Range Boosters

nencmeister · Jul 24, 2020

Hello all,

Anyone know of any range boosters besides the whopping $300 ALIENTECH? I can't justify paying that much for a friggin antenna. I need one mainly for urban flying, nothing insane.
Can't find anything via search either.

Thank you!

GadgetGuy · Jul 24, 2020

How about launching from a higher elevation? If LOS obstructions are the problem, no amount of signal boosting will penetrate them. OcuSync 2 is already as optimized for distance and flights over urban interference, but you still need clear LOS for best results.

HoosierFlyer · Jul 24, 2020

GadgetGuy said:
How about launching from a higher elevation? If LOS obstructions are the problem, no amount of signal boosting will penetrate them. OcuSync 2 is already as optimized for distance and flights over urban interference, but you still need clear LOS for best results.

Yep, this.

I can personally fly around 2000-3000ft over urban area with trees blocking my LOS. Earlier today I tested out in the country with clear LOS and was able to achieve 10,000ft and could have kept going. With that, why do people feel the need to fly this far away?

GadgetGuy · Jul 25, 2020

HoosierFlyer said:
Yep, this.

I can personally fly around 2000-3000ft over urban area with trees blocking my LOS. Earlier today I tested out in the country with clear LOS and was able to achieve 10,000ft and could have kept going. With that, why do people feel the need to fly this far away?

Because they can? Because they can't get closer? ?

nencmeister · Jul 25, 2020

HoosierFlyer said:
Yep, this.

I can personally fly around 2000-3000ft over urban area with trees blocking my LOS. Earlier today I tested out in the country with clear LOS and was able to achieve 10,000ft and could have kept going. With that, why do people feel the need to fly this far away?

10,000ft and still have a LOS? You have much better vision than me my friend.

I need this to penetrate more in an urban environment, should have put signal booster in the title .

nencmeister · Jul 25, 2020

GadgetGuy said:
How about launching from a higher elevation? If LOS obstructions are the problem, no amount of signal boosting will penetrate them. OcuSync 2 is already as optimized for distance and flights over urban interference, but you still need clear LOS for best results.

Yes Occusync 2 is fantastic, I can already 5x outfly my MA2 over my Mini in the same urban environment. However you will get a stronger, and farther signal with larger antennas, and yes better penetration of some objects as well (trees) etc. I know it won't help that much if I'm flying in Manhattan, but it definitely well from my backyard (right behind a golf course with some light trees scattered around, then lakes / woods after that)

Bigger antenna = mo powa baby (it does actually work like this

)

HoosierFlyer · Jul 25, 2020

nencmeister said:
Yes Occusync 2 is fantastic, I can already 5x outfly my MA2 over my Mini in the same urban environment. However you will get a stronger, and farther signal with larger antennas, and yes better penetration of some objects as well (trees) etc. I know it won't help that much if I'm flying in Manhattan, but it definitely well from my backyard (right behind a golf course with some light trees scattered around, then lakes / woods after that)

Bigger antenna = mo powa baby (it does actually work like this )

Actually, it doesn’t work like this. A bigger antenna fitted to the same transmitter will only change the signal pattern and shape. If you want more power, you would need to physically modify the transmitter pcb board or somehow unlock it in software. The FCC limits this by law so that we aren’t all just blasting high power signals through the air.

HoosierFlyer · Jul 25, 2020

nencmeister said:
10,000ft and still have a LOS? You have much better vision than me my friend.

I need this to penetrate more in an urban environment, should have put signal booster in the title .

LOS means that the signal from my controller to the drone was “clear”. I did not mention VISUAL line of sight with my naked eye.

Lets Fly · Jul 25, 2020

Does anyone know if these actually work?

D

GadgetGuy · Jul 25, 2020

Lets Fly said:
Does anyone know if these actually work?View attachment 108866D

Despite the MA2 in the description, they are designed to slip over the top of the rotating antennas on all other Mavic RC's, which no longer exist on the MA2 RC.

Lets Fly · Jul 25, 2020

GadgetGuy said:
Despite the MA2 in the description, they are designed to slip over the top of the rotating antennas on all other Mavic RC's, which no longer exist on the MA2 RC.

I see that, thanks. I have the Mavic Air and was curious if they help with signal.

GadgetGuy · Jul 26, 2020

Lets Fly said:
I see that, thanks. I have the Mavic Air and was curious if they help with signal.

Supposedly, they do. However, I prefer the standard windsurfer parabolic reflector over each antenna to create directionality and concentrate the signal. Works great on the Mavic 2, and will help a little with the Mavic Air, but the real problem with the Mavic Air is standard WiFi instead of the superior Lightbridge or OcuSync, although you can select 5.8Ghz for better range in urban areas on the MA.

nencmeister · Jul 27, 2020

HoosierFlyer said:
Actually, it doesn’t work like this. A bigger antenna fitted to the same transmitter will only change the signal pattern and shape. If you want more power, you would need to physically modify the transmitter pcb board or somehow unlock it in software. The FCC limits this by law so that we aren’t all just blasting high power signals through the air.

