Antenna amplifier DIY

[fordruid]

doubtful you would ever get an increase from an antenna change, you need to tx more power from the remote and from the drone, this is just a great way to waste money.

A 'better' antenna can make a large difference in range over the OEM 'wire sticking up in a plastic stick'. The question is, are these a better antenna?

 

[Jussaguy]

IMO, this is BY far the best extender on the market. I have it in one of my birds and it gets so much more range than any other, it's not close. The soda cans ones suck IMHO.

Phantom 3 Long Range Extender System Upgrade

 

[KyleMaxxUAV]

doubtful you would ever get an increase from an antenna change, you need to tx more power from the remote and from the drone, this is just a great way to waste money.

This is the most uneducated thing I have ever seen lmao , itelite for example adds a massive amount of range without any increase in power.
The way this works is, instead of sending the signal in 360 degrees, it focuses the signal in one direction. Increasing the range and quality of signal in one direction.

Thanks for your uneducated opinion though.


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[KyleMaxxUAV]

A 'better' antenna can make a large difference in range over the OEM 'wire sticking up in a plastic stick'. The question is, are these a better antenna?

Amen


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[Mark The Droner]

This is the most uneducated thing I have ever seen lmao , itelite for example adds a massive amount of range without any increase in power.
The way this works is, instead of sending the signal in 360 degrees, it focuses the signal in one direction. Increasing the range and quality of signal in one direction....

+1

 

[KyleMaxxUAV]

IMO, this is BY far the best extender on the market. I have it in one of my birds and it gets so much more range than any other, it's not close. The soda cans ones suck IMHO.

Phantom 3 Long Range Extender System Upgrade

How is this so much more expensive than the itelite panel ? Is this just a rebranded itelite panel ?? From my investigations, the itelite panel is a dual 2.4ghz high gain directional antenna designed for us, right ?


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[Neil McRae]

A 'better' antenna can make a large difference in range over the OEM 'wire sticking up in a plastic stick'. The question is, are these a better antenna?

Unless you have specific environmental issues then the ones advertised above I doubt will make any difference and judging by those that have tried them it looks like I'm right - handy this lack of education thing - you need to improve at both ends of the signal. By taking the antenna further away from the controller you might reduce interference from the controller and the ipad etc but probably only of note at the margins.

I hadn't seen the lte lite one, apologies, and it looks like its a filter solution that's reducing interference from the wifi end of the contoller. I was referring to the crap ones on eBay and Amazon. I will try and get one and test it with our spectrum scanner.

 

[fordruid]

So you are saying that an antenna upgrade will have no effect? All who that have tried them, got a link? (not trying to argue, researching my options)

 

[KyleMaxxUAV]

iTelite is I directional high gain antenna ... It increases distance by focusing the 360 degree signal into a "tunnel" of signal so to speak. A directional antenna will focus all the signals into one direction and would a) add distance b) increase connection strength, but only when the antenna is aimed in the proper direction.

So is is 100% possible to increase signal strength & distance without an amp. The biggest problem the p3 has is with video link signal, the control signal will outperform the video link every time. So using something like the itelite or fpvlr options will increase control distance & at the same time increase reception on the transmitter end, increasing your overall distance for control and video link.

Adding an amp will further increase on this, that is all.


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[Avocet]

We'll need to see some real data on these .... One positive for the Argtek though is it is a clean install for all 3 Phantom models ( no visible cabling, etc.), it can be completely undone -NO DRILLING - (returning your controller back to stock say for warranty claims) and the price point (I've seen 25.99 USD I think) is in play for even modest range gains.

DJI Quads are video platforms, not sport fliers, if you want the thrill of extended (risk) flight distances, the Phantom family should not be at the top of the list imho.

Looking forward to some actual data ... Plenty of online hype to challenge as examples ... My new P3P should arrive before June and I hope to see some valid trials reporting back by then. I've done some research - the installations are not hard (say a 3 on a 1-10 scale) from what I've seen (basically the same for the 2 different style of Phantom controllers.)

I've also checked both the boosted and unboosted offerings from fpvlr.com as well. Jury is still out!

Happy flying ...


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[Mark The Droner]

This is an old thread (couple months) but here goes:

IMO, this is BY far the best extender on the market. I have it in one of my birds and it gets so much more range than any other, it's not close. The soda cans ones suck IMHO.

Phantom 3 Long Range Extender System Upgrade

Are we sure we want to use the word "extender" to describe an antenna system? We (through DJI) already use "range extender" to describe the P2V(+) device which includes two transceivers as well as two antennas. How about "antenna system?"

I think it's been established in another thread that this is nothing more than a rebranded ITELITE antenna system, hasn't it?

Unless you have specific environmental issues then the ones advertised above I doubt will make any difference and judging by those that have tried them it looks like I'm right - handy this lack of education thing - you need to improve at both ends of the signal. ...

I'm having trouble with this post. The comment, which is stated as fact, is completely wrong. We already know we definitely do not need to make improvements on both ends of the signal to add significant range. This is not some grey area that is open for debate.

 

[Jussaguy]

This is an old thread (couple months) but here goes:



Are we sure we want to use the word "extender" to describe an antenna system? We (through DJI) already use "range extender" to describe the P2V(+) device which includes two transceivers as well as two antennas. How about "antenna system?"

I think it's been established in another thread that this is nothing more than a rebranded ITELITE antenna system, hasn't it?



I'm having trouble with this post. The comment, which is stated as fact, is completely wrong. We already know we definitely do not need to make improvements on both ends of the signal to add significant range. This is not some grey area that is open for debate.

As to my part, I've learned much about the boosters since then and don't stand by that comment. I believe they are mostly just re-branded stuff. In fact, the Chinese economy is LOADED with re branded stuff. Loose IP laws and thousands of factories with skilled workers working for pennies does a lot for innovation!

 

[TheBigNewfie]

This is the one I purchased: Amazon.com : BlueProton DJI Phantom 3 Advanced/Professional WiFi Signal Range Extender Antenna Kit by ARGtek : Camera & Photo

It's similar to the others sold online. In my area (wi-fi congested and neighborhood with densely-packed homes and trees), it performed no better than my stock antenna.

Hey any update on this, did you happen to try this mod out any further, and see any improvement?

 

[TheBigNewfie]

I figured at that price I can't go wrong, the cables from eBay that allow you to install the itelite setup without drilling are $21 used. And I'm hoping I can play around with some different antennas and possibly get a little better connection. Lots of interference where I am.


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Any luck, did you happen to try this extender?