Home Roof Antenna Install

[Capcadet05]

Hello all, I have a Mavic Pro 1 and am looking to extend the flights from my home backyard. I have read all there is on the forums about antenna modification on aircraft and controller side. I have a decent understanding of radio frequency waves and antenna concepts. So my goal would be able to fly far and low with the mod. At first I thought I would just mod my controller, putting giant omni 14 db antennas on it with to 4 watt amps each. That honestly I think is the most economical and best solution. Then it occurred to me line of sight is a huge issue with the trees, and neighbors etc....(2 story houses). I did a quick test yesterday with an unmodded controller. I went max range flight at 200 meters North bound, into the city where there can be interference, and southbound where there are agricultural fields. I did three tests to isolate some ideas. First I flew south to the fields standing in my back yard. Max flight is 2100 meters. Then I walked up to the second story window of my house and got max flight of 2454m south. aka 10 ft vert bought 300 meters! Same on north flight, original ground level max range was 1216 meters with max range from 2nd story window was 1695 meters. Last test I did was to fly the drone north while I was on the south lawn (aka my 20 ft house blocking my signal). I flew with the antennas pointing south....range was still decent around 1110 meters but I think this illustrates the effects terrain and buildings have on omnidirectional antenas.....

All that data experiment to say is the juice worth the squeeze of putting roof top antennas on my house? Here is how I would do it: 2x 15db 3ft antennas mounted on the roof, with 25-40 ft of LMR400 cable running to the side of the house or to the yard then they go to the 4 watt amps. When I want to fly I simply walk up and hook up to the cables. As my roof is like 25 feet high I would assume I make some huge range gains....But LMR400 ain't cheap, I also have to fight attenuation loss of about 1.6 Db in 40 ft of LMR400. By my calculation I am spending essentially $150 extra dollars to get a weaker signal by 10db but the signal is elevated. Do you think this is worth it?

Couple of Questions:
Do you think this is a good idea?
If so what sort of connector goes to the antenna? I know that controller mod kit from max UAV is RP-SMA....

Here is a quick link to the list of stuff that I would buy for this kit(ebay cart attached in pic):
Antenna x2 15 Db:2.4GHz 15dBi Omni Antenna(15-503) WITH Surge Lightning Arrester(17-501) | eBay

LMR 400 cable x2:TIMES MICROWAVE® 10-50 Ft LMR400 Antenna Jumper Coax Cable RP-SMA M/F Connector | eBay

4 watt amp x2: Cheap 4W 802.11b/g/n Bluetooth Wifi Wireless Amplifier Router 2.4Ghz WLAN sig... | eBay

Does the receiver gain of an amp make a difference? the 5Watt model I saw was 20bucks more and didn't really help in my Effective radiated power but the reciever gain was about 9 db higher. My understanding is receiver Db, is its ability to listen for signal back and amplify that signal. Is that correct? Essentially I would want a high receiver gain because this is the only way to better extend weak drone transmitter without modifying it. Is this logic correct? 5watt amp here 2.4G 8W EP-AB003 Wifi Wireless Broadband Amplifier Signal Booster 802.11b/g/n | eBay

According to my calculation website plugged in here I should have a 42 Db signal which is about double the stock ....If I were to ditch the antenna roof idea I could get it up to 50Db by getting indoor wifi 15db omni antennas.... Yes I know I can get yagi and directional antennas but I am just not confident in tracking to make sure I am in the antenna FOV.

Thoughts on the project overall?

If only controller mod I am going with the MAX UAV clean install kit and omni wifi 12db antenna (12dBi RP-SMA 2.4GHz 5GHZ High Gain Wifi Antenna for Wireless Security Camera | eBay someone can convince me I should strap a directional antenna on the control kit. I will still be getting the 4 watt amps as well for the controller. Anyone who has used the directional antennas...how sensitive are they? I intend to experiment after I have made the mod since I will have RP-SMA adapters....

As an aside to any nay sayers I looked at pumping in a 10 watt amp just to see but all the Effective radiated power does not really change....teh cost per DB becomes astronomical and the gain is maybe 5db from the kit I have just suggested...In my opinion the only way to really leverage more signal gain is to get a better antenna or modify transmitter on drone....

I guess does anyone have a solid understanding of the height vs Db max power output ....I.e. do I spend money on getting elevation or spend money on getting increased EFRP.

thanks!

