Home range extender or antenna?

[Maviczoomnights]

Hey guys, need a little help with range extension and antennas. So i fly a majority of my flights from inside my house thru either a window or on my deck. Being able to relax on the couch is my goal. I know most controller range extenders or signal amplifiers are battery powered so its mobile with the controller but in my case a wall plug in booster would work fine. I want to run a outdoor signal booster, something i can mount on top my house and have hard wired. basically a ground station home version. but my questions are:

1: I'm not 100% positive how to wire that into my controller
2: what kind of antenna would work best under $500

 

[dirkclod]

Well I’ve seen it tried for years with Phantoms and other drones
but let me ask you this. How do you plan on keeping LOS kicked back on your couch ?

 

[Little bird]

Well I’ve seen it tried for years with Phantoms and other drones
but let me ask you this. How do you plan on keeping LOS kicked back on your couch ?

I was wondering the same thing vlos.

 

[AZDave]

Hey guys, need a little help with range extension and antennas. So i fly a majority of my flights from inside my house thru either a window or on my deck. Being able to relax on the couch is my goal. I know most controller range extenders or signal amplifiers are battery powered so its mobile with the controller but in my case a wall plug in booster would work fine. I want to run a outdoor signal booster, something i can mount on top my house and have hard wired. basically a ground station home version. but my questions are:

1: I'm not 100% positive how to wire that into my controller
2: what kind of antenna would work best under $500

An antenna-based range extender is going to be highly directional, so unless you plan to use some kind of rotator you're going to be worse off with the antenna than without it most of the time if you can't point it toward your drone.

An amplifier with an omnidirectional external antenna might work, but you're going to have to tear into your controller to do it. Any amplifier designed for that task should tell you how to do it. And I say "might" work, because the amplifier is only going to improve your signal from the controller to the drone ... it isn't going to do anything to help your signal coming back from the drone to the controller. Depending upon the unit, it might also amplify the returning signal, but it will also amplify the incoming noise and it's the signal-to-noise ratio that's important. That's an advantage of directional gain antennas --- they improve the signal-to-noise ratio in both directions.

Now then, how do you plan to satisfy the VLOS requirements while sitting on your couch?

 

[dirkclod]

He ain’t unless he has a spotter outside that he can talk to
but then that defeats the purpose except for him.
Now OP if you really want to learn more about doing this do a search in phantom pilots forum as I’ve seen this tryed many times.
Of course this was before flying LOS was as big of issue as it is now plus we talking about a differant type of signal now than we had then and not being the drone police but I really wouldn’t suggest
even pursuing it now.

 

[hiflyer201]

call the local FSDO...They'll get back to you with the answer.

 

[dirkclod]

You don’t need any other antennas to fly from your vehicle I do it all the time. Might have to hold the tx on top of the steering wheel
if I see my signal dropping but works great for me. I use a 4’ cable
and ether place my iPad on my wheel or suspend it from my visor
if the sun is a issue.
This is a tray I use sometimes.

Even works with my wifi Mini.

 

[James G.]

An antenna-based range extender is going to be highly directional, so unless you plan to use some kind of rotator you're going to be worse off with the antenna than without it most of the time if you can't point it toward your drone.

An amplifier with an omnidirectional external antenna might work, but you're going to have to tear into your controller to do it. Any amplifier designed for that task should tell you how to do it. And I say "might" work, because the amplifier is only going to improve your signal from the controller to the drone ... it isn't going to do anything to help your signal coming back from the drone to the controller. Depending upon the unit, it might also amplify the returning signal, but it will also amplify the incoming noise and it's the signal-to-noise ratio that's important. That's an advantage of directional gain antennas --- they improve the signal-to-noise ratio in both directions.

Now then, how do you plan to satisfy the VLOS requirements while sitting on your couch?

OBVIOUSLY some people are smart enough to come up with these ideas, but too dumb to understand their idea is stupid.

 

[dirkclod]

OBVIOUSLY some people are smart enough to come up with these ideas, but too dumb to understand their idea is stupid.

Obviously some members just check the box saying they read our
guidelines when they join. Which one of them is we do not call others names .
Maybe read the page before you post anymore ?

Community Rules

www.mavicpilots.com

 

[James G.]

Obviously some members just check the box saying they read our
guidelines when they join. Which one of them is we do not call others names .
Maybe read the page before you post anymore ?

