My amp/antenna build and distance test (I will update thread as i go)

[droneuser]

An omni antenna with that high of gain gives you great reach in the horizontal plane, but very little in the vertical plane.

Go back to that same spot in your screen clip and lower your altitude. You will see the signal performance increase significantly.

Or if you are only flying in one direction, tilt the antenna away from the flight direction a few degrees and you can maintain or increase your altitude.

I will have to try that! I am kinda of surprised that little height with the pole made that much difference ! considering some of my trees are taller then the pole!

 

[droneuser]

here is the data from that flight ( screen shot I posted) I had to turn around due to video lost even tho the HD level showed 3-4 bars! BUT also I had remote controller inference msgs too! I hope to get video up sometime this week. just a note I flew the same flight path as I did with my other flight tests!

 

[droneuser]

Well during my antenna tower version 2. I found this with the 15dbi Omni antennas! This could be a reason we some people are not getting good results with this antenna!

 

[beanbubba]

Well during my antenna tower version 2. I found this with the 15dbi Omni antennas! This could be a reason we some people are not getting good results with this antenna!

Thanks for that video @droneuser

I have found over the years that unless you are purchasing antennas from a commercial RF supplier, you have about a 50/50 chance of getting what you expect from places like amazon and eBay.

AND, there are so many cut rate suppliers that mix and match 2.4 and 5.X gHz products. You can use a 5gHz antenna on a 2.4 radio and it will function just fine, but your dBi gain is roughly half of what it was rated for 5gHz. I see this all the time where the listing will say 15dBi gain antenna for 2.4 and 5g, and all they are doing is selling the same 5g antenna for both use cases.

Antenna theory and manufacturing is more art than engineering and there is no single rule book for how to make an antenna. There are hundred of valid ways to make an operational antenna that may look completely strange (like you described in your video). Don't let the "strange" part bother you, just test them and see if they perform to their specification or not.

Lastly, this is just a broad rule of thumb but if you are comparing the guts of similarly manufactured 2.4 and 5g antennas, the 2.4 elements and overall sizes is roughly 40% larger that the 5g variant. This is just a quick visual check you can do when inspecting antennas.

 

[droneuser]

Thanks for that video @droneuser

I have found over the years that unless you are purchasing antennas from a commercial RF supplier, you have about a 50/50 chance of getting what you expect from places like amazon and eBay.

AND, there are so many cut rate suppliers that mix and match 2.4 and 5.X gHz products. You can use a 5gHz antenna on a 2.4 radio and it will function just fine, but your dBi gain is roughly half of what it was rated for 5gHz. I see this all the time where the listing will say 15dBi gain antenna for 2.4 and 5g, and all they are doing is selling the same 5g antenna for both use cases.

Antenna theory and manufacturing is more art than engineering and there is no single rule book for how to make an antenna. There are hundred of valid ways to make an operational antenna that may look completely strange (like you described in your video). Don't let the "strange" part bother you, just test them and see if they perform to their specification or not.

Lastly, this is just a broad rule of thumb but if you are comparing the guts of similarly manufactured 2.4 and 5g antennas, the 2.4 elements and overall sizes is roughly 40% larger that the 5g variant. This is just a quick visual check you can do when inspecting antennas.

you are so right on the commercial RF supplier the prices will reflect that too but you get what ya pay for..lol the one antenna that is a "coil" type coiling makes the antenna electrically longer so one has to wonder how bad the "tune" would be on that one. I would hate to know the swr reading on that one too! lol lol as you know 2.4ghz is a very picky freqs I cant believe they used crimping type instead of solder

yes the lower the freqs the longer the antenna will be ( unless they uses a coil in it) but I never felt the coil performs well compare to a full length antenna

never the less, its always fun testing antennas out well unless you crash..lol

 

[droneuser]

ok updated! I have some antennas on the way but also due to a computer failure ( hard drive) I have to get things re-set up meaning programs, videos, etc

I hope to have everything up and running next week sometime

 

[Rnl]

What antennas are you getting, please tell.