 

[old man mavic]

excuse me if i am wrong ,but i thought that the whole point of flying a drone was apart from the actual control aspect,was to be able to have a portable camera platform, to travel with and get video and pics of interest from a different view point
all i can say is that you idea rather defeats that concept ,but good luck with your endeavours

 

[Capcadet05]

excuse me if i am wrong ,but i thought that the whole point of flying a drone was apart from the actual control aspect,was to be able to have a portable camera platform, to travel with and get video and pics of interest from a different view point
all i can say is that you idea rather defeats that concept ,but good luck with your endeavours

Not if you want to scope out the local farmers market from your back porch to see if your favorite vendors are there ! This is what I’m aiming to do. I enjoy flying from home and looking around , I also enjoy being mobile, this mod will allow for both.

 

[LazerMan]

No VLOS rule were you live? A lot of work and expense to see if the tomatoes are ripe and fresh

 

[J-Evertonian]

Hello all, I have a Mavic Pro 1 and am looking to extend the flights from my home backyard. I have read all there is on the forums about antenna modification on aircraft and controller side. I have a decent understanding of radio frequency waves and antenna concepts. So my goal would be able to fly far and low with the mod. At first I thought I would just mod my controller, putting giant omni 14 db antennas on it with to 4 watt amps each. That honestly I think is the most economical and best solution. Then it occurred to me line of sight is a huge issue with the trees, and neighbors etc....(2 story houses). I did a quick test yesterday with an unmodded controller. I went max range flight at 200 meters North bound, into the city where there can be interference, and southbound where there are agricultural fields. I did three tests to isolate some ideas. First I flew south to the fields standing in my back yard. Max flight is 2100 meters. Then I walked up to the second story window of my house and got max flight of 2454m south. aka 10 ft vert bought 300 meters! Same on north flight, original ground level max range was 1216 meters with max range from 2nd story window was 1695 meters. Last test I did was to fly the drone north while I was on the south lawn (aka my 20 ft house blocking my signal). I flew with the antennas pointing south....range was still decent around 1110 meters but I think this illustrates the effects terrain and buildings have on omnidirectional antenas.....

All that data experiment to say is the juice worth the squeeze of putting roof top antennas on my house? Here is how I would do it: 2x 15db 3ft antennas mounted on the roof, with 25-40 ft of LMR400 cable running to the side of the house or to the yard then they go to the 4 watt amps. When I want to fly I simply walk up and hook up to the cables. As my roof is like 25 feet high I would assume I make some huge range gains....But LMR400 ain't cheap, I also have to fight attenuation loss of about 1.6 Db in 40 ft of LMR400. By my calculation I am spending essentially $150 extra dollars to get a weaker signal by 10db but the signal is elevated. Do you think this is worth it?

Couple of Questions:
Do you think this is a good idea?
If so what sort of connector goes to the antenna? I know that controller mod kit from max UAV is RP-SMA....

Here is a quick link to the list of stuff that I would buy for this kit(ebay cart attached in pic):
Antenna x2 15 Db:2.4GHz 15dBi Omni Antenna(15-503) WITH Surge Lightning Arrester(17-501) | eBay

LMR 400 cable x2:TIMES MICROWAVE® 10-50 Ft LMR400 Antenna Jumper Coax Cable RP-SMA M/F Connector | eBay

4 watt amp x2: Cheap 4W 802.11b/g/n Bluetooth Wifi Wireless Amplifier Router 2.4Ghz WLAN sig... | eBay

Does the receiver gain of an amp make a difference? the 5Watt model I saw was 20bucks more and didn't really help in my Effective radiated power but the reciever gain was about 9 db higher. My understanding is receiver Db, is its ability to listen for signal back and amplify that signal. Is that correct? Essentially I would want a high receiver gain because this is the only way to better extend weak drone transmitter without modifying it. Is this logic correct? 5watt amp here 2.4G 8W EP-AB003 Wifi Wireless Broadband Amplifier Signal Booster 802.11b/g/n | eBay

According to my calculation website plugged in here I should have a 42 Db signal which is about double the stock ....If I were to ditch the antenna roof idea I could get it up to 50Db by getting indoor wifi 15db omni antennas.... Yes I know I can get yagi and directional antennas but I am just not confident in tracking to make sure I am in the antenna FOV.

Thoughts on the project overall?

If only controller mod I am going with the MAX UAV clean install kit and omni wifi 12db antenna (12dBi RP-SMA 2.4GHz 5GHZ High Gain Wifi Antenna for Wireless Security Camera | eBay someone can convince me I should strap a directional antenna on the control kit. I will still be getting the 4 watt amps as well for the controller. Anyone who has used the directional antennas...how sensitive are they? I intend to experiment after I have made the mod since I will have RP-SMA adapters....

