Which coax pigtail to choose for RC controller

[GravityRZ]

i am in the process of installing external antenna's on my rc controller.

i have both RG178 and 1.13 coax pigtails available.

which one should i choose?

1.13 is way easier to use and the u.fl connector will probably stay in place.

RG178 is a bit thicker, should have less DB loss but there is a risk that the u.fl connector will come off when twisting the cable(when reassembling)

also i read comparison between RG178 and 1.13 and there they state that the RG178 has more resistance(but less DB loss) strange because it is a thicker cable

i am puzzled, please advise.

cable is 15cm long

 

[Cafguy]

I may be able to help but first.
1. What Controller?
2. Why.
3. To control which drone?

 

[GravityRZ]

it is the rc controller
to install external antenna's to get more range and better stable connection
mini 3 pro

 

[GravityRZ]

Ok,
since there is nobody willing to help me i do what i always do(answer my own question)

here is the answer, hopefully this will help other people.

i compared specs
on 2.5 ghz the 1.13 gives an extra loss of 1.81% compared to RG178
on 6 ghz the 1.13 gives an extra loss of 1.18% compared to RG178

so it is safe to say the difference is minimal on 15cm cable
with 1.13 you get the advantage of cable flexibility and a guarantee that the connector will not come loose(you just can not twist the cable enuogh to make it pop off)

		30,48cm
	freq	DB/feet	percentage signal	percentage signal bij 15cm	difference
RG178	2.5	-0,784​	83,48	91,87007874
	5	-1,38​	72,777	86,60285433
	6	-1,5​	70,79	85,625
1.13	2.5	-0,98​	79,799	90,05856299	-1,81151575​
	5	-1,54​	70,145	85,30757874	-1,29527559​
	6	-1,65​	68,39	84,44389764	-1,18110236​

 

[pati0furniture]

Ok,
since there is nobody willing to help me i do what i always do(answer my own question)

here is the answer, hopefully this will help other people.

i compared specs
on 2.5 ghz the 1.13 gives an extra loss of 1.81% compared to RG178
on 6 ghz the 1.13 gives an extra loss of 1.18% compared to RG178

so it is safe to say the difference is minimal on 15cm cable
with 1.13 you get the advantage of cable flexibility and a guarantee that the connector will not come loose(you just can not twist the cable enuogh to make it pop off)

		30,48cm
	freq	DB/feet	percentage signal	percentage signal bij 15cm	difference
RG178	2.5	-0,784​	83,48	91,87007874
	5	-1,38​	72,777	86,60285433
	6	-1,5​	70,79	85,625
1.13	2.5	-0,98​	79,799	90,05856299	-1,81151575​
	5	-1,54​	70,145	85,30757874	-1,29527559​
	6	-1,65​	68,39	84,44389764	-1,18110236​

Good info, thanks. I was just wondering the same thing when looking at cables.

 

[kolo]

thanks mate

 

[GroovyGeek]

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The above comes to the same conclusion as you.

The bigger question is whether there is enough of a difference to justify the hassle of an external antenna. I have seen conflicting opinions. I flew a Magic 3 Pro with RC for the first time yesterday and did not see any issues with connectivity up to about 1.5km which is probably all I will ever need.

The fact that the RC2 has external antennae suggests an acknowledgement from DJI that the RC design was sub optimal. Which leads to another question - why are people not adapting the RC with the RC2 antennas rather than wifi router antennas. The former are much more compact.

 

[airo9]

i am in the process of installing external antenna's on my rc controller.

i have both RG178 and 1.13 coax pigtails available.

which one should i choose?

1.13 is way easier to use and the u.fl connector will probably stay in place.

RG178 is a bit thicker, should have less DB loss but there is a risk that the u.fl connector will come off when twisting the cable(when reassembling)

also i read comparison between RG178 and 1.13 and there they state that the RG178 has more resistance(but less DB loss) strange because it is a thicker cable

i am puzzled, please advise.

cable is 15cm long

It sounds like you’re balancing convenience with performance. If ease of use is a priority and you're worried about the u.fl connector, the 1.13 might be the way to go, especially for a 15cm length—it's more flexible and less likely to disconnect.

That said, RG178 will give you slightly less DB loss (better signal quality), but yeah, the thicker cable could make the u.fl connection trickier, especially if you're moving it around a lot. The higher resistance in RG178 isn’t a huge issue at short lengths like 15cm, but it's still something to consider.

Ultimately, if you're comfortable with the 1.13 and don't mind a little signal loss, it’s probably the safer bet for reliability.