Gain on stock antenna?

[Spetnaut]

Was wondering how many dBI the stock antennas put out?
Reason being, I want to do an antenna mod. Have been looking at the 4Hawks Raptor SR, but I do not like the idea of loosing Omni-directional antennas. I also noticed 4hawks has the Raptor OD which is 5 dBI Omni-directional. Not sure if those would be an improvement over stock though.

Or, if I did go with the Raptor SR, how directional is it really? Do I have to be aiming precisely at the drone, or just not be facing in the complete opposite direction?

Also, is there some way to have DJI GO 4, display an arrow to point me in the direction of my drone?

 

[raven swe]

titan switch, best of both worlds

Switch Antenna System | Florida | Titan Drones, Inc.

The Switch is the latest RC Mounted Antenna System for Titan Drones. It combines the capabilities of the Atlas, Cyclone, Whip, and Control Antenna Systems.

www.commandcase.com

 

[Spetnaut]

titan switch, best of both worlds

The switch looks awesome, but a bit more then I would like to spend.

 

[Spike151]

Stock antennae are 3 dbi

 

[Spike151]

Titan can sell you some 14 inch +9 dbi omni directional dual band antennae for your M2Pro. I bought the Titan switch system for my M2 Pro and it comes with a set of 9 inch + 5 dbi omni dual band whips. I bought the 9 dbi whips as an optional extra so they are available separately

 

[DesertDan]

Stock is 26 dbm: Mavic 2 - Specifications, FAQs, Videos, Tutorials, Manuals - DJI

 

[Spike151]

The switch looks awesome, but a bit more then I would like to spend.

26 dbm is the power output rating from the rc, 26 dbm is 400 milliwatts, dbi is the gain rating of the antennae, two different things.

 

[sktigerjs]

Does it really help increasing the rc antennae, because the drones not getting any increase in sending signals to the antennae.

So if you only boost the antennae signal how is it going to increase the range by that much when the mavic 2 still has the stock transmitter.

 

[jwt873]

Antennas are reciprocal.. If you double the gain for transmit, you also double the gain for receive. To the receiver, the signal from the drone will be stronger.

 

[FormerMember07122019_2]

The passive antenna gain is achieved by increasing the directionality (focused more in one direction). Nothing comes for free. Powered boosted antennae are a different story.

 

[jwt873]

Signals received by the antenna can be amplified as well without having to make the antenna more directional.

I don't know it for a fact, but it might be that some of these aftermarekt 'boosters' could contain receive amps. SMALL HIGH GAIN AMPLIFIERS

 

[sdold]

I'm assuming the RF amplifiers are already good quality and wouldn't be helped that much with a preamplifier. It would be interesting to use an omnidirectional gain antenna on a support of some kind, like a tripod.

 

[Spike151]

I have the Titan switch which has two 3 watt amplifiers, one for the video and one for the rc transmit. Does it make a difference? Yes very much so , I’m in ce mode so I get ten times the power with the switch attached to the remote. Just upgrading the antenna dbi will increase your distance. There are hundreds of tutorials on YouTube that explain the basics of antennae, gain and rf transmission. If you are thinking of upgrading your remote control it’s well worth watching them to decide on what will give you the best return on your investment

 

[Huckleberry]

Spike,
You seem to be very knowledgeable on this topic. I am wanting to learn all about amplifying the capability of my RC but looking at the TitanDrone website, I don't see any educational material really. Where would you direct me to go to educate myself on this? Enhancing the strength/capability of my new M2P has been something that I've said I wanted to do as soon as I get in to the hobby and since I just ordered my new drone, I think that time may be now. One of my biggest fears is losing my craft due to poor connection so if there is something I can do to mitigate the possibility of that happening then I'm all for it.

 

[Spike151]

Well upgrading your antennae is the place most people start with. In this you have several options, and these are with the polarisation of the antennae. What type you chose will depend on what type of terrain you are flying over and the distance you want to achieve.

If you are flying near or over trees you will want to consider left or right hand circular polarised antennae. These are less subjected to scatter than other types and tend to be panel or helical coil in design.

For out and out distance, you will probably want to look at linear polarised panel antennae. These like the raptor sr and xr have a narrow transmission beam, so you have to point the antennae directly at the drone when you get to the edge of visual line of sight. These types generally have high dbi ratings. These are good for flying where you have unobstructed horizons.

The third are omni directional as fitted standard on your rc. These are much less sensitive to having the antennae pointed right at them, but they transmit equally is a torus shaped beam rather than a cone like the other types. Windsurfer reflectors can help a little with transmission strength as they focus all of radiation forward.

 

[Spike151]

Then there are amplified systems which as well as being fitted with a higher dbi antennae rating than stock, amplify the rc transmission to give greater signal strength but tend not to be dual band. Most will only amplify 2.4 ghz signals, which has a greater distance than 5.8 ghz according to the DJI manuals.

Maxx Uav and Titan sell amplified systems but these are not cheap compared to just an antenna upgrade. So budget and intended use will probably make your decision easier.

If distance flights are your bag, amplified systems will give you better signal strength and greater peace of mind.

The Titan switch gives the best of both worlds as it offers amplified with omni directional antennae.

 

[Huckleberry]

Thank you very much for that info. I live in rural southeast Kansas and most of the terrain is timber and crop fields. My main concern is interference from all the trees. I looked at the Titan switch and do like how it is the best of both worlds, and though the $350 price tag does not concern me in the long run, if there was something less expensive but as effective that would be more user friendly for a beginner, I would be all for that.

When looking at the switch, one of the additional options it gives is the purchase of a set of 9dbi whip antennas. What are those and how would they help?

 

[Spike151]

The increased gain over the standard 5 dbi whips , will give the torus shaped beam a more elliptic shape so will increase distance at the loss of point ability. The Titan switch also contains a left hand circular panel antenna which would serve you well in your wooded areas