Ehh, An external antenna would probably have more surface area, and I'd rather not get into a debate. I am simply looking for an alternative to the $300 alientech antenna which is already out, and is proven to work without any extra internal amplification. There are about a dozen different knock offs available for older models, just seeing if there is one available for the MA2. Thank you for your input!

And I'm not going to let the FCC tell me I can't install larger antennas on my drone, this unfortunately just does not align with my personal beliefs.

PS: Thank you Lets Fly for the input, I will look in to this and hopefully it's not mislabeled. The remotes for the Air 1 etc are of course a much different form factor than what we are working with, but I have not opened one up myself so you never know. I'll post back if I find more anything online the model you posted and if it's compatible or not, if so I'll happily take a chance

itsneedtokno · Jul 27, 2020

nencmeister said:
Ehh, An external antenna would probably have more surface area, and I'd rather not get into a debate. I am simply looking for an alternative to the $300 alientech antenna which is already out, and is proven to work without any extra internal amplification. There are about a dozen different knock offs available for older models, just seeing if there is one available for the MA2. Thank you for your input!

And I'm not going to let the FCC tell me I can't install larger antennas on my drone, this unfortunately just does not align with my personal beliefs.

PS: Thank you Lets Fly for the input, I will look in to this and hopefully it's not mislabeled. The remotes for the Air 1 etc are of course a much different form factor than what we are working with, but I have not opened one up myself so you never know. I'll post back if I find more anything online the model you posted and if it's compatible or not, if so I'll happily take a chance

And where exactly do you suppose you are going to attach those? They will not fit the MA2. The form factor is entirely different.

This was mentioned in post number 10

For now, there's not much besides the AlienTech.

I mean, I don't personally care about whether or not you follow the rules... But recovery of a drone from miles away is much harder than a couple thousand feet. Not to mention, when flying a range test you are almost certainly flying over private property at some point. I'd hate to have a bird strike at 4 miles over somebody's multi million dollar estate, or even over a field.

You wouldn't only be violating FAA VLOS, buuut now you would be trespassing to recover your drone. The FAA may not care, but the local law enforcement might, depending on the property owner's awareness of their property.

aokusman · Jul 27, 2020

Lets Fly said:
I see that, thanks. I have the Mavic Air and was curious if they help with signal.

I had the Mavic air and installed the 4hawks SR antenna. Costs about $150 and made my feed stronger.

nencmeister · Jul 27, 2020

itsneedtokno said:
And where exactly do you suppose you are going to attach those? They will not fit the MA2. The form factor is entirely different.

This was mentioned in post number 10

For now, there's not much besides the AlienTech.

I mean, I don't personally care about whether or not you follow the rules... But recovery of a drone from miles away is much harder than a couple thousand feet. Not to mention, when flying a range test you are almost certainly flying over private property at some point. I'd hate to have a bird strike at 4 miles over somebody's multi million dollar estate, or even over a field.

You wouldn't only be violating FAA VLOS, buuut now you would be trespassing to recover your drone. The FAA may not care, but the local law enforcement might, depending on the property owner's awareness of their property.

I know they won't fit the MA2, I was being polite with a person that took time to try and help me and actually is trying to contribute to the topic.

I never mentioned I was going to fly my drone 4 miles over a multi million dollar estate, then somehow get shot down by a bird. I live on the edge of a golf course, I have some trees that interfere with my reception, I just want an extra bar or two over a certain part that's about 500 feet away from me, I don't think that's unreasonable to ask.

Sorry guys, not trying to have any debates here about theories and what not. I simply can't justify paying almost half of the drone cost for a range booster, it's just a bad deal.

Thank you for those that contributed!!!

itsneedtokno · Jul 27, 2020

nencmeister said:
I know they won't fit the MA2, I was being polite with a person that took time to try and help me and actually is trying to contribute to the topic.

understood, just making sure you didn't waste your time. Also being polite.

nencmeister said:
I never mentioned I was going to fly my drone 4 miles over a multi million dollar estate, then somehow get shot down by a bird. I live on the edge of a golf course, I have some trees that interfere with my reception, I just want an extra bar or two over a certain part that's about 500 feet away from me, I don't think that's unreasonable to ask.

I never said you were, I said what if.

"Somehow get shot down by a bird"... You should YouTube birds vs drones.

Watch out for golf balls though!

nencmeister said:
Sorry guys, not trying to have any debates here about theories and what not. I simply can't justify paying almost half of the drone cost for a range booster, it's just a bad deal.

Thank you for those that contributed!!!

I wholeheartedly agree, and you're welcome!

nencmeister · Aug 10, 2020

Found one!

13.84US $ |Mavic Air 2 Signal Booster Yagi Uda Antenna Amplifier Range Extender Transmitter For DJI Remote Control Drone Accessories|Remote Control| - AliExpress

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

Just ordered one to test it out. Definitely no alientech but curious to see if there are even minimal gains

Craig Notts · Aug 10, 2020

nencmeister said:
Found one!

13.84US $ |Mavic Air 2 Signal Booster Yagi Uda Antenna Amplifier Range Extender Transmitter For DJI Remote Control Drone Accessories|Remote Control| - AliExpress

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

Just ordered one to test it out. Definitely no alientech but curious to see if there are even minimal gains