Mavic Radio Mods Primer

[BigMotor]

Installing a 2.4g antenna on my buddies 85 foot tower recently...

View attachment 40098

Nice!

 

[beanbubba]

Nice!

My buddy lives about 6 miles from me and we thought it necessary to create a point-to-point data link for mission critical communications.

Some ask why would you do this.... because we can

 

[BigMotor]

My buddy lives about 6 miles from me and we thought it necessary to create a point-to-point data link for mission critical communications.

Some ask why would you do this.... because we can

I hear ya, and you don't like what he does with all of that radio equipment he has?

 

[BigMotor]

I hear ya, and you don't like what he does with all of that radio equipment he has?

You must live out west near the desert?

 

[beanbubba]

You must live out west near the desert?

Nah, just south of Dallas Texas.

 

[Echelon]

Those are some nice setups! One day I'll live somewhere that I can put up a large tower, for now the roof will have to do. Here's my rig and a 20m moxon I built last year.

 

[beanbubba]

Those are some nice setups! One day I'll live somewhere that I can put up a large tower, for now the roof will have to do. Here's my rig and a 20m moxon I built last year.

What do you estimate your entire rig/setup cost you? Trying to get a ballpark cost of entry for a decent system.

 

[Echelon]

What do you estimate your entire rig/setup cost you? Trying to get a ballpark cost of entry for a decent system.

Well you can get a lot of used equipment and build all the antennas on your own. Just depends on what you want. I used to have a very portable system and traded rigs for that giant. If you had 1k to spend you could build a really nice station, but you can get on the air for a few hundred. You can also have a setup like your friend with the giant beam and spent many thousands or even 10's of thousands. The hobby is a lot like RC in that you always find little odds and ends, mods etc. to spend money on. If you bought just the rig I have used its a grand but it was likely 3k+ with all the filters in it when it was new. A great bang for the buck rig is what I had before this which is the Icom IC-7000, you can get them for 500-800 used, has all HF bands, 2M and 70CM. Pair it with an AH-4 auto tuner and you can do anything with some wire in the trees.

 

[beanbubba]

Well you can get a lot of used equipment and build all the antennas on your own. Just depends on what you want. I used to have a very portable system and traded rigs for that giant. If you had 1k to spend you could build a really nice station, but you can get on the air for a few hundred. You can also have a setup like your friend with the giant beam and spent many thousands or even 10's of thousands. The hobby is a lot like RC in that you always find little odds and ends, mods etc. to spend money on. If you bought just the rig I have used its a grand but it was likely 3k+ with all the filters in it when it was new. A great bang for the buck rig is what I had before this which is the Icom IC-7000, you can get them for 500-800 used, has all HF bands, 2M and 70CM. Pair it with an AH-4 auto tuner and you can do anything with some wire in the trees.

Did you get any flack from your home owners association for installing that big antenna on your roof?

 

[Echelon]

Lucky for me i dont have one in my neighborhood. There are laws protecting amateurs that allow them to have reasonable antennas regardless. I would start with wires anyways.

 

[beanbubba]

Lucky for me i dont have one in my neighborhood. There are laws protecting amateurs that allow them to have reasonable antennas regardless. I would start with wires anyways.

Your car probably looks like this too?

 

[frank2006]

So the best combination would be AC Sunhans boost on TX/RX, RC Dragon 4W boost on TX/RX and 8W boost on RX?

 

[luke61456789]

Here is my set up thanks to covertdrones.com its got 4 watt amplifiers in the big box that also carries my platinum and it charges my batteries and then the ones that screw on to the remote are a little more portable and have the same size amps in it! I can get out so far I love being able to switch out the antennas I live in a really congested neighborhood and this radio mod was a must I couldn't get anywhere Hardly! I love this set up and I wouldn't trade it for any new dji drone as of yet!

 

[Rnl]

If that's a switch I believe it's a 3 watt amp. Still works good, fly further than battery will let me. My best is 4.5 miles out.

 

[luke61456789]

I double checked and it is a 4 watt amplifier and I have gone out miles I never lost video or had a hiccup they mavic battery made me turn if not for that I would have been able to keep going thats a nice distance 4.5 miles!

 

[luke61456789]

If that's a switch I believe it's a 3 watt amp. Still works good, fly further than battery will let me. My best is 4.5 miles out.

and I was able to get it a little cheaper then usual through covertdrones.com and the box is a tactical

 

[luke61456789]

what I did was I bought that big box and then I bought just an amp panel add on for 230 bucks and basically I can have a switch or the tactical the box is an amplifier 4 watt as well bad a** system!

 

[beanbubba]

I updated the first post and attached a pdf here with a short paper I wrote: "Fresnel Zone Intro for Drone Pilots".

 

[crlmjohnson]

mnoutdoors, here is some show-n-tell of my shop and drone headquarters. After a lot of trial and error, the night landing pad works well and allows auto precision landing to work perfectly at night (which is when I do the majority of my flying).

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I still like yours.

 

[crlmjohnson]

Man this guy is an animal. I want a cozy indoor setup like that!

The guy is the real DEAL! Man I love it!

BooooM! Baby! Boom!