5km out, 10km round trip, using tin foil mod.

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What we figured out today...

-Using the tinfoil /aluminium paper ears for sure adds 2-3km range.

-Having a second DJI phantom watched on kills your range.

I can't imagine why anyone would ever pay for antenna mods after this silly aluminium foil hack.

Here are pics:
Hitting 4km range... Done that...
ImageUploadedByPhantomPilots - DJI Phantom Forum1440442478.559109.jpg


Hitting 4.5km... Getting nervous...
ImageUploadedByPhantomPilots - DJI Phantom Forum1440442510.097398.jpg

Panic mode!! Return home !
ImageUploadedByPhantomPilots - DJI Phantom Forum1440442542.249426.jpg


It's lonely... Scared...
ImageUploadedByPhantomPilots - DJI Phantom Forum1440442570.572095.jpg


Land!
ImageUploadedByPhantomPilots - DJI Phantom Forum1440442603.575001.jpg

Our log
ImageUploadedByPhantomPilots - DJI Phantom Forum1440442642.432099.jpg

Our mod
ImageUploadedByPhantomPilots - DJI Phantom Forum1440442678.170071.jpg
 
OK that's pretty impressive, but I honestly can't for the life of me imagine flying out over open water to see how far I can go. ;-) One safe landing per launch and the video and stills that result is the ball game for me at my age!!!

Interesting that you chose to put the foil on the back. From what I've seen, most people use the inner concave side. Apparently (and interestingly) it seems to make no difference.
 
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Reactions: Casey Cassity

Just red stock paper/ thin cardboard with PDF I printed glued to it, and scotched taped up. These are super ugly but basically very effective if you just follow the cut out of the PDF diagram.

There is absolutely positively no need to pay anyone to set up any other sort of antenna booster beyond this simple trick.

I see guys in these forums drilling holes in the RC units , soldering wires etc, and probably they won't be able to reach this far and paying out the nose for mods that won't reach this distance. ( which is the terminal distance for me as i won't make it home if you go much beyond that)
 
OK that's pretty impressive, but I honestly can't for the life of me imagine flying out over open water to see how far I can go. ;-) One safe landing per launch and the video and stills that result is the ball game for me at my age!!!

Interesting that you chose to put the foil on the back. From what I've seen, most people use the inner concave side. Apparently (and interestingly) it seems to make no difference.


You are correct, it makes no difference if foil is on the inside or outside.
 
Just red stock paper/ thin cardboard with PDF I printed glued to it, and scotched taped up. These are super ugly but basically very effective if you just follow the cut out of the PDF diagram.

There is absolutely positively no need to pay anyone to set up any other sort of antenna booster beyond this simple trick.

I see guys in these forums drilling holes in the RC units , soldering wires etc, and probably they won't be able to reach this far and paying out the nose for mods that won't reach this distance. ( which is the terminal distance for me as i won't make it home if you go much beyond that)
yep. the info in the link i pasted is free and is a step by step.
 
So have you tested the theory? Fly out as far as you can without the mod. Then add the mod and fly out as far as you can in the same direction and see if it changes. This needs to be done at the same time frame. Use a battery for the first test then change and do the second test on the next battery. Just wondering if it's a fluke or really did make a difference.
 
So have you tested the theory? Fly out as far as you can without the mod. Then add the mod and fly out as far as you can in the same direction and see if it changes. This needs to be done at the same time frame. Use a battery for the first test then change and do the second test on the next battery. Just wondering if it's a fluke or really did make a difference.

We tested in a far simpler way... Yank them off around 2,5km and you lose all signals... Done this many times now.

Without them I can go 2km, maybe a little more.
 
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Reactions: Joao Carlos
i couldn't imagine range testing out over water like that, scared me just looking at the screen shots!
 
You lose signal for 1 or more minutes and witness it come back each time...builds faith! The auto pilot works...
 
I think you really make a valid point. Sometimes the nicest things are the simplest. In this case it is also cheap.

Personally I like to tinker and opening up the RC controller and modding it is part of the fun. It gets worse when you have multiple controllers and you spend $$$ / £££ on upgrades

Hats off for doing the flights and experiment. It just goes to show how great the lightbridge unit is that DJI supply with the P3P/A.

I have seen some "Professional" looking windsurfers on eBay. I might just buy one to try out.
 
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Reactions: Michael Collins
Just red stock paper/ thin cardboard with PDF I printed glued to it, and scotched taped up. These are super ugly but basically very effective if you just follow the cut out of the PDF diagram.

There is absolutely positively no need to pay anyone to set up any other sort of antenna booster beyond this simple trick.

I see guys in these forums drilling holes in the RC units , soldering wires etc, and probably they won't be able to reach this far and paying out the nose for mods that won't reach this distance. ( which is the terminal distance for me as i won't make it home if you go much beyond that)

Your assumption here is slightly incorrect. Using external antennas have reached range of 16Km one way. Your distance is 5Km one way. So I think external antennas with additional gain and amps will give you further distance. Not knocking your findings - simply setting the record straight. :)
 
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Reactions: atki
Not sure how you can hit 16km one way when my battery sent me home shortly after 5km...please share, would be great to know how.
 
I use fpvlr's without amps and fly 6.5kms over trees, past towers and near some residential areas.. I dont think your home made tin foil job would have much chance of doing that where I fly.. I also fly under 120 metres altitude all the way, maybe you should try that and then you'll see why some of us opt for a more professional upgrade.
 

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