As an aside to any nay sayers I looked at pumping in a 10 watt amp just to see but all the Effective radiated power does not really change....teh cost per DB becomes astronomical and the gain is maybe 5db from the kit I have just suggested...In my opinion the only way to really leverage more signal gain is to get a better antenna or modify transmitter on drone....

I guess does anyone have a solid understanding of the height vs Db max power output ....I.e. do I spend money on getting elevation or spend money on getting increased EFRP.

thanks!

. .if you had room in garden you could build one of these ?

 

[Paulricchi]

A lot of information on antenna theory for flights you should not even be engaged in with your drone to begin with (unless you have a BVLOS waiver) Additionally strapping after market equipment to the unit will not have a negative impact on the flight profile or battery usage correct? What could go wrong? You will have total awareness of the airspace your flying in with your onboard cameras at, by your admission, 2454 meters ( approx 1.5 miles) from mission control center on the second floor of your home. Flying a drone BVLOS over a city or agricultural areas, there are never helicopters flying under 400ft (which is by the way the flight ceiling for drones) in these areas? Unless you plan to violate those FAA regulations as well? There are no helicopters, on final approach to a trauma center LZ, with a critically ill or injured patient, who doesn’t need his day screwed up even further by your drone crashing into his life flight helicopter, correct? Not one mention of the safety risks involved in your proposal? All I can say is wow!

 

[KB3H]

Am in to VHF/UHF amateur radio . . . .and drones . . . It’s always fun to experiment. That said, , a flyaway would be costly, and would leave a lingering sour note

 

[itsneedtokno]

Why not go with a fixed wing for the range?

There's a video on YouTube of a guy modding his fixed wing to work with 4G LTE.

 

[LazerMan]

Think we scared him off

 

[Peterson]

Why would you need all that transmitting power for VLOS? My DJI controller has never let me down under these circumstances. However, having posed that question not sure what the regulations are in Italy.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

Lots of good hits with a search for a simple (link) > EXTERNAL ANTENNA
Maybe the Titan system can do what you want.

You may be flying very close, but please be safe there anyway.
I'm sure Italy will have some fairly advanced airspace rules, besides an incident possibly leading to legal hassles for you, there is also much greater risk of harm to people / property if something goes wrong.

 

[Modra]

Drone Laws in Italy | UAV Coach (2020) . So a large no to your idea.

 

[Flycaster]

Let alone the liability when the drone goes down....
and it will....

 

[cmac]

Not if you want to scope out the local farmers market from your back porch to see if your favorite vendors are there ! This is what I’m aiming to do. I enjoy flying from home and looking around , I also enjoy being mobile, this mod will allow for both.

the responses to your question are completely insane.

 

[Whizz]

excuse me if i am wrong ,but i thought that the whole point of flying a drone was apart from the actual control aspect,was to be able to have a portable camera platform, to travel with and get video and pics of interest from a different view point
all i can say is that you idea rather defeats that concept ,but good luck with your endeavours

Also it is illegal is it not to fly it out of the line of site

 

[DBT_Drone]

Am in to VHF/UHF amateur radio . . . .and drones . . . It’s always fun to experiment. That said, , a flyaway would be costly, and would leave a lingering sour note

de N6LTU......QRZ

 

[Interficiam Stercore]

test

 

[Interficiam Stercore]

Also it is illegal is it not to fly it out of the line of site

LOL. No one simply and politely asked him, if he was aware of VLOS rules or not. Now we will never know if he accomplished his goal. ?

 

[DoomMeister]

A lot of information on antenna theory for flights you should not even be engaged in with your drone to begin with (unless you have a BVLOS waiver) Additionally strapping after market equipment to the unit will not have a negative impact on the flight profile or battery usage correct? What could go wrong? You will have total awareness of the airspace your flying in with your onboard cameras at, by your admission, 2454 meters ( approx 1.5 miles) from mission control center on the second floor of your home. Flying a drone BVLOS over a city or agricultural areas, there are never helicopters flying under 400ft (which is by the way the flight ceiling for drones) in these areas? Unless you plan to violate those FAA regulations as well? There are no helicopters, on final approach to a trauma center LZ, with a critically ill or injured patient, who doesn’t need his day screwed up even further by your drone crashing into his life flight helicopter, correct? Not one mention of the safety risks involved in your proposal? All I can say is wow!

You do realize that the FAA has nothing to do with flights in Italy!

 

[Interficiam Stercore]

You do realize that the FAA has nothing to do with flights in Italy!

Italian Civil Aviation Authority
The Ente Nazionale per l'Aviazione Civile (ENAC), English: Italian Civil Aviation Authority, is the national aviation authority of Italy. Its headquarters are located in Rome.