 

[droneuser]

15dbi Omni antennas BUT they look to be a different type of design then what I had before so we will see I will posted data once I get them in and test them

 

[RB55]

Hi! I just read all 25 pages of this thread. Instead of building huge radio towers and spending tons of time with antennas, wouldn't it make more sense to add a 4w booster to the Mavic's video transmitter?

 

[droneuser]

Hi! I just read all 25 pages of this thread. Instead of building huge radio towers and spending tons of time with antennas, wouldn't it make more sense to add a 4w booster to the Mavic's video transmitter?

you mean on the Mavic itself? if so that may happen in the future for now I just wanted to test antennas to find what ones work and what ones don't work as well then with that info people will know about how far with what antenna using a stock Mavic. of course most people wont have a tower but I like to build things even if the Mavic itself is modded that wont do any good if the signal cant get thru the trees and leaves hence why all of this

 

[RB55]

you mean on the Mavic itself? if so that may happen in the future for now I just wanted to test antennas to find what ones work and what ones don't work as well then with that info people will know about how far with what antenna using a stock Mavic. of course most people wont have a tower but I like to build things even if the Mavic itself is modded that wont do any good if the signal cant get thru the trees and leaves hence why all of this

I understand your frustration of the trees blocking your signal. Don't worry, you are not alone. I have a Phantom 3 STANDARD and I live in dense forest. I get ~2000 feet on a good day. That's why I'm buying a Mavic; it has a much better transmitting system then the P3S.

I seriously recommend adding boosters on the Mavic itself, since you seem so determined to fly long range (I appreciate that!). The Mavic has tiny antennas and a weak power transmitting output; this is why you struggle to fly long range. Although your controller's transmitting and receiving capabilities are highly improved with your amps and high-gain antennas, it is only one side of the system. Your Mavic's transmitting and receiving capabilities are just as important as your controller's. By increasing the Mavic's RX and TX power, the signal will penetrate the trees much better, and your range will be significantly improved.

There are videos like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yagIJZ2juos getting 11+ miles with the Mavic... your environment makes ALL the difference with long range FPV. With my P3S (antenna mod with no boosters), I can only achieve 1000 feet in a forest with some wifi interference, but in an open field with no interference i have achieved distances of 2 miles.

Of course, your environment is impossible to alter in most cases. This is the reason for the antenna modification market; individuals like you and me striving to fly long range in harsh environments.

If you enjoy experimenting with various antenna types, I recommend trying RP-SMA 2.4GHz 25dBi Directional Outdoor Wireless Yagi Antenna WiFi For Router VP 791658607238 | eBay . Yagi antennas are highly directional and have an excellent gain, if used with the booster, they may significantly improve range.
Happy LRFPV!

 

[droneuser]

yes I may mod the Mavic itself in the future so far I have gotten 2.06 miles without the tower of course at that time there wasn't any leaves on the trees..

yes I saw those antennas but I have notice with that type of antenna ( panels too) they are VERY touchy when aiming them it felt like I was spending more time aiming the panels antenna then flying

I am trying to get the most distance without modding the Mavic itself ( most people don't want to go thru all that) controller mods are for the most part easier for people to do. or there are places you can send them in to get it done. I don't know of any places that mod the Mavic that way.

So I hope the info in this thread will help people on deciding if they want to mod the controller and what distance they may get

 

[Rnl]

Droneuser where did you get your 4 watt amp.

 

[RB55]

Droneuser where did you get your 4 watt amp.

you can get one here
https://www.amazon.com/Extender-Rep...pID=51NqtCUgMfL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

 

[droneuser]

Droneuser where did you get your 4 watt amp.

I got my the link below BUT I see he is out of stock

4W Wifi Wireless Amplifier Router 2.4Ghz WLAN ZigBee BT Signal Booster NEW Z8Q5 | eBay

 

[Rnl]

Thanks guys

 

[droneuser]

Thanks guys

no problem fyi I may have to start night flying

 

[Rnl]

I like it, I just use the map works good, less wind.

 

[droneuser]

yup AND no one bugs you when everyone is sleeping! lol lol

 

[Rnl]

Rite my family just don't see it, but its relaxing to me and I enjoy looking around for miles for deer.