Antenna Mod Please Help

[JBK]

I've been flying the phantoms now for about three months! I started with the vision plus and liked it so much I bought a phantom 2 so I could modify it ! I have all my fpv set up but am now wanting to add a the Horizon 2.4 ghz 9dbi Black hawk RHCP , to transmitter side only. Will it transmit ok and give me the extra range ? Any ideas I'm open !
Thanks

 

[lake_flyer]

I've been flying the phantoms now for about three months! I started with the vision plus and liked it so much I bought a phantom 2 so I could modify it ! I have all my fpv set up but am now wanting to add a the Horizon 2.4 ghz 9dbi Black hawk RHCP , to transmitter side only. Will it transmit ok and give me the extra range ? Any ideas I'm open !
Thanks

What's the current range you get with your P2? Is that not enough?
Did you try it out? It is likely 2 or 3 times the range of your vision plus. The P2 control signal (with the stock radio) outranges most FPV signals. Have you ever flown that far that it kicked into RTH? I took it out 1.5KM at 100m high and still it didn't lose connection. FPV was getting snowy and at times totally gone but control signal remained steady. Just didn't have the guts to push it all the way to RTH, it was over water all the time.

 

[JBK]

You are correct about the range being more than the vision plus! Lastnight I got out 1.2 km with perfect FPV with no fail safe kick in. In town I can get out 900 meters and a height of 50 meters before my fpv begins to break out! Horizon antenna package is on the way might push me out to 2 Km . I am just confused about the which helical antenna on the 2.4 ghz radio to add! RHCP or LHCP ! I think if you do the pilot side only your suppose to go with LHCP ! But honestly i dont know .

 

[JerEl]

You mentioned putting a video directional antenna on your transmitter and that's not recommended since they only transmit/receive to about a 20 degree angle which will spread out the further you get from it but you would have to be so exact in flying that the antenna was always pointed directly back to the receiver on the ground. Kind of impossible in the 3-dimensional environment of models. It would be interesting to see though if a pilot could keep the multicopter's antenna exactly pointed at the receiver. For example If it was pointing out the rear you could fly straight away from the receiver and then you would have to fly back backwards (with the rear of copter still pointing backwards) to come home. If the wind caused some yaw you could lose the signal completely.

As far as RH or LH it doesn't matter as long as both the receiver and transmitter use the same circular environment. Most of the commercial brands are RH. The ideal setup is to use a cloverleaf on the transmitter and the directional one you mentioned on the receiver. If you have a diversity receiver like is built in the Black Pearl monitor you can put a directional one on the right and a cloverleaf on the left and that way if you fly behind you or off to the side the receiver chooses the antenna that's receiving the best signal. I prefer the "mushroom" circular antennae as the open air ones are subject to damage easily. Just a slight bump and it could bend the wire causing de-tuning.

With the ideal setup I mentioned you will outfly your flight controller's radio signal from what I've seen on YouTube and even though you will still have video the Phantom 2 will go into fail safe and return. There are replacement flight controllers that reach much further but they are expensive and beyond my ability to setup properly for the Phantom 2.

If you are going to use the data link device then it doesn't matter about the flight controller since the way points are setup on the ground and it doesn't use the controller once it takes off. Like the Vision+.

 

[JBK]

Thanks for the reply I received my 12 dbi mini black hawk fpv package from horizon for the black pearl black mamba kit! Got the nimrod and clover leave set and is crystal clear out to 1.5 km before rth kicks in from loosing my signal on the 2.4 radio side! Horizon mentioned if I bought the 2.4 ghz LHCP 9 dbi black hawk for the pilot side only they believe I could get 2 km alone without doing bird side. Gonna try it and if I loose gain I'll add to the Bird ! but you mentioned the data link which I just had delivered and if I understand correctly you mentioned once it's programmed on the ground it will fly to receiver limits only?? I am using the PC ground station now so if it looses the link from there does it continue its mission. Also do you think it's to much weight to have the H33D gopro, IOSD, Black Mamba , horizon Nimrod , and the 2.4 data link on the Bird to fly. Of course I know I've already lost 10 minutes of flight time !!