Community Rules

www.mavicpilots.com

Ooooops! Sorry. I guess I was being a bit abrasive. However, it is a bit irritating that some do not take flying and operating these things with respect. Attempting to fly from inside a house on your couch is a blatant disregard of the standard protocol for safe operation and VLOS. That makes the rest of us suffer with continued new rules brought on by ignorance of the few. Fair? Hardly!

 

[dirkclod]

Ooooops! Sorry. I guess I was being a bit abrasive. However, it is a bit irritating that some do not take flying and operating these things with respect. Attempting to fly from inside a house on your couch is a blatant disregard of the standard protocol for safe operation and VLOS. That makes the rest of us suffer with continued new rules brought on by ignorance of the few. Fair? Hardly!

Yes you was and if you read the Guidelines you will see it’s not my place or yours to criticize another member. Educate yes.
My place is to be sure those guidelines are followed and I have no problem doing so. Just keep that in mind and your ?
Now enough off topic and back to the OP’s thread. ?

 

[GadgetGuy]

You don’t need any other antennas to fly from your vehicle I do it all the time. Might have to hold the tx on top of the steering wheel
if I see my signal dropping but works great for me. I use a 4’ cable
and ether place my iPad on my wheel or suspend it from my visor
if the sun is a issue.
This is a tray I use sometimes.
View attachment 132093
Even works with my wifi Mini.

Nice steering wheel tray. Not sure if if I have asked you before, but is that a custom made tray, or can it be purchased somewhere? I'd like to get one!

 

[dirkclod]

Nice steering wheel tray. Not sure if if I have asked you before, but is that a custom made tray, or can it be purchased somewhere? I'd like to get one!

Amazon GG. i had to widen the hole for the wheel in that truck as it’s thick plus the cover. It does work good if the sun isn’t coming in.
Dont have a picture at moment of what I’m using more now but
got it at Amazon also and like it better. It clips to wheel or visor
if I’m getting glare. Will place a few pictures in this thread in a few for ya.
Says not available.
What I use more now

 

[GadgetGuy]

Amazon GG. i had to widen the hole for the wheel in that truck as it’s thick plus the cover. It does work good if the sun isn’t coming in.
Dont have a picture at moment of what I’m using more now but
got it at Amazon also and like it better. It clips to wheel or visor
if I’m getting glare. Will place a few pictures in this thread in a few for ya.
Says not available.
View attachment 132136 What I use more now View attachment 132137View attachment 132138View attachment 132139View attachment 132140

Thanks, Dirk! Ordered!

 

[dirkclod]

Thanks, Dirk! Ordered!

It’s spring loaded the one I last showed and does work great for me. Enjoy !!
I just use a 4’ cable.

 

[GadgetGuy]

It’s spring loaded the one I last showed and does work great for me. Enjoy !!
I just use a 4’ cable.

Looking forward using it. I'll get a 4' cable, too! Thanks for the tips!

 

[bgdewitt]

Hey guys, need a little help with range extension and antennas. So i fly a majority of my flights from inside my house thru either a window or on my deck. Being able to relax on the couch is my goal. I know most controller range extenders or signal amplifiers are battery powered so its mobile with the controller but in my case a wall plug in booster would work fine. I want to run a outdoor signal booster, something i can mount on top my house and have hard wired. basically a ground station home version. but my questions are:

1: I'm not 100% positive how to wire that into my controller
2: what kind of antenna would work best under $500

Just for reference, you will be violating DJI's FCC certification grant for the transmitter if you add a higher gain antenna or external amplifier.

 

[Interficiam Stercore]

I would expect he's not planning on keeping VLOS. I've actually allready done what he wants to do. I put a directional power amplified alientech antenna on a pole on my second story patio. The pole was high enough to make the antenna 4 stories high considering the height it started at.. It towered over everything. Having it on a pole allowed me to turn the pole in the direction of the flight path I was going to take. I used 20ft qma cables to link the Remote to the antenna. Of course the remote had to be modified for a qma adapter refit. I sent the cables in through a cracked window near the televison. This way, I was able to mirror he R/C tablet to my 65 inch TV in the living room. Talking about a wopper of an R/C monitor, oh boy. You can see incredible detail on a 65 inch screen. Flying around on you couch is soo fun, but sooo illegal.Take note Maviczoomlights, O.P., but I'm guilty as charged.