech amp and install an better aftermarket one?

lee82gx · Oct 6, 2020

Netspl0it said:
I mean disconnect the regular alientech amp and install an better aftermarket one?

Sure you can, but I'm starting to think why would you do that? There is also an unboosted / unamplified version which is also available for less.

lannes · Oct 6, 2020

Netspl0it said:
Could you not add an antenna amplifier between rc and antenna?

You can build your own amplified antenna solution using the original antenna array it just gets messy internally with the intermediate amplifier wiring and the fact you need to supply external power to the amplifiers.
Mounting the amplifiers and batteries for them externally is also a less elegant and cumbersome solution.
That is why the Alientech and other self powered amplified panels are an easier solution as you only need bypass the original antenna array via modding the remote controller.

lannes · Oct 6, 2020

Netspl0it said:
I mean disconnect the regular alientech amp and install an better aftermarket one?

I'm not an expert but I'm pretty sure Alientech would have already optimized the signal radiation pattern for the frequencies and antenna gain.
It's not just a matter of throwing more power at the signal amplification, there are trade-offs in the narrowing radiation pattern especially with the directional panel/ patch antennas.
You'll need to get bigger patch antennas etc.

Have fun with it

Deleted member 135749 · Oct 7, 2020

lannes said:
I'm not an expert but I'm pretty sure Alientech would have already optimized the signal radiation pattern for the frequencies and antenna gain.
It's not just a matter of throwing more power at the signal amplification, there are trade-offs in the narrowing radiation pattern especially with the directional panel/ patch antennas.
You'll need to get bigger patch antennas etc.

Have fun with it

If im understanding correctly you're saying thw more power you push the more narrow beam path you have?

palo34 · Oct 7, 2020

oh god. there are two components... receiving and sending. amplifier only improves transmission, meansing that the drone will respond to the transmitter farther... Bhat's the booster... you need to also, improve the antena, or amplify the signal coming from the antenna... Allientech does both.

Deleted member 135749 · Oct 7, 2020

palo34 said:
oh god. there are two components... receiving and sending. amplifier only improves transmission, meansing that the drone will respond to the transmitter farther... Bhat's the booster... you need to also, improve the antena, or amplify the signal coming from the antenna... Allientech does both.

But are they good? Im not trying to buy junk

zeusfl · Oct 7, 2020

The Allientech DUO II is good. Is a compact solution. However. you can buy the allientech bracket for Mavic Air 2 and install the SMA connectors or even better, QMA (allientech connectors) and add the QMA to SMA converters making easier to transport because you can detach easier.

You can install the Raptor XR for example and add boosters or panels with cables. is up to you.

Here is a video comparing allientech omnidirectional antennas vs the DUO II from inside my apartment, tons of trees and obstruction with 2 spotters looking from the ground. In this videos I am using the Smart Controller. By using the Smart Controller I can fly boosting all my compatible drones including the MA2.

Omni

DUO II

Deleted member 135749 · Oct 7, 2020

zeusfl said:
The Allientech DUO II is good. Is a compact solution. However. you can buy the allientech bracket for Mavic Air 2 and install the SMA connectors or even better, QMA (allientech connectors) and add the QMA to SMA converters making easier to transport because you can detach easier.

You can install the Raptor XR for example and add boosters or panels with cables. is up to you.

Here is a video comparing allientech omnidirectional antennas vs the DUO II from inside my apartment, tons of trees and obstruction with 2 spotters looking from the ground. In this videos I am using the Smart Controller. By using the Smart Controller I can fly boosting all my compatible drones including the MA2.

Omni

